Claire Cook's Blog, page 19
March 29, 2017
Trillium On My Walk Today
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Trillium on my walk today, which always makes me think of this: “In the damp Spring woods/The painted trillium smiles”—Amy Lowell
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March 22, 2017
Giveaway Winner!
Drumroll please…Fair and square via random drawing, the winner of two copies of The Wildwater Walking Club and The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track, one set for her and one set for the friend she’d most like to walk with, is Angie Detty Current! (If you didn’t win this time around, make sure you sign up for my newsletter list here so you don’t miss the next giveaway!) Congratulations, Angie! Email me your snail mail address at ClaireATClaireCook.com and your books will be on the way!
Here are the links to buy your copy of The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track:
Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kBkbHl
Kindle: http://amzn.to/2kBIepF
Nook: http://bit.ly/2kjaCMv
iBooks: http://apple.co/2kJZZmF
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2jNev9e
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2jmm3Dx
And here’s a little bit about the novel:
For Noreen, Tess, and Rosie, walking the beach together every day has been everything. But after all those steps forward, The Wildwater Walking Club is doing some serious backsliding. Now they’re dodging each other in the neighborhood, and Noreen is spending time working on pints of Ben & Jerry’s instead of her romance with Rick, the also-lost boyfriend she met at career counseling.
A new adventure might be just what they need. Their destination: Provence, the ultimate lavender trip. It turns into the trip of a lifetime, filled with Van Gogh and vineyards, wine and chocolate, plus lavender and more lavender. Even Joy, Tess’s roommate on the cruise that she hasn’t seen since high school, can’t ruin this trip for them. Or can she? Join Noreen, Rosie and Tess as they get back on track!
FYI, you don’t have to read the original book before you read this one. But just in case you missed it and would like to read it, or just haven’t read it in a while, here are the links to buy the original The Wildwater Walking Club:
Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kiOXne
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2kIbN4K
B&N: http://bit.ly/1F4K7gy
iBooks: http://apple.co/19f5MqT
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/1BAhiGl
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1Fg1xXT
And here are some kind words about The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track:
“The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track is a friendship-filled delight and may be just the pick-me-up you need to get through those pesky winter blues.”—Book Perfume
“Part escape, part self-help guide, and all fun—this book is a great way to vicariously travel with Noreen and her friends and perhaps help readers find their purpose too. I highly recommend this book to everyone who could use some positive motivation in his or her life.”—Looking on the Sunnyside
“The reason fans love each one of Claire Cook’s books is that every book—fiction and nonfiction—helps readers find ideas that they can use in their lives. Whether it’s a river cruise in France or health coach training, or just learning something new, we all are growing and changing throughout our lives.”—Pamela Kramer
The post Giveaway Winner! appeared first on Claire Cook.
March 20, 2017
Walking and Friendship Giveaway!
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Hi Everybody,
It’s the first day of spring, which means walking weather is right around the corner—at least theoretically! So let’s celebrate with a giveaway!
One randomly drawn winner will receive two signed and personalized copies of The Wildwater Walking Club and The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track, one set for her and one for the friend she’d most like to walk with!
If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, you’re automatically entered. (If not, you can subscribe here: http://ClaireCook.com/newsletter.) I’ll announce the lucky winner here at ClaireCook.com on Wednesday.
For a second chance to win the giveaway, head over to my Facebook author page (http://facebook.com/ClaireCookauthorpage) and enter there.
Good luck, everybody!!
Both The Wildwater Walking Club and The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track have become #1 Amazon Bestsellers in Walking, so if you haven’t read them yet and you’re looking for some springtime fitness inspiration, I hope you’ll check them out.
Here are the links to buy The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track:
Paperback
Kindle
Nook
iBooks
Kobo
GooglePlay
And here are the links to buy the original The Wildwater Walking Club:
Paperback
Kindle
Nook
iBooks
Kobo
GooglePlay
Happy Spring!
xxxxxClaire
The post Walking and Friendship Giveaway! appeared first on Claire Cook.
March 17, 2017
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everybody!
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“There are good ships,
And there are wood ships,
The ships that sail the sea.
But the best ships are friendships,
And may they always be.”
—Irish Proverb
The post Happy St. Patrick’s Day! appeared first on Claire Cook.
March 14, 2017
My 5 Favorite Walking Things
I walked 10,000 steps a day with my fictional characters while writing both The Wildwater Walking Club and The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track. Along with Noreen, Rosie and Tess, I discovered and rediscovered that it’s not about the vanity, it’s about the sanity. Whatever is or isn’t happening in our lives, walking ALWAYS helps.
As I logged my miles, I also discovered some new favorite walking things you might want to check out.
[image error]1. Each chapter in both books starts with a daily step count. At first I just thought it would be a fun thing to do instead of numbering the chapters in the traditional way. But very quickly I discovered what a difference a simple thing like counting steps can make in terms of fitness motivation. Reaching that daily step quota is enough to make me hit the streets again after dinner, or walk in place in front of the TV. It’s kind of magic.
But, while I’m a big fan of technology, I also realized that sometimes less is more in our overloaded lives. I don’t really want my fitness tracker monitoring the quality and quantity of my sleep. I don’t want texts beeping in to my wrist. I just want to know when I hit 10,000 steps. Period.
I tried everything from pedometers to high end fitness trackers while writing these books. I’ve circled my way back to this basic Fitbit Flex. It lets me know when I’ve hit my daily steps, and then it pretty much leaves me alone!
2. I also love that you can buy inexpensive replacement bands for the Fitbit Flex that come in every color you can imagine. It must be a carryover from playing dress up as a child a gazillion years ago, because for some crazy reason I find these almost as motivating as counting steps!
3. I don’t know about you, but I’m always on the hunt for a better walking shoe. I’ve had good luck with Asics, but whenever I find myself putting in some extra miles and want something that gives me a little more support, I go back to one made by Saucony. It’s called the Grid Omni Walker. Obviously our feet are all different, but I’m really happy with it, so if you’re looking for a new walking shoe, it might be worth checking out.
4. A bigger challenge for me has been finding a slightly fancier shoe that I can walk all day in. I discovered the Jambu Charley, wore them on my research trip to Provence for The Wildwater Walking Club: Back on Track, and they never once let me down. So comfortable! They come in lots of styles and colors, but this is the one I chose—and yes, one of my Fitbit Flex bands matches them perfectly!
5. I found a water bottle I like that has its own water filter and is BPA-free. It’s easy to pack when I’m traveling, and it also comes in especially handy then because I don’t have to spend time or money trying to hunt down a place to buy bottled water. It’s called the Brita Sport Water Bottle and I’m glad I found it.
Okay, that’s it for now!
Shine on!
xxxxxClaire
Claire Cook wrote her first novel in her minivan when she was 45. At 50, she walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the adaptation of her second novel, Must Love Dogs, starring Diane Lane and John Cusack, which has become a 5-book series. Claire is the now the New York Times, USA Today, and #1 Amazon bestselling author of 17 books as well as a sought after reinvention speaker. Read excerpts and find out more at ClaireCook.com. Be the first to hear about new releases, giveaways, and insider extras at ClaireCook.com/newsletter.
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