{"product_id":"thai-iced-tea-rhinestones-a-dance-studio-in-small-town-oregon-9798986999807","title":"Thai Iced Tea \u0026 Rhinestones: A Dance Studio in Small-Town Oregon","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThai Iced Tea \u0026amp; Rhinestones\u003c\/em\u003e is the quirky true story of a San Francisco journalist and longtime Salsa and West Coast Swing dancer who moves to rural Oregon for love and decides to open a dance studio. As she acclimates to life in a small and conservative town working as a crime reporter and dance teacher, she finds herself on an sometimes-bumpy journey of self-discovery, culture shock and worlds colliding.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the studio growing, she navigates self-doubt, relationship questions, and a Christmas parade dance disaster. Despite the hiccups, she feels an increasing sense of belonging in her new home, where everyone seems to know everyone - a Southern Oregon version of Stars Hollow. At first, the smallness of the town is disorienting: her new dance studio is across a hallway from her boyfriend's ex-girlfriend's photography studio, and a suspect she put in the police blotter for belly-bumping the manager of the Circle K shows up for West Coast Swing one night. But her initial claustrophobia gives way to a feeling of coziness as she begins to settle in.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWith the added accountability of being a small-town resident, she finds herself changing her behavior, including by returning her shopping carts, adjusting her response to cat calls, and toning down her driving habits. Something begins to shift inside, and her sarcastic inner monologue quiets down.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe story details the author's love affair with dance, from her first salsa class at age 18 to her subsequent adventures around the world, including a steamy bachata in Barcelona; smooth \"On 2\" salsa in New York; and a 2 a.m. tango with a taxi driver on a Buenos Aires sidewalk. As a new studio owner, she watches her students fall in love with dance and discover the same pleasures she has found on the dance floor: connection, community, belonging, self-expression, and joy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThai Iced Tea \u0026amp; Rhinestones\u003c\/em\u003e is a love letter to dancing, the City of Grants Pass, and the Guy with the Sideburns who started it all.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=AUTH-15864926\"\u003eMelissa Toll\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Melissa Toll\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/17\/2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 222\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.58lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.47d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798986999807\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN10:\u003c\/b\u003e 8986999803\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBISAC Categories:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO025000\"\u003eEditors, Journalists, Publishers\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-BIO\"\u003eBiography \u0026amp; Autobiography\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-BIO026000\"\u003ePersonal Memoirs\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=CAT-PER\"\u003ePerforming Arts\u003c\/a\u003e | \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/sureshotbooks-com.myshopify.com\/search?type=product%2Carticle%2Cpage\u0026amp;q=BISAC-PER003000\"\u003eDance | General\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Melissa Toll","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44447791251693,"sku":"8986999803","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/8097\/6621\/products\/img_60608783-003a-4b8f-b8b3-09b5069cae8f.jpg?v=1700296446","url":"https:\/\/sureshotbooks.com\/products\/thai-iced-tea-rhinestones-a-dance-studio-in-small-town-oregon-9798986999807","provider":"SureShot Books Publishing LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}