Spotlight & Giveaway: The Trail of Lost Hearts by Tracey Garvis Graves

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Tracey Garvis Graves to HJ!

Hi Tracey and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Trail of Lost Hearts!

Hello! I’m so happy to be here!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

The short answer is that The Trail of Lost Hearts is about a heroine whose world has been turned upside down by events she never saw coming. The longer answer is that it’s about a woman named Wren who discovers exactly what she’s made of and how strong she can be. Wren has flown to the PNW to do some geocaching in an attempt to figure things out and take back control of her life. Bad things happen to good people, but accompanying a heroine as she navigates the best way to overcome life’s setbacks while putting new boundaries firmly in place is where the magic of character growth happens.

The hero, Marshall, is a psychologist. He’s a great guy whose life has also been turned upside down, but he prefers distraction in favor of solutions. He’s a master at helping others, but when it comes to overcoming a horrible setback in his own life, he’s as lost as the clients he helps. Ironically, Marshall isn’t as forthcoming as Wren when it comes to sharing his pain or talking about his feelings despite his profession based on exactly that. With Wren, he’s able to shift out of neutral a bit, but until he’s done processing his grief and learned how to forgive himself, he won’t get much further.

I’ve referred to The Trail of Lost Hearts as a romantic dramedy because both characters are dealing with some heavy personal issues interspersed with the levity they experience together on their journey.
 

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

“Anger is just sadness coming out sideways.”

“The only way out is through.”

“It’s not a romantic comedy,” I say.
Her forehead creases as she ponders this for a second. “You’re right. Romantic dramedy makes much more sense. Your situation is a bit … heavy.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• This book uses geocaching as a backdrop for the story. If you’ve never gone geocaching, I highly recommend it. There’s an app that will show you hidden geocaches in your area so you can go find them. I did some geocaching as part of my research and it’s addicting.
• My social media assistant, Steph, is from Dayton, OH, which is one of the reasons I selected it for Wren’s hometown. And she gave me all the Skyline Chili details! I’ve never had Skyline Chili, but if I’m ever in Ohio, I’ll definitely be having some.
• There’s also an On the Island easter egg in this book. I thought it was super obvious, but readers have said it took them a while to make the connection. Hint: song/artist.

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

After Wren and Marshall team up, they realize that being with the other person feels good from the standpoint of friendship, conversation, and their shared hobby of geocaching. This allows them to open up more to each other about personal issues as the story goes on. They both realize that the universe has dealt them some hard cards but also placed each of them in the other’s path, allowing deeper feelings to blossom and become the foundation of their romantic relationship.

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

Many of the scenes/chapters left me in tears, but to share them would be too spoilery. So I’ll share one of the humorous scenes instead:

We sit at the picnic table and wait for the sun to set. “Skyline wanderer,” Marshall says. “Did you choose that username because it fits with your desire to get away?”
I hesitate. “Yes. That’s why I chose it.”
He gives me a look like he doesn’t believe me. “Is that really why?”
Is he always this observant? Probably. “I do like skylines and it’s true I’m doing some wandering. But that’s not exactly where my username name came from.”
“Where did it come from?” he asks. It’s all very conversational, and I’m guessing he’s simply used to digging deeper.
“So, um, there’s this place back home called Skyline Chili.”
He looks at me and shakes his head, “No.”
I can’t help but smile, and I nod. “Yes.”
“You have time to make something up. Something better. Something really meaningful and impressive.”
“It’s just really good chili. Like, it’s something Ohio is known for.”
“Wow. I’m so sorry,” he says, cracking up which makes me laugh too.
“You can’t pass judgment until you try it,” I say. “I bet you’d love it.”
“Really. Well, maybe the next time I’m in Ohio I can try this awesome chili for myself. If you’re so sure I’d love it, maybe I’m missing out.”

Readers should read this book….

If they gravitate toward contemporary stories that feature characters with a little more life experience and maturity (Wren and Marshall are in their mid-to-late-thirties), plots that aren’t based on multiple tropes, and a hero and heroine who communicate (no miscommunication elements here). Wren and Marshall are smart and likable characters who are easy to cheer on.

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

I’m currently working on a book that is an ensemble women’s fiction story that also has a romantic subplot for two of the characters. It’s a story I’ve wanted to tell since 2018 when I started drafting it. I’ve always had to set it aside in favor of finishing a different manuscript, but I’m really hoping this one makes it to publication.
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: I am giving away a signed finished hardcover of The Trail of Lost Hearts. My giveaway is open to everyone — US, Canada, and International readers are all included.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: Did you wrestle with the decisions Wren had to make throughout the story? How would your choices have differed or been the same?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from The Trail of Lost Hearts:

I sign the logbook and put everything back. I’ll eat the sandwich I picked up on my way to Wild Iris, drink some water, and then head back down.

Two men enter the small clearing. They’re dressed in work boots and jeans. One is wearing an untucked flannel shirt and the other is dressed in a T-shirt. No packs. There’s an uncomfortable silence while they study me. Uncomfortable for me, that is. They don’t seem uncomfortable at all. Unlike before, when I encountered the other hiker, these guys do give me the creeps and their stony glances raise the hair on the back of my neck.

“What are you doing out here?” the one in the T-shirt asks. He’s short and stout with a barrel chest and a beer gut.

“Looking for the cache. Same as you.”

Beer Gut looks at his friend and laughs, but it’s not a friendly sound. “Cash? We don’t know nothin’ about any money.”

The guy in the flannel shirt sends a silent message to Beer Gut with his eyes. They look around at the empty clearing and then they look at me like a couple of opportunists who can’t believe what they’ve stumbled upon. Surely, I’m wrong.

I want to be wrong.
I hope I’m wrong.
They come closer.

“Not money,” I say. “A geocache. Hidden objects you search for with GPS. It’s super fun, and good exercise. Lots of fresh air.” I’m talking way too fast. It’s time to shut up and get out of here
Before I can scramble to my feet, they sit down next to me, one on each side, way too close. Their deliberate proximity sends a message that is hard to ignore: my instincts were spot on. My heart pounds and I want to run, but my legs have turned to jelly and I don’t know what to do. Will the prey be even more exciting if they get to chase and overpower it first? I’m afraid to run and I’m afraid to stay.

Think, Wren.

Very casually, I take out my phone and press the side button along with one of the volume buttons until the Emergency SOS slider appears. But before I can drag it to the right, Beer Gut, the barrel-chested one who scares me the most, yanks the phone from my hand. He looks at the screen and turns to me, something cold and dark in his eyes.

“That’s mine and I want it back,” I say. Beer Gut slides my phone into his pocket, taking what isn’t his and sending the message that he’ll have me too if he feels like it.

I have no choice but to run.

I shoot to my feet, hoping my quivering legs will support me, but as soon as Beer Gut realizes I’m making a break for it, he clamps his hand forcefully around the part of my leg right above my hiking boot. I yelp in pain. “Sit that fine ass back down,” he says.

He’s still squeezing my leg, and I lower myself to the ground in an awkward cross-legged position. Every cell in my body vibrates with fear. I scan the area, my ears pricked like an animal’s, listening, and I can just make out the faint sound of hikers in the distance. I know they’re too far away to hear me, but I try anyway. “Hey,” I shout. “Hey!”

He grabs my face and squeezes, his fingers digging into my jaw. “Shut your mouth.”

Fear roots me to my spot on the ground. My instincts tell me to run anyway, to shake his hand off my ankle and see how far I can make it before I’m tackled and powerless to avoid the arrival of whatever comes after that. I’m in good shape and I’m fast. But am I faster than both of them? I don’t know, and it’s my uncertainty about the outcome that paralyzes me. Cortisol and adrenaline course through my veins and I start shaking.

“This ain’t a great place for a party,” Flannel Shirt says. Then, with a slight tilt of his head, he motions toward the densely forested area on the other side of the clearing. My brain sends an image of one of them with his hand over my mouth leaving the other free to do anything he wants.

What they can do in less than ten minutes will remain with me for a lifetime.

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I say, and they laugh. But I will not go with them, because I listen to too many true crime podcasts, and being moved to another location will not end well for me. I am in for the fight of my life and rage momentarily eclipses my fear. Once they make their move, it’s on. Tears blur my eyes and I steel myself for what’s to come.

The sound of footsteps and the snapping of twigs break the silence. Someone is coming and I exhale as the sheer relief that I am no longer alone washes over me. But my relief is mixed with trepidation. Have Beer Gut and Flannel Shirt called in reinforcements? I blink back the tears, remaining rigid and desperately hopeful until the person comes striding into view…

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

New York Times bestselling author Tracey Garvis Graves takes readers on a life-affirming journey, where two lost souls find the unexpected courage to love again.

Thirty-four-year-old Wren Waters believes that if you pay attention, the universe will send you exactly what you need. But her worldview shatters when the universe delivers two life-altering blows she didn’t see coming, and all she wants to do is put the whole heartbreaking mess behind her. No one is more surprised than Wren when she discovers that geocaching―the outdoor activity of using GPS to look for hidden objects―is the only thing getting her out of bed and out of her head. She decides that a weeklong solo quest geocaching in Oregon is exactly what she needs to take back control of her life.

Enter Marshall Hendricks, a psychologist searching for distraction as he struggles with a life-altering blow of his own. Though Wren initially rebuffs Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk, she’s beyond grateful when he rescues her from a horrifying encounter farther down the trail. In the interest of safety, Marshall suggests partnering up to look for additional caches. Wren’s no longer quite so trusting of the universe―or men in general―but her inner circle might argue that a smart, charismatic psychologist isn’t the worst thing the universe could place in her path.

What begins as a platonic road trip gradually blossoms into something deeper, and the more Wren learns about Marshall, the more she wants to know. Now all she can do is hope that the universe gets it right this time.
Book Links:  Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Tracey Garvis Graves is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and international bestselling author of contemporary fiction. Her debut novel, On the Island, spent 9 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-six languages, and is in development with MGM and Temple Hill Productions for a feature film. She is also the author of Uncharted, Covet, Every Time I Think of You, Cherish, Heart-Shaped Hack, White-Hot Hack, The Girl He Used to Know, Heard It in a Love Song, and The Trail of Lost Hearts. She is hard at work on her next book.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |