Guest Post & Giveaway: Pamela Tracy with Harlequin Heartwarming

On tour with Prism Book Tours.

How Can You "NOT" Love Books?

          I know the book, I know the grade, and I know the place I discovered the joy of reading.    I grew up in Omaha, Nebraska.  We were a little family: one child, two parents.  I didn’t know how lucky I was.  My mom was a stay-at-home mother who would come get me from school at lunch time just to be with me.  My dad was the highlight of my day and at 5:13 p.m. I would stand at our front door, looking out the screen, just waiting for his car.

          I went to Walnut Hill Elementary.  The library was on the second floor and it was time for Iowa Basics.  My teacher (name forgotten) took the class to the library to get books.  Her idea was that if any of us finished our test before time, we could quietly read until finish time.

          I checked out B is for Betsy by Carolyn Haywood.

          I was a good reader.  Currently, I’m a schoolteacher, and I can almost imagine my 2nd grade teacher being pleased with me and thinking, “Pam will help the class average with her reading score.”

          I’m pretty sure I didn’t help the class average because I started being B is for Betsy and didn’t care whit about the Iowa Basics tests.  I still have a vivid memory of filling in random answers for the math part just so I could get back to what was important: reading. 

          That weekend I pestered my mom into taking me to the neighborhood library.  As an eight year old, I was limited on how many books I could check out.  Carolyn Haywood had written more than I could check out, soooo my forty-something mother got her first library card.

          I read a book a night until I finished every book she’d written, and then I went looking for someone who wrote like her.

          Wrote like her....

          The first romance I read was in a Nancy Drew.  It was minute.  But, still, even at a tender age, I knew I wanted a Ned Nickerson in my life.

          Then, I read Anne of Green Gables and fell in love with Gilbert Blythe.

          Then, I read Mrs. Mike and fell in love with all things romance.

          I could list 20 authors that I follow, maybe 30 or 40.  They all have something in common.  They write what I read.  I love, love, love finding a new book on the shelf, taking it in my hand, feeling the smooth cover and turning the book over to read the blurb.  Buying the book is taking a pan of warm brownies out of the oven.  Reading the books is eating the gooey chocolate and never wanting to stop.

          Now, Harlequin Heartwarmings will be in stores as well.  Wow, it feels a little bit like Christmas.

Ode to Harlequin Heartwarmings

The new easy-to-find Harlequin Heartwarmings might be found where I cook

In the office hallway where I work is a girl with a Heartwarming book

The secretary is reading one she says is great

And even my cat for the next in the series can’t wait

But the best news of all says the oh-so-busy Elf

Is that come January, they will definitely be on the Walmart shelf!  

— Pamela

Pamela Tracy is a USA Today award-winning author who has written contemporary, historical and suspenseful - all in the romance genre. Her 2007 suspense Pursuit of Justice was a Rita finalist. Her 2009 suspense Broken Lullaby won the American Christian Fiction Writers' Book of the year award.

Website - Goodreads - Facebook - Twitter

 
  

Tour Schedule

Check out these Heartwarming authors' own selfies...

January 3rd: Launch

January 4th: I Am A Reader - Amy Vastine

January 5th: Mel's Shelves - Anna J. Stewart

January 6th: deal sharing aunt - Cari Lynn Webb

January 7th: Reading Is My SuperPower - Carol Ross

January 8th: Katie's Clean Book Collection - Catherine Lanigan

January 10th: Babs Book Bistro - Leigh Riker

January 11th: Love, Laughter, Friendship - Melinda Curtis

January 12th: Heidi Reads... - Pamela Tracy

January 13th: Christian Chick's Thoughts - Rula Sinara

January 14th: Bookworm Lisa - Tara Taylor Quinn

January 15th: Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

15 - $10 Walmart Gift Cards

- Rules: To enter, take a selfie at a local Walmart with a Heartwarming book and post publicly on social media (can be your hands, your face, etc. with a Heartwarming book). Can enter once each day with a different picture each time. Those who post the same picture multiple times will be disqualified. Those who only post privately (so that it can't be viewed publicly) will also be disqualified.

- US Only

- Ends January 20th

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