Welcome back to another Behind the Scenes! If you’re new here — hi, I’m so glad you found me! This is my little corner of the internet where I pull back the curtain and share the messy, exciting, sometimes terrifying process of writing a book. And today? Today I get to introduce you to the story that has been living rent-free in my head for months….? No, let’s say years! It’s called Don’t Promise Me Tomorrow, and honestly, it might be the most ambitious thing I’ve ever tried to write. It’s got romance, it’s got heart, it’s got an ocean or two between the main characters — and it starts with the most unexpected meeting in the most unexpected place. I cannot wait to share it with you.

The Pairing That Started It All

An Australian Hollywood hunk. A widowed Spanish teacher from a tiny Illinois town. On paper, they have absolutely no business falling for each other — and that’s exactly what I love about them. I’ve always been drawn to pairings where the contrast does the heavy lifting: he lives under a spotlight and she’s spent years rebuilding a quiet life in the shadows, and the tension in that gap is where all the good stuff lives. There’s something so delicious about watching two people who seem to come from completely different universes discover that maybe — just maybe — they understand each other better than anyone ever has.

Worlds Apart — On Purpose

He’s from Sydney, Australia — grew up with the harbour at his back and now spends his life between film sets and press junkets in Hollywood, a city that runs on glamour and performance. She’s from a small town in Illinois, the kind of place where everyone knows your name and your grief and your casserole dish. These two worlds feel impossibly far apart, and I wanted that distance to feel real — not just geographic, but emotional. Because when you’ve lost someone you loved, the world of sparkle and flash can feel almost unbearable. And when you’ve been performing for so long, a woman who sees right through the act is the most terrifying — and irresistible — thing imaginable. The distance between them isn’t an obstacle. It’s the whole point.

Why Marrakesh?

When I was deciding where these two would first collide, I knew it had to be somewhere that felt outside of both of their normal lives — a place neither of them could fully control, where their usual armor wouldn’t quite fit. And Marrakesh just kept whispering to me. There is something about the medina — the winding souks, the scent of cumin and rose and leather in the air, the way sound bounces off ancient walls and the whole city seems to hum — that strips you down to your most essential self. It’s the kind of place where you can get genuinely lost, where a wrong turn down a narrow alley can change everything. For two strangers who are each carrying too much, the beautiful, chaotic magic of Marrakesh felt like exactly the right crucible.

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That’s a little taste of what’s brewing! I’ll be sharing more peeks into the writing of Don’t Promise Me Tomorrow as I go — the characters, the settings, the playlists, the moments that made me cry while I was writing them (there will be crying, I promise you). If you want to follow along for all of it, make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss a thing. I am so grateful to be on this journey, and even more grateful to have readers like you cheering me on. Until next time — happy reading, and always, always believe in love. 💛

— Eliza