Virtual Book Tour: Rebecca Winn, ONE HUNDRED DAFFODILS: Finding Beauty, Grace, and Meaning When Things Fall Apart

Give us the elevator pitch for your book.

An engaging, wise, and uplifting reflection on human resilience and nature’s ability to teach, inspire, and heal after an unexpected life upheaval, One Hundred Daffodils is told through the lens of the author’s personal experiences with grief and heartbreak on her journey toward self-discovery and empowerment. Facilitated in measures by a love affair with a younger man, dedicated study of Jungian psychology, and a deep dive into global spiritual practices, Rebecca Winn transformed heartbreak into wholeness through communion with the divine in nature. By turning to her garden for guidance, sanctuary, and inspiration, she discovered what is possible when we are willing to look at our unvarnished selves with an open mind—and see others with an open heart.

What were your plans for book launch pre-Covid?

I had several events in Dallas – my home town. At least 150 coming to the bookstore event, and then a party with over 700 people invited this weekend. Then I was going to LA where the sister of a major movie star was giving me a signing party in her home. I also had signing parties in Santa Barbara, Ojai and was in discussions about having a reading at a large, established salon in Malibu. Then I was heading to New York where a friend was planning a signing party at SoHo House in Manhattan, and I was doing a bookstore event upstate in Rhinebeck. Back to Dallas for a local book club event in mid-April, then across the Southwest where some of the book takes place – to Santa Fe, Taos, Albuquerque, Sedona, Flagstaff, Scottsdale, Phoenix, where old and new friends were facilitating events for me, then back to LA.

Where were you when you heard your book tour/ launch was cancelled?

It happened in inches. Here in Texas, a lot of people didn’t accept the news quickly, so it was I who actually took the first step and made the call to cancel the 700+ person party.  I could see the handwriting on the wall and I didn’t want the hostess, who was being so incredibly gracious and generous, to incur enormous expenses only to have everyone decline at the last minute. So I called her the day I knew the invitations were about to be printed (the four page, full color invitations, with an insert!) and told her to literally stop the presses. At the time, it probably seemed a little alarmist of me. Not so much today.

What went into writing and selling your book?

Mostly, an enormous amount of psychological, emotional and spiritual work. My self-image, which had always been tenuous at best, was decimated in my marriage and it took years of personal work to build a foundation strong enough to reach for my highest dreams. Healing comes in inches. But with time, it does come. Writing was a part of that deep work. It evolved into a book. It did not begin that way. The actual process of getting an agent, perfecting the proposal, selling the book, writing the book and getting it released was a Rube Goldberg path of courage, patience and perseverance.

What is the weirdest job you held on your path to publication?

I own a high-end boutique residential landscape design company, so I’ve never had any weird jobs. Only weird clients, lol. (Don’t print that!!)

What do you want readers to take away from your book?

I want people to feel acknowledged in their experience that life can be extraordinarily difficult. No one really escapes that. The question is, how will you incorporate your heartbreaks and struggles? And are you willing to do that in a way in which they become the foundations of your character.

What’s your favorite Indie Book store?

My favorite local (Dallas) independent bookstore is Interabang Books. But I also really love Oblong Books in upstate New York. They have been incredibly supportive of this book from the beginning, and of me as a new author. I am incredibly grateful to them!

Can you recommend one other debut?

I have been reading Welcome to Wherever We Are, by Deborah Cohan. It is a memoir about her abusive father, and her path to healing that relationship as she became his primary caregiver during his descent into Alzheimers.

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