New Year, New Possibilities

Happy New Year! 

Are you like me in that when the New Year begins, you are filled with anticipation and hope? It’s a time for new beginnings. Three hundred and sixty five days of possibilities!

For me, 2010 will be an exciting year.  First, and most important, our family will soon be blessed with another baby-- my second grandchild!  Also, my two other children are embarking on new adventures.  My son, as I mentioned in last week's blog, will accept his commission in the Marines.  And my other daughter is training in Hawaii to become one of the top wave kiteboarding women in the world.  Way to go kids! 

I'm also looking forward to the releases of my books in paperback.

In May, SWEETGRASS will hit store shelves for the first time in trade paperback. This is the story of Mama June, matriarch of the Blakely family, who is rocked by a health crisis and rising taxes on the plantation. These two events lead to the revelation of family secrets that date back to the time of slavery. She must dig deep into her heart and history to find the truth that will bind her family together again. The Southern art of weaving intricate sweetgrass baskets is a metaphor for a mother weaving together the disparate strands of her family.

On June 8th, LAST LIGHT OVER CAROLINA will be released in trade paperback. This follows last summer’s wonderful success of the hardcover version, which hit the New York Times List and Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance’s best seller list. Both men and women alike seem to enjoy the story of longtime shrimp boat captain Bud Morrison and his wife of thirty years, Carolina. This haunting and touching tale unfolds over the course of a single day, when the captain is injured at sea, triggering a massive search for his missing vessel.

In July, SWIMMING LESSONS will be released as mass market-- a perfect size for your beach bag or suitcase! It’s the follow-up to THE BEACH HOUSE, with Toy Sooner now a single mother raising her young daughter at the beach while caring for injured sea turtles. The summer season evokes her abusive past and a parent’s worst nightmare, forcing Toy to find her own strength and courageously face her fears.

And finally, with great excitement I get to announce the November release of my first novel THE LONG ROAD HOME, which has been out of print since 1995. I have often jokingly referred to it as “the best book no one has read.” This is the story of socialite Nora MacKenzie, who is hit by both the shock of her estranged husband’s suicide and the news that his Wall Street dealings left her bankrupt. She flees to their small Vermont farm to sort out her life. This story of bank scandals and tough times is timely again. The only editing I’ve done is for anachronisms. Remember the “Walkman” or how everyone was called “Dude” back then? I think it is more interesting for my readers to see my writing early on in my career, and the story remains strong and compelling. And here’s a secret… The setting of the farm in Vermont is a depiction of our old family house there. I hope you enjoy the novel as much as I did reading it again after fifteen years!

As the books are released I will post more information on my website, so check in often. That’s where you can also find out about my scheduled appearances.  For those of you who live in the Naples, Fort Myers, Florida region, I’ll be visiting several stores in mid January. Then in February I’ll be attending the Savannah Book Festival. I’d love to meet you!

I’m also continuing this year to update my Facebook fan page.  It is a marvelous way, in our modern times, to keep in touch with my readers.  Plus, the weekly blog will continue to be a reflection on life and my books.  There will be one addition though.  My assistant, Angela, will periodically share her perspective about some of our many fun interactions and topics dear to my heart.

Meanwhile, I’m working on my latest novel, THE BUTTERFLY’S DAUGHTER. Those of you who have been visiting me on Facebook have seen photos of all the monarch butterflies that I raised last fall. This book will be released in hard cover from Simon and Schuster in 2011.

Expect to see a very special children’s book about butterflies that I’ve written, as well. This book will have beautiful photographs from Barbara Bergwerf, similar to what you enjoyed in TURTLE SUMMER.

Thank you for your love and support over the past years. I wish you a wonderful New Year full of adventure, joy, magic and peace.

‘Tis the Season for Traditions

The tree is up, stockings hung, cookies baked and presents wrapped (well, at least some of them). These are common scenes at my home and at millions of other homes this time of year. I truly love the Christmas season! I cherish the traditions associated with this holiday— the religious practices and the family rituals. 

One tradition in my household for the last thirty years has been that my husband, Markus, takes over the kitchen to make a delicious Christmas Eve family dinner. I don’t know exactly how it began; I think it evolved back in the day when he cooked dinner while I took our kids to the children’s mass at church. We always came home in a circuitous route so we could see the neighborhood lights and sing carols—and give Daddy a few extra minutes to finish dinner. It has evolved to be the most eagerly anticipated, and elaborate tradition of the Christmas season for my children and me. Markus stays mum on the menu, but he does send us a questionnaire at Thanksgiving that asks all of us interesting questions to help him plot his festive feast. Often he chooses a country we’ll visit and make an ethnic meal (complete with decorations). I remember the stroganoff from Russia, the Hawaiian luau in front of the fire, Dim Sum from China, and a French Bistro meal complete with Père à Fouetter, “Father Whipping” in a kind of French piñata! To this day we occasionally find a gag gift under the tree from Pere a Fouetter! Any male visiting our house on Christmas Eve is recruited and dons an apron to help. While they cook, the women and children head off to Christmas Eve mass.

One funny thing though about time-honored family traditions is they often change over the years. As our children reached adulthood and now begin to create their own families, the evolution of our traditions continues. My son has helped his father with the holiday dinner preparations for years. In February, Zachary will accept his commission in the Marines, so we don’t know if he’ll be eating dinner with us next year. So this year he is planning the entire menu. In Chicago, my son-in-law is trying his hand at making dinners for Claire and Jack.

As I look forward to another year of Christmas family traditions, I hope that your personal faith and family rituals elicit fond memories and heartfelt sentiments that bind you closer to each other this holiday season and in the New Year to come.

A Gift for my Grandson

It always begins with “Where’s Kiwi?” And it always ends with squeals of excitement from my grandson, Jack. He’s eighteen months old and the smartest child I’ve ever known his age. (of course…)

Kiwi is the name of one of my cats—a beautiful, calico patterned, long-haired house cat, who’s quite the talker. On any given day it is anybody’s guess as to where she is lounging in the house.

Jack fell in love with her during his visit with me last summer. Each day he asked “Where’s Kiwi” and would go searching throughout the house for her. When he went back home to Chicago, I didn’t want Jack to forget the fun he had at his “Mambo’s” house (the story behind how I acquired that endearing name must wait for a later blog). So, I decided to use my cat as a way to stay connected with my grandson.

Armed with a digital camcorder I began video taping my own feline search. You can see and hear me say, “Where’s Kiwi? Is she under the chair?”

I show the chair on video. “No. No Kiwi. Is she on the couch? No. No Kiwi. Is she under the table?”

On video you can see a puffy tail sticking out from beneath the table cover. I slowly raise the cloth and say, “Is Kiwi under the table? There’s Kiwi!”

My surprised and possibly irritated kitty looks up at the camera, meows and scampers off to her next hideaway. I do this recorded thirty-second routine once a week and email the video to my daughter for my grandson to watch. This grandmotherly gesture does not go unrewarded. In return, my daughter videotapes Jack watching and reacting to each edition of “Where’s Kiwi”. He responds to my voice, with his eyes wide and attentive, and then screams with glee clapping his hands when he discovers Kiwi.

Seeing that on my computer makes the miles between us not seem so vast. I feel the joy of watching him grow, and I love knowing that he remembers his Mambo’s voice. So, you might want to try it. What’s the name of your cat? Your dog? Do you have a video camera? (I use the simple Flip camera). Make a
short video and email it to your grandchild.

This is a personalized gift that anyone can do for a dear child or grandchild—something simple that invokes fun learning and symbolizes eternal love.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!!

Thoughts on Writing: Getting Your Story Published

"Writing is easy; I just open a vein and bleed" -Red Smith

If only getting your story published were as easy as following a no-fail magic formula! It takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and a stroke of luck too.

I’ve been asked the question more times than I can count: “How can I get my book published?” While I can’t guarantee anything, I do have a few tips for aspiring writers that have proven true in both my career and the careers of my fellow writers.

I strongly believe that up-and-coming writers benefit from attending conferences where book agents will be on hand. The closest one in my area is the annual South Carolina Writers Workshop Conference, which is held every October in Myrtle Beach.

Every writer should have a well-crafted, compelling two-minute sales pitch ready to be shared with anyone who asks "What’s your book about?"  Imagine if a top agent asked you that very question at a conference. Quick…what would you say?

Equally as important as your verbal sales pitch is your written one-- the query letter. If you haven’t already done so, make sure to research how to write a proper query letter and synopsis of your book. An excellent resource is the Guide to Literary Agents, which is updated yearly.

My final tip is to join a critique group for writers. You can find them through local book stores, writers’ organizations, and online. Many now-published authors said they benefited tremendously from being a part of such a group. Just remember to join the right kind—one that offers instructive criticism. For more on that topic, I covered that very issue in one of my blogs in November.

I wish you great success and fulfillment as you pursue your passion for storytelling. Remember, too, that you are a writer whether you get published or not. Good luck.