"Who says 13 is unlucky?" + a giveaway! by Cerella Sechrist (with Tara Randel, Kate James, and LeAnne Bristow)

It's only happening twice this year, and today is one of those days.

Friday the 13th.

Many people consider it unlucky, but I'm going against tradition and deciding that today is going to be a lucky day!

So in the spirit of all things thirteen, I asked my fellow March release Heartwarming authors to give me thirteen sentences from their upcoming books. You can read them below!

And we didn't stop there. A bunch of our fellow Heartwarming authors are joining us to offer up copies of their releases, for a THIRTEEN book giveaway! Check out the 13-sentence excerpts from the upcoming March releases and then enter to win via the form below!

And remember - today just might be your lucky day.



Sawyer had always been confident, but he seemed to hold himself with even more surety now. But then, setting country music records was likely to do that to a person.

Stabs of both jealousy and grief sliced through her. He’d become famous. He’d fulfilled his dream. And beneath the layers of frustration, a part of her was exceedingly proud of him. But he’d also left her, after years of shared joys and tears, when it was most convenient for him. And she’d spent the last twenty-three months trying to come to terms with the loss of him—her high-school sweetheart, the guy she’d waited for throughout army basic training and deployment, the man she’d traveled all over the United States with as they’d performed their music and chased their dreams.

Sawyer had been her soul mate. At one time she’d been closer to him than any other person on earth, her brother included. She hadn’t had many close relationships in her life, and Sawyer knew that. But she’d had him.

Until fame came calling.


Luke removed his sunglasses then sipped his coffee, peering at Cassie over the rim of his cup. Yes, he made her nervous. His blond hair seemed lighter in the daylight, strands lifting in the gentle breeze. It looked like he hadn’t shaved this morning, which only made him more handsome. His long fingers held the cup with ease, the same fingers that played the heck out of his guitar last night. She’d hoped working together would break the ice, since he was always reserved around her, and evidenced by his good mood this morning, her strategy must have worked.

He smiled at her and her stomach dipped. How did she explain the sparks whenever they were together? She’d noticed him sneaking glances at her last night, or at least she’d hoped he was. Her heart had danced, just like right now. Probably the attraction was one-sided, but she wanted to explore the heat between them.

But what if he didn’t return her feelings? She was sunk, because if he found out, then working together on her song writing would be so awkward.


The heavy rain made the trip longer than Josh had anticipated. Driving in the nasty weather hadn't improved his disposition. It was nearly twenty minutes from the time he'd hung up the phone to when he spotted the black, late-model, luxury SUV parked on the shoulder of Otter Creek Road. And the woman huddled on the ground in front of it, stroking the animal. A set of choice words raced through his mind. It would be her own fault if she was bitten. Pulling up behind the BMW X5, he grabbed his medical bag and climbed out of his ancient Yukon.

The woman was hunched over the still form of the animal, as if trying to shield him from the worst of the downpour with her own body. There was a sadness about her—evident in her posture, the slope of her shoulders—that tore at his heart. When she glanced up at him with shimmering eyes, huge in her pale face, something shifted inside him.

He hoped he wasn’t too late. That he wouldn’t be deprived of the opportunity to save the animal. For the animal’s sake, as much as the woman’s.

“We do what we can at the outreach program, but not every kid wants to be saved.”

She chuckled. “Seems like someone told me the same thing about animals once.”

Tony reached over and took her hand. His fingers traced the deep scar running across her palm. “I was right, but you had to learn the hard way.”

His feather-light touch sent chills up her arm. She snatched her hand away from him. “It may take me a while, but once I learn something, I never forget.”

“I have scars from that night, too.” He held up his own hand to reveal a matching mark.

Sabrina looked down at the sleeping child on the cot. “Funny thing about scars...the worst ones are the ones people can’t see.”

***

Lucky 13 Heartwarming Book Giveaway

Comments

  1. I LOVE those 13 line excerpts!! I also love the number 13! Seriously, it's my lucky number since my first sale. The first book I sold--my debut, The Promise of Rain--has 13 chapter in it. Up until the last minute, we thought it had 14, but during final edits, I caught my mistake. I'd miss-counted and it had 13 all along! But wait, there's more. I had been nervous about turning in my final revisions (requested before it sold), so I didn't notice until after I hit send that it was May 13th. I thought I'd doomed myself...but on the flip of 13...May 31...I got The Call! And yes, there's still more freakiness to this. The year was 2013!!! I'm not making any of this up lol. I realized then that 13 was my lucky number and it has been ever since :). I'm so thrilled to be giving away the second book in that same 'From Kenya, with Love' series, AFTER THE SILENCE, as part of this 13 book giveaway! Good luck to all who enter!

    I can't wait for those March releases :)! The 3rd month of the year...there's that number 3 from 13...just sayin' ;) Happy Friday the 13th everyone!

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    1. And excuse my typos! I haven't had enough coffee yet :)!

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    2. Oh, I love all your 13 moments, Rula! See, that's what I mean - 13 can be lucky! Especially in your case! My mom actually also considers 13 her lucky number. She was born on the 13th, for one thing. ;) Thanks so much for offering up After the Silence as part of this awesome giveaway!

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    3. Same for me Cerella What month My Mom's Birthday was in April

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    4. My mom's is in March, Linda, so they're close! :D

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    5. So...I'm guessing you love 13? Those are the best reasons to love it!

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    6. Yeah that is pretty close my oldest son was due on March 13 but came on the seventh and now I have a daughter on February 14 and another son on April 18 so except for leap year I have a birthday on Valentine's Day then three weeks later for my oldest son and six weeks after that for my middle son

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    7. Oh, how fun that you have a Valentine's baby, Linda! It makes the day extra special! :)

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  2. Loved the excerpts!! Just enough to whet our appetites for more. Have a wonderful Friday the 13th. I'm not superstitious.

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    1. We're so glad you enjoyed the excerpts, Laurie.

      We're not superstitious either. We happen to think it's a terrific day, and are happy to kick off our giveaway!

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    2. I'm with you, Laurie, reading my fellow authors' excerpts made me eager for their books! Have a great weekend with no superstitions! ;)

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    3. Thanks for the comment! It's always exciting to get a sneak peek of our books!

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    4. Hi Laurie! thanks for stopping by. I claim not to be superstitious, but when I went into labor on the evening of the 12th of December, I yelled at the doctor and said "Make sure she's born before midnight!" So, I'm either more superstitious than I thought, or was in that much pain, lol!

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  3. Happy lucky Friday the 13th to everyone! March is just around the corner, and I am thrilled to be sharing a release date with Cerella, Tara and LeAnne.

    Thank you for this post, Cerella, and huge thanks to the authors who are contributing books.

    Finally, good luck to those who enter to contest!!

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    1. March is right around the corner! Sharing a release date with fellow authors is so much fun!

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  4. I don't think it is unlucky my mother was born on the 13th and she always made sure that we knew she never thought Friday the 13th was unlucky and now it is one of my lucky numbers
    Thank you so much for the chance to win this is a great group of books

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    1. Happy birthday to your mother, Linda! Good luck with the contest, and hopefully 13 will be a lucky number for you in this case, too!

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    2. Yay for lucky numbers! Thanks for commenting Linda.

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    3. Hi Linda! Isn't the book giveaway awesome??? You can't go wrong with any of those fabulous authors!

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    4. Yes it is a w AWESOME the lucky winner will be very happy. Thanks and my mom has passed I wish I could wish her a happy birthday though

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  5. The one tweet option is not working I've tweeted it twice and it won't give me credit it keeps telling me to complete the action first the tweet has too many letters so I don't know if it's not working because I'm changing it but I had to change the other one also it had too many characters
    I would like to make sure I'm still going to get credit for this
    https://mobile.twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/819909323644137473
    https://mobile.twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/819908582120587266

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    1. I even tried a 3rd time https://mobile.twitter.com/LindaMoffitt02/status/819911670369816576

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    2. Thank you for taking the time to let us know. Cerella will fix it as soon as she can.

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    3. Thanks for entering, Linda! I've tried fixing the entry form so if you're still have trouble, feel free to delete one of the : in the tweet to get it within the appropriate character count. If you still have trouble, email me at "Cerella (at) live.com" and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks and good luck!! :)

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    4. Ok thanks I'll try again and let you know

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  6. Love the 13 lines ladies, and what a great Giveaway! :)

    These all look great! I already read and adored Kate's SANCTUARY COVE, and am looking forward to buying and enjoying the whole batch on Release Day.

    I'm going out to find some black cats to pet today! haha Not a believer in bad luck here. :) Have a great Friday the 13th ladies! <3

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    1. Lol, that's a brilliant idea, Lynn! Let's say everything normally considered unlucky will be lucky today, black cats included! ;)

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    2. Lynn, I am so glad you enjoyed SANCTUARY COVE, and thank you for the terrific review!

      I know you'll love the other three books, as well.

      Also, thank you for the chuckle. I'll watch for black cats and pet them, too!

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    3. Thanks for stopping by, Lynn. Enjoy your day!

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    4. Lynn! That's so funny! I just saw a meme (?) that said the only way to get rid of bad luck today was to go hug a black cat. I'm off to find one, now!

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  7. I love March. It's Spring Break! All the books look wonderful :)

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    1. I agree, Pam! March will be a good month! ;)

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    2. Thanks, Pam. March is always a fun month.

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    3. Hi Pam. I have always loved March. It has St. Patricks Day and spring break and Tucson Festival of Books! We should get together during spring break!

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  8. What a great, great way to celebrate Friday the 13th! Thank you, ladies! Keeping my fingers crossed!

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    1. Good luck with the giveaway, Melanie, and thanks for stopping by!

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    2. And wishing you luck with the giveaway, Melanie!

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    3. Hi Melanie! Good luck. Crossing my fingers and toes for you. :)

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  9. What a great, great way to celebrate Friday the 13th! Thank you, ladies! Keeping my fingers crossed!

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  10. I love March, too, because it means summer is right around the corner! My oldest sister was born of Friday the 13th. She's one of the best people I know so I consider it a pretty lucky day. Great excerpts, Ladies! What a a fun line up of books. Thanks for including one of my books in this awesome giveaway.

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    1. More proof that Friday the 13th isn't unlucky at all! Thank you for contributing your wonderful book to this fantastic giveaway, Carol!

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    2. I remember you mentioning that before, Carol! Your sister sounds pretty awesome from everything you've said, so I think you're lucky (or blessed!) for sure. :)

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    3. Hi Carol! March is awesome. I get two weeks of spring break thanks to my year round school schedule. Cerella's giveaway has such amazing books in it!

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    4. Thanks for joining us in the giveaway, Carol!

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  11. Love the excerpts, and happy Friday the 13th.

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    1. We're glad you enjoyed the excerpts, Beth. We're looking forward to your debut Heartwarming release later this year.

      Happy Friday the 13th to you, too!

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    2. Thanks, Beth! Have a great weekend!

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    3. Hi Beth! Welcome to sunny Arizona btw! Happy Friday the 13th to you too!

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  12. It's comforting to know when you're into March, spring is just around the corner.
    I enjoyed the excerpts...my pile is growing.

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    1. Hi Jill! Thanks so much for stopping by. I'm pretty excited to read your February release as well! Congrats to you!

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    2. ...and Fred and your hummies will soon be back, too, Jill!

      We're glad you enjoyed the excerpts, and thanks for stopping by.

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    3. I'm excited our releases are coming close to spring, Jill, it gives me even more to look forward to!

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    4. Thanks, Jill. Looking forward to your book!

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  13. All of your covers are so gorgeous. I look forward to the four books. I've forgotten why Friday the 13th is supposed to be unlucky. You ladies have combatted it right anyway.

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    1. Heartwarming always has the most beautiful covers! And it IS the best way to combat unluckiness. :) I wonder if that means I should go to the casino this evening?

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    2. Thanks, Roz!

      Lucky 13th or not, stay home and write LeAnne! :)

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    3. We definitely got LUCKY on our gorgeous covers, Roz! ;) Have a great weekend!

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    4. Thanks, Roz. Hard work surpasses luck any day and I'd say Harlequin works long and hard to make our covers so gorgeous!

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  14. I love the 13 teases you've given us. My TRL just jumped :) Thank you so much for this generous giveaway chance. I'm not superstitious and think that a chance for 13 reads on the 13th is an amazing opportunity.
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

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    1. Hi Carol! We're so glad you stopped by. Wouldn't winning 13 books be awesome? Good luck!

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    2. Thank you for stopping by, Carol. Thirteen books would keep you busy for a while, but hopefully you will find room for our March releases on your TBR pile!

      Good luck with the giveaway!

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    3. Kate is right, Carol - you'll have to make room for our March releases if you win these 13!! I'm wishing you luck!!

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    4. Good luck, Carol. Enjoy your TRL list!

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  15. Today is my youngest daughter's 30th birthday! Her grandma is May 13th and when her great grandma was alive her birthday was July 13th. So, it's been a lucky number. Pam Jones_Hamblin

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    1. Hello Pam! Happy birthday to your daughter. I know some amazing people who have birthdays on May 13th, she your daughter's grandmother is in great company. Hope you have a great 3 day weekend. Good luck!

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    2. Oh Pam, that makes today even luckier for you! Have a great weekend - I'm always happy when you stop by and comment!

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    3. What are the odds? Wish your daughter happy birthday!

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  16. Unlike Rula, I don't know why, but I've always thought Friday the 13th is lucky. Congrats to all the March authors! And I'm happy to be part of this fabulous giveaway.

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    1. Thank you for contributing your wonderful book to the giveaway, Leigh.

      Happy lucky Friday the 13th!

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    2. I think of the 13th as lucky, too, Leigh! And I appreciate you offering up a book for the giveaway! Have a great weekend!

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    3. Glad you're on board too, Leigh!

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  17. Those March titles look fantastic! And what a fun book giveaway to celebrate the 13th!

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    1. Thank you, Amie. We appreciate you contributing your wonderful book to the giveaway!

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    2. Thanks, Amie, and as Kate said, thank you for adding one of your titles to the giveaway!

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  18. Great giveaway! You guys have me looking forward to March and spring!!

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  19. ALL YOU GUYS HAVE A GREAT POST! I can't wait to read all the March titles. Just so you know, my grandfather said that Friday the 13th was his luckiest day! So, I'm thinking that winner out there is going to be very, very lucky!
    You did a splendid job!

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    1. I feel like there's a running theme here, Catherine - most people seem to have GOOD luck with the number 13! Thanks for contributing a book to the giveaway!

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  20. Looks like you had a great Friday the 13th. I've always had great days on Friday the 13th.
    Congrats on those fantastic March releases. Happy reading.

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    1. Thanks, Sandra! I think Friday the 13th might be everyone's favorite day at this rate! ;)

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  21. Congrats everyone! BTW Not sure if others had this issue, but the link within the contest to the BN.com page didn't work for me, I went to a page not found. Did anyone else find that issue?

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    1. Thanks, Andriana! I fixed the BN link - let me know if you continue to have trouble! Good luck with the giveaway!

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