Spotlight & Giveaway: Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Sarah Adler to HJ!

Hi Sarah and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Finders Keepers!

Hello! Thanks so much for having me back.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

FINDERS KEEPERS is my estranged childhood friends-to-lovers treasure hunt romcom, featuring two down-on-their-luck thirty-somethings looking for the rumored riches left behind by a turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate in their Maryland hometown, but finding a second chance at love along the way.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

“I can’t believe he goblined you,” she says from behind her palm.
“Goblined? What does—Oh, geez, Mom. Do you mean ghosted?”
“It’s ghosted? Really? Hm, I suppose that does make more sense. What is a goblin, again?” Her gaze drifts off to the side as she mines her mental bank of imaginary creatures, trying to recall.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The concept of two people living in a duplex who spoke through their side-by-side bedroom windows as children actually came to me several years ago. Nina and Quentin were also the main characters in that iteration, but the premise was a prank war instead of a treasure hunt.
• Also, I listened to a lot of early aughts and current indie rock while writing this. “505” by Arctic Monkeys is the song I always think of as being this book’s theme.

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

When they were young, Quentin was drawn to Nina’s intelligence and a sense of humor that was complimentary to his, and I think that’s still true when they reunite. Nina likes the way that Quentin has always challenged her while also letting her be fully, completely herself.

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I always laugh when I get to this dialogue exchange in the scene where Quentin and Nina are pretending to be an engaged couple visiting a wedding venue:
“Well, I’m sorry,” I say. “But you’re the one who wants to invite all of his college buddies.”
“How many times do I have to explain this to you?” He raises his voice slightly and spreads his arms. “It just isn’t a party without Frankie J. and Goober!”
“I cannot believe you want to invite a grown man who goes by Goober to the happiest day of our lives.” I imbue the statement with as much drama as I possibly can, trying to sound like I’m on the verge of tears.
“Well, I can’t believe you want to invite a woman who keeps trying to seduce me.”
Oh, that’s good. But I can do him one better.
“For the last fucking time, Quentin, my grandmother is not trying to seduce you!”

Readers should read this book….

If they’re fans of banter, history nerds, and/or like their open door scenes slightly unconventional and semi-public.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m currently revising my fourth book, Wild Goose Chase, which is slated to publish next summer, and brainstorming ideas for book five.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: 1 copy of Finders Keepers by Sarah Adler, U.S. only

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Does your hometown have any local legends?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from Finders Keepers:

The voice of my therapist back in Massachusetts pops into my head, asking: What is the best outcome here? The worst? The most likely? Best would be that I make it inside without anyone (other than Mr. Farina and my mother) noticing me, and also maybe I find a winning lottery ticket on the sidewalk. Worst would be that, while walking from my car, a plane engine falls on my head and the headline reads something like “Woman Donnie Darko’d While Moving Back into Her Childhood Home,” thereby broadcasting my shame to the entire world. And the most likely is that a passerby sees me hauling my be-longings inside, thinks Oh, she must be staying awhile, and then immediately stops caring because, really, why should they?

Time to bite the bullet, I suppose. Or face the plane engine.

I open the door and get out, my body unsteady after spend- ing so many hours in the driver’s seat. A few quick stretches work out the worst of the kinks, but I still feel tight everywhere. I grab my purse, then close the door and head for the trunk and the many bags and boxes I stuffed inside of it before leaving Boston in my rearview mirror early this morning.

That’s when I see movement on the porch of the mirror- image house conjoined with my parents’. There’s a man there, slowly pacing back and forth. I’m not sure how I didn’t notice him before, unless he only just came from inside? He’s fairly tall, pale, with brown side-parted hair and rounded cheeks that prevent his strong jaw and aquiline nose from giving him too severe a look. He appears to be close to my age, somewhere in his early to mid-thirties. Mom mentioned that the Singhs moved out last month, so it’s possible this guy is the new tenant. Or maybe he’s from the property management company that’s been taking care of the house since Mr. Bell left in ’09. Could even be a real estate agent, I guess, if the place is finally going to be put on the market. That would explain why he looks like a Brooks Brothers mannequin come to life in his well-tailored navy suit, white dress shirt, and light blue tie.

Whoever he is, I have even less desire to chat with him than I do Mr. Farina. At least Mr. Farina has already seen me in all sorts of embarrassing states since I was a small child (including my baffling and ill-advised eighth-grade glam rock phase). He probably wouldn’t even register my stained sweatshirt, unwashed hair, and puffy eyes as particularly notable. But this guy pacing the porch of 304 West Dill and I have not established that sort of rapport. The only thing worse than hitting rock bottom would be having to advertise the fact to a handsome, professionally dressed stranger. No thank you!

So I do the only thing I can think to do under the circum- stances: squat down and hide behind my car. With my eyes positioned just above the back seat’s window, I can monitor the situation like a human periscope. The man continues strolling the short span of the porch, talking into his cell phone. After a few seconds, he stops pacing and leans on the railing, focusing more intently on whoever is on the other side of the call. As he listens, he sucks on the corner of his bottom lip in a gesture that imme- diately triggers a memory: my childhood next-door neighbor perched atop that same railing, lip disappearing into his mouth as he practiced peeling an orange in one long, spiraling piece. One of our ridiculous, incessant competitions of who could do it the fastest (me—I won—it was me).

But Quentin Bell moved away a long time ago, and this dap- per stranger bears little resemblance to the petite redheaded boy I once dared to eat an ant.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Two estranged best friends find that their long-abandoned treasure hunt might be the key to a fresh start—for both their futures and their feelings, from USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler.

Last week, Nina Hunnicutt was a professor about to move into a gorgeous new apartment with her long-term boyfriend. Now, she’s single, unemployed, and living with her parents. Even more surprising is the fact that Quentin Bell, her childhood neighbor (and okay, fine, crush), is also back in town—and wants to resume the treasure hunt that ended their friendship almost two decades ago.

Hoping the reward promised to whoever finds the rumored riches left behind by the town’s eccentric turn-of-the-century seltzer magnate will help her get her life back on track, Nina agrees. Granted, last time the search resulted in a broken heart and seventeen years of silence. But Nina’s older and wiser now. Surely things will be different?

Except, Quentin is also older and wiser…not to mention distractingly handsome. As they resume their hunt, Nina and Quentin begin to rediscover all the things they once loved best about each other. But unlike the treasure, the secrets that left them empty-handed the first time refuse to stay buried. If there’s any hope of finding what they’re looking for—and for a future together—Nina and Quentin will have to be brave enough to excavate their past as well.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Sarah Adler writes romantic comedies about lovable weirdos finding their happily ever afters. She lives in Maryland with her husband, daughter, and very mischievous cat. When not working, you can find her attempting to course-correct an ill-advised late afternoon nap with an equally ill-advised late afternoon coffee, as she is incapable of ever learning a lesson.
Website | Facebook | Instagram | GoodReads |