“Of course there should be an HEA. I’m so sick of this question. It’s a Romance! That’s the deal we make with our readers. It’s misogyny, plain and simple. You don’t see anyone telling Mystery readers they’re silly and unserious for wanting to know by the end of the book who the murderer was. Fuck off.”
“Eventually, don’t know when, but eventually? You’re gonna have to stop thinking you’re nothing more than the damaged version of yourself.”
“It’s always the men, isn’t it, talking about writing from a place of pain. Maybe try writing from joy. We get it, the world is hard. Which is precisely why I write: to escape it. Calm down with this tortured artist shit already, my God.”
“Feelings are temporary. They stick around as long as you believe in them and then they’re gone, waiting to be believed in again. If they were permanent, then we’d only have to say I love you once and be done with it for the rest of our”
“I don't know where my ideas come from, but you know where they come to? My desk. And if I'm not there to greet them, they leave. Ass in the chair. Ass in the chair. That's art.”
“You can’t just look at who someone is. You have to look at WHY someone is. Surface versus substance. That’s the difference between caricature and character.”
“Feelings are temporary. They stick around as long as you believe in them and then they're gone, waiting to be believed in again. If they were permanent, then we'd only have to say I love you once and be done with it for the rest of our lives.”
“Feelings aren't constant. They're transient. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. You can believe in them, but you can't know them. How can you know what something is before it becomes it?”
“We don’t feel real to me. It feels like we fell out of a romance tree and hit every trope on the way down.”
“I think everyone around you is waiting for you to accept yourself as you are now, so we can as well. And the bitch of it is you’re waiting for everyone to accept you as you are now so you can accept yourself and, sorry, but love, it’s your move. You’ve gotta go first.”
“Can't fail if I don't try." ... "You're absolutely right. You'd regret trying and failing. But I'll do you one better. If you don't try, give it all you've got, you'll regret the hell out of never knowing if you would have succeeded. ... "Because regret haunts you for the rest of your life," Sewanee chimed in from the cheap seats. She hadn't intended to say anything, but as soon as she felt the answer it was out of her mouth. She caught Marilyn's eye. Her mother smiled sadly at her. "It's like a ghost that refuses to leave your house." Stu bugged his eye. "Why's it gotta leave? What, you think you can get through life avoiding regret? Avoiding failure?" He laughed. "Spoiler alert" life is regret, life is failure. But like that ghost, you learn to live with it. Because failure makes success matter.”
“But! Ultimately, I don't think it matters what I say, does it? Will you ever truly believe, deep down, that anything other than pity brought me over to you? Nothing I say can make that scar disappear for you. I can tell you I don;t see it and you will always see it. i can tell you you're everything that keeps me up at night and everything I daydream about and how that makes you feel might last a day or a week or an hour. Feelings are temporary. They stick around as long as you believe in them and then they're gone, waiting to be believed in again. If they were permanent, then we'd only have to say I love you once and be done with it for the rest of our lives.”
“He said I need to stop thinking I'm nothing more than the damaged version of myself. That who I am is who I am."
“You’re absolutely right. You’d regret trying and failing. But I’ll do you one better. If you don’t try, give it all you’ve got, you’ll regret the hell out of never knowing if you would have succeeded.”
“Cover up whatever you please for the world, but in intimacy? Hide nothing. In intimacy, everything is beautiful.”
“She was drawn into the story as an aroma draws one to a meal.”
“I was a fearless boy who became a fearful man.”
“Spoiler alert: life is regret, life is failure. But like that ghost, you learn to live with it. Because failure makes success matter.”
“Take the risk. Fail. And let regret come along for the ride. A passenger, not the driver.”
“Because regret haunts you for the rest of your life. It's like a ghost that refuses to leave your house.' 'Why's it gotta leave? What, you think you can get through life avoiding regret? Avoiding failure? Spoiler alert, life is regret, life is failure. But like that ghost, you learn to live with it. Because failure makes success matter.”
“It took me a lifetime to find my place in this world. But it was worth it—'cause it's with you.”
“So you take all that hurt and resentment, suffered in silence, and you let it simmer for decades and it distills down into anger."
“Don't interrupt me or I'll hang up. She'll call you when she's ready. Meanwhile, if production is antsy, so be it. It's a movie. It doesn't matter. Adaku matters. And if you're antsy, I suggest you take some time to reflect on how your actions contributed to this situation. For instance: You keep pronouncing her name AH-duk-koo. It's ah-DAH-koo. You're her manager, all these other people take their cues from you, and if you can't even-" "Whoa, don't spin this like I don't care, you don't know me-" "Manse, you interrupted. Bye." She hung up. And felt like a million dollars before taxes and commissions. She stood, stretched, and decided she'd get herself a milk shake, too.”
“He was the musical genius. I just write a little, play a little guitar, and sing a little. That’s my M.O.: do a lot of things a little.”
Synopsis
For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger. On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her. As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more. If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers. From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan’s uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.
Genres:
Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Adult, Books About Books, Adult Fiction, Humor
Author:
Julia Whelan