Mary Alice Monroe's Blog, page 9
February 28, 2021
Islanders Giveaway
My New Book – Pre-Order Giveaway
Dorthea Benton Frank
February 17, 2021
MY VERY OWN COFFEE BLEND
photo credit: Andrew Cebulka Photography
I’m so happy to finally spill the beans to you. I have my very own coffee blend coming soon.
This is a big deal for coffee lovers, like me. If you’ve read my books, you know that in each of them the women gather around cups of coffee. Yes, there’s wine, too. But the heady brew is always java.
Imagine my delight to be able to announce that I’m releasing my own special blend of coffee with my absolute favorite coffee roaster: Charleston Coffee Roasters.
Drum roll…
Introducing the BEACH HOUSE BLEND!
Available online April 13, 2021
A DREAM COME TRUE
Beach House Blend is a dark roast and a rich, smooth combination of Colombian French, Sumatra, and Mexican beans. Specially selected and roasted by Charleston Coffee Roasters, Beach House Blend is a limited-edition coffee available exclusively under the Charleston Coffee Roasters brand.
This is a dream come true. I have been a loyal customer of Charleston Coffee Roasters for many years, buying their dark roast blends at my local grocery store and Costco’s.
SUPPORTS SEA TURTLE CONSERVATION TOO
The company’s owner, Lowell Grosse, and I are both active supporters of local loggerhead sea turtle conservation efforts. Our partnership with the creation of Beach House Blend celebrates our shared passion for coastal conservation and great coffee. Lowell is even giving a percentage of sales of Beach House Blend to the SC Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Care Center. I’m overjoyed about all of this!
I’ve been enjoying Beach House Blend as my morning coffee for weeks and I can’t wait to share my coffee blend with you this spring! I think coffee pairs perfectly with reading time, don’t you?
Enjoy the BEACH HOUSE BLEND and THE SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND together this spring
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February 9, 2021
THE SURPRISE SNOW
This month I journeyed to my mountain house in North Carolina. The clouds overhead were thick and gray and I hoped to get to my destination before the rain hit. I hate driving in the rain. When the rain falls, my hands tighten around the steering wheel and my shoulders tense. It’s just a miserable, slow trip. As I passed the border from South to North Carolina I think I might just make it.
At last, I exit the highway and my body sags in relief as I wind along the curving mountain roads at a slower pace. I take in the changes in the scenery up in the mountains. It’s still deep winter and I don’t come north often in this season so I’m curious to see the broad expansive views of mountains often cloaked by heavy foliage. I think about stopping at my favorite coffee shop as I pass. A heady, steaming brew would be nice after the long drive, but I push on. Covid discourages my getting out of the car, but too, I’m eager to get home. I recognize a few of my favorite farms. See a few horses in the fields.
My dogs have been asleep in the back seat for the past several hours. I hear a rustling in the back seat as Vega, the Bernese Mountain Dog, rises lugubriously to look out the window. Cosmo and Luna, my King Charles Spaniels, follow suit and from the front I hear their excited pants. How do they know we are getting close, I wonder? Have their bodies memorized the twists and turns of the road? Or are they picking up on the excitement thrumming in my own veins?
Because I feel like them, looking out the windows expectantly, my heart rate accelerating. I think of the line in the John Denver song, “I should’ve been home yesterday.” Now I see cross the river…my river… and see the mountain…my mountain… and finally the big wooden gates of Windover, yawning open now in wide welcome.
The car churns and groans in low gear as we climb the mountain driveway to the house. I note the condition of the road, the stone wall covered with moss, see where tree limbs have fallen. No spring buds yet but there’s beauty in the gray stillness. Then I see the sienna-colored roof tiles and my face breaks into a grin. There’s my cottage in the trees, stone and stucco, white and brown, with yellow light flowing from the windows.
I park the car and the great engine settles. The miles still roll in my veins. Taking a breath, I push open the car door and am met by an icy moist air that both chills and refreshes me. I open the back door and Vega leaps like a lion to the ground, landing on huge paws, then runs in joyful laps. Yapping and pacing, the cavaliers paw at the crate until, set free, they chase the big black dog across the icy grass.
That’s when the first snow begins to fall. Big, fat, soft flakes, a few at first then a stead swirling mass that float in the breeze like feathers. Snow! I hadn’t seen snow in several years. It is so unexpected. So beautiful. The snow is a gift. I lift my face to the sky and feel each flake on my skin like a kiss. I stretch out my arms and begin to twirl with wonder. I am the character in Edward Scissorhands, awash in wonder. All the miles, the worries, the pending work, and decisions, slide away in the centrifugal force of joy.
An hour later the snow stopped and there was no sign left of the surprise snow. But even still, as I write these words, my smile breaks into a grin and my heart dances in memory.
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December 2, 2020
Cover Reveal for My First Book for Middle Grade Readers
Here’s the cover of my first book for middle grade readers!
It has been a long dream of mine to write for this age of children (8-12 years old) and I’m so excited to reveal the cover and share the details with you! The Islanders is a chapter book that will be released June 15, 2021 from Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
I’m a grandmother now, with grandchildren who are in this reading age, and that makes this milestone even more significant to me. It’s an idea that sparked about three years ago with my friend and colleague Angela May, who is a mother of young children who are eagerly waiting to read our story.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS
Eleven-year-old Jake’s life has just turned upside-down. His father has been wounded in Afghanistan, and his mother is going to leave to care for him. That means Jake’s spending the summer on tiny Dewees Island with his grandmother. The island is a nature sanctuary—no cars or paved roads, no stores or restaurants. To make matters worse, Jake’s grandmother doesn’t believe in cable or the internet. Which means Jake has no cell phone, no video games…and no friends.
He’s barely on land before he meets and befriends two other kids—Macon, another “summer kid” and Lovie, who lives nearby and shows both Jake and Macon the ropes of life on the island. All three are struggling with their own family issues, and the three quickly bond, going on adventures all over Dewees Island.
But their fun stops after one misadventure on an abandoned boat leads to community service. Their punishment? Mandatory turtle duty as a part of Team Turtle, where they must do a daily dawn beach patrol checking for loggerhead sea turtle tracks and to keep an eye on the nest. And when the nest becomes endangered, the three friends must find a way to protect it.
Can they save the turtle nest from predators? And can Jake’s growing love for the island and its inhabitants (be they two-legged, four-legged, feathered, or finned) help to heal his father?
A COASTAL ADVENTURE AND LESSON IN CONSERVATION
The Islanders is a page-turning coastal adventure series that introduces young readers to environmentalism and conservation. The themes I hope all of my readers (young or young at heart) will remember most vividly from my books are those of awareness of what is wild and our connection to nature and each other.
My long writing career and many books reflect my lifelong dedication to being an active and engaged conservationist. I attribute my success in part to the reader’s engagement with the animals and characters in my stories. I can’t wait for new middle grade readers to meet Jake, his grandmother, the island friends, and my beloved loggerhead turtles.
PREORDER TODAY FOR A SPECIAL GIFT
We have a special gift of thanks to mail to anyone who preorders a copy of The Islanders, which is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook format. Please support your favorite independent bookstore, save your receipt (or order confirmation number), and then fill out the book preorder giveaway form here.
A SUMMER BOOK WORTH READING TOGETHER
I’m so excited to share this book with you and the children in your life on June 15th. That’s the time of year my grandchildren visit me at the beach, and I love spending time reading together. There is something magical about the way books bring people together. I look forward to reading this with my grandchildren, and I think The Islanders is the perfect book worth reading together.
Add The Islanders to your Goodreads Bookshelf today.
And preorder your copy of The Islanders now from your favorite bookseller.
The post Cover Reveal for My First Book for Middle Grade Readers appeared first on Mary Alice Monroe.
November 30, 2020
My New Novel: The Summer of Lost and Found
I’m thrilled to show you the cover of my new novel, The Summer of Lost and Found, available in stores May 11, 2021 and ready for preorder now.
In stores May 11, 2021. Pre-order now.
This is my 27th book, but writing The Summer of Lost and Found has been a different journey for me. I didn’t set the story against a backdrop of a new species. Rather, as I’ve been sheltering in place this year, my attention was directed to the fascinating, even exotic, critters living in my own back yard. I’m also writing about a young generation.
The biggest shift, however, is I chose to write about the summer of 2020. I write about families, yet nothing in my experience has been as challenging as trying to gain perspective on families today as they struggle—sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding–in navigating this pandemic. Not in hindsight, however. I’ve been writing in real time. My ideas about what I wanted to say changed as my experiences and feelings evolved. What I wanted to say in March wasn’t what I wanted to say in August.
Like many of you, Covid 19 has been a roller coaster. It brought me a few delightful surprises. My two sisters who were stuck in Los Angeles and Chicago came to live with me in my mountain house for a “summer to remember.” My niece also joined as she, in the service industry, was out of work. We shared glorious moments of bonding and memories. The cottage became a workshop of writing, painting, pottery and gardening.
Then there was the tragedy of Covid 19. My brother was ill in the hospital and due to Covid, he was unable to have visitors. With dementia, he remained alone and frightened until, he passed away in September. This came on the heels of my nephew’s death—his son. And now my mother-in-law is dying alone in hospice and we cannot visit her. This is the harsh face of the pandemic. It’s very real.
What I realized in the journey of writing this novel is though we say “Hindsight is 2020,” in this year of 2020, there is no hindsight to be had! All of us are trying to make the best of this year like no other. As my character wise old Flo says in the novel, “It it’s not one thing it’s another.”
I’ve written a novel as I witnessed a nation adjusting to this new, awkward, and temporary normal. We are still in flux. It ain’t over yet.
And so, in The Summer of Lost and Found I wrote about all those elements of the human condition—love, emotion, aspiration, conflict, and mortality—that we’ve lost and found during the summer of 2020. I wrote about the good times and the bad. Relationships forged and tested. And always, the hope—the deep faith—that with our loved ones, we will persevere. For despite all the changes, one shining truth has remained constant throughout—we are all in this together.
I hope you find both joy, humor and comfort as you read The Summer of Lost and Found. 
Preorder your copy today from your favorite independent bookstore, and add my new novel to your Goodreads Bookshelf.
The post My New Novel: The Summer of Lost and Found appeared first on Mary Alice Monroe.
October 12, 2020
Book Cover Reveal on Friends and Fiction
I’m ready to reveal something big this week! And you can see it first on Friends and Fiction.
Tune in for my book cover reveal this Wednesday, October 14th, 7PM ET on the Friends and Fiction Facebook Group Page. Be sure to *join* so you can be connected to this wonderful group of readers and writers. We’re over 20,000 members and growing daily.
Every week, my friends Mary Kay Andrews, Patti Callahan Henry, Kristin Harmel, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and I connect online with thousands of you for happy hour to talk about what we’re reading, writing, and doing at the moment. The conversations are always fun, inspiring, and wonderfully entertaining.
We feature guest authors (see the fall line-up below), a weekly writing tip and a book recommendation. We also always spotlight an independent bookstore and pepper the conversation with surprises. Watch the one last week with guest author Lian Dolan, author of The Sweeney Sisters, and co-host of the popular podcast The Satellite Sisters. Two of her real-life sisters popped into our virtual conversation to help us interview Lian. They were a hoot together and we all had so much fun! Watch it here
BOOK COVER REVEAL
This week on Friends and Fiction, I’m thrilled to reveal the cover of my forthcoming novel, THE SUMMER OF LOST AND FOUND, available May 11, 2021 by Gallery Books, imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Readers want to know what this book is about and whether it’s a continuation of my bestselling Beach House series. The answers to those questions will be revealed Wednesday, October 14th at 7PM ET.
To celebrate the occasion, I’ll be giving away a fun prize just for Friends & Fiction members. Plus, everyone will get a chance to enter my special early book pre-order giveaway. You have to tune in to learn more.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN FRIENDS AND FICTION
OUR GUEST AUTHOR: CHARLAINE HARRIS
Also happening that evening on Friends and Fiction, we’ll welcome the legendary Charlaine Harris as our guest. 2021 will mark Charlaine’s 40th year as a published writer.
She’s the author of seven series across multiple genres including mystery, urban fantasy, graphic novels, and alternative historical fiction. The wildly popular HBO series “True Blood” was based on Charlaine’s Sookie Stackhouse novels. “Midnight, Texas” was an NBC series for two seasons, and Hallmark is still showing a series of movies based on Charlaine’s Aurora Teagarden character. Two of her other series are also in production. We’re delighted to talk with her about her career and the latest book in her Gunnie Rose series, A LONGER FALL.
FEATURED INDIE BOOKSTORE: MURDER BY THE BOOK
Our featured independent bookstore is Murder By The Book in Houston, Texas, which was established in 1980, making it one of the nation’s oldest and largest mystery specialty bookstores. The store stocks more than 25,000 books—new and used, hardbacks and paperbacks, first editions, collectibles, gift items, magazines, and more. Every year, Murder By The Book hosts hundreds of the hottest mystery, crime, and fantasy authors for book signings and events.
BOOKS 10% OFF THIS WEEK
This week they are offering 10% off books by Charlaine Harris and the Friends and Fiction authors. Use the code MBTBFriends to get your discount! CLICK HERE TO SHOP NOW
FRIENDS AND FICTION FALL LINE-UP
We have so many incredible writers joining us on Friends and Fiction this season. Here’s a look at the fall line-up. Be sure to add these dates to your calendar so you can join us for the fun. And remember, when you join Friends and Fiction, you can post your questions for the authors! We try to answer as many as possible.
OCT 14 — Charlaine Harris
OCT 21 — Elizabeth Berg
OCT 28 — The Fab 5
NOV 1 — Sunday Bonus Episode: Writing Under a Pseudonym with Viola Shipman
NOV 4 — Brit Bennett
NOV 11 — Caroline Leavitt
NOV 18 — JT Ellison & Hank Phillippi Ryan
NOV 25 — Sue Monk Kidd
NOV 29 — Sunday Bonus Episode: Holiday Cooking with Nathalie Dupree
NO TIME TO WATCH? LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST
If it’s hard to find time to watch Friends and Fiction, no worries. We have our very own podcast now, so you can listen to the conversations anytime you’re on the go. BookTrib included us in its Top 10 list of bookish podcasts that are fun and inspiring.
WE HAVE A WEEKLY NEWSLETTER TOO
If you want some fun content sent right to your inbox, be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter. We always remind you who’s coming on the show, and we feature some tidbits of book news, along with an interesting Q&A with our featured guest author. This is content you won’t find anywhere else. SIGN UP HERE. You can also view all of the past newsletter issues on the sign-up page.
EVERYTHING IS MORE FUN WITH FRIENDS
If you have not joined us for Friends and Fiction on Wednesday nights, what are you waiting for? Make your Wednesday night feel like a Friday night. You’ll laugh, smile, and likely add a book or two to your reading list. And remember, everything is more fun when shared with friends, so invite your bookish pals to join us for the conversation too.
If you have tuned in to Friends and Fiction, post your comments about your favorite moments on the program so far. We love to hear from you!
The post Book Cover Reveal on Friends and Fiction appeared first on Mary Alice Monroe.
October 5, 2020
Reading in the Age of Coronavirus
Reading in the age of a coronavirus pandemic has been rich with diversity and surprises. The journey has lead me to a variety of books that were comforting or captivating, insightful or suspenseful, eye-opening and heart-stirring. I have found so many books that I might not have discovered before the world was told to shelter in place. And I want to share some of my reading experiences with you.
POETRY: I LOVE TO READ IT OFTEN
At the onset of our confusing, unsettling, forced isolation, I sought out books that were calming, even inspiring. First among those were poetry. I’ve always loved poetry and read it often. I try to write poetry, humbly, and with trepidation. Yet reading it sets my mind free. My sisters and I (we spent the summer isolating together at my mountain house) read a poem aloud each morning outdoor among the trees to set the tone for our day. And it did. My favorites during those mornings of five dogs sitting on our laps and chasing each other, were Mary Oliver’s Dog Songs.
I always love to read the poetry of my dear friends and the poet laureate of South Carolina, Marjory Wentworth. She is brilliant.
AUDIOBOOKS: I LOVE TO LISTEN
I also became a devoted fan of audiobooks, something I’ve mentioned on Friends and Fiction, the weekly web show and podcast I co-host with my friends and bestselling authors Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristy Woodson Harvey, and Kristin Harmel.
During those early days of COVID-19, my mind was easily distracted. I found reading novels oddly difficult. But listening… It was a surprise to me how enchanted I was with this medium. I knew it well. After all, I’ve read my own audiobooks for over a decade. Yet I relegated audiobooks to car trips. Not anymore.
MY AUDIOBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Once again, my sisters and I sat together at night, in front of a fire when chilly, and listened, each lost in our separate visualizations of the unfolding story. My recommendations are Maeve Binchy’s A Week in Winter, Elizabeth Gilbert’s City of Girls, and my favorite, William Kent Krueger’s This Tender Land.
Caught up in a story, I listened while I hiked the mountains, did laundry or the dishes, and sometimes, lying in bed before sleep.
BOOKS: I’M BACK IN LOVE WITH THE PRINTED PAGE
Summer is over now and as we move into fall, I’ve fallen in love again with the printed page. My second surprise came from reading the widely varying and stimulating books of the authors we’ve enjoyed on Friends and Fiction.
Like the best of book clubs, we select authors and books that cover a wide range of interests and a diversity of subjects and genres. Reading afield from my usual repertoire, I’ve delighted in the power of books I might not have picked up on my own.
I was stunned by the power of Etaf Rum’s A Woman Is No Man, got lost in the history of Fiona Davis’s The Lions of New York, and thrilled to the nail-biting mysteries of Karin Slaughter and Kathy Reichs. And I can’t wait to read the latest holiday books by Christina Lauren and Susan Mallery.
I’ve truly enjoyed every one of the books we’ve shared each week. And more, I am grateful to be a part of the Friends and Fiction group that allow us to meet and chat with the authors of these wonderful books. To hear them share their ideas, their writing processes and writing tips (thank you), and graciously answer all of our questions. Wednesday nights are my favorite night of the week!
Side Note: You can watch all of our previous episodes on our website here. If you don’t have time, no problem! Simply pop in some earbuds and listen to our podcast here while you’re on the go!
And mark your calendar to join us on Wednesdays at 7PM ET on Facebook Live for our happy hour chats. Simply join our group page here to connect with us and nearly 20,000 other booklovers!
THE FUTURE OF READING: READ ON!
Reading in the age of coronavirus continues months later, and we have entered a “new normal” of determination, perseverance, and calm. Throughout it all, books have been there for me. As have the booksellers who have weathered this storm with us. As have my fabulous friends of Friends and Fiction. As have you, dear readers. Read on!
The post Reading in the Age of Coronavirus appeared first on Mary Alice Monroe.
June 19, 2020
Friends & Fiction: Summer Guest Authors
The Friends & Fiction summer schedule of guest authors is out. It’s an incredible line-up of writers joining us on Friends & Fiction. If you haven’t tuned in to our weekly Wednesday, 7PM ET live stream on Facebook, you’re missing out!
Friends & Fiction is five bestselling authors and friends–me and Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel, and Kristy Woodson Harvey–who feature endless stories about books, writing, and daily life.
On June 17th, New York Times bestselling author Lisa Wingate joined us to talk with us about writing and daily life. There were tons of laughs, insightful comments, and great tips too. Click to watch the replay now.
Posted by Kristin Harmel on Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Earlier in the month, Debbie Macomber joined us for the conversation, and so did Kristin Hannah.
Click on the author’s name if you’d like to watch the replay of our conversation together.
The fun continues all summer long. Here’s a look at the schedule:
Our next guest author will be my dear friend Delia Owens, the New York Times bestselling author of the sensational novel “Where the Crawdads Sing.” She’ll be joining us Wednesday, July 1st at 7PM EST.
Please make sure you join our Friends & Fiction Facebook group page. That’s where you get instant access to our live chats, and you can get details about the books discussed, learn about our featured indie bookstores, and post your own questions for the authors. The group has swelled to nearly 9,000 members in just weeks. And readers continually say how much they look forward to this positive, fun, and entertaining conversation.
I think what makes this virtual live event so special for us authors is our friendship foundation. We have both personal and professional connections, so when we’re all gathered together in front of our laptops with our readers tuned in as well, everything feels natural and relaxed.
I look forward to connecting with you on our Friends & Fiction group page. And be sure to invite your friends to join us too!
The post Friends & Fiction: Summer Guest Authors appeared first on Mary Alice Monroe.
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