Exclusive Cover Reveal & Interview: The Library of Lost Things by Laura Taylor Namey

Ahh! I’m so excited to bring to you today and exclusive cover reveal for Laura Taylor Namey’s debut, The Library of Lost Things, as well as an interview with Laura herself!

There are so many reasons why I’m excited for this contemporary romance, but probably the first thing that drew me to this book was how amazing it sounded (especially because I hadn’t seen the cover back then).

It follows literary genius Darcy Wells who avoids the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding by falling in love with books, new and old.

However, her precious balance is disrupted when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment and Darcy meets Asher Fleet, a former teen pilot, in the bookstore where she works.

Real love and letting people in is scary, but Darcy will need to open up and start living her own truth if she wants her own happily ever after.

The Library of Lost Things comes out on October 8th, 2019, but for now, enjoy this interview and cover reveal!

Laura was a total gem to answer all of my questions about The Library of Lost Things, the romance in it, its covers, and so much more! Here’s what she said:

Hi Laura! I’m so excited to be hosting your cover reveal for The Library of Lost Things today! Can you tell us a little bit about the main character Darcy, what’s going on in her life, and what her favorite books are?

Thank you so much for hosting me today, Vicky! I feel Darcy is similar to many avid book lovers. We love to put a stressful situation or a long day into a book. We love to escape, feel, and lose ourselves for a while in another world. Darcy also loves to do this. But, her relationship with books dives a bit deeper. Since childhood she has possessed a unique gift or talent––the ability to internalize and recall large amounts of text. She has an enormous vocabulary, too, and likes to mentally collect unique and underutilized words. This is one protagonist who truly believes in the power of words.

At home, her family situation is difficult and often frustrating. Darcy lives with a mother who is a hoarder and compulsive shopper. She loves her mother so much, in fact she is the only person in Mom’s life who hasn’t abandoned her. Still, Darcy has felt shame since she was little. She feels it’s easier to become “invisible” than try to reconcile and show the “messy” parts of her life and family. She’s often so pressed that books become more than an escape: they turn into an emotional obsession. This results in a high school senior who has lived out many milestone moments within pages, within the happy endings of other book heroines.

When her mother’s disorder escalates, and when a new, more involved apartment manager shows up and a lease renewal looms, Darcy’s home is in jeopardy. Her relationship with her mother is strung on a tightrope. Darcy realizes she must leave the comfort of her home library before she loses her mom forever.

Yet, it’s not just a hoarding mother who needs new coping strategies. With the help of her best friend and self-appointed stylist Marisol, Darcy sees all of the things she’s lost to hoarding and sacrificed to hiding. She tries to step forward from pages and live her life, not Jane Eyre’s. Not Elizabeth Bennet’s. Even if it’s messy. Oh, as for one of her favorite authors and books, just look to her name for a clue . . .

The Library of Lost Things sounds AMAZING and I’m so excited to read Darcy’s story and her romance with Asher. They sound like such unique individuals–a literary genius and a former teen pilot–and I’m excited to read their chemistry and watch the sparks fly! Why do you think Darcy and Asher make a good couple and how does this help Darcy open up during the story?

I will do my best without spoiling! When recent graduate Asher starts taking his work breaks reading in Darcy’s indie bookstore, she is at first horrified that Asher is a trained speed reader.  Speed reading is sacrilege to a girl who savors books! But as she gets to know him, she learns Asher, like her, is living out his own library of lost things. A life-threatening auto accident has damaged more than his knee. It has shattered his dreams to become a fighter pilot and to attend the Naval Academy at Annapolis. It’s grounded him from flying his family’s private plane until he’s fully healed. Asher’s wit, high emotional intelligence, and resilience appeals to her. Darcy loves the story of Peter Pan (which makes a huge cameo in my story). She sees Asher as another boy who can fly.

In turn, Asher sees more than a quiet girl with her nose in a book who is trying to stay invisible to protect herself. He sees an extraordinary mind and heart. There are only a couple of problems: Asher has an on-again, off-again girlfriend with a current on status. And Darcy doubts her near future could even include the possibility of any happy ending. Any guy who gets close enough to her heart would have to see all of her life. And that is just another fear Darcy craves to throw into another book. Asher has other ideas . . .

I’m definitely excited for The Library of Lost Things because I can’t wait for ALL the swoons! What type of reaction are you hoping your readers will have to the book?

I promise you major swoons! Most of all, I hope my readers root for Darcy to learn to navigate life and love on her own, without her book crutches.

As for the cover–it looks so gorgeous and bookish, I’m swooning! Did you have an idea of what elements & symbols from the story you wanted on the cover before your publisher revealed it to you? What were they?

Thank you! I am so grateful to cover artist, Elita Sidiropoulou and art director, Erin Craig for their vision and the beautiful details in my cover. I love it! In later concepts, we had discussed showcasing a bit of Darcy’s home library, but in a whimsical way. The rendering of all of the book spines pays a modern tribute to Darcy’s love of classics. Also, there is a little story nugget hiding on the cover that will also be featured in some of my pre-order swag.

Finally, something fun! How would you think Darcy and Asher would react to the cover for The Library of Lost Things if they knew they were fictional and that this was the cover for their story?

In my story, Asher asks Darcy what her favorite book is. She has such a huge reading past and personal home library, this is actually quite difficult for her to pin down. But if they saw my cover, I think Darcy and Asher would just know: Inside is their story,  and this is what it looks like.

Laura is a Cuban-American Californian who can be found haunting her favorite coffee shops, drooling over leather jackets, and wishing she was in London or Paris. She lives in San Diego with her husband, two superstar children, and her beloved miniature schnauzer/muse.

This former teacher writes young adult novels about quirky teens learning to navigate life and love. Her debut, THE LIBRARY OF LOST THINGS will be published 10/08/19 from Inkyard Press/HarperCollins.

Find Laura on her website, Goodreads, Twitter, and Instagram!

Okay, okay–are you ready? (I definitely am, because I want more people to scream with.)

Get pumped . . .

I wonder if the blue, bookish motif has meant anything so far . . .

(Oh, by the way you can add it to Goodreads *wink wink*)

Aaaand here it is!

I am so in love with this cover–I mean just LOOK at all those books! (My one true weakness!) And the shades of blue is making me swoon! And the paper texture! Be still, my beating heart!

The Library of Lost Things is out October 8th, 2019, and you can preorder now from any major retailer!

Harlequin | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound | Apple Books | Google Play | Book Depository

The Library of Lost Things by Laura T. Namey
Hardcover, 304 pages
October 8th 2019 by Inkyard Press

From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding, and pretend her life is simply ordinary. But when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment complex, the only home Darcy has ever known outside of her books suddenly hangs in the balance.

From the moment she first learned to read, literary genius Darcy Wells has spent most of her time living in the worlds of her books. There, she can avoid the crushing reality of her mother’s hoarding, and pretend her life is simply ordinary. But when a new property manager becomes more active in the upkeep of their apartment complex, the only home Darcy has ever known outside of her books suddenly hangs in the balance.

While Darcy is struggling to survive beneath the weight of her mother’s compulsive shopping, Asher Fleet, a former teen pilot with an unexpectedly shattered future, walks into the bookstore where she works…and straight into her heart. For the first time in her life, Darcy can’t seem to find the right words. Fairy tales are one thing, but real love makes her want to hide inside her carefully constructed ink-and-paper bomb shelter.

Still, after spending her whole life keeping people out, something about Asher makes Darcy want to open up. But securing her own happily ever after will mean she’ll need to stop hiding and start living her own truth—even if it’s messy.

Content Warnings: hoarding, abandonment

Are you excited for The Library of Lost Things? What do you think of the cover? I am sooo ready for the swoons and bookishness!