Cheryl Robinson's Blog, page 2
December 28, 2011
Are you a blogger, book club member or an avid reader?
Are you a blogger, book club member or an avid reader? If so, you can help me spread the word about my forthcoming novel, and I'd truly appreciate it!
Beginning January 15, 2012, I will have a few review copies of my forthcoming novel, The One. If you have an established blog and you currently review books, I'd love for you to review The One. Please e-mail me at cheryl@cherylrobinson.com and provide the URL to your blog. Please provide your mailing address.
Would you like the opportunity to win dinner for your book club? One book club will have the opportunity to win a $200 American Express Dining Gift Card. While all others will qualify to win a $100 American Express Dining Gift Card. Fill out the book club contact form on my website with the date you have selected The One for your book-of-the-month and your book club may be a winner. The One must be selected for a monthly read prior to June 2, 2012 to qualify. For all others, one $100 American Express Dining Gift Card will be awarded to a book club monthly, beginning July 10, 2012 through December 10, 2012. See other stipulations below.*
Are you an avid reader with a Youtube channel? If so, I'd love for you to upload a video review of my book (no spoilers please). If your video review is selected for my online chat, I'll post it on my blog, and you'll receive a special gift. Videos should be uploaded by March 18, 2012. Email me for details at cheryl@cherylrobinson.com. Book club members and bloggers also qualify.
Other ways to help spread the word:
Are you on Goodreads? Please click here to add The One to your bookshelf. I just added an author profile, and I'm giving away three autographed copies. Click here for details.
Pre-order The One from Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com .
Do you get your books from the library? Libraries need our support. Four libraries were recently closed in Detroit, my hometown, and many more are struggling. Sometimes it takes awhile for libraries to add a book to their collection. If you prefer checking your books out from the library, please submit a request to your favorite library to add The One to their collection. They'll need the book title, my name, and the ISBN: 9780984711000.
To find the library nearest you visit:
Coming soon:
I'll be announcing my next contest on New Years. It's connected to the forthcoming 14 Days of Valentines Giveaway. Check back on my blog on January 1, 2012 for details or Facebook.com/theonenovel .
The One will also be available in e-book format in February.
*Book clubs: To qualify for the $200 American Express Gift Card, a member of your book club must fill out the book club page on my website. The book club must also announce that they have selected The One as their book-of-the-month on the book club's official website and/or Facebook page, specify the month that it has been selected, and include the book cover with the announcement or just invite me to your monthly meeting via conference call or Skype, I'd love to discuss my latest novel with you. The drawing date for the $200 American Express Gift Card will be June 2, 2012. The One must have been selected for a monthly read any month prior. However, an ongoing contest for a $100 dining card will run monthly, beginning July 10, 2012, with a book club being selected every month through December 2012, for book clubs who select The One as their book-of-the-month between June -November 2012.
December 15, 2011
This Christmas Contest Winners
Grand Prize Winner – $200 American Express Gift Card: Teressa Morris
2nd Place Winner- $100 Macy's Gift Card: Cheire Jones
3rd- Place Winner- $50 American Express Gift Card and a Christmas caramel cake from Carolinescakes.com: Leslie Galloway
4th-7th Place Winners- $25 Starbucks Gift card or Godiva Christmas Ornament:
Angel Arrington
LaKisha Wheeler
Charles V.
Alena Bejenarou
I will send each winner an e-mail by noon today. Please reply with your complete mailing address. American Express, Macys.com, and Amazon.com all have an e-gift card option. However, an American Express e-card can only be used online.
If you would like to receive your gift card via e-mail, please let me know in your reply. I must hear from each winner by noon on December 18, 2011, or a new winner will be selected. If you haven't heard from me, please feel free to send me an e-mail at cheryl@cherylrobinson.com.
Please note exceptions to above prizes:
3rd place winner may choose any flavor cake from carolinescakes.com ($48 value).
4th – 7th place winners may request an Amazon.com gift card in lieu of a Starbucks gift card.
The final prize of either an Amazon Kindle/Barnes &Noble Nook ($99 value) or a $100 American Express Gift Card will be drawn and announced on Christmas.
<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.This contest is sponsored by:
December 14, 2011
This Christmas Contest- Update
Now that This Christmas contest has officially ended, I hope to have the winners announced no later than eight this morning. The winners are randomly selected, and, in general, the process should take mere seconds. However, to insure that the contest remains fair, all entries will be moderated to remove duplicates and also those that don't qualify (i.e. stating you left a blog post but didn't, etc.).
I would like to thank everyone who entered. The response was great! For those of you who love contests, I am in the planning stages of the 14 Days of Valentines contest that coincides with the release of my eighth novel, The One.
I'd also like to extend thanks to all those who left comments with gift suggestions. I have read every post and received so many great ideas that I plan to incorporate.
Another Chance to Win:
Don't forget to check Facebook.com/theonenovel on December 25th for the final "This Christmas" winner announcement. The winner will be drawn randomly from the Christmas entrants, excluding those who win prizes in this round. The Christmas Day prize will be your choice of an Amazon.com Kindle Touch ($99) Barnes and Noble Nook Touch ($99) or $100 American Express Gift Card.
Do you have a gift idea to share with me for the upcoming 14 Days of Valentines? If so, please click here to leave a comment.
I wish all of you a joyous and safe holiday season!
Sincerely,
Cheryl Robinson
November 21, 2011
This Christmas Contest
There are seven ways to enter the contest using the Rafflecopter form below. None of the options are mandatory, so it's your choice which one you complete, but if you do all six you will have sixteen entries in the contest.
Good luck to all who enter!
<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js"&am... need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
November 19, 2011
Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s Marathon Airs Today
The OWN network has picked up ten additional episodes of the new family docu-series Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s. What I don’t understand is why more viewers aren’t tuning in? Basically, Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s is a reality show, one of the best I’ve ever seen, and believe me I’ve seen quite a few.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s, set mostly in a St. Louis soul food restaurant, is the perfect comfort food. It doesn’t leave me with an empty feeling once I’m done watching. It’s more of a feeling of, “I can’t wait to come back for more,” instead of, “I just wasted an hour of my life.” Not to mention, for most of the hour, viewers’ are treated to some mouthwatering dishes. Looking at that food makes me want to fly directly to St. Louis, stand in the long line that wraps around the corner, and wait to enter, and stuff my face. I’m sure the first person I’ll see is Miss Robbie’s nephew, Lil Charles, standing against the wall, posing, with his arms folded, refusing to work.
The clip below is just a sampling of the food and a glimpse of Miss Robbie when she appeared on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Scroll all the way down to watch the first episode of Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s .
WARNING: DO NOT WATCH ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.
I’m glad that this show is doing well enough for OWN to pick up ten more episodes, but personally, I think more people should be watching this show, so the ratings can get even higher. Why not promote positive television?
Welcome to Sweetie Pies is my favorite show on OWN and my favorite reality show period. For me, it’s inspiring to see a woman running a successful business that has been open for many years. In addition to Miss Robbie, there’s also Miss Robbie’s son, Tim, who has a wonderful relationship with his mother. I don’t want to giveaway any spoilers, because I want people to tune in today during the marathon, but I couldn’t believe the questions he was asking his mother after her date. And Miss Robbie said what I was thinking exactly. “You’re not supposed to ask your mother questions like that.”
Tim’s fiance, Jenae, who I was originally on the fence about because she seemed a little too possessive of him. But I also get the impression that he may have been a ladies’ man. Jenae loves Tim and Miss Robbie, who speaks highly of Jenae. In Miss Robbie’s eyes, her son couldn’t have picked a better woman, and Miss Robbie strikes me as someone who’s an excellent judge of character. Jenae won me over after she gave birth three months early. That was when a much softer side of Jenae surfaced.
When Jenae first met Tim, she asked him three questions: 1) Are you married? 2) Do you have kids? 3) Do you have any felonies? No, he has never been married. No, he doesn’t have kids. Yes, he has a felony. At the age of seventeen, he was arrested for armed robbery and went to prison. He was young at the time, and his poor decisions cost him ten years of his life. And he may need therapy because of that. Miss Robbie told Jenae that she thought he needed to talk to someone. I’m getting the feeling that he may be a little emotionally withdrawn. But his life is clearly on the right track now, and as his mother’s business partner, he knows the ins and outs of Sweetie Pie’s for sure.
I’m personally invested in Sweetie Pie’s. I want Miss Robbie to get her business loan, so she can open up her third restaurant, a much larger facility with a banquet hall and a culinary school. I want to see her dreams come to fruition. She’s already used a million dollars of her own money to buy the building. Now, she needs to get a three and a half million dollar loan to complete the renovations.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s is proof that it doesn’t take a bunch of over-the-top drama to be entertaining.
The marathon begins today at 4:00 p.m. on the OWN network.
About Welcome to Sweetie Pie’s:
(via press release)
The series follows the loud, loving and musical Montgomery family as they work to expand their family-owned business, one soulful dish at a time. When Robbie Montgomery, a 1960s backup singer and former Ikette, suffered a collapsed lung and had to stop singing, she decided to pour her talents into opening a soul food restaurant. At her popular St. Louis eatery, Sweetie Pie’s, both hilarity and drama are offered up, and now Miss Robbie is preparing to launch a third location with a little help from her son and partner Tim. Produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. Executive producers are Craig Piligian, Jenn Duncan, Tim Brietbach, Jeff Keane, and Steve Luebbert.
Below is the video of the first episode.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie's Marathon Airs Today
The OWN network has picked up ten additional episodes of the new family docu-series Welcome to Sweetie Pie's. What I don't understand is why more viewers aren't tuning in? Basically, Welcome to Sweetie Pie's is a reality show, one of the best I've ever seen, and believe me I've seen quite a few.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie's, set mostly in a St. Louis soul food restaurant, is the perfect comfort food. It doesn't leave me with an empty feeling once I'm done watching. It's more of a feeling of, "I can't wait to come back for more," instead of, "I just wasted an hour of my life." Not to mention, for most of the hour, viewers' are treated to some mouthwatering dishes. Looking at that food makes me want to fly directly to St. Louis, stand in the long line that wraps around the corner, and wait to enter, and stuff my face. I'm sure the first person I'll see is Miss Robbie's nephew, Lil Charles, standing against the wall, posing, with his arms folded, refusing to work.
The clip below is just a sampling of the food and a glimpse of Miss Robbie when she appeared on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Scroll all the way down to watch the first episode of Welcome to Sweetie Pie's .
WARNING: DO NOT WATCH ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.
I'm glad that this show is doing well enough for OWN to pick up ten more episodes, but personally, I think more people should be watching this show, so the ratings can get even higher. Why not promote positive television?
Welcome to Sweetie Pies is my favorite show on OWN and my favorite reality show period. For me, it's inspiring to see a woman running a successful business that has been open for many years. In addition to Miss Robbie, there's also Miss Robbie's son, Tim, who has a wonderful relationship with his mother. I don't want to giveaway any spoilers, because I want people to tune in today during the marathon, but I couldn't believe the questions he was asking his mother after her date. And Miss Robbie said what I was thinking exactly. "You're not supposed to ask your mother questions like that."
Tim's fiance, Jenae, who I was originally on the fence about because she seemed a little too possessive of him. But I also get the impression that he may have been a ladies' man. Jenae loves Tim and Miss Robbie, who speaks highly of Jenae. In Miss Robbie's eyes, her son couldn't have picked a better woman, and Miss Robbie strikes me as someone who's an excellent judge of character. Jenae won me over after she gave birth three months early. That was when a much softer side of Jenae surfaced.
When Jenae first met Tim, she asked him three questions: 1) Are you married? 2) Do you have kids? 3) Do you have any felonies? No, he has never been married. No, he doesn't have kids. Yes, he has a felony. At the age of seventeen, he was arrested for armed robbery and went to prison. He was young at the time, and his poor decisions cost him ten years of his life. And he may need therapy because of that. Miss Robbie told Jenae that she thought he needed to talk to someone. I'm getting the feeling that he may be a little emotionally withdrawn. But his life is clearly on the right track now, and as his mother's business partner, he knows the ins and outs of Sweetie Pie's for sure.
I'm personally invested in Sweetie Pie's. I want Miss Robbie to get her business loan, so she can open up her third restaurant, a much larger facility with a banquet hall and a culinary school. I want to see her dreams come to fruition. She's already used a million dollars of her own money to buy the building. Now, she needs to get a three and a half million dollar loan to complete the renovations.
Welcome to Sweetie Pie's is proof that it doesn't take a bunch of over-the-top drama to be entertaining.
The marathon begins today at 4:00 p.m. on the OWN network.
About Welcome to Sweetie Pie's:
(via press release)
The series follows the loud, loving and musical Montgomery family as they work to expand their family-owned business, one soulful dish at a time. When Robbie Montgomery, a 1960s backup singer and former Ikette, suffered a collapsed lung and had to stop singing, she decided to pour her talents into opening a soul food restaurant. At her popular St. Louis eatery, Sweetie Pie's, both hilarity and drama are offered up, and now Miss Robbie is preparing to launch a third location with a little help from her son and partner Tim. Produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. Executive producers are Craig Piligian, Jenn Duncan, Tim Brietbach, Jeff Keane, and Steve Luebbert.
Below is the video of the first episode.
November 2, 2011
Thanksgiving Contest
Welcome to The One's Holiday Giveaway! There are three ways to enter using the Rafflecopter form below. None of the options are mandatory so it's your choice which one you complete, but if you do all three you will have four entries in the contest.
Good luck to all who enter!
<a href="http://rafl.es/enable-js">You need javascript enabled to see this giveaway</a>.
October 31, 2011
Do What You Love, but Money Doesn't Always Follow
I'm a full-time author and I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to share my stories and characters with readers, but the money hasn't always followed. I have a story I'm going to share one day about a Project Runway sewing machine I purchased over the summer that sums up my journey in the world of publishing. But this isn't a rant post written from the prospective of a frustrated writer who hasn't hit the New York Times Best Seller list. I'm actually not frustrated, but I admit I have been. I've been writing for almost ten years and have published seven books with two books slated for release in 2012. But I can't tour because the money hasn't always followed and I simply can't afford to. So why am I saying any of this if it's not a rant? Well, believe it or not, this post is a contest announcement. Surprised? I don't know what it is with me and contests. Actually, I do know what it is, but I won't bore you with those details. I'd rather excite you with the details of my new contest.
I'm pleased to announce that next year as I approach my tenth year of writing professionally (2 years as a self-published author and eight years through a major publishing house), it will be the first time that I will have a sponsor for my contest, which will allow me to giveaway a bigger grand prize than previous contests and offer more prizes. But let me keep this in context, I want everyone excited, but I don't want to give the impression that I'll be giving away flat screen TV's or an all expense paid trip to Paris; the prizes are bigger, but not that big. If you've ever liked any of my other contests, I think you'll really enjoy the 14 Days of Valentines contest.
Of course, I'll be promoting my novel while I'm giving away prizes. Of course, I want people to buy my forthcoming novel, The One, but a purchase isn't required to enter. I hope you'll like the fourteen prizes I came up with, and the easy and fun entry rules.
I'm announcing the contest three months early, but I have a holiday contest that starts next month that's also being sponsored and books to promote in the meantime.
Click HERE to view the contest page.
October 15, 2011
The sequel to In Love with a Younger Man
I've received more e-mails about In Love with a Younger Man than any of my other books combined. The majority of the e-mails were long and detailed. They certainly inspired me to keep writing. And I did, just not the sequel. One of my writer friends even called after she'd finished ILWAYM to say, "I just got to the end, please tell me that's not the way it ended." And when I told her, it was, she said, "Oh, I thought maybe my book was missing some pages. Ouch. I really felt bad after that, but not bad enough to write the sequel. By that time, I had new characters speaking to me, and I wanted to find out all about them. I wrote a whole book about Alicia Day, Olena's niece from In Love with a Younger Man. When I Get Where I'm Going was Alicia's story, and I introduced her two sisters who she met for the first time. I really liked her sister, Heaven. She was quite a character. Oh, Olena was in it, too. She made a cameo appearance. She didn't have a big role, but she had a role, and readers were given a glimpse of what had transpired in her life. And just a glimpse.
Then I released another book, and I tried something different with that one. The reviews were mixed, and that's the best way for me to put it. Then I started writing a book called, Like Mom, but I started experiencing writer's block. One day, as I was staring at the computer screen waiting to hear back from Fanny, an e-mail came in from a reader asking me when she could expect the sequel to In Love with a Younger Man. It was a long e-mail as many of them have been, and it was the sixth one I'd received that day all asking the same question. So I asked myself, why am I working on a new book when readers are asking for the continuation to In Love with a Younger Man? It finally clicked. I had to finish that story. So I opened up a brand new word document that day, and started writing the sequel. I didn't experience not one second of writers block. The old characters and the new ones being introduced instantly came to life, and the sequel picks up right where In Love with a Younger Man left off. It isn't necessary for those who haven't read In Love with a Younger Man to read it first, but, of course, I'd love it if you did.
I hope you enjoy reading, The One, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Have a wonderful weekend.
October 14, 2011
Welcome to my redesigned website!
I hope everyone who visits my website likes the new design as much as I do. I loved my old website, but I wanted something a little different. What I really like about this site is the blog feature and my new home page that showcases my books in a scrolling fashion.
The subscribe & follow box at the bottom of the page is for anyone who'd like to receive my newsletter that I send out periodically to announce book news and contests. You won't receive an e-mail every time I post to my blog. My entries will just be here waiting for you to read whenever you have the chance to visit my site again.
I just finished my Win Dinner for your Book Club Contest for 2011. The names of the winning book clubs were posted on Facebook. I usually do one or two contests a year. And I usually release one book a year, but next year I'll be releasing two. There's a story behind that, and I'll post it shortly.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
