Mississippi River Archives

HONORED TO BE WORKING FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC!

September 17, 2016 by Gayle Harper 6 Comments

Hello my friends!

I am thrilled to share this with you!

I AM HONORED TO BE WORKING FOR NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC!

I have been hired to provide content and photographs for an amazing new travel-planning website about the Mississippi River. Here’s a sample – an essay and photos called “Local Voices.”

http://mississippiriver.natgeotourism.com/local-voices

The website is a massive project that has required 18 months of work and the efforts of hundreds of people and I am excited to be a part of it! Let me know what you think!

Gayle Harper

Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River

www.gayleharper.com

Serendipity’s Spring Special For You!

April 23, 2016 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

For a LIMITED TIME only…

Just in time for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or for yourself (because you deserve it)… NOW, for a limited time, when you order your signed/personalized copy of the award-winning book Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River, you will also receive this set of four elegant 4×6 notecards (a $12 value) for FREE!

Not sure? Watch the Book Trailer here www.gayleharper.com

Then click on “Order Signed Copies.” During checkout, you can put in a name if you’d like the book inscription personalized, and your FREE set of notecards will be included. But don’t wait…this is for a LIMITED TIME only! www.gayleharper.com

Cruising with the American Queen Steamboat…

Among the exciting things happening in 2016, there is this…I will do three 8-day cruises as Guest Artist/Presenter on the American Queen Steamboat on three different sections of the river.

She is the world’s largest steamboat, with a capacity for 436 overnight guests and is pure elegance from bow to stern. The food is spectacular, the people you meet are the absolute BEST and there is no more relaxing or intimate way to experience America’s greatest river. I really hope some of you will be there with us!

Here’s my dates…

August 8th – 15th – cruising from Alton, IL to Red Wing, MN
September 5th – 12th – from New Orleans to Memphis
October 17th – 24th – from Alton, IL to Clarksville, TN

If you’d like to check it out, here’s their site http://www.americanqueensteamboatcompany.com/

I Brought You a Souvenir…

To help prepare for another amazing year, I had a bit of R&R with my husband, Mike. We visited a dear friend in San Antonio and went to a Mariachi Mass at the Mission San Jose, where folks have been worshipping since 1768. AND…we spent one glorious morning roaming back roads in the Texas Hill Country, where the wildflowers were like nothing I’ve ever seen before! So…I brought this back for you!

Happy Spring, my friends!

Xoxoxo, Gayle

Stay connected here…

Web www.gayleharper.com

Facebook www.facebook.com/GayleHarper.MississippiRiver

Twitter @riverroadwoman

Google+ https://plus.google.com/+GayleHarper

Happy Holidays!

December 21, 2015 by Gayle Harper 8 Comments

Happy Holidays, my dear friends!

I remember well the moment I took this photo. I was bundled in boots, hat, gloves and multiple layers of jackets and I was FREEZING! I watched this great blue heron walking on the snow on those spindly little legs, wading in the frigid water and fishing, seemingly not the least bit uncomfortable. What a miracle, I thought! How does he do that?

Take some time this holiday season to appreciate the little miracles that are around you at all times. Whether your holidays are filled with fun and loved ones, or whether it might be a difficult time in some way, there are miracles waiting to be noticed. When we put our attention on them, a door opens to reveal the quiet Joy that never changes, but is always there in the midst of every experience, whether happy or sad. It is a silent, unchanging, causeless Joy that is present always, just below the surface of whatever is happening, waiting for us to notice.

My holiday wish for you is that countless tiny miracles touch your heart and make it sing!

Love, Gayle

THE ONLY HOMETOWN EVENT SCHEDULED THIS YEAR for “Roadtrip with a Raindrop” – Hope you can make it!

June 16, 2015 by Gayle Harper 1 Comment

Hi friends!

If you live anywhere near Springfield, MO, this is especially for you.

Next Thursday, June 25th at 6:30 p.m. at the Library Center, will be the only hometown event scheduled for this year. (I’ll be on Book Tour on the road most of the rest of the year!) I would love to see YOU there! I’ll share the backstory of how “Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River” came to be, share the Multimedia Presentation that takes you on the journey – and I’ll be signing books. And, YES, if you have a book you would like signed, you are very welcome to bring it! A flyer with all the details is printed below!

If you can help to spread the word by sharing this post, printing the flyer or linking to the Facebook page www.facebook.com/GayleHarper.MississippiRiver that would be fabulous!

Want to see the Book Trailer that gives you a sample? Go here www.gayleharper.com

P.S. – As you may have heard, “Roadtrip…” is a FINALIST for “Book of the Year” in Foreword Review’s annual competition! The winners will be announced in just a few weeks now at the American Library Association’s annual conference in San Francisco. https://indiefab.forewordreviews.com/books/roadtrip-with-a-raindrop/ Cross your fingers!

Hope to see you soon!

Love, Gayle

EXCITING NEWS FROM SERENDIPITY!!

April 3, 2015 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

Hello, my Friends!

I’ve got some VERY exciting news to share!

I have signed a contract to cruise on the Mississippi River aboard the American Queen Steamboat!

If you aren’t familiar, it is a stunningly gorgeous ship – the largest steamboat in the world, with a capacity for 436 overnight passengers! I’ll be an onboard presenter – sharing the adventures of our little raindrop with river-loving guests from all over the world.

I’ll be traveling with her from July 23 – 29 on the gorgeous piece of river between Dubuque, Iowa and St. Paul, Minnesota, and again on the return trip, presenting the Multimedia Slide Show and signing copies of “Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River.”

Wanna come?? There will be incredible food, great shore excursions (they have buses and bikes at every port) a boatload of new friends and an opportunity to experience America’s greatest river in a very unique and special way! I just announced this on www.facebook.com/GayleHarper.MississippiRiver as well and it’s generating lots of excitement, comments and thoughts about coming along!

Check it out! It would be SO wonderful to have YOU there!

www.americanqueensteamboatcompany.com

Xoxoxo, Gayle

RIPPLES!

March 19, 2015 by Gayle Harper 1 Comment

Serendipity, our little raindrop, is creating BIG ripples!

First, I’ve just been notified that Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River is a FINALIST in the competition for Foreword Review’s INDIEFAB “Book of the Year” Award!

The winners of this prestigious award will be announced in June at the American Library Association’s Annual Conference to be held in San Francisco. Keep your fingers crossed, my friends…but, whatever happens, I am humbled and honored to have it included as a Finalist!

ON THE ROAD
Second, I’ve just completed the first leg of the 2015 Book Tour and it is SO much fun! (Even though we got caught up in that last-gasp-of-winter snowstorm that surprised everyone.) We had to cancel a few things, but we will reschedule. This trip was to Southeast Missouri and included Multimedia Presentations and Book Signings in Charleston, Sikeston, Cape Girardeau and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Everywhere we were welcomed by warm, happy, open-hearted people. Sharing these stories is PURE JOY! There are lots of photos on the Author Facebook Page.

photo by Sikeston Standard Democrat

I’m filling in the schedule now for the rest of 2015, so if we haven’t been in touch yet and you would like to arrange something in your community, please message me through the “Contact” box at gayleharper.com. I’ll be posting the Schedule of Events on Facebook, so please do stay connected – I’d love to see you somewhere this year!

NEW BOOK TRAILER

Haven’t seen it yet? It’s on the website and on YouTube. It’s quick, fun and lively – check it out and please DO share it with anyone you like!

DO YOU HAVE YOUR COPY YET?
If not, you can order signed and/or personalized copies directly from me here. They are also available at Barnes & Noble stores along the Mississippi River and online and on Amazon.

And, if you could take just a moment to write a “Customer Review” on Amazon and/or B&N it would be SO appreciated! Readers DO value your opinion – and it makes no difference where you bought your copy!

EVENTS IN THE OZARKS
FINALLY, if you happen to be in the Ozarks region, here’s two events coming up very soon…

This Saturday, 3/21 Book Signing at Barnes & Noble in Springfield, MO – 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. Details here https://www.facebook.com/events/608883579242810/

Thursday, 3/26 Noon – 2:00 p.m. A very special event at Chateau on the Lake in Branson! Join us for an Author Luncheon and presentation of the new Multimedia Show taking you on the roadtrip of a lifetime! Details here https://www.facebook.com/events/1048675155148123/

Chateau on the Lake at Sunrise photo (c) Gayle Harper

Stay tuned, my friends! It’s going to be a very fun year!

Love, Gayle

NEW BOOK TRAILER for Roadtrip with a Raindrop!

February 19, 2015 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

Calhoun County, Illinois

Hello my friends!!!

LOTS of news from Serendipity-land!

FIRST – I’m very excited to share with you the BRAND NEW BOOK TRAILER – Just posted! Here’s the link…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0zmzxmkj4s

If you are a follower on the Author Facebook page www.facebook.com/GayleHarper.MississippiRiver you’ve seen the wonderful media coverage lately for Roadtrip with a Raindrop!

You can also go to the “News” tab on gayleharper.com where you’ll find links to radio & tv interviews as well as newspaper and magazine articles about our little raindrop!

The calendar for the year is looking VERY busy!

Soon, I’ll post the Book Tour and hope to see you somewhere! Let me know if you’d like the raindrop tour to come to your community!

In the meantime, stay warm, my friends! Spring will come!

Love, Gayle

RECONNECTED!!

December 23, 2014 by Gayle Harper 2 Comments

Whew! It’s SO good to have you back!

In the process of rolling the existing blog into the brand-new website gayleharper.com , there were a few technological hiccups! For a period of weeks, my ability to communicate with you through this blog wasn’t working! Then, there was that random re-send of an archived post from waaaayyyy back! Technology is SWEET when it works and hair-pullingly frustrating when it doesn’t!

AND the good news is, the issues seem to be resolved and I’m told we are solidly reconnected!

If you’ve been able to follow the adventures of our little raindrop on facebook.com/GayleHarper.MississippiRiver or other social media (which I’ll list at the bottom), you know that it’s been a VERY exciting launch so far!

There have already been seven different Book Signing/Presentation Events, all of which were wonderful. Sharing these stories and hearing how hearts are touched is SO much fun, it sometimes feels like my heart just might explode with Joy.

On Saturday, Barnes & Noble said “Bring us more books! We are sold out and people are asking for them.” I did – and on Sunday when I walked in to find they had made a display of Roadtrip with a Raindrop right up front at the Information Counter, it brought one of those crystallized moments of pure gratitude and humility. I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be involved in this amazing project!

There’s been lots of GREAT media coverage too (and it’s from word of mouth as this is the “soft launch” and we haven’t done News Releases yet). I’ll update the “News” section of the website with links very soon.

Meanwhile, Roadtrip with a Raindrop is now available in these ways…

Signed and/or personalized copies are at gayleharper.com
Unsigned are at Amazon and Barnes & Noble online
In Stores –
- at Barnes & Noble Stores (if your store doesn’t have it yet, you can request it)
- in St. Louis at Left Bank Bookstore
- in Springfield, MO at Renaissance Books and at the MSU Bookstore

WHEREVER you choose to get yours, it would be a GREAT help if you would make a “Reader’s Review” on Amazon and/or Barnes & Noble. It’s easy and no purchase is required. Readers DO value your opinion greatly! Thank you!

Thank you, my friends, for traveling with Serendipity and me! Know that, however noisy or quiet this Holiday Season may be for you, the same underlying Love and Peace is always present for all of us. May your heart be filled with that.

Love, Gayle

Twitter @riverroadwoman

Google+ https://plus.google.com/+GayleHarper

Facebook www.facebook.com/GayleHarper.MississippiRiver

FIVE STAR REVIEW!!

December 1, 2014 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

FIVE STAR REVIEW!

“Roadtrip with a Raindrop” has just received its first official review! Here’s what “Readers’ Favorites” has to say!

Review Rating:

5 stars!

Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite

Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River is a non-fiction travel book written by Gayle Harper. Harper is a travel writer and photographer who’s had a lifelong love of the Mississippi River. While she always had the inkling of a thought about a full-scale adventure on the river, it wasn’t until she saw a factoid on the National Park Service’s website that her thought bloomed to its full potential. The site said that a single drop of water falling at the headwaters of the Mississippi travels for 90 days to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Harper calculated that that drop would travel about 27 miles a day on its 3-month long journey; then she decided to call that drop ‘Serendipity’ and to travel along with it, and her project was born.

I settled into an easy chair with a cup of tea and Gayle Harper’s non-fiction travelogue, Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River, and found myself falling in love with the headwaters of the Mississippi and the marvelous natural settings of Minnesota. I had to keep reminding myself that it gets very cold there in the wintertime, and then I continued reading on, and studying one stunningly beautiful picture after another as Harper and her raindrop continued their journey south. There were so many places to see and stories to hear; all quite new for someone who’s only ever lived on a coast and barely seen the arch of St. Louis flash by on a road trip. Roadtrip with a Raindrop: 90 Days Along the Mississippi River is an exceptionally good travel book that reads as smoothly as fiction and is filled with history, nature and the warmth and kindness of strangers soon to become friends. It’s a splendid read, and it’s most highly recommended.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

November 27, 2014 by Gayle Harper Leave a Comment

Wherever you are and however you spend this day, know that, at a level that may be beyond our human comprehension, every moment is absolute perfection – because nothing else is possible. There are no mistakes in the grand design of everything, whether the mind can understand that or not.

I could go on for pages listing all the things about this moment for which I am thankful – including the ability to send my love-filled wishes to you today. Suffice it to say that I am so filled with thankfulness that I am Gratitude itself.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

~ Albert Einstein

Enjoy this day filled with miracles!

Love, Gayle