Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: The Shoe Diaries by Darby Baham @darbybaham @GoddessFish

 

The Shoe Diaries

by Darby Baham

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

BLURB:

It’s never too late to put your best foot forward

From the outside, Reagan “Rae” Doucet has it all: a coveted career in Washington, DC, a tight circle of friends and a shoe closet to die for. When one of her crew falls ill, however, Rae is done playing it safe. The talented but unfulfilled writer makes a “risk list” to revamp her life. But forgiving her ex, Jake Saunders, might be one risk too many…

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

The Friendship Chronicles/Book 1: The Shoe Diaries

"Reminiscent of Sex and the City and the Shopaholic series in the best possible way. Her stories are a lot of fun and yet she still tugs at your heartstrings."--Gail Chasan, Special Edition Editor

NOTE: Here is the link to subscribe to receive books specifically from Harlequin Special Edition

Darby's book will be included in the January edition.

The Shoe Diaries Sales Purchase Links:

B&N ~ BAM ~ Harlequin ~ IndieBound – Google Books ~ Target

Excerpt:

Friendship

Bright and early on a Saturday morning, I found myself in a swanky gym locker room, less than a fifteen-minute walk from my apartment. Robin, Jenn and I had spent the past week sitting beside Christine’s bed more than anywhere else, but in desperate need of a distraction, I’d agreed to join Rebecca at a morning spin class at our local gym. And while I’d jumped at the chance to do something, anything really, other than think about Christine’s drip-drop slow recovery, it dawned on me not too soon after I met up with her that there was one small problem with me agreeing to the class: I hated spin.

Like, literally hated everything about it. It wasn’t that I didn’t think it could help; I knew a lot of people who swore by its health benefits, and certainly knew I’d be guaranteed to have an hour off from worrying. But over the years, spinning had become almost cult like with its many variations, such as Soul Cycle, Trap Cycle and how could I forget the one that claimed it felt more like working out in a nightclub? Beyond even that, the thing I disliked most about spin was the way my butt felt during the class. Everyone always said that eventually your butt gets used to the feeling of the bike, but when I’d tried it before…nah.

Regardless, there I was, putting on my spin sneakers on the wood-grain floors, marveling at the rotation of women coming in and out of the doors, looking like the exact models you might expect to see in spin class ads: blond hair tied in either a loose high ponytail or twirled in an up-do that took thirty minutes to do, but seemed effortless; Lululemon workout gear, S’well water bottles and enough sweat that they glistened, but not so much where they were actually drenched. I glanced up to see if Rebecca looked as nervous as I felt.

“Are you sure we’re ready for this?” I asked, trying to give us one last shot at running away.

“Ha, yes, I’m sure.” She paused. “I mean, kind of sure.”

I could sense her hesitation. Maybe she, too, was worried that we weren’t really the duo that fit in with the rest of the spin-bots before us? Even if we did have some things in common with them.

“You know our butts are going to be on fire afterward, right?” I asked, anxiously making sure the pink Velcro on my turquoise-and-white sneakers was fully snapped closed so that the shoes didn’t become a death trap for me on the bike pedals.

“Yeah, I know.” Rebecca’s once assured voice had been replaced with a nervous chuckle, and I remembered exactly why we were friends. Neither of us felt entirely comfortable where we were, but we were going to try it together. “But we’ve tried other things before, and it worked out. I’m sure this will be fine. Remember when we did Zumba this summer for a couple months? That was fun!”

“Zumba was fun—wait, why did we stop going there again?”

“Umm, great question,” she said, walking over to the water fountain to fill her own S’well water bottle. “Honestly, I think it’s because we just didn’t make the time for it. Who wants to go to Zumba when there’s happy hours, right?” 

Interview with Darby Baham

What would we find under your bed?

Don’t judge. My Christmas tree is under there for most of the year and a trunk of sentimental clothes that I have seemingly (unconsciously) vowed to never get rid of lol

What was the scariest moment of your life?
When I almost died in Summer 2015. I was in my apt and had not been feeling well all day, so I finally decided to get up and make myself some soup, and got very faint and almost went unconscious. I called my middle sister, who lived in the same building as me at the time, and she had thankfully just arrived home from work. She rushed me to the emergency room, and they took me back in less than 5 min (despite the ER being full). That was the first sign something was really wrong and scary. We would find out that night that I had a pulmonary embolism, with several large blood clots in my lungs that had traveled from a DVT that developed from an injury in my leg. The doctors were very clear that they had never seen anyone with the size and amount of blood clots I had still alive and talking to them. I spent that night and the next 2 weeks in the hospital scared for my life and then the next several months at home scared because I was no longer in the hospital constantly being monitored. Thankfully, I can say that I’m now off blood thinners and have largely overcome most of my complications from it. I still have some issues, like scarring in my lungs for example, but I’m alive and can talk and walk and so many people who have similar experiences as mine cannot say the same. It’s a very big reason why I thank God every day for waking me up and allowing me to see another day.




Do you listen to music while writing? If so what?

No, I prefer quiet while I write. I will sometimes listen to music ahead of time that puts me in whatever mood I’m supposed to be writing about that day.

What is something you’d like to accomplish in your writing career next year?

This is a bold statement, but ideal world? I’d love to be a bestselling author next year with 3 Harlequin series books published and a single title trade deal in place. I’d love to have a career that blends both ultimately.

How long did it take you to write this book?

More than a decade! In 2008, I began featuring short, personal shoe stories on my blog that were a hit with my small but dedicated audience, and started trying to figure out how I wanted to turn that into some kind of book. It’s been through many, many iterations since, but I started working on the closest version to what it is now in 2018. That’s the book that piqued the interest of my agent, and of course, it has been edited and made all the better since then -- first with my agent and then with Harlequin. 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Darby Baham (she/her) is a debut author with Harlequin Special Edition and a New Yorker of five years who sometimes desperately misses the sprawling shoe closet she had while living in Maryland. She’s had personal blog posts appear in The Washington Post’s relationship vertical and has worked in the communications industry for more than two decades. The New Orleans, LA native is also a lover of big laughs and books that swallow you into their world. Her first book, The Shoe Diaries, debuts in 2022.

Website ~ Linktree ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Instagram

Darby Baham’s Washington Post bylines

I had the perfect date dress. Why did it hang in my closet unworn for more than a year? -- March 2016

When it comes to relationship advice, sometimes it’s best to ignore your friends -- February 2016

I’m the oldest sister in my family and I’m single. And that’s okay. -- March 2016

I was afraid to say ‘I love you.’ Here’s how I found the courage. -

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon/BN GC

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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