Seeking Solace by Adrienne Dunning - Book Tour + Giveaway
Sometimes to take a step in the right direction you have to run away.
Sarah Collier’s life has always been scripted for her, according to the expectations of her domineering, socially-connected Connecticut family. Everything always went as planned…until the unthinkable happened moments before walking down the aisle. On a whim, she does the first thing that comes to mind—she takes off on her honeymoon, alone. However, Sarah has never acted on spontaneity, so the impromptu trip may not be what Sarah thinks it will.
The quaint and rustic harbor village of North Berwick on Scotland’s East Lothian coast is typically devoid of tourists in the winter. So when an auburn-haired stranger who wanders into his pub on a cold, Sunday evening, Bretton Keith, self-assured and flirtatious pub owner that he is, sees the opportunity for another brief and fun fling to break up the monotony of a village winter.
As Bretton comes to know the sad and beautiful Sarah, he finds it increasingly difficult to uphold his credo of never becoming attached. Can he forget the mistakes of the past and learn to trust another with his heart? All the while, Sarah is experiencing a new-found freedom to dare think of her life in a different way, to truly consider what it is that she wants and what it is that will make her happy. Will Sarah be brave enough to risk it on a man who was so hurt by another that he swore off ever falling in love again, or will the demands of her family prove too big an obstacle to overcome?
GUEST POST
Inside the Mind of an Author
Now that topic is quite the challenge! In some ways, because I’m a debut author, I’m not quite sure I’m “experienced” enough to tackle this. Then again, I have been writing all my life, so maybe I do have a little something to say that might be of interest. At least… I hope so!
Do you ever wonder where your ideas come from? I mean, exactly where does your subconscious pick up these little nuggets of genius that slam into you at the oddest moments, leaving you smacking your forehead and shouting, “This is the best idea EVER!” Speaking for myself, I have absolutely no clue. For Seeking Solace, I was sitting at a local coffee shop with my writing group. I was wondering what on earth I was going to use for a story idea, when a question popped into my head. “What would you do if you showed up to get married, but the wedding didn’t happen?” I immediately pictured my character Sarah standing in front of a crowded church having to tell all those people to go home. Now here’s the kicker—I’ve never been jilted at the altar. I’ve not known anyone personally that has. I have been married before. Did my subconscious throw that out as a rhetorical musing on what life would have been like if something had prevented my wedding from happening? Who knows? Not me. However the idea came, I just took it and ran! I’ve learned to simply embrace my ideas as they come, and not question the whys and wherefores quite so much…I’m too busy bringing those ideas to life to really analyze where they came from.
Why do I write? A lot of people think writers are weird. (I know my sister does. She lets me know on a very frequent basis just how weird I am. But it’s okay, she loves me anyway.) For me, I have always loved stories. Reading them, writing them, talking about them. For me, stories (no matter the genre or time period) are ultimately about human connection. They explore who and what we are and how we relate to each other. Why and how we see the world the way we do. They challenge us to think about what we know as our own truth. How and why we trust people…or don’t trust people. I think all of that is important and can often lead to a deeper self-awareness. Why do you read? What makes you pick up a book and transport yourself to another time and place, far-removed from your everyday life?
What’s going on in my head generally? Well, I have 2 series (6 novels, 3 novels per series) in my head that I am currently working on. One series, a spin-off from Seeking Solace , is currently in the drafting phase. The second series, with paranormal elements (ghosts and haunted houses), is in the editing and revision phase. I also have two stand-alone novels that are in draft phase. And yes, I am actually working and thinking about all of those at the same time. INSANITY! I take notes—lots and lots of notes. (I also have notebooks with outlines for stories I haven’t even started yet for future use.)
So there you have it—a little glimpse into my jumbled and busy mind. For what it’s worth. I hope you decide to take a chance on a new author and read Seeking Solace. I certainly appreciate Jasmine and Jazzy Book Reviews for doing just that. I’ve loved joining you all over here and hope to interact with you more. Post Comments! I’ll be checking in and would love to engage with you. Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Reading!!! <3 br="">Adrienne
Now that topic is quite the challenge! In some ways, because I’m a debut author, I’m not quite sure I’m “experienced” enough to tackle this. Then again, I have been writing all my life, so maybe I do have a little something to say that might be of interest. At least… I hope so!
Do you ever wonder where your ideas come from? I mean, exactly where does your subconscious pick up these little nuggets of genius that slam into you at the oddest moments, leaving you smacking your forehead and shouting, “This is the best idea EVER!” Speaking for myself, I have absolutely no clue. For Seeking Solace, I was sitting at a local coffee shop with my writing group. I was wondering what on earth I was going to use for a story idea, when a question popped into my head. “What would you do if you showed up to get married, but the wedding didn’t happen?” I immediately pictured my character Sarah standing in front of a crowded church having to tell all those people to go home. Now here’s the kicker—I’ve never been jilted at the altar. I’ve not known anyone personally that has. I have been married before. Did my subconscious throw that out as a rhetorical musing on what life would have been like if something had prevented my wedding from happening? Who knows? Not me. However the idea came, I just took it and ran! I’ve learned to simply embrace my ideas as they come, and not question the whys and wherefores quite so much…I’m too busy bringing those ideas to life to really analyze where they came from.
Why do I write? A lot of people think writers are weird. (I know my sister does. She lets me know on a very frequent basis just how weird I am. But it’s okay, she loves me anyway.) For me, I have always loved stories. Reading them, writing them, talking about them. For me, stories (no matter the genre or time period) are ultimately about human connection. They explore who and what we are and how we relate to each other. Why and how we see the world the way we do. They challenge us to think about what we know as our own truth. How and why we trust people…or don’t trust people. I think all of that is important and can often lead to a deeper self-awareness. Why do you read? What makes you pick up a book and transport yourself to another time and place, far-removed from your everyday life?
What’s going on in my head generally? Well, I have 2 series (6 novels, 3 novels per series) in my head that I am currently working on. One series, a spin-off from Seeking Solace , is currently in the drafting phase. The second series, with paranormal elements (ghosts and haunted houses), is in the editing and revision phase. I also have two stand-alone novels that are in draft phase. And yes, I am actually working and thinking about all of those at the same time. INSANITY! I take notes—lots and lots of notes. (I also have notebooks with outlines for stories I haven’t even started yet for future use.)
So there you have it—a little glimpse into my jumbled and busy mind. For what it’s worth. I hope you decide to take a chance on a new author and read Seeking Solace. I certainly appreciate Jasmine and Jazzy Book Reviews for doing just that. I’ve loved joining you all over here and hope to interact with you more. Post Comments! I’ll be checking in and would love to engage with you. Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Reading!!! <3 br="">Adrienne
Adrienne Dunning is simply a Southern gal who has fun playing poorly
at golf when she’s not crafting novels.
She loves all forms of expression—writing, dancing, cooking, talking—and
does them frequently and with abandon. She loves creating endearing and
feisty characters full of humor and just a little awkwardness to keep
them "real". Although a possible mystery series is under
current exploration, her current works are primarily aligned with the contemporary
romance/chick lit genres. She is heavily active in her local NaNoWriMo
chapter, and Seeking Solace, her debut novel releasing April 2015, is the resulting product of a NaNo
project. She lives in coastal North
Carolina and uses that region as the setting for many of her stories.
at golf when she’s not crafting novels.
She loves all forms of expression—writing, dancing, cooking, talking—and
does them frequently and with abandon. She loves creating endearing and
feisty characters full of humor and just a little awkwardness to keep
them "real". Although a possible mystery series is under
current exploration, her current works are primarily aligned with the contemporary
romance/chick lit genres. She is heavily active in her local NaNoWriMo
chapter, and Seeking Solace, her debut novel releasing April 2015, is the resulting product of a NaNo
project. She lives in coastal North
Carolina and uses that region as the setting for many of her stories.
2 Comments
I love your guest post!!
ReplyDeleteI love it, too! It's so in-depth. I enjoyed reading it again after I posted it. I want to thank Adrienne for being super and writing it up for my blog. :)
DeletePlease try not to spam posts with the same comments over and over again. Authors like seeing thoughtful comments about their books, not the same old, "I like the cover" or "sounds good" comments. While that is nice, putting some real thought and effort in is appreciated. Thank you.