What's a Picture Worth?

What is a picture worth?

A second look? A hands-on exam? Drooling over? LOL

Above and to your right (I hope!) is the cover of A RANCHER’S PRIDE, my May 2011 Harlequin American Romance. Is Sam Robertson drool-worthy or what?

In my humble opinion—which may be just a teeny bit biased—he’s a hottie. A hunk. A honey. Or whatever word you’d like to describe a hero of your dreams. And he’s getting quite a bit of attention from readers. Wonder why? (smile)

A RANCHER’S PRIDE is part of the Men of the West miniseries from Harlequin American Romance. The covers have been fabulous. And if you ask me, American makes a habit of that!

All the May Americans look great, too, with a cowboy, a wedding, and babies times three.

I’ve been lucky from the start with my covers.

Here’s a shot of my very first book, THE SHERIFF’S SON. Isn’t it adorable? And it was so perfect for the story, I got teary-eyed the first time I saw it.





My second book, COURT ME, COWBOY, also had a cover that matched the story perfectly. I’ll give you a hint with this one...the package is very important. (Well, the full package, Gabe included, is special, too.)






And the cover for my previous book, FAMILY MATTERS (October 2010), catches both my hero and heroine at a perfect moment. In addition, though I hadn’t seen the cover before my website was revamped, the flowers just happened to tie in...perfectly!

Are you noticing something they all have in common? LOL I'm very happy with perfection. (smile)

When it comes to the differences--kids, couples, hot heroes--they’re all good, too, as far as I’m concerned.

How about you? When you walk into a bookstore or browse online, what's the first thing that catches your eye? What do you most like to see on a cover?

Leave a comment or question to be entered in a drawing for a copy of either THE SHERIFF’S SON or COURT ME, COWBOY. Here’s the scoop.

By Wednesday night:

1. Leave a comment or question for me here.

2. Visit my website http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/ and send me an e-mail from the comment form, letting me know which book you’d like to receive if your name is drawn.

The winner’s name will be posted here in the comments section of this blog post on Thursday.

Also, while you’re at my website, you might want to check out the blog tour I’m currently on to celebrate A RANCHER’S PRIDE. There are more tour stops and book drawings ahead.

Thanks!

All my best to you,
Barbara
~~~~~~
Barbara White Daille
http://www.barbarawhitedaille.com/

Weddings

My husband and I are celebrating 25 years of wedded bliss today! Take a stroll down memory lane with me.

When I think back on my wedding day I shudder at how young we were—23. These days many couples wait much longer before marrying…maybe because society's views about living together before marriage have relaxed over the years. When I became engaged I was told by my parents to either marry immediately after I graduated from college or come home and live with them until the wedding date. I traded in my college graduation ceremony for a wedding ceremony and met my husband in Vegas. Our immediate family flew in and a couple of college friends attended and we had a great time. I wore my mother's wedding dress—tea length since I'm taller than my mother. A weekend of gambling, fine-dining and Vegas shows served as our honeymoon.


We married in the Historic Little Church of the West.



Here's what the web says about the church
"The church has been the scene of more celebrity marriages than any other wedding chapel in the world. Betty Grable, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Dudley Moore, Cindy Crawford & Richard Gere, Angelina Jolie & Billy Bob Thornton to name a few. Elvis Presley and Ann Margaret recited their vows in the movie "Viva Las Vegas", filmed at The Little Church of the West. Originally built as part of the Last Frontier Hotel located on an isolated stretch of highway that would one day become the famous Las Vegas "Strip", The Little Church of the West upholds the heritage of Las Vegas with its unique architecture. It's a freestanding replica of an old west mining town church. With an exterior of cedar and an interior of California redwood, the chapel looks much the same today as when it was first built. Attesting to its historical significance, the Little Church is listed on the National Registry of Historical Places, the only such place on the "Strip" with this honor. the Little Church of the West celebrated its 65th anniversary and remains the oldest existing structure on the Las Vegas "Strip".

Our "real" honeymoon came three years later after my husband and I saved up for a trip to Hawaii. The first day on Maui we went swimming and stupid tourists that we were failed to pay attention to the beach signs that warned of strong surfs. While my husband happily snapped pictures of me wearing my new ruffled white bikini, I dove into the water. A brutal wave hit me and almost sucked me out to sea. By the time I surfaced, my swimsuit top barely covered me and I'd lost my wedding rings. We'd spent a lot of money on that trip and had no extra cash for a new wedding ring so I picked out a silver band at a kiosk in a local mall for $10. Over the years my husband has attempted to buy me a new diamond ring but this plain old silver band brings back too many fond memories of our early years of marriage and I just can't part with it.

If you could marry all over again knowing how your first wedding turned out, would keep everything the same or is there something you would change?

Marin
Rodeo Daddy April 2011
The Bull Rider's Surrender July 2011
A Rodeo man's Promise December 2011
www.marinthomas.com