The Latest Roadtrip with a Raindrop News!
(2016 was so jam-packed that I didn’t get “News” posted here! Sorry! I’ll try to do better in 2017!)
March 2017
The cover of the March/April issue of AAA Midwest Traveler Magazine from the Charleston, Missouri Dogwood Azalea Festival and the cover story that begins on page 21 is a recent assignment I completed for the publication. You can read the article here! and here’s a thumbnail of the cover! 
December 2015
Last Author Event for the Year! Maschino’s Holiday Author Event! Thank you to ALL of you who came out to support this fundraiser for the Writer’s Hall of Fame! www.facebook.com
A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN! The Mississippi River Parkway Commission is the governing body for the Great River Road, the National Scenic Byway that follows the entire river and that I kept company with for much of my 90-day journey, is featuring Roadtrip on their home page! www.experiencemississippiriver.com In return, we will begin RIGHT NOW including a Great River Road Travel Map with every book sold through my website www.gayleharper.com
November 2015
Back in the Delta! There’s an Author Presentation and Book signing at the Sunflower County Public Library in the morning and then one at the FABULOUS B. B. King Museum in the evening! (In between I’ll be finding some fried green tomatoes for lunch!) www.facebook.com
AND I LOVED getting to see my buddy Sonny Payne, the Host of the King Biscuit Time Radio Show, in Helena, Arkansas! I was a guest on his show and in the evening the Delta Cultural Center hosted an Author Event www.facebook.com
WOWZA! What a grand time in Miami at the gala formal Readers’ Favorite Awards Ceremony! www.facebook.com It was quite a moment when they put this Olympic-style Gold Medal around my neck! www.facebook.com Hundreds of authors from all over the world were there to receive their awards – such a thrill to be in the midst of all this talent and creativity! Thank you Readers’ Favorite for granting Roadtrip the Gold Medal for Travel Books!
October, 2015
Such an HONOR to be at Garrison Keillor’s Common Good Books in St. Paul! Only wish I could have met him! www.facebook.com
I LOVE LIBRARIANS! Thank you to the Missouri Library Association and the Kansas Library Association for inviting me to speak to the group at your joint annual conference! What a thrill! www.facebook.com
The Mill City Times in Minneapolis has a wonderful article (including the Book Trailer online) about the upcoming event at the famed Mill City Museum millcitytimes.com
The famous, iconic Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, St. Louis will host TWO Author Events! www.facebook.com So excited to be in this amazing place www.facebook.com
The historic St. Louis Women’s Club is hosting a private event for members and spouses in their elegant facility!
September, 2015
GOLD MEDAL WINNER! Wow! Roadtrip… won the Gold Medal for Travel Books in the international competition conducted by Readers’ Favorite! There will be a formal awards ceremony in Miami in November and all copies of the book will now proudly wear this glorious Gold Medal! www.facebook.com
Garrison Keillor’s iconic bookstore, Common Good Books in St. Paul, Minnesota will sponsor a Book Signing/Multimedia Presentation on October 21st! www.facebook.com
ANOTHER FINE ARTICLE in the QuadCities Dispatch Argus! Thank you reporter Jonathan Turner! www.qconline.com
The Southwest Missouri Camera Club hosted a Book Signing/Multimedia Presentation and the house was packed! Thanks SOOO much everyone! www.facebook.com
The Sinsinawa Mound – home to an order of Dominican Catholic Sisters and my river friend Sister Janette (featured on Day 33 in Roadtrip...) is hosting an Author event for all the Sisters and the community! www.facebook.com
The River Music Experience in Davenport, Iowa, will host an Author Event – SO excited to see my friend Ellis Kell (featured on page 88 of the book). www.facebook.com
The Quad Cities Photography Club welcomed me sooo wonderfully for the Author Event! Such great folks! www.facebook.com
The Galena Center for the Arts held an awesome event! So many new friends! www.facebook.com
July 2015
Thanks to all the FUN folks in Montrose, Iowa, who came to the Roadtrip with a Raindrop event at the Farmers’ Market! What a blast! www.facebook.com
Burlington, Iowa hosted a WONDERFUL event at the Visitors’ Center – Thanks to all! www.facebook.com
THE AMERICAN QUEEN STEAMBOAT! Eight days onboard this luxurious vessel on the Mississippi River! Soooo much fun meeting all these river-lovers, eating amazing food and sharing the adventures of our little raindrop with guests in the elegant Grand Saloon www.facebook.com (and pretty much everywhere else I went!). www.facebook.com
June 2015
The Library Center in Springfield, MO, hosted a multimedia presentation and book signing – we expected a good turnout, but 120 people showed up and LOTS more chairs had to be located! www.facebook.com
AWARD WINNER!! “Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River” is a winner in the Foreword Review’s Book of the Year international competition! Friends gathered for a Watch Party and a champagne toast! www.facebook.com The books will now be proudly wearing this new sticker! www.facebook.com
May 2015
Rolling Fork, MS, rolled out the red carpet for Roadtrip with a Raindrop! www.facebook.com
LOOK WHO I RAN INTO! My buddy, Pat Thomas – the bluesman who is featured in both the book and the video! www.facebook.com
Here’s a peek at some of the Highlights coming up on the Calendar…
June 25 – Springfield, MO – The Library Center
July 7,8 – Montrose & Burlington, IA
July 23 – 29 – Onboard the American Queen
August 1 – Dubuque, IA – National Mississippi River Museum
September 12 & 13 – Memphis, TN – Mud Island River Park
September 17 & 18 – Quad Cities – IA & IL
September 19 – Sinsinawa, WI
September 20 – Galena, IL
September 30 – October 2 – Kansas City, MO – Missouri Library Assn . & Kansas Library Assn. Annual Conference
October 22 – Minneapolis, MN – Mill City Museum
November 1 & 2 – St. Louis, MO – Missouri History Museum
November 3 – St. Louis Women’s Club
April 2015
EXCITING NEWS! I’ve just signed a contract to cruise the Mississippi River on the elegant American Queen Steamboat, sharing the multimedia presentation with guests! Maybe you can join us – July 23 – 29!!
Gayle traveled to Memphis to be part of the Grand Opening of the enormous new Bass Pro Shop & Resort in the famous Pyramid. Roadtrip with a Raindrop is stocked in the Gift Shop of the elegant resort that is the upper floors! Awesome!
Joined River friends of the Mississippi River Corridor of Tennessee and the 1Mississippi at a table in the middle of the Grand Opening chaos and FUN at the Pyramid in Memphis! www.facebook.com
Book Tour continues in beautiful, historic Natchez, MS – staying at the 1790 Linden Plantation www.facebook.com and presenting at turning Pages Books and the FUN-loving bunch at the Natchez Rotary Club!
Stop by the magnificent Stanton Hall in Natchez, MS and look for Roadtrip… on display! www.facebook.com
March 2015
KRZK Radio Hosts Steve Willoughby * Janet Ellis did a great on-air interview about the Chateau at the Lake event www.facebook.com
Barnes & Noble of Springfield, MO, announced that, although they normally don’t schedule two signings for the same book, “Roadtrip with a Raindrop” is the exception! Join us on Saturday, March 21st, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. www.facebook.com
Roadtrip with a Raindrop is a FINALIST in the competition for Foreword Review’s INDIEFAB “Book of the Year” Award! indiefab.forewordreviews.com
417 Magazine’s February issue gave a great review of Roadtrip with a Raindrop in their Quick Critic section. www.417mag.com
The Sikeston Standard Democrat visited the book signing at the Depot Museum in Sikeston, MO. www.standard-democrat.com
The River Heritage Association hosted a great finale to the first leg of the 2015 Book Tour at the Audubon’s Restaurant in Ste. Genevieve, MO. www.facebook.com
The Ozark Regional Library in Ste. Genevieve, MO, held a book-signing event for Gayle. www.facebook.com
The Southeast Missourian newspaper included an article about Gayle’s visit in Cape Girardeau, MO. www.semissourian.com
Barnes and Noble of Cape Girardeau, MO hosted a book-signing event for Roadtrip with a Raindrop. www.facebook.com
The 2015 Book Tour continued after lots of snow with a fun book-signing at the Depot Museum in Sikeston, MO. www.facebook.com
ExploreBranson.com promoted the upcoming “Author’s Luncheon” at Chateau on the Lake on their website of great events around the city. explorebranson.com
The Ste. Genevieve Herald published an article about the 2015 Book Tour and events in their area. www.stegenherald.com
Gayle visited the Molly French Garden Club in Charleston, Missouri, for an AWESOME first event of the 2015 Book Tour for Roadtrip with a Raindrop.
February 2015
Roadtrip with a Raindrop and its upcoming 2015 Book Tour were featured in The Randolph County Herald Tribune. www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com
Gayle was a presenter at Drury University’s “Self-Employment in the Arts: Annual Conference. KOLR-TV interviewed her at the event. In addition to the Roadtrip with a Raindrop story, she spoke on the Creative Spirit and how to honor it in our lives! www.ozarksfirst.com
The Randolph County Herald Tribune did a great article for the upcoming Book Signing of Roadtrip with a Raindrop and Presentation at the Chester, Illinois Public Library www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com
This month’s issues of AAA Southern Traveler and AAA Midwest Traveler Magazines have an article Gayle did for them on the CHARMING, OH-SO-SOUTHERN city of Natchez, Mississippi! services.autoclubmo.aaa.com
January 2015
FABULOUS! Full segment featuring Roadtrip With a Raindrop by Iowa Public Radio on “Talk of Iowa” went to all NPR affiliates across the state! iowapublicradio.org
GREAT interview on St. Louis Public Radio “St. Louis on the Air” news.stlpublicradio.org
The Muscatine Journal featured an article about Gayle’s Roadtrip with a Raindrop and her time spent in Muscatine, Iowa. muscatinejournal.com
The Alton, Illinois Telegraph published “Surrender to Serendipity,” an article about Gayle’s river travels. www.thetelegraph.com
Deep South Magazine features Roadtrip with a Raindrop on their online Home Page! deepsouthmag.com
Gayle was a guest on St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV-TV show “Great Day in St. Louis” www.kmov.com
“Our Mississippi,” a quarterly magazine from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, features a photograph of Gayle’s taken at the Trail of Tears overlook near Cape Girardeau, MO, on the cover. www.ourmississippi.org
Deep South magazine invited Gayle to do a guest blog about her journey along the river and Roadtrip with a Raindrop deepsouthmag.com
December 2014
Gayle was interviewed by KLFT Radio in Little Falls, Minnesota. audioboom.com
The Daily Gate newspaper of Keokuk, Iowa, included a great story about Roadtrip with a Raindrop and Gayle’s time spent geode hunting in the area. www.dailygate.com
Barnes and Noble hosted Gayle for a book signing at the Springfield, MO location.
Tea Bar & Bites, Springfield, MO held a book signing event.
America’s Waterway named Roadtrip with a Raindrop as the perfect gift “for that Mississippi River fan on your gift list…” www.americaswaterway.org
Gayle was invited to a Holiday Book Signing Party at Maschino’s to benefit the Writers Hall of Fame.
Missouri State University’s Meyer Library hosted Gayle for a multimedia slideshow presentation of the 90-day journey and book signing.
Roadtrip with a Raindrop was featured as the cover story for Ozarks Living Magazine. www.ozarksliving.com
NPR Affiliate KSMU aired an interview with Gayle about her journey and new book. Listen here ksmu.org
Roadtrip with a Raindrop received its first official review – 5 stars! Thanks, “Readers’ Favorite!” readersfavorite.com
An article about Roadtrip with a Raindrop and upcoming book signing events was published in The Springfield News-Leader. www.news-leader.com
November 2014
Gayle and Roadtrip with a Raindrop were featured in the Quad Cities Newspaper. www.qconline.com
Left Bank Bookstore in St Louis hosted a showing of the multi-media slide show and a book signing for Roadtrip with a Raindrop.
“New Book Journal” included Roadtrip with a Raindrop in their selection of “Outstanding New Books.” www.pinterest.com
Roadtrip with a Raindrop Launch Party! View a video of the gala event here vimeo.com
Gayle was honored to be the keynote for the Annual Banquet of Chambers of Commerce of the counties of Marianna and Lee in Arkansas.
Gayle was featured on KOLR-TV Springfield, MO “Ozarks Live.” www.ozarksfirst.com