“Back to December” Book Cover Reveal

I LOVE supporting people who are doing great work.

In fact, I sometimes think I am a walking ad agency. Nothing gives me a greater rush than helping someone to realize goals that he or she has worked hard to achieve.

Today I have the honor of doing just that for a friend I met in a writing workshop. Her name is Heather McCoubrey. Like me, she is passionate about her family and her writing (and she’s a huge supporter of military families). Unlike me, she has actually completed and published her first novel and is set to have two more come out THIS YEAR!

Today marks the “cover reveal” for her next book, Back to December. Now, they say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but I say that that is partially hogwash. If that were true, why would authors and publishers agonize over cover design and color? Many times, the only reason I have given a book a chance is because I found its cover intriguing. And more often than not, I have ended up finding a treasure just by following my instincts.

Now, I have yet to read Back to December, but if my instincts prove true from the cover, it will be a novel full of emotion and suspense. I am looking forward to reading it, and I hope you will give it a read when it comes out on 20 June, 2014.

Until then, to whet your appetite, please check out the following description obtained from the media package (Oh, and don’t worry…I’ll remind you as it gets closer to the release date so you can have your Kindle charged up and ready to order!):

About the Book Back to December:

Thanks to an abusive mother and an absent father, Anna Blackhurst has only known the love of two people: her Gram and her best friend, Niki.

When Anna meets Cooper Reed in a smoky club, she’s immediately drawn to his good looks but isn’t prepared to open herself up to a relationship. As time passes, Anna finds herself falling in love with Cooper and she begins to rethink her future. Maybe, despite her childhood, she can have a happy-ever-after.

But when her mother is in a terrible accident, she again sinks her claws into Anna and Anna’s world is thrown upside down. Despite Cooper’s unwavering support, Anna walks away only to regret it immediately. In order to heal, not only herself, but her broken relationship, Anna must stand up for herself and accept that the only way she’s going to be happy is if she grabs ahold of it herself.

About the Author:

Heather McCoubrey is a native of Maine but having moved all over the U.S. as a child, she doesn’t sound like one. She’s been writing since middle school when a teacher taught her she could create her own stories instead of just reading them. That year she had some of her first poems published in the school magazine and from there she graduated to writing a full-length novel in high school (which has been collecting dust on her shelf ever since!).

She is the self-published author of To Love Twice, her debut novel. Her second novel, Back to December, is scheduled to be released in June 2014 and the novel that’s been collecting dust on the shelf, Emily’s Choice, is scheduled to be released in October 2014. Heather resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, Rex the chihuahua and Fatty the goldfish. When she’s not being super-mom and wife, she ekes out time to write, watch football, practice her British accent and dream of living on an island where it’s eighty degrees year-round.

Find the Author:

You can find Heather McCoubrey on:

Her blog, Romantic Escapes: http://heathermccoubrey.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorHeatherMcCoubrey

Twitter: https://twitter.com/h_mccoubrey

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/heathermccoubrey

Google+: google.com/+HeatherMcCoubrey

Find the Book: To Love Twice:

Amazon (eBook & print): http://www.amazon.com/Love-Twice-Heather-McCoubrey-
ebook/dp/B00BWYEHH0/

Barnes & Noble (print): http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-love-twice-heather-
mccoubrey/1116093917?ean=9781492175995

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17668673-to-love-twice

Blurb for To Love Twice:

During an intense and terrifying experience, Kate meets Brad Walker, the man of her dreams. After a blissful ten years, Brad suddenly becomes cold and distant. A few months after giving birth to their daughter, Kate leaves and files for divorce. When he dies a few days later and his secrets are revealed, Kate is devastated.

Five years later, Kate has made a successful new life for herself and her daughter, despite the fact that she clings to his memory and grieves for her husband. While in London on a business trip, she meets London’s most eligible bachelor, Edward Kent. She is enchanted with his manners and dazzled by his attention. He’s everything she could wish for, and everything she’s afraid of. Edward finds her refreshing and lovely and quickly realizes that he’s finally found the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

Can Kate set Brad’s memory and her fears aside long enough to find happiness with Edward and finally see that she is able To Love Twice?

Reviews of To Love Twice:

“First book I’ve ever read completely through! It was awesome. I laughed, I cried, I found some really good points. I loved the romance. Just might read it again!” –Jillian Hucks

“I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Readers who just want a steamy romance will be disappointed… No smut here…but plenty of romance and great character development. I laughed, I cried, I was genuinely surprised a few times and skipped sleep to finish reading and get to the happy ending. I wish it were longer! I am not ready to say goodbye to Kate and Edward.” –Kindle Customer “CharmedGirl”

“I’d recommend this book to anyone. I’m not one for romances but this book had me hooked. And the crazy twist at the end, I couldn’t put it down.” –Tiffany Clark

“I’m not normally a fan of romances but this was good and kept my interest… the ending was Awesome. Great snowy day read!!” –Bonnie G

“This story was very unexpected. The plot was great, the characters were real, and the ending was surprising. I never saw it coming. Kate is so strong to have gone through all she did to find love again. Heather, I look forward to your next novel. You have a new fan!” –Ann

Ladies Night Out

I often hear about ladies going for a “ladies’ night out”. My mind automatically goes to movie scenes of 30 and 40-something women trying to squeeze themselves into their teenage daughters’ jeans and wearing tops that show cleavage that was in its prime during the Clinton Administration. They are waving dollar bills at male dancers who could almost be their sons, or at least their nephews.

That’s not how I really want to spend my time, so I often shy away from any kind of “ladies’ night out” that seems like it will go in that direction.

But, I am also not someone whose idea of a wild time is bringing two different projects to her knitting group.

So, when a friend insisted I join her for a ladies night out/happy hour this week, I decided, ‘What the heck? I need a night away’.

The group was a bunch of moms from my son’s first grade class. We met at a local Italian restaurant, had a few appetizers, a couple of drinks, and great conversation. I didn’t know many of them very well when I got there. But by the end of the evening, I felt like I had a new circle of friends. I am so thankful for my friend who insisted I join them.

(Now this is going to sound like a paid advertisement, but I promise you it is not.) One of the things that made it so enjoyable was the atmosphere. The restaurant (Piero’s Corner) had plenty of room in their bar area to accommodate our group and our waiter was a very polite young man. When my first drink did not taste as I thought it should, he apologetically took it back and replaced it with a different one. (I know this is standard practice, but I have had waiters at other places act insulted and annoyed when I have had this issue, so I was impressed by his attitude.)

The atmosphere was warm and inviting, there was not loud music which keeps people from having good conversations, and the food was excellent. I had a “pizzette” with Gorgonzola and caramelized onions. (Normally it comes with bacon, but I was being a good little Catholic on this Friday during Lent.)

Anyway, I had a wonderful time last night and it did not involve and middle-age bull-riding or other loss of dignity. I am so thankful for my friend who pulled me out of my shell.