Ashley Jordan in conversation with Jasmine Guillory

Ashley Jordan in conversation with Jasmine Guillory

Ashley Jordan discusses her debut novel, "Once Upon a Time on Dollywood."

By Orinda Books

Date and time

Location

Orinda Books

276 Village Square Orinda, CA 94563

Refund Policy

Refunds up to 7 days before event.

About this event

  • Event lasts 1 hour 30 minutes

A playwright must grapple with her difficult year and writer's block while falling for the single dad living next door in this emotional debut novel from Ashley Jordan.

Eve Ambroise may be a rising star playwright, but her personal life is falling part. Desperate for a fresh start, she breaks up with her fiancé, cuts off her parents, and heads to the Tennessee mountains. But keeping up the lie that she’s just on a writing retreat becomes near impossible when faced with the well-meaning townspeople and a neighbor who has just as much baggage as she has.Coming off a contentious custody battle, Jamie Gallagher is restructuring what his life looks like as a single dad, and spending more days at his cabin makes his new “free time” a little less empty. Especially when he meets the beautiful—and prickly—woman next door. The last thing he needs is a new romance to shake up his family dynamics even more, but there’s something about Eve.

What starts out as a fling quickly becomes more serious, and it’s not long before Eve is running scared once again. She’s loved and lost in every possible way, and risking it one more time could finally break her. But like the fireflies that fill the mountains around them, Jamie's and Eve’s lives keep falling into sync. A fairy-tale ending could be in the cards, but only if the new couple can get out of their heads and put their hearts first.

Ashley Jordan is a millennial from Atlanta by way of Brooklyn. She attended Spelman College, obtaining a degree in Psychology and a lifelong love and appreciation for women’s stories. While she currently works in public health, she has embraced writing as a hobby since penning her first short story in second grade. When Ashley isn't at the day job or writing, she is either at a Beyoncé concert, rewatching Mad Men, or arguing about basketball with anyone who will listen. In 2023, she became a Reese's Book Club LitUp Fellow.

Jasmine Guillory is a New York Times bestselling author. Her novels include Drunk on Love, The Wedding Date, the Reese's Book Club selection The Proposal. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, and Time. Jasmine is a frequent book contributor on the Today show. She lives in Oakland, California.

$20 ticket includes one copy of the book.

Organized by

We are an independently-owned bookstore based in the beautiful town of Orinda, less than 30 minutes from San Francisco. Visiting is easy! We are open six days a week and have ample free parking right outside our doors. Also, the Orinda BART station is a pleasant half-mile walk away. We provide a diverse range of books and have a large inventory covering travel, fiction, history, biography, current affairs, art, poetry, nature, and science. Our children's department is extensive and inviting. Besides books, we carry puzzles, cards, and calendars, and check out our locally-made chocolate, olive oil, ceramics, and artwork. Last but not least, we love to read and love to recommend our favorites - so don't hesitate to ask!

$20
Aug 13 · 6:00 PM PDT