Cocktails & Convos with Elise Wayland

Name: Cocktails & Convos with Elise Wayland
Start: 2025-08-14T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-08-14T21:00:00-05:00
Location: 203 Main Street, Ames, IA, United States, Iowa 50010

Schedule

Thu Aug 14 2025 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

203 Main Street, Ames, IA, United States, Iowa 50010 | Ames, IA

Writing as Elise Wayland, pen name for author Rachel Mans McKenny, Ames treasure, and friend-of-the-store is releasing her first-ever rom-com "Rivals to Lovers," and we couldn’t be more excited if we tried!
Join us the evening of Thursday August 14, at 7 PM to celebrate Elise's novel, learn more about the story (and writing under a penname), and raise a delicious cocktail in toast to her fantastic work!
Get your tickets today!
Tickets are non-refundable, with the exception of us rescheduling or canceling the event. If you can no longer attend the event please email [email protected] to arrange to pick up your book in-store, or to have it mailed.
About "Rivals to Lovers"
Mo Denton has been obsessed with the classic feminist novel The Proud and the Lost for as long as she can remember. When Mo puts everything she has into writing a modern adaptation of her all-time favorite book, her agent Yuri loves it—but can’t pitch it anywhere.
The original author’s estate must approve any adaptation, and so far, it has never allowed one to go forward. The agent who represents the estate—Wes Spencer—is also working on an updated version of the beloved story. Promoting Mo’s project would go against Wes’s own interests, and he’s reluctant to bring it to Estelle Morgan, the elderly daughter of the original novelist. But when Yuri contacts Estelle herself, Estelle invites Mo and Wes to her home for a weekend where they will pitch each book to her and let her decide whose book will be approved–and whose work will be destined for deletion.
Soon, Mo and Wes realize that they have more in common than just their love of the original book. As they grow closer and wait for the estate’s decision, will the secrets Wes is keeping ruin the bond between them, or can they find their way to a happy ending?