Book Tour: Surviving The Rachel - Aven Ellis GUEST POST

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THE BLURB. Life after college graduation is not at all what twenty-one-year-old Bree Logan expected. Unable to find a professional communications job, dumped by the guy who was THE ONE, and stuck with a pricey city apartment she can’t afford, Bree ends up moving back home with her parents in the suburbs and working as a cocktail waitress at a posh Chicago hotel.

In a desperate attempt to get a fresh start, Bree goes to a hip salon and requests that the first available stylist chop off her long dark hair. Alarmed when the stylist suggests “The Rachel,” after the famous haircut from the show Friends, Bree is hesitant, but decides to go for it when she is assured it will be a “fresh, modern adaptation” of the infamous 90’s cut. Unfortunately for Bree, it turns out to be exactly the same cut, but with horrific heavy bangs added to it. Hideous doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Bree is convinced nothing will ever go right when she meets neighbor Jack Chelten, a twenty-five-year-old German translator. Not that Bree is looking to date anyone, but there’s something quirky and intriguing about his freckle-splashed face and blue eyes. And suddenly Bree finds herself seeking out different opportunities and challenges . . . as well as the boy next door.

In her new adult life, Bree learns that sometimes you have to go through crises to get to where you need to be. And if you can survive The Rachel, you can survive anything, right?

 

Read more about Aven's other books here

GUEST POST by Aven Ellis

Writing with Scent

I love nothing more than bringing the scent of a story alive for a reader. I want you to see my characters and their setting, but I also want you to be present in their moment in a sensory way, too. So how do I make that come alive in my writing?

By using scented candles as part of my writing process.

In my latest release, Surviving the Rachel, there are three major seasons captured in the book: late summer, autumn, and winter.

Some very important scenes in Jack and Bree’s relationship take place in her family’s garden. Since it’s late summer, I imagined herbal scents filling the air, like rosemary. So when writing the beginning of the book, I chose an herbal candle. The one I had (Tuscan Herbs) is gone, but I think this one would be perfect: Orla Kiely Bluebell & Rosemary. Floral and herbal, the scent of summer in the night.

The next part of the book is set in autumn. And Jack and Bree have several chapters that feature autumn in the Midwest. This season is filled with crisp air, colorful leaves, and in Jack and Bree’s case, a trip to an apple orchard. So for this section of the book, I used Leaves by White Barn (Bath & Body Works.) Same candle that Wendy at Book Scents chose as her “Read With Scent” selection for this book, LOL!  Leaves is the essence of this season, with a crisp apple scent.  Perfect when writing all these gorgeous outdoor scenes!

Finally, the last part of the book and the HEA ending take place in winter. Another Bath & Body Works candle was chosen for this one:  Winter. Embracing like fresh snow and with the scent of pine, I could mentally feel the chill and snowflakes falling as it burned on my desk.

So yes, candles help me create the scenes you read about in Surviving the Rachel. And if you have read Surviving the Rachel, what candles would you add to help take you to the places in the book?

Thank you so much, Aven, for stopping by today and congratulations again on this fabulous book! [To read my review, click here] One of my favourite candles is the apple-cinnamon one. That, for me, is the ultimate "Christmas smell".