Cheri Allan is the
Amazon Romantic Comedy bestselling author of hopeful, humorous contemporary
romances. She's a firm believer in do-it-yourself, new beginnings and
happily-ever-afters, so after years of wearing suits, she's grateful to finally
put her English degree to good use writing romance. Learn more about Cheri and
her books at her website.
Okay, fess up. Who here has a ‘crafts closet?’ <raises
hand> I knew when I found Lois’
blog, that I’d found kindred spirits, because I’ve been a crafter my whole life
(ever since those macaroni Christmas ornaments, you know what I’m talking
about.) Today, I’m sharing with you a craft that I started with my very first
novel: book cover necklaces! These have been a great way to celebrate the impending
release of each novel as well as to motivate me to write the next one. If
you’re not an author, never fear. These would work equally well with a favorite
photo.
First, I purchase photo frame charms (I get mine on eBay)
which come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, then I take images of my book
covers to Staples and have them printed on photo paper. Then the fun begins!
After cutting and gluing the image into the frame, I start collecting beads
that complement the colors in the image and play around with design. You’ll
note that most of mine have either a dropped center portion (formed by putting
both ends of the same wire through a few beads before splitting them up for
each side of the necklace) or a double-stranded center (I use two wires strung
in parallel--beaded separately and then together--for that style). This is
because the photo frames can be heavier than a standard charm or focal bead,
and I found that without doing that, the necklaces hung in a sharp vee which
wasn’t as pleasing to the eye.
I tend to wing it when beading, letting the image and the
beads tell me how long the necklace should be and whether it all works. And,
just like in writing, there are times I get to ‘the end’ and realize it’s NOT
working… and tear it all out to start over. Ultimately, I’ve got a little
wearable keepsake that’s a great conversation starter!
My newest release, All
or Nothing, is about the aftermath of a reality dating show… because I’m a
crafter AND a reality dating show junkie. But you’d never catch me on a reality
show. Then the world would see the
sorry state of my crafts closet. ;)
All
or Nothing, Betting on Romance Book 3
When finding Mrs. Right goes, oh, so
wrong…
Self-made tech millionaire Ian McIntyre
has suffered through a reality dating show only to return home to idyllic Sugar
Falls, New Hampshire, empty-handed, swarmed by paparazzi, and hounded by a
Hollywood producer determined to deliver a Happily
Ever After. But then his home is invaded by a sexy, snarky local staging it
for the season finale, and Ian finds himself more interested in the cute and
scrappy hometown girl dusting off his action figures than the audience’s
favorite southern belle.
Auto mechanic Bailey Adams grew up on
the wrong side of the tracks and is struggling to patch together enough odd jobs
to buy a garage of her own. When the Golden Boy of Sugar Falls entangles her in
his disastrous season of Happily Ever
After, they both discover that some long-held dreams are only as ‘real’ as
‘reality’ TV. Now, with the deal
on her dream garage in jeopardy and her unlikely love affair with America’s
favorite geeky hunk playing out on national TV, Bailey must decide if she’s
willing to risk it all for love… or be left with nothing.
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