This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cheri will be awarding a $25 or $15 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to randomly drawn winners.
Hi! I’m so excited to be here today to chat about my new release, LUCK OF THE DRAW. Plus, I know you all are dying to peek behind the curtain of the glamorous life of a romance novelist. (Maybe dying is too strong a word. Fleetingly interested, maybe?) Sure, we look all chic and confident on the outside, but little did you know…
1.) I couldn’t tell time until I was ten years old. That’s right. Fourth grade. (And not September, either. More like May-ish…) I’m still ashamed to admit this, but in my own defense, people were not clear about this whole telling time thing. I mean, which is it? Three thirty or half past three? Time is over-rated anyway. My heroine, Kate, in LUCK OF THE DRAW isn’t too keen on counting the years herself, being a 31 year-old widowed single mother. She’s also trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up. Thankfully, hunky hero guy shows up and we both forget about clocks.
2.) I live two minutes from one of the most beautiful lakes in New Hampshire and I don’t swim. Not effectively, that is. I could probably flail to shore if I fell out of my canoe, but that’s what life jackets are for, right? I suppose this is all somewhat ironic considering my book is set on Whisper Lake and my hero is a swimmer that likes night-time dips. (Oh, yeah!) But, hey, it’s fiction, and if my hero were drowning, I’m sure I’d get to him in time to perform mouth-to-mouth. I may be uncoordinated, but I’m not dead.
3.) I’m continually surprised my children like me, because I’m not always feeling the love. I can rant about the dirty, inside-out socks (Come on, people! Icky!) but they still want to spend time with me. Go figure. That’s the beautiful thing about unconditional love, though, isn’t it? I mean, even when my hero or heroine does or says something that hurts the other, the love still exists. It’s that love that helps them work through the hard times to get back to “liking” each other again.
4.) I do not suffer in silence. Unlike my heroine, God bless her, who tells no one of her troubles. And Kate’s got plenty! Widowed. Single Mom. Nearly unemployed. Ack! But she’s determined to carve a new future for herself on her own terms. Me? I’d be calling friends, leaving long-winded e-mails and generally sharing the pain. Just ask Dearest Hubby.
5.) I taught myself basic building construction so I could design my own house. Then we hired a carpenter friend and built it. Yes, I’m a little nuts (and maybe just a little controlling) but I’m proud of going after something even though I’d never done anything like it before.
Kate, too, has to not only envision a new future for herself, she has to make it from scratch, but there’s something very empowering about that. Will she make mistakes? Undoubtedly. Still, she knows she’ll be okay with the help of friends, and not trying isn’t an option. LUCK OF THE DRAW isn’t just a love story. It’s a story about a woman who has been soldiering through life on her own and who discovers the gift of friendship and sisterhood. Finding a good man to share that future with is just icing on the cake.
So, there you have it, folks. Please tell me I’m not the only one who dives into things head first even though she can’t swim!
If only life had a refresh button...
Kate Mitchell never planned to be a 31 year-old widowed single mom, but when her soon-to-be-EX husband up and dies, her dreams of finishing college and starting over are thrown in the air like a game of 52 pick-up. When she’s given a leave of absence from work and told to “quit or recommit,” Kate retreats to idyllic Sugar Falls, New Hampshire, to figure out whether she can discover her passion and pay the bills. Cue the fresh air, summer sunshine and one sexy local contractor.
Tall, dark, and handy…
Volunteer fireman and all-around hunky guy in a toolbelt, Jim Pearson has sworn off complicated women with messy baggage. They cling to his nice-guy stability and skills with a power saw just long enough to straighten out their lives and move on… but then he meets the cute single mom staying at Grams’ lake house for the summer.
While a sizzling attraction draws them together, Jim's distrust of complicated women and Kate's incredibly complicated life threaten to pull them apart. But forces beyond their control—match-making grandmothers, the lazy backdrop of summer, and their own reckoning with the past—conspire to make them risk it all... and bet on love.
Enjoy an excerpt:
“But when I think about going back… to a job I know is safe and secure… I can’t breathe.” She felt her arms grow cold despite the sunshine. “It’s like my future is closing in and there’s no way out. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that going back would mean I’m giving up hoping for something better. And… and I can’t bring myself to give up on me quite yet.”
She stared at him in the silence that followed, her chest rising and falling, feeling brittle and defiant all at once.
But then he tugged her hand until she sat beside him on the porch steps. He blew out a breath. “No one’s asking you to give up on yourself.”
“You think I’m giving up,” she said. “But I’m not. I’m not throwing my hands up in despair. I’m not trying to quit. I’m trying to let go of the handlebars to see if I can do this without help.”
“I don’t understand what that—”
“I’m saying… I know you mean well, but you’ve got to let me figure this out on my own.”
After a long moment, he nodded. “Okay,” he said, and he turned, the corners of his eyes crinkling in that warm, lovely way that always turned Kate’s insides to jelly. “You may not believe it, but I do believe there’s something better waiting for you.”
“You’re talking to a practically unemployed widow,” she sighed. “It’d be hard not to go uphill from here.”
About the Author:
Cheri loves to hear from readers! E-mail her at cheri@cheriallan.com, friend her at facebook.com/cheriallanauthor, like her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter, or visit her website and blog at www.cheriallan.com. Luck of the Draw, Book 1 in the ‘Betting on Romance’ series is available now through Kobo and Smashwords. a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
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ReplyDeleteGood morning and thanks for hosting me today! I'm excited to be here sharing the excitement of LUCK OF THE DRAW's book launch!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your comments. I too live near a lake in NH but do not ever go swimming. This sounds like a fun story,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it has something to do with taking for granted what is always there? Glad you enjoyed the post! Opening chapters are available for preview at my web site. :) Thanks for stopping by! (Hope for sunny skies again soon!)
DeleteI thought it very interesting that you taught yourself basic building construction and started design your house. That's pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debbie. Although they were probably the most interesting, color-coded building plans our carpenter friend had ever seen, because (being a newbie to it) I wanted to be sure I ordered exactly the right about of lumber, so ever 2 x 4 x 8 had a colored dot, every 2 x 6 x 12 had a different color, etc. LOL But, hey, it got the job done, and hubby and carpenter friend set the rafters, so I didn't even have to climb to the peak! :) Thanks for stopping by, and good luck in the giveaway!
DeleteOops. *every*.
DeleteI enjoyed the Five Things. I always say three thirty not half past three. lol
ReplyDeleteI say three thirty, too, Rita! I finally made the decision to call it ONE thing, and it made life so much easier! (I can now tell time quite easily, even on a digital clock! ) So glad you stopped by. Good luck!
DeleteLoved the interview. It was funny and entertaining. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, and I do hope you'll pick up a copy of LUCK OF THE DRAW (or download to your favorite e-reader) for more fun! Be sure to follow my blog tour through Friday for more chances to enter my giveaway, and thanks for stopping in!
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