Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Funniest holiday moment

I hope you had a wonderful holiday. I spent mine with family and friends and I think everyone was happy with what Santa brought.

The funniest moment this holiday was the family photo. You know the one where someone sets up a tripod, everyone huddles together, the timer is set, light flashes, and click -- that special moment is frozen in time forever. This year my mom could not stop laughing. Her laughter was contagious and soon we were all laughing. It took several tries, but we did manage to get a picture with everyone looking and no one cracking up.



Speaking of family and special moments, my mom gave me and my sister a picture of us with our great grandmother. I have very fond memories of Nona and I just love the picture. That's my sister on the left showing off the earrings she was trying on, me in the middle and Nona on the right.




What was your funniest holiday moment? I'd love to hear from you.


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Thank you and flowers to brighten the day

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who helped to make Embrace's Book Birthday so wonderful.

Congratulations to the winners of the Embrace Book Launch Party!

Grand Prize
Nicki Elson

eCopy of Embrace
Kat Ellis

Embrace Hemp Bracelet
Marian Cheatham, Jennifer Hufstedler,
Terri Murphy, CD Meetens, Niamh Clune

Embrace will be on Tour in January with even more chances to win Embrace prizes so be sure to stop back by.

If you'd like to find out a little more about me and Embrace, stop by Omnific Publishing's blog to read my interview.

And I thought I'd share the beautiful flowers I received from my family. My parents sent me this exotic zen arrangement. It has some of the most interesting flowers and a very unique almost citrus scent.


And my guys brighten up the room with these amazing colorful roses. I seriously want to know how they made them such a pretty rainbow of colors.


The today is Omnific Publishing's Author! Author! Blog Bounce. I hope you'll bounce on over to the participating blogs to see what  others have been up to.



Happy holidays!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

It’s a Party to celebrate the release of EMBRACE

And it's just in time for the holidays!

Embrace
a novel by Cherie Colyer

Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve. 

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him. 

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own. 

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover. 


Curl up with EMBRACE today:
Buy from Amazon here

I can hardly believe that today has finally come. It's still a bit surreal. I'd like to thank everyone for your support and well-wishes and a special thanks to my writer friends who have been invaluable in helping me get ready for this launch, many who are writing their own Party Post.

The Virtual Launch Party is here!

There are lots of great posts to choose from. Pick one or two, or read them all. Leave a comment at each stop to be entered in the drawing to win the Grand Prize.
PRIZES!
For Party Hoppers, I'll be giving away
the following prizes:

Grand Prize:
Signed paperback copy of EMBRACE plus an Embrace hemp bracelet
($20 Amazon Gift Card for an international winner)
Remember to leave a comment at each hop for a chance to win the grand prize.


Other prizes:
An eCopy of EMBRACE
~or~
1 of five Embrace hemp bracelets
(United States and Canada)

Three ways to win an eCopy or bracelet

1) Leave a comment here or at any of the Party Posts listed below.
2) Tweet about the Virtual Party or any of the Party Posts with tag #EMBRACEnovels
Example: 
Nothing could have prepared her for what she’s about to discover. #EMBRACEnovels @CherieColyer #YA avail NOW www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com
Example: 
Celebrate the launch of EMBRACE by @CherieColyer #EMBRACEnovels #paranormal #YA avail NOW www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com
3) Facebook (tag Cherie Colyer, author) about the Virtual Party.
Example: 
Celebrate the launch of teen paranormal thriller/romance novel EMBRACE by Cherie Colyer, author and enter for a chance to win fun Embrace prizes! http://www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com
Do all three and you will have three times the chances to win! Contest ends at midnight tonight.
CONTEST NOW CLOSED. Check back for future giveaways. 








Thursday, December 15, 2011

In my mailbox

I remember when I was young and my mom would ask me to get the mail. I’d slip on my shoes and make the long trek down the driveway. The door on the mailbox would stick a little, so I had to tug hard. Inside was always a stack of envelopes. Sometimes there was a financial magazine or sales fliers. I’d flip through the various pieces of mail as I slowly walked back to the house. It was usually stuff for my parents, but every once in awhile I’d find something with my name on it. I’d be so excited that I got mail, I’d skip back to the house, kick off my shoes, and rush to open it. When you’re a kid, mail is fun. Birthday cards with a brand new dollar bill carefully tucked in the fold of the stiff cardboard, notes from penpals, maybe even a box with something fun inside.

One of the downfalls of growing up is mail takes on a whole new meaning. Bills and junk mail you’d wish the companies would stop sending (just think how many trees could be saved!) seem to be the norm. But every now and then you get something that makes you skip up the driveway again, making you feel like the seven-year-old you from your past. It’s a great feeling! Looky what I got…


Embrace bookmarks

They're pretty, aren't they?

I've been posting daily teasers on my website. Click here to read today's. And don't forget to RSVP to the Embrace Virtual Launch Party.

Omnific Publishing has a lot of fun things going on right now. There's still time to enter their Holiday Contest and they are offering some great books for 99 cents. Click here for more details.

And with it being Thursday, it's time for Omnific's Author! Author! Blog Bounce. Hope you'll join the fun.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tuesday Teaser

In seven days...

SEVEN!

Next Tuesday!


Embrace will be released!
** Throws confetti **

Join me December 20th for a chance to win fun prizes.  
Today's teaser:

“Thanks for helping today.” Isaac looked at me, his eyes smoldering as he leaned over the stick shift and brushed my lips with one of his feather-soft kisses that sent a warm tingling sensation all the way to my toes.

No one who could get my heart beating as fast as it was with such a brief kiss could possibly be bad. I was sure of it.


Want more? Stop by www.embracenovels.com to read the daily teaser.


Add EMBRACE to your TBR on GoodReads 

Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you next week.
...

Thursday, December 8, 2011

The things we remember

First I'd like to congratulate Crystal Hill and FreakChiq. They won the eCopies of Debra Anastasia's novel Poughkeepsie. Thanks for participating in the Poughkeepsie Come Home Tour giveaway.

Not too long ago, my husband and I were having a late lunch at Joe’s Crab Shack. If you’ve never been think casual dining, fun pictures laminated on top of each table, rolls of brown paper towels in lieu of napkins, a silver bucket for your shells, plastic sharks hanging from the ceiling… you get the picture. We were seated next to a row of tie-dye T-shirts. This reminded me of when I was in fifth grade. It was craft day and we were going to make our very own tie-dye T-shirts. I’d been waiting for this day for two years. Yep, TWO years. Ever since my sister came home with her amazingly bright tie-dye shirt.

It was finally my turn. I remembered to stuff my new white T-shirt into my backpack (no tie-dye socks because I forgot).  I was all set. Only art was at the end of the day and it happened to be on a day when those in orchestra would normally get to leave early.  (Ya, that right there is a little known fact about me; I played the viola for a year, but that’s a whole different story for another day.) I had orchestra every week. Tie-dye day came once in a girl’s grade school career. I figured when the announcement came over the loud speaker telling the students to get on the bus for orchestra practice I’d just pretend I didn’t hear it. Miss the bus. Get to create a colorful shirt. Life was good.

My plan didn’t take in account that my arch enemy had art with me. She was more than happy to scream out CHERIE IS IN ORCHESTRA. SHE HAS TO LEAVE. She then gave me one of those smug looks that lets you know she did it to be mean. I was too young to use profanity, so I made my meanest face and snarled at her as I trudge out of the classroom.

I never did like that girl. Do you know to this day I never got to make a tie-dye T-shirt? I don’t even know why I still remember this. I wouldn’t wear tie-dye now. But sitting in the restaurant surrounded by all the tie-dye shirts made me remember how much I was looking forward to that project.

I suppose I should forgive and forget, but considering how I still remember how awful I felt that day, I think it’s safe to say that’s just not going to happen anytime soon.

Have you ever wanted something really bad? You waited patiently for your turn only to have it snatch from your grasp moments before it was yours? 

It's Omnific Publishing's Author! Author! Blog Bounce time.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Teaser Tuesday continued

This was such a fun novel to write. Since it’s a paranormal romance, anything is possible and you never know what will happen when the impossible suddenly becomes part of the everyday.

Today's teaser:

It all happened quickly. We slid through the smoke from the tires. The sound of the semi truck’s brakes locking up drowned out our music. The truck struck the rear driver’s side of our Jeep and passed through us as if it were a hologram. I saw the worn black treads in its tire and the chrome hubcap, then the rusted rim, brake drum, and caliper in a weird sort of 3-D way as we continued through the shocks and suspension bar, through belts and fans and other moving parts of the engine that I never, ever in my life wanted to see like that again.



Don't miss out on the chance to win fun prizes! RSVP to the Launch Party by clicking here and I'll send you a reminder the week of the party! More details can be found here.

Add EMBRACE to your TBR on GoodReads 


Saturday, December 3, 2011

Blog Tour: Poughkeepsie Come Home Tour

I'm very excite to be a stop on the Poughkeepsie Come Home Tour!


I haven't read this book yet, but I can't wait to! Poughkeepsie is an adult contemporary romance about an unlikely couple. Debra Anastasia is an amazing author. With a combination like this, I know I won't be disappointed. And I get to give away two eCopies!

Give a Copy of Poughkeepsie a Home:

Poughkeepsie in eBook, ePack, and Print: Omnific Publishing
Poughkeepsie in Kindle and Print Amazon Kindle Amazon Print
Poughkeepsie Book format allromanceebooks.com

AUTHOR LINKS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tHdSFrxnp4

GIVEAWAY

There are 2 eCopies of Poughkeepsie to give away on the blog today. To enter, please leave a comment on this post and complete the form below. Want a second chance to win? Simply Tweet about the 
Poughkeepsie Come Home Tour and include the link to your tweet in your comments and I'll enter your name twice. (You can find the URL link to your tweet by clicking on the time. i.e.; 3 minutes ago.)   
Contest is open until 9pm Eastern time December 7th.

POUGHKEEPSIE
by Debra Anastasia

He counts her smiles every day and night at the train station. And morning and evening, the beautiful commuter acknowledges him—just like she does everyone else on the platform. But Blake Hartt is not like the others . . . he’s homeless. Memories of a broken childhood have robbed him of peace and twisted delusions into his soul. He stays secluded from the sun, sure the world would run from him in the harsh light of day.

Each day, Livia McHugh smiles politely and acknowledges her fellow commuters as she waits for the train to the city. She dismisses this kindness as nothing special, just like her. She’s the same as a million other girls—certainly no one to be cherished. But special or not, she smiles every day, never imagining that someone would rely on the simple gesture as if it were air to breathe.

When the moment comes that Livia must do more than smile, without hesitation she steps into the fray to defend the homeless man. And she's surprised to discover an inexplicable connection with her new friend. After danger subsides, their smiles become conversation. Their words usher in a friendship, which awakens something in each of them. But it’s not long before their bond must prove its strength. Entanglements from the past challenge both their love and their lives.

Blake’s heart beats for Livia’s, even if her hands have to keep its rhythm. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love never fails. Love never fails, right?

In an interwoven tale of unlikely loves and relationships forged by fire, Debra Anastasia takes readers into the darkest corners of human existence, only to show them the radiant power of pure adoration and true sacrifice. Complicated families and confused souls find their way to light in this novel, which manages to be racy, profane, funny, and reverent all at once.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Embrace Book Trailer

The book trailer for Embrace is here!
               Find out what Madison does December 20th.

If you missed last weeks announcement, I'm throwing a virtual launch party on December 20th to celebrate the release of EMBRACE. Everyone is welcome! 

And today is Omnific Publishing's Author! Author! Blog Bounce. All authors are welcome to join the fun, or just hop along and see what others are up to!



Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Tuesday Teaser: Embrace

With December 20th fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to do some Tuesday teasers. One of the things I love about paranormal novels is knowing that just about anything can be hiding in the dark...

Kaylee’s fingers tightened like a vise as she took a step closer to me so that our shoulders touched. Kaylee’s eyes were wide and focused on the far end of the parking lot. My gaze followed hers. “What is it?”
The street lamp flickered on and off, creating odd shadows among the cars parked there.
“Who is that?” Kaylee whispered.
            […]
“Kaylee, there’s no one there.”




Don't miss out on the chance to win fun prizes! RSVP up for the Launch Party by clicking here and I'll send you a reminder the week of the party! More details can be found here.



Add EMBRACE to your TBR on GoodReads 




Tuesday, November 22, 2011

My debut novel: Embrace

Coming December 20, 2011
a teen paranormal romance
by Cherie Colyer


Sometimes you end up hurting the ones you love. 
You find you can't save them or yourself.

                                                                Embrace 


Madison is familiar enough with change, and she hates everything about it. Change took her long-term boyfriend away from her. It caused one of her friends to suddenly hate her. It’s responsible for the death of a local along with a host of other mysterious happenings. But when Madison meets a hot new guy, she thinks her luck is about to improve. 

Madison is instantly drawn to the handsome and intriguing Isaac Addington. She quickly realizes he’s a guy harboring a secret, but she’s willing to risk the unknown to be with him. 

Her world really spins out of control, however, when her best friend becomes delusional, seeing things that aren’t there and desperately trying to escape their evil. When the doctors can’t find the answers, Madison seeks her own. 

Nothing can prepare her for what she is about to discover. 




Add EMBRACE to your TBR on GoodReads 

I think my publisher, Omnific Publishing, did an awesome job on the cover. It’s simple, yet captures the emotions of a girl on the verge of discovering something that will change her life forever.



I really loved writing this story. I think it was because I could easily relate to Madison and her hatred of change. Up until recently I had myself convinced that change didn’t bother me, but after reviewing years of evidence I’ll admit that’s just not true. What evidence you ask? Well, there’s the roof on my house. When we had it replaced we went with a different color and as soon as I saw the house with the new roof I hated it. My immediate solution to this dilemma was not to look up when I was outside.

Go ahead and take a moment to laugh, because I know how ridiculous that sounds.

Thankfully, the color grew on me and now I really do like it. Another example would be that I’m generally a very private person, so going to a meeting with a group of strangers to read a few pages of something I wrote was WAY out of my comfort zone. I’m very grateful to my husband who encouraged me to go to that first meeting and then to keep going and I’m also grateful to the writers at the critique group for being supportive and offering not only their advice on ways to improve the story, but for pointing out the good in my writing too. Even blogging was a big change for me (being a private person and all), but here I am sharing a little more about myself. 

If I hadn’t embraced changed, I wouldn’t be where I am today – getting ready to celebrate the release of my debut novel – and I’d still be looking down when I walked outside. To celebrate, I’m throwing a virtual launch party. I hope you’ll join me!


To celebrate the release of Embrace
I'm throwing a Virtual Launch Party and I'm inviting everyone to come!

Will you join me?
When: December 20, 2011
Where: On Your Blog
What: A celebration of the release of EMBRACE
And did I mention there will be prizes?

Here's How to Join the Party (pick one!):
1) Write your own post about embracing change.
Share a story like the ones above about embracing change. It can be something small, like a new hair style that helped you feel like a whole new person to something big like a new job or moving away from home for the first time. I’m hoping these posts will brighten everyone’s day as they get ready for the holidays.

2) Hop around the virtual party and just hang out.



And there's a cool badge:


Photobucket
You can right-click on the badge to download it, 
or copy and paste this HTML code into a widget for your sidebar:

<a href=" http://www.cheriecolyer.blogspot.com " target="_blank"><img src=" http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6237/6326675995_b19612c874_m.jpg " border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a>

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Week in review

This has been a productive week for me. I interviewed Laura Crawford, author of the picture book The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving from A to Z, on my blog. And I did my first author interview with Jessica Therrien. You can read it on her blog Imagination to Publication. I've also been getting ready for the release of my debut novel Embrace. Which is a mere 32 days away. I think this calls for a teaser...

His bedroom only added to his mystique. […]Add shackles and bars, and you’d have one hell of a dungeon.

I know it's a short one. I'll be posting more as it gets closer to December 20th. :)

Today's Omnific Publishing's blog bounce. Hop along and find out what others have been working on.

Here's how the bounce works: 

If you are an author, click on "Get the Code Here" to get the link. Copy and paste that link in your blog post. Then hop right on and add your blog url to get added to the list.

If you are a reader, you get to bounce from blog to blog and meet some great new authors and maybe find some new books to read.


And remember to visit OmnificPublishing.blogspot.com to see this month's 99 cent deals.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving from A to Z

With Thanksgiving approaching, I thought it would be fun to talk with Laura Crawford, author of one of my favorite Thanksgiving picture books, The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving from A to Z. Laura isn’t just an amazing author, she’s a good friend and a wonderful person.

The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving from A to Z
by Laura Crawford


From Amazon:
In this alphabet picture book, author Laura Crawford brings the Pilgrims' story to light by balancing classic Thanksgiving themes with clever lessons about the Pilgrims' trials and triumphs. Noting American ideals like "F is for freedom" alongside the realities of Pilgrim life, such as "H is for hardship," as well as teaching geography ("A is for Atlantic Ocean"), cultural facts ("W is for Wampanoag tribe"), and historical names ("M is for Miles Standish"), this book is a wonderful vocabulary builder and a fun way to pass the Pilgrims' story on to another generation.


Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I love that Laura has found a way to making learning about the Pilgrims’ journey from England to Massachusetts fun. For instance, did you know there were 102 pilgrims who made the journey on the Mayflower or that the women baked a weekly supply of bread in a large community oven? Thanks to Laura, I do now.

Please help me welcome Laura.


Cherie: Where did you get the idea for your book?

Laura: I was inspired to write The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z when I was teaching 2nd grade. We were doing a Thanksgiving unit and I needed to teach the history of the holiday. When I went to the library, I found that the books were all way too easy or way too difficult for 7 year-olds. Since I couldn’t find what I wanted, I wrote my own. It was finished by the following year, so I printed it out and had my students illustrate it.

Cherie: I love that you decided to write the book you needed. And what a fun project for your students! The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z has a lot of great information about the pilgrims’ voyage to America. What type of research did you do before writing the book?

Laura: It took a long time to research this book. I read Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, one of Pilgrim leaders. It was by far one of the most challenging books I have ever read in my life! Not fun. I also contacted the museums in Massachusetts and they sent me information. Most of my research was done through the internet and by checking books from the library. Since I only need the most basic information, it was not too hard to find…except for K, Q and X. They are officially my LEAST favorite letters of the alphabet. Every time I do an ABC book, they are the most challenging.

Cherie: You know, I hated having to find examples of words with those letters when I was in school, so I can sympathize. Can you tell us a little about your writing process?

Laura: I usually have an idea….and then do nothing about it for a long time! Then I start reading and watching videos. Since I do a lot of history books, I watch the History Channel and the Biography Channel. It seems like an idea percolates in my head for a long time, and when I actually start typing, it goes pretty fast. Then I let it sit for awhile before my writing groups get to see it…several times!

Cherie: Percolating ideas: I love it! What is your favorite thing about Thanksgiving?

Laura: Oh that’s easy…..mashed potatoes!  Haha. 
As far as the book goes, I’d say Squanto.  I foresee a Squanto book in my future.

Cherie: Funny that you could answer that so easily. I’m still trying to figure out my favorite part of the holiday. It might be the turkey, I like nibbling on it for days. Or maybe the yams. Definitely the desserts. Now I’m making myself hungry.

Young children say the darnedest things and I’ve read many of your Facebook posts that reflect this. Have you read your story to children? Can you share with us some of their comments about the book?

Laura: I’ve read the book to many children, but I can’t remember anything funny they’ve said to me, but I always tell them about the mistake in my book. On the page with C is for Clothing, you will read that the Pilgrims did not wear buckles.  When Pelican Publishing sent me the galleys to approve, there was a huge buckle on the page with R is for Plymouth Rock.  Well, I called them and freaked out. They took the giant buckle off the shoe…but nobody else (including me) noticed that there are buckles on 3 other pages.  So spread the word…the Pilgrims did NOT have buckles!  And the moral of the story: take your time and look closely at ALL illustrations before approving them.

Cherie: Oh, that is a great story. I remember reading that the Pilgrims didn’t have buckles, and I didn’t notice that some of the pictures included them. What a great tip for writers.

When I was young, we used to play pilgrim or the Indian? I was always an Indian. How about you, when you were young, were you a Pilgrim or an Indian?

Laura: Not really….I wanted to be Wonder Woman when I was young! Haha

Cherie: Can you imagine Wonder Woman sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner with the Pilgrims and Indians? ** pauses to imagine how that would go ** You have a few picture books out. Which was the most fun to write?  Which was the most difficult to write? 

Laura: Hmmm….that is a hard question!  I think the Postcard series was the most fun to write because the main character is so cute and spunky (and based on my niece).  I did have fun doing In Arctic Waters because I love cumulative tales and animals, although I’m not a very good rhymer.  I think the most challenging was The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving From A to Z because I had to make the alphabet fit the chronological order of events. I bet I rearranged my letters for that book about 20 times (and I’m not exaggerating!)

Thank you so much for interviewing me!!  Happy Thanksgiving to you….

Cherie: Thanks for stopping by! And a Happy Gobble Gobble Day to you too!