Holiday greetings!

Here I am (left to right) with authors Susan R. Sweet, Tami Sandlin, and Judy Leigh Peters. Behind Judy is her sister, Mary Lou, at our recent Christmas party.

Here I am with author Dolores J. Wilson at her launch party for BARKING GOATS AND THE REDNECK MAFIA.

I wish you a happy and safe holiday season!

Cheryl

Late breaking news!

Two exciting pieces of news for Cheryl Norman this week! First, Medallion Press has offered me a second contract, this one for my new romantic suspense (working title RUNNING SCARED)! Second, my HASTY TASTY MEALS IN THE RV cookbook is a finalist in the EPPIEs for 2007! For details go to http://epicauthors.org.

On the heels of the Publisher's Weekly article, I'm on a high this month!

I want to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a safe and joyful holiday season.

Cheryl

Publisher's Weekly article on romance

Hey, everybody! I'm mentioned in an article in this week's issue of Publisher's Weekly! Check out the article about the ten debut romance authors to watch. I'm combing the bookstores tomorrow in search of a hard copy...

Cheryl

What's cooking for Thanksgiving?

In addition to writing romance and mystery stories, I also write cookbooks, which means I'm always looking for new recipes and dishes. Do you have a favorite holiday recipe to share?

I just returned from nine days in the RV and managed to cook a few yummy meals for us despite the tiny space. I also sold a dozen copies of my newest cookbook. Additional copies are available in e-book, spiral-bound, or regular binding editions. See my website for details.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Cheryl

Restore My Heart's on Amazon!

Check it out! My new book is already available for pre-order at Amazon!

Also, I'm now on Amazon Direct, which means I have an author's blog there.

How cool is that?!

Cheryl

Cover Flat for Restore My Heart!

Look! Here's the cover art for my upcoming romantic suspense book. What do you think?

Just to remind you, Restore My Heart is a 2007 Emerald imprint release from Medallion Press.

Cheryl

D's Diner

Shut out of our usual meeting place for our monthly RWA chapter meeting, we were invited to the home of one of our members. Well, not exactly her home. Behind the house is a "barn" where she has a retro "diner." Nicknamed D's Diner, it's a delightful room for entertaining. Our hostess served us lunch in plastic diner baskets. What fun! Thanks, D, for the use of your diner. Next month the regular restaurant will seem rather blah.

Cheryl

The Idea Boutique

If you're a blog addict, add this one to your weekly browse list: http://www.ideaboutique.blogspot.com/

I've been invited to guest-blog at the Idea Boutique on June 6, so please stop by and check it out.

Thanks!

Cheryl

The Romantic Times Convention in Daytona Beach

Medallion Press authors gather for the 2006 Romantic Times BOOKReviews magazine Booklovers Convention in Daytona Beach.

Thanks to Dolores J. Wilson for hosting us in her suite Tuesday night. Is she a great cook or what?!

Cheryl

I finished!

Man, it feels great to be able to put the final manuscript for my second cookbook to bed. I hope to have CHEF CHERI'S HASTY TASTY MEALS IN THE RV out later this year in both print and download versions. Stay tuned for what's cooking with Cheryl!

Heather Waters's list of seven

I've been tagged by author Heather Waters. Click on the survey and give me your own answers to her questions, just for fun.

Cheryl

Heather's List of Seven
What song/artist/album do you listen to while writing...if any?	Enya
Clinch covers. Love em or hate em?	I don't hate them, but they've become clichéd
Cartoon covers. Love em or hate em?	Some I like, some are silly
Why write romance?	To offer hope and to show the power of love
What is your favorite smell?	freshly baked bread
Recommended blog, not your own.	http://heatherwaters.blogspot.com
What's the first romance novel you remember ever reading?	Haunted Mesa by Louis L'amour

MARCHing forward: Restore My Heart

Did you see the Medallion Press website? Restore My Heart is shown with a release date of March, 2007. That's eleven months from now, less than a year! I can't help but feel excited.

It isn't too early to be thinking about promoting the book, so I've been playing around with animated graphics. I have much to learn but what do you think about my first effort?



Let me know!
Cheryl

Dennis Weaver--A Tribute

I had the privilege of meeting Dennis Weaver and am saddened by his passing. We used to spend summers in Montrose, Colorado, not far from his home in Ridgeway. It wasn't unusual to run into him and his wife shopping at the local Safeway Supermarket. He was a regular guest at our RV Park and entertained us with stories about his adventures in show biz.

In 1994, he allowed us to tour his "earth" house, which was built of old tires and other recycled trash. Dennis and his life-long partner/wife, Gerry, were avid environmentalists and vegetarians. If not for the cancer, I believe he would've reached 100+.

The last time I saw the Weavers (in 1997 waiting tables at their restaurant in Ridgeway, Colorado), they were in their 70s and as energetic as any of us younger folk. In fact, later that evening they jitterbugged on the dance floor (they took first prize in a dance contest in the 1940s) and were absolutely amazing. They'd been married for 61 years, a rarity within the general population and an absolute miracle among celebrities.

I treasure my photos of him, cherish his memory and will remember his wife and three sons in my prayers. I imagine he's shaking hands with Don Knotts and Darrin McGavin in the afterworld, probably swapping stories and singing a song. Yes, we've lost 3 Hollywood legends this past week.

Cheryl

Wilson Pickett died but MUSTANG SALLY lives on

According to the Associated Press, "Wilson Pickett, the soul pioneer best known for the fiery hits "Mustang Sally" and "In The Midnight Hour," died of a heart attack Thursday in a Reston, Virginia, hospital, according to his management company. He was 64."

The day of his death, I was in the audience where Rick Kelly, a Detroit-based entertainer who came to Tampa to entertain us at the RV Super Show Rally, led the entire audience singing--complete with coordinated hand movements--In the Midnight Hour.

I'm a Pickett fan, and especially a fan of Mustang Sally. It's no coincidence that I named the heroine in my upcoming RESTORE MY HEART "Sally" or her fictional auto-restoration business in Louisville, Kentucky, "Mustang Sally's." She drives a 1964½ Mustang, earning her the nickname she shares with Wilson Pickett's hit song.

Coincidentally, Wilson Pickett will be laid to rest next to his mother in a cemetary in Louisville, Ky. His music lives on and on. As the Righteous Brothers sang, "If there's a rock-n-roll heaven, I know they have a helluva band."

Cheryl

Starting a new year

I don't want to wish away my life, as my mother used to say, but now it's 2006. This means that I can now say, "Restore My Heart will be out next year." Now that it's 2006, 2007 doesn't seem as far off. Yippee!

I don't have a release date yet, but I do have my ISBN#s. Check it out at the Medallion Press website. There I am, listed among the other Medallion authors. How cool is that?

I wish all of you a happy new year and look forward to blogging with you in 2006.

Cheryl