Spotlight & Giveaway: Tumble by Adriana Locke

Posted February 25th, 2019 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Spotlight / 27 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Adriana Locke to HJ!

Hi Adriana and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, Tumble!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

A witty romance about first love and second chances.

Please share the opening lines of this book:

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

I hit the brake. The little rental car, not much bigger than a cracker box, rolls to a complete stop. The hound dog lying in the middle of the road, right where the yellow stripes would be if this were a town with more than a thousand people, lifts his head. I tap the horn. He lays his head back down and yawns.

“Hang on, Grace,” I sigh, pulling the phone away from my ear. Wincing as the window slides down and the morning sun washes across my face, I wonder vaguely when I last saw a morning this bright. The sun doesn’t do this in New York City.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Dogwood Lane is based loosely on the town I grew up in.
Muckers was inspired by a little pub in a town I used to live in.
I wrote one-hundred percent of this book indoors, which is unusual for me.
Penn took on a life of his own as I wrote this book. Matt was supposed to be the more interesting side character, but Penn wasn’t having it.
Koi fish really do eat cereal. Isn’t that weird?

Please tell us a little about the characters in your book. As you wrote your protagonist was there anything about them that surprised you?

Let me start by saying how much I love this cast of characters. They’re fun and banter-y and always make me smile. Yet, on the flip side, they aren’t perfect people. That is what I love about them. They really could be our neighbors or friends or the people we grew up with. It’s the flaws and mistakes that make them relatable and I love how they work through their issues and really lean on each other to figure things out.

My characters always surprise me! I think I know them … and then I look up at twenty-five percent completion and realize I knew nothing. Ha!

Set the scene for your characters’ first kiss.

It’s a warm Sunday afternoon. Rays of sunlight sparkle off the stream trickling lazily a few feet away. Birds chirp in the trees high above as Dane and Neely sit on the ground and he fumbles with the top button on his shirt. She reaches out to help.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would you use for the audition of the main characters and why?

There’s a scene at Muckers, a little pub with pizza, early in the book. It’s the place Neely sees all of her old friends for the first time. This is the scene I’d use for movie auditions because it captures the feel of the book. It’s fun and cozy but you can feel the history—both good and bad—between them.

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I hope readers finish the book and realize that they are in control of their lives. We all make mistakes. We all have people come and go in our lives that don’t always leave the best footprint behind. All we can control is how we internalize those things—what we learn from them, how we grow from each experience we have. Life can be a mess sometimes but finding a message in all that clutter can really clean-up our hearts and minds. And, who knows? It might open doors too.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m working on Crazy. It’s an interconnected standalone in my Gibson Boys Series. It has a fun, lively bunch of characters that brings me so much joy to write. Peck is a hero that’s happy-go-lucky … at least on the surface. Peeling back his layers has been a wonderful experience and I can’t wait to deliver this book to readers this spring! In July, readers will get Tangle, another book in the Dogwood Lane Series. Can I tell you how much I love Trevor Kelly? Gah! Following Tangle, I have a standalone planned, as well as a new series I’m stoked to write. So much happening!

Thank you for having me, Harlequin Junkie!

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: eBook: Tumble (Dogwood Lane Book 1)by Adriana Locke

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Book Info:

After being burned by her dream job in New York City, sports journalist Neely Kimber suddenly finds herself jobless and paying a long-overdue visit to her hometown in Tennessee. Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.

Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.

What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?

Meet the Author:

USA Today bestselling author Adriana Locke lives and breathes books. After years of slightly obsessive relationships with the flawed bad boys dreamed up by other authors, she decided to create her own. She is the author of Tumble, the first novel in her Dogwood Lane series; the Exception series; the Gibson Brothers series; and the Landry Family series.
She resides in the Midwest with her husband, her sons, two dogs, two cats, and a bird. She spends a large amount of time playing with her kids, drinking coffee, and cooking. You can find her outside if the weather’s nice, and there’s always a piece of candy in her pocket. Besides cinnamon gummy bears, boxing, and random quotes, her next favorite thing is chatting with readers. She’d love to hear from you! Look for her at
Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodReads |

Sonia

25th Feb, 2019, 1:31am

I want to read it:)

Debra Guyette

25th Feb, 2019, 3:40am

Fantastic! A new series

Pamela Conway

25th Feb, 2019, 4:24am

It sounds like a really good book & I’d love the chance to read one of your books.

jaimerlong

25th Feb, 2019, 6:20am

I’m super excited about Tumble! I’m from a small town, so I feel like I’m going to relate to these characters.

nancy j burgess

25th Feb, 2019, 6:28am

Ssounds good can’t wait to read this book.

laurieg72

25th Feb, 2019, 6:35am

I grew up in a small town with numerous local pubs, close friends and lots of gossip. Hopefully we all learn and grow from our life experiences good and bad. Life isn’t fair so be adaptable and accept it and try to find happiness.