Dearest Reader & Rebel Heart,
There are exactly three sex scenes in this book.
THREE out of more than FIFTY.
I say this because many of you, my gorgeous book babes, are used to reading Adriane Leigh (and Aria Cole) books that are brimming with glorious and gratuitous sexytimes.
I love those books.
They’re as much a part of me as this one.
But this one isn’t those.
My hope is you’ll spend the next 300 pages so consumed by the raw, complicated, messy beauty that is Fallon and Augusta’s love that you won’t even notice the difference.
Or maybe you will.
This book isn’t different for me because there’s less sexy, (although I would totally argue that this slow-burn thing they have going is even MORE SEXY!) it’s different in ALL the ways for me.
Because you, book babes, are my tribe, I feel compelled to tell you that it’s been a wild, life-changing journey in the nearly six years I’ve been publishing, but it’s been a whirlwind in just the last six months.
Truly.
Firstly…
White Heat.
It’s been written for two years. I have only to finish the edits, completely rewrite the ending because, guys, I’m a totally different writer now than I was two years ago (shocker, right?) and hopefully get it released by the end of 2018.
White Heat was the book I sat down to edit in April.
Instead, Whiskey Girl happened.
Rewind to all the years of unhealthy habits leaving me worn-out and feeling more under pressure than ever. I had to trim my life to the bare bones and introduce some better habits, or I would continue to live in the negative headspace and spiral of anxiety and guilt. Wife. Mother. Daughter. Friend. Reader. Woman. Traveler. Writer. Where was I in all of this?
I had to give myself a minute.
Like a time-out. With wine.
The one thing I knew for sure was that I needed to write more stories that fed my soul. Writing has been my passion for as long as I’ve been reading, I knew that, whatever else I did, I’d need to write more. A lot more. Books that challenged me in new ways, stories that spoke to me on levels I didn’t even understand.
I’d already started the habit of daily yoga and meditation, and one lesson out of so many that it’s taught me is the practice of giving myself grace.
No more striving to be the best. I’m only striving to be the best me.
So come April, I was primed and ready.
I wrote the majority of Whiskey Girl in three weeks around my 35th birthday. First at 2,500 word-a-day sprints, and then 4,000 words a day when the story really got cookin’! I couldn’t stop!
So why do I tell you this?
Because I think of you each like my girlfriends, and I felt like I had some ’splainin’ to do! It’s taken me a longgg damn time to find out who I am. Down on the way deep inside, not my mother’s voice criticizing every detail, my own self-fulfilling prophecies looking to confirm the sense of unworthiness and failure. It took me a minute to learn that voice is bullshit. A stone-cold LIAR!
What matters is doing the work in front of me, connecting to the passion and serious creative flow of the universe as I do it. Those two things come together, and magic happens.
It took me more than TWO YEARS to release a book! Thank you for hanging in there, I couldn’t even attempt to write a sentence without your love, support, cheerleading, smiles, funny gifs, and inspiring photography (wink).
I love you each, more than I thought my heart could hold.
And finally, I don’t know about anyone else, but the Royal Wedding is still giving me life. SO MUCH INSPIRATION!
If you like overly styled amateur photos, I’d love to connect with more of you on the ’Gram! When I’m not writing or reading books, I’m taking pictures of them like an epic nerd and living the good life on Instagram under adriane.leigh.writer!
And if you’re really feeling the love and want to get alllll the book news before anyone else, search “Adriane’s Rebel Hearts” on Facebook to join my reader group. Drop in, grab a book, share a story, we’d love to have you!
Before my rambling gets away from me (that’s what Instagram is for, y’all), thank you for being a part of my #goodvibetribe.
You’re the best.
The cream of the crop.
Top-shelf, all the way.
This book is for you.
I hope you love it as much as Fallon loves his whiskey girl.
xo Adriane