Tracey Garvis Graves's gift is her song...plus a book giveaway

Today we are thrilled to have Tracey Garvis Graves back at CLC. Her latest novel, Heard It in a Love Song, publishes next week. Melissa read it earlier this year and loved it. She's been eager to feature it for quite some time now. Check out her review. Tracey is here to talk more about the book and share some other interesting facts. Thanks to St. Martin's, we have FIVE copies for some lucky readers!

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 nine weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, has been translated into thirty-five 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, and Heard It in a Love Song. She is hard at work on her next book. (Bio courtesy of Tracey's website.)

Visit Tracey online:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:

Love doesn’t always wait until you’re ready.

Layla Hilding is thirty-five and recently divorced. Struggling to break free from the past—her glory days as the lead singer in a band and a ten-year marriage to a man who never put her first—Layla’s newly found independence feels a lot like loneliness.

Then there's Josh, the single dad whose daughter attends the elementary school where Layla teaches music. Recently separated, he's still processing the end of his twenty-year marriage to his high school sweetheart. He chats with Layla every morning at school and finds himself thinking about her more and more.

Equally cautious and confused about dating in a world that favors apps over meeting organically, Layla and Josh decide to be friends with the potential for something more. Sounds sensible and way too simple—but when two people are on the rebound, is it heartbreak or happiness that’s a love song away? (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"I cannot get enough of Tracey Garvis Graves. She just keeps getting better and better." 

―Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six

"Tracey Garvis Graves's Heard It in a Love Song is filled with so much warmth and so much hope, reading it feels like listening to your favorite song while curled up with someone you love. I'll be thinking about these characters and their passion for life for a long time to come." 

―Jill Santopolo, New York Times bestselling author of Everything After

"Two broken hearts take a chance on love. Tracey Garvis Graves' Heard It In A Love Song captures Josh and Layla in the throes of letting in and letting go. Graves, with her knack for creating characters with heart and hope, tackles life's most vulnerable moments leaving the reader feeling all the feels." 

―Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author

How is Layla similar to or different from you?

Layla and I are similar in that we both need creative outlets to feel fulfilled. We're different because for her it's music; for me it's writing. 

What is something you learned from writing your previous novels that you applied to Heard it in a Love Song?

In general, I've learned to let the premise tell me what storytelling choices to make. Sometimes a novel is better served by a first person point-of-view, and sometimes third person is better. In the case of Heard It in a Love Song, I knew third would be better because that's how I heard the characters' voices in my head (via a narrator). I also try to figure out how much emphasis I should put on the characters' pasts. Both The Girl He Used to Know and Heard It in a Love Song rely on the characters' backstories to give the reader a deeper understanding about their motivations and what they're ultimately working toward in the present storyline. 

If Heard It was made into a movie, what are some songs that would be on the soundtrack?

Here's the playlist for the book! https://tinyurl.com/hearditplaylist

Which TV series are you currently binge watching?

I just started Ted Lasso. Loving it so far!

What is something you learned about yourself during the pandemic?

As an introvert who has worked from home for the last ten years, things didn't change that much for me on a daily basis. It did make me realize how much I cherish my family and friends, and the importance of checking in by phone to make sure everyone is doing okay, especially those who were alone and isolated. The pandemic made me want to stay in closer contact with everyone. 

With Thanksgiving around the corner, what are you most thankful for this year?

I am so thankful that I haven't lost any family members to Covid. I'm thankful that my parents and children are healthy. I'm thankful that I'm still writing books and that my readers are eager to read them. 

Thanks to Tracey for chatting with us and to St. Martin's Press for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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Giveaway ends November 7th at midnight EST.

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