Guest Posts

Guest Post: A Love Letter to Seattle by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Now that my review of Today, Tonight, Tomorrow is live, you now have proof of how much I loved it! That is why I am beyond excited to be able to host Rachel for this guest post about her favorite places in Seattle. For anyone who’s been, or wants to go, this is a perfect way to explore Seattle and the setting of Today, Tonight, Tomorrow.

Today, Tonight, Tomorrow

Today, she hates him.

It’s the last day of senior year. Rowan Roth and Neil McNair have been bitter rivals for all of high school, clashing on test scores, student council elections, and even gym class pull-up contests. While Rowan, who secretly wants to write romance novels, is anxious about the future, she’d love to beat her infuriating nemesis one last time.

Tonight, she puts up with him.

When Neil is named valedictorian, Rowan has only one chance at victory: Howl, a senior class game that takes them all over Seattle, a farewell tour of the city she loves. But after learning a group of seniors is out to get them, she and Neil reluctantly decide to team up until they’re the last players left—and then they’ll destroy each other.

As Rowan spends more time with Neil, she realizes he’s much more than the awkward linguistics nerd she’s sparred with for the past four years. And, perhaps, this boy she claims to despise might actually be the boy of her dreams.

Tomorrow…maybe she’s already fallen for him.

Find Today Tonight Tomorrow on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.

A Love Letter to Seattle

I’ve always adored books and movies that are love letters to cities. There’s something magical about being fully immersed in a setting, particularly when you can feel the author or director’s affection for that place. 

Today Tonight Tomorrow is a romance between Rowan and Neil, longtime rivals who realize on the last day of senior year that maybe they don’t despise each other after all. It’s also a love letter to Seattle, as Rowan and Neil begrudgingly partner up to win a senior class game that takes them all over the city. It’s bittersweet, in a way, because both of them will be leaving for college in a few months, and they’ll never get to experience Seattle quite the way they do on this night. 

I’m so grateful to Lili for giving me this space to chat about my favorite places in the book!

Seattle Cinerama

Howl, the senior class game I created for the book, begins at Cinerama, one of Seattle’s oldest movie theaters. Even though it’s been remodeled a number of times, an old theater always feels utterly transportive to me. They also serve this deeply addictive chocolate popcorn. 

Last year I was lucky enough to see my all-time favorite movie, Singin’ in the Rain, on their huge screen. I grew up watching it with my family, and it was such a cool experience to finally see it with an audience. I’m not sure what the future holds for Cinerama post-pandemic, but I’ll always hold that memory close to my heart. 

Pike Place Market 

This massive public market is a tourist attraction, but locals shop here too. It’s one of my favorite weekend dates with my husband, who’s very passionate about cooking and loves getting fresh produce and pasta here. We also can’t stop at the market without getting a pastry (or three) from Piroshky Piroshky. 

Pike Place Market is also home to Seattle’s infamous gum wall. Yes, it’s touristy and kitschy and maybe even a little gross, but it’s also colorful and lively and fun. I dare anyone to walk down this alleyway without smiling. 

In Today Tonight Tomorrow, Rowan saves Neil from elimination at Pike Place Market, a decision she justifies by telling herself she wants to be the one who takes him out in the end. This leads to the two of them teaming up, which sparks her realization that maybe she didn’t want to beat him after all—maybe there was another reason she wanted to spend time with him. 

Kerry Park

When I set out to write this book, I always knew I’d have a scene at Kerry Park. It’s tiny, a viewpoint midway up Queen Anne Hill with the best view of the Space Needle in all of Seattle. At night, when it’s lit up…it’s breathtaking. Without spoilers, this is where one of the most romantic scenes in the book takes place. ☺

On a personal level, the park holds a lot of memories for me. My late grandfather’s partner, who’s spent all of her 90 years in Seattle, lives down the street. She came into our lives when I was a young teen and soon became part of our family, and her condo always felt special to me because of this incredible view and because my grandpa was one of my favorite people in the world. So it’s bittersweet to visit the park now, knowing I can’t see him, but if he wrote a love letter to the city, I have zero doubt that this would be at the top of his list, too.

Find Today Tonight Tomorrow on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.

About the Author

Photo credit: Sabreen Lakhani

Rachel Lynn Solomon writes, tap dances, and collects red lipstick in Seattle, Washington. She is the author of the YA novels You’ll Miss Me When I’m GoneOur Year of Maybe, and the forthcoming Today Tonight Tomorrow. Her debut adult romantic comedy, The Ex Talk, will be published in spring 2021.

In high school, Rachel sang and played keyboard in an all-girl band, and she was once part of a group of people who broke a Guinness World Record for the most natural redheads in one place.

She has written for newspapers, produced a radio show that aired in the middle of the night, and worked for NPR. Currently she works as a freelance editor. Rachel has been a Pitch Wars mentor since 2014 and currently serves on the Pitch Wars leadership committee.

These days, she writes books about ambitious, messy, sometimes unlikable girls and women who are trying their best and often falling in love along the way.

Representation: Laura Bradford of the Bradford Literary Agency

Discussion

What is your favorite place in your hometown?


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