Book
Description
Sahara Lee has spent the last ten years living
with the guilt of a tragic accident and its aftermath. That night irrevocably
changed the outgoing, fun-loving college freshman into an introverted,
workaholic with no social life. Sahara isolates herself from everyone and
everything that reminds her of home in an effort to forget what happened. Using
art as a substitute for love, Sahara throws herself into music and art as a way
to feel something other than the guilt that haunts her. She accepts her lonely
existence as penance for the role she played in the accident. That is, until
she meets Tyree Barker, the good looking entrepreneur with baggage of his own. Blindsided by a legal loophole, Sahara is suddenly forced to confront the past she’s been running from. Juggling the guilty feelings of her past and the unexpected feelings of her present, Sahara’s future becomes complicated as she heads down a path of forgiveness, love, and heartbreak…and not in that particular order.
Back to Life reminds you that living and existing are two completely different ways to go through life. Grief will break you but guilt, guilt will destroy you. And once that happens, what can bring you back to life?
Dream Cast
Ty
Emanuel
Sahara
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Playlist
Author Interview
When did you first
realize you wanted to be a writer?
I’ve
always been a storyteller but in a moment of reflection a few years ago,
writing a book kept coming to the forefront of my mind. I didn’t really
take the idea seriously because I was focused on another business venture. But
the idea wouldn’t go away.
What inspired you to
write Back to Life?
Last year, when I was
constructing my 30 by 30 bucket list, I added writing a novel. Once
it was on my 30 by 30 list, I stopped dismissing the idea and I was motivated
enough to actually take the time to write it. So I sat down one Saturday and
said “let’s do this!”
How much of the book is
based on your own personal experience? Are experiences based on someone you
know, or events in your own life?
Back to
Life is 100% fiction. The story just popped into my head and evolved from
there. I wrote the prologue and from there the story just developed on its
own. Some of my closest friends mistakenly think they are Sahara or Emily
(and they are not!). The only thing that is really based on my life is Sahara’s
love of art and music. That is all me.
When you are not
writing, whose books do you like to read? Any fave authors or books that come
to mind?
I have so
many authors that I love, but if I were to choose just one, my favorite would
be Jodi Picoult. She can really take a difficult situation and make you think
about it in a whole new way. My all time favorite books include Keeping Faith
(Jodi Picoult), Sula (Toni Morrison), and Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn). Off
of the top of my head, the books that I absolutely, positively loved: Tarryn
Fisher’s Love Me With Lies series, John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Rebecca
Donovan’s Reason to Breath & Barely Breathing, and Colleen Hoover’s
Slammed.
What is your work
schedule like when you're writing?
For Back
to Life, I would get off at 5pm from my day job and then from the time I walked
into the house until the wee hours of the morning, I would write.
Understandably, my husband was not feeling that schedule! So now for Back to
Reality (Back to Life #2), I write for a few hours when I get off of work
and then I spend the rest of the night curled up in bed talking to my husband
about what I just wrote. Haha!
What would you say is
your interesting writing quirk?
I have a
soundtrack that plays in my head…and then I play the songs on repeat. I play
the songs to the point that when I hear them, I think of moments in the book.
For instance, when I was watching Monday Night Football (Go Eagles!), a beer
commercial used the song that plays at the beginning of Back to Reality and I
couldn’t think of anything else but that scene! J
About the Author
I
am a married event planner and life coach. My awesome friends and family and my
amazing husband make my life sweet. I love to have fun and enjoy the life I’ve
been blessed with. I love shopping and football with equal fervor. I’m an
amateur movie critic (i.e. my husband and I watch and critique a lot of movies
for fun).
I love to read and I enjoy sharing my love of books with anyone who
will listen. I love music. A good lyric with a good melody can paint a vivid
picture and invoke such a range of emotions. I have a soft spot for most
mediums of creative, artistic expression.
With degrees in
psychology, human services, and marriage and family counseling, I have a unique
perspective on life, love and the pursuit of happiness. As an author, I combine
an active imagination and life experiences to create stories that are easily
relatable and intentionally intriguing. I want to offer you a peek into someone
else’s life and for you to get lost in their story, their trials, their
triumphs. My ultimate goal is to create a character or a story that stays with
you long after you’ve put the book down.
So in a nutshell: I
plan. I teach. I read. I write. I watch. I critique. I shop. I play. I love.
To know me is to
love me.
XOXO
Danielle
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