The Shoe Diaries

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Darby Baham will be awarding a $50 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.  

It’s never too late to put your best foot forward

 

From the outside, Reagan “Rae” Doucet has it all: a coveted career in Washington, DC, a tight circle of friends and a shoe closet to die for. When one of her crew falls ill, however, Rae is done playing it safe. The talented but unfulfilled writer makes a “risk list” to revamp her life. But forgiving her ex, Jake Saunders, might be one risk too many…

 

From Harlequin Special Edition: Believe in love. Overcome obstacles. Find happiness.

 

The Friendship Chronicles/Book 1: The Shoe Diaries

 

"Reminiscent of Sex and the City and the Shopaholic series in the best possible way. Her stories are a lot of fun and yet she still tugs at your heartstrings."--Gail Chasan, Special Edition Editor

read an excerpt...

Love of Shoes

October 28, 2019

“It was barely 7:00 a.m. when I heard my alarm blasting the sounds of Nicki Minaj’s “Pound the Alarm.” “Not yet, Alexa.” Groggy and yearning for at least five more minutes of sleep, I stretched my arm over the length of my bed and pressed down on the snooze button with my eyes still closed. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get up, necessarily; it was just that the cocoon of my comforter in my queen-size bed felt so much better than whatever could have been waiting for me outside it. I pulled the cover over my head as an extra protection against the sun.

“Pound the alarm!”

“Agh!” I screamed out as it went off once more.  “Fine, fine. I’m up now.”

The music still blaring, I finally acquiesced and rolled myself out of bed, one leg coming free from my cover cocoon, then the next, and made my way to my closet for what had become my daily routine: pick out shoes for the day, figure out the outfit that goes best with them, take a shower and then, of course, post my #shoeoftheday photo to Instagram before heading to work. Conveniently, I passed right over the red pumps that spelled disaster for me the night before. “Hmm, now what do I feel like wearing today?” I questioned, dancing to my closet and scanning all the shoes I own with my eyes, from my flats to my heels, boots to sneakers, in every color one can imagine. They were all intricately displayed on the shelves—heels facing out to show the length and style of the pump, flats facing forward to make it easier for me to see if it was a peep toe, curved toe, pointed toe, or square. “Oooh, these!” Something about my deep red, almost maroon peep-toe heels from BCBG caught my eyes, and I knew they were the ones for the day. The shoes were adorned with a silver buckle on the side of each peep toe and would go perfectly with my red-and pink floral blouse, black pencil skirt and peplum blazer to match. It was amazing how the rest of an outfit could come together for me once I picked out the shoes, and today was no exception. These might even be the ones to help me finally convince my boss to let me do the article I’d been pitching to him for months. Excited about my choices, I laid them out on my bed and hopped in the shower, continuing my best rap impressions as my playlist toggled through my favorite female rappers.

*

It was 9:00 a.m. when I walked into work at Washington, D.C.’s premier political news online magazine, my heels clacking on the linoleum floors they must have purchased just to make it that much easier for women to alert everyone of their comings and goings in the office. Seated at her desk already was my always-early, no-holds-barred freckle twin, and the best IT specialist in the office, Rebecca, her reddish-blond hair pulled up into a loose bun and a smile on her face the size of a kid in a candy store. “So…” she said, dragging out her first word. “Tell me about last night.”

 

about Darby Baham...

Darby Baham (she/her) is a debut author with Harlequin Special Edition and a New Yorker of five years who sometimes desperately misses the sprawling shoe closet she had while living in Maryland. She’s had personal blog posts appear in The Washington Post’s relationship vertical and has worked in the communications industry for more than two decades. The New Orleans, LA native is also a lover of big laughs and books that swallow you into their world. Her first book, The Shoe Diaries, debuts in 2022.

 

Author Website  www.DarbyBaham.com

Linktree https://linktr.ee/darbybaham

Facebook  /https://www.facebook.com/darby.baham/

Twitter https://twitter.com/darbybaham

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/darbybaham/

 

Darby Baham’s Washington Post bylines

 

I had the perfect date dress. Why did it hang in my closet unworn for more than a year? -- March 2016

When it comes to relationship advice, sometimes it’s best to ignore your friends -- February 2016

I’m the oldest sister in my family and I’m single. And that’s okay. -- March 2016

I was afraid to say ‘I love you.’ Here’s how I found the courage. -

Here is a link to subscribe to receive books specifically from Harlequin Special Edition -- https://www.readerservice.com/content/series/harlequin-special-edition/

 Darby's book will be included in the January edition.
 

The Shoe Diaries Sales Links

 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-shoe-diaries-darby-baham/1139911402

 

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Shoe-Diaries/Darby-Baham/9781335408365?id=8355481149755

 

https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335408365_the-shoe-diaries.html

 

https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335408365

 

https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Shoe_Diaries.html?id=bU06EAAAQBAJ

 

https://www.target.com/p/the-shoe-diaries-friendship-chronicles-by-darby-baham-paperback/-/A-84253284

more personal "stuff" about Darby...

What are four things you can’t live without?

Electricity (I’m a city girl, what can I say!), seafood, my flat iron, and my journal/pen to write in it.

 

What is your favorite television show?

Grey’s Anatomy. I’ve watched all 18 seasons so so many times.

 

What have you got coming soon for us to look out for? Well aside from The Shoe Diaries, be on the lookout for the next books in the series. Book 2 is tentatively called Bloom Where You’re Planted and follows Reagan’s friend Jennifer--the compassionate, hopeless romantic from California who wears her heart and everyone else’s on her sleeves. That will be out in Summer 2022. And I’m working on Book 3 as we “speak”!

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