Is it summer in your part of the world, or winter? It's winter here in Australia and I'm rugged up during the day and sitting in front of the fire at night. I love winter - love being able to snuggle under the covers at night, love the smell of the fireplace through the house, love eating warm pudding. But towards the end of winter, I start dreaming about summer...
Warm days at the beach, lighter clothes, ice cream (though, honestly, I eat ice cream in winter if I feel like it).
My rom-com, The Summer of Jake is out in a few days - timed for the northern hemisphere's summer. It's set at in and around Bondi Beach in Sydney, and Jake and Annalise spend some of the time in the water and doing summery things.
And seeing the cover and title around, makes me think of summer and all the things I'll be doing when it arrives DownUnder.
What about you? Are you looking forward to summer? What's one thing you'll do when it hits? Or is it summer in your part of the world already? If so, what are you most enjoying about it?
The Summer of Jake is available for pre-order now from all your favourite retailers.
Life is just dandy for aspiring fashion designer Annalise Farley. She has a great job (or she will once her designs are discovered), parents who only slightly disapprove, a cat that thinks she’s a dog, and a best friend…even if she hasn’t seen her in a while. But then Jake Maxwell saunters back into her life. Jake, the love god. Jake, her best friend’s older brother. Jake, who broke her heart at sixteen without realizing it, then left to become a pro surfer. Now he’s back, having taken the surfing and business worlds by storm, and he’s ready for a new challenge—catching the eye of another girl. And he wants Annalise’s help. Helping Jake land his next girlfriend is too fraught with emotional danger for her liking, but then Jake offers to put her designs in his shops. Is that the sound of her life cracking at the seams? It’s hard to tell with Jake smiling at her like she’s the only thing that makes him happy…
The Summer of Jake sounds fab, Rach! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhile I too enjoy these crisp, brisk days of winter, I have to say I'm looking forward to the warmer weather as well. I do walk by the beach at this time of year, but on the boardwalk rather than the sand. I'm looking forward to when it's warm enough to take my shoes off and to dig my toes in the sand. :-) That's when it'll really feel like summer.
Michelle, it's amazing how cold the sand is on bare toes in the winter, isn't it? The boardwalk (with shoes) is a great way to keep the toes warm but still get your beach fix!
DeleteI've had a sneak few weeks of summer already when we went overseas this month so I'm feeling very lucky And man was it hot in Paris!!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove the name of your new book Rach - there's a real nostalgia to it? It's pre-ordered now I have to wait impatiently for release day to download onto my iPad. Not long now!!!
Amy, I'm so jealous of your trip to Europe, and I'm hoping you're going to share some photos on the blog with us!
DeleteInteresting you mention nostalgia in the title - Annalise does have quite a big of nostalgia looking back at the years she had a crush on Jake when she was a teenager, but I hadn't thought that was inferred in the title at all. Maybe I was too close to see it!
We were at the coast a couple of weeks ago and walked on the sand but only my husband braved the water for a quick dip. Best thing about summer for me? Holidays and Xmas with my husband and children. Now they don't live at home, it's wonderful to have a few days all together with them.
ReplyDeleteSusanne, your husband is brave! I haven't had a dip in the ocean during winter for years.
DeleteOh, yes - summer means Christmas holidays, and all the family together. I love that part too!
It's summer here in North Carolina. Hot and humid. School starts again next month. Summer is passing by very quickly this year.
ReplyDeleteTammy, hot and humid in North Carolina sounds so enticing when my fingers are cold! Also, I imagine your scenery and it looks like one of those movies filmed there with the huge sweeping trees and the women in summer dresses eating ice cream. :)
DeleteI'll be very happy to read The Summer of Jake because I don't remember a winter as cold as this one in Adelaide and I need to be swept away to a warm place, just for a little while.
ReplyDeleteWhen the real summer arrives I'll be able to use the pool again. I miss it in winter.
Oh, yes, Claire - the pool! Seems cruel that we have to keep cleaning it all winter even though we can't use it. (Total first world problems issue, I realise!)
DeleteRachel, this sounds like just the story to curl up with on a cool wintry night like tonight. I love dreaming about summer in the middle of winter and vice versa! Always so nice imagining an alternative reality (with better weather!).
ReplyDeleteAnnie, it's so true! As soon as summer hits, I'll be dreaming of snuggling under a blankie in front of the fire. Hope you stay warm tonight!
DeleteLooking forward to summer for sure. I dislike winter at the best of times, but hate it even more when it's cold and rainy because it makes the chronic pain I suffer even worse. I want your fire right now. I'm settled in front of the TV with the heater on and my legs under the blankets.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the new book. I swear that this is why I like reading most books in the northern hemisphere seasons, as it makes me think of warm places in winter, and cool climates when it's getting too hot in summer.
Oh, Lyn - there's not much worse than chronic pain. I wish you had my fire, too! Totally understand you wanting to read books set in the opposite season - I'm starting to wonder if I should always read this way. :)
DeleteHi Rachel
ReplyDeleteI am reading this book now and loving it Jake is so good :) and it brings back lots of memories for me I spent a lot of time as a teenager on Bondi beach with my girlfriends watching the surfers :)
I love winter snuggling with the heater on and a good book when I was younger I loved summer as well but these days in summer I pretty much stay indoors with the Air Con on unless I get to go on holidays to the beach and I love walking long them
Congrats on the release in a few days don't miss this one everybody
Have Fun
Helen
Helen, I'm *so* glad you're enjoying Jake - he was fun to write. And extra fabulous that you spent time on Bondi watching the surfers. Maybe you were on a towel near Annalise and Kelly. :)
DeleteWoohoo on Jake and Annelise's story being released in a couple of days, Rachel! They're such a gorgeous couple!
ReplyDeleteSummer was always the best season when I was a kid because that's when the long school holidays were! But I confess I'm not such a summer-phile now more of a spring and autumn lover! Though winter's pretty darned good too - soups and casseroles with hot crusty bread in front of a warm log fire. Perfect!
Sharon, thanks for being excited with me. :)
DeleteYou know, I think you have a point - autumn and spring have a lot going for them!
The Summer of Jake sounds wonderful, Rachel.
ReplyDeleteGive me winter any day of week, then I can wear jeans and boots all day, every day.
Jen, that's a really good point! I like my winter clothes better than my summer ones, too!
DeleteHi Rachel - The Summer Of Jake sounds fabulous and is now sitting on my TBR pile. And I love winter! Maybe I'm spoiled because I live in a little seaside town at the southern most point of the Great Barrier Reef and it's pretty temperate for most of the year. But I actually love the beach in winter....grey clouds, wind whipping past, the sea churning....sigh....a perfect time for a beach walk I think. :)
ReplyDeleteHelen, your little part of the world is gorgeous, and I can totally see that the beach would be glorious in winter there. Of course, it's pretty nice here too - the beach is always a good idea!
DeleteRachel, I'm SO looking forward to summer. I'm completely over having to defrost the car before I get into it every morning. But I'll tell you something I'm looking forward to even more - seeing The Summer of Jake in everyone's hands on the beach! I absolutely loved this book and know everyone else will too.
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