Author Guest Post: Small Town Hearts

I am so excited that Small Town Hearts is out in the world today and even more excited to be celebrating its release with a guest post by debut author Lillie Vale!

Small Town Hearts Character Coffee Orders

Hi! I’m Lillie Vale, the author of upper YA contemporary Small Town Hearts. It’s a messy BFF breakup + found family novel taking place in the summer after high school, the last summer 19yo bi baking barista Babe thinks she’ll have before her friends Penny and Chad start college in the fall. She has a somewhat co-dependent relationship with the people she loves, and change has never been a good thing, in her experience, so she’s trying to hold on tight during a time when she has to learn how to let go. Matters are further complicated when her ex-girlfriend Elodie returns to their sleepy Maine village of Oar’s Rest at the same time as a mysterious summer boy shows up to rent Babe’s mom’s cottage on the beach.

Jordan asked me what the coffee orders of the characters in Small Town Hearts would be, something I found utterly fascinating to analyze a little deeper. I definitely think your coffee order reveals a lot about you, and why shouldn’t it? Coffee has a lot of personality, after all, whether it’s dark or medium roast, milky/creamy or black, low-key or full-bodied, chocolatey or nutty, and so many more! And Oar’s Rest favorite coffee shop, the Busy Bean, can definitely oblige both the simplest and the most complicated of orders!

Babe Vogel, barista at the Busy Bean, has sampled everything on the menu, but usually goes for an americano or plain ol’ sugar & cream in her coffee.
Personality: logical dream-chaser, playful yet responsible and dedicated, a very good (loyal!) friend, “go! go! go!” lifestyle, sometimes feels like a Sim with a low-energy bar

Levi Keller, our summer boy, is all about black coffee.
Personality: minimalist, moody, straightforward, patient, easily overwhelmed

Elodie Hawkins, Babe’s ex-gf, loves a sweeter cup of joe. Right now she’s trying to cut back on sugar, but she’s all about that caramel frappuccino life.
Personality: impulsive, extroverted, creative, poised, stressed, sometimes asks herself wwSvdWD (what would Serena van der Woodsen do)?

Penny Wang, Babe’s best friend(?) can never get enough iced coffee.
Personality: assertive af, extroverted, quick to respond, likes to cut loose, hot tempered

What’s your coffee order? Are you a total Babe? 😉

---

About Small Town Hearts

Release Date: March 19, 2019
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble

Rule #1 – Never fall for a summer boy. 

Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad.

And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had—to never fall for a summer boy?

About Lillie Vale

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | GOODREADS

Lillie Vale, upon discovering she could not be one of Santa’s elves or attend Hogwarts, decided to become a writer to create a little magic of her own. Enjoying the romantic and eerie in equal measure, she’s probably always writing a book where the main characters kiss or kill. Born in Mumbai, she has lived in many U.S. states, and now resides in an Indiana college town where the corn whispers and no one has a clue that she is actually the long-lost caps lock queen. Small Town Hearts is her debut novel.