A LOWCOUNTRY WEDDING BOOK COVER REVEAL!!!

It's thrilling for me to see the cover of one of my novels for the first time.  The charge never gets old. I think it's gorgeous, thanks to the talented team at Gallery Books.  To me, the dock symbolizes the lowcountry, and more, is important given the significance of the dock at Sea Breeze in the trilogy. 
That bride could even be Harper.  What do you think?

A book cover reveal makes the writing process come into sharper focus, especially when you're still crafting chapters!  Even though there is a lot left to do before next year's book release, the journey of writing A LOWCOUNTRY WEDDING is meaningful.  I'm excited to share it with you May 2016!

Thank you, wonderful readers, for making The Lowcountry Summer Series a bestselling success and for wanting to read more about the Muir sisters--Eudora, Carson and Harper--and their charming grandmother Mamaw, and of course Delphine.  All will be included as The Lowcountry Summer Series continues.  

Save the date my friends for May 3, 2016 because you're invited to enjoy A LOWCOUNTRY WEDDING.

Click here for A LOWCOUNTRY WEDDING book description

HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!

Born May 19, 2015
On store shelves now!

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU… To my fans, who lined the block outside of the South Carolina Aquarium, Monday night in Charleston, SC for the official book launch party of THE SUMMER’S END.

Nearly 300 came to the book launch party!

THANK YOU... To my team and the aquarium staff who organized this huge party.

Thanking the crowd and sharing exciting news!

THANK YOU... to my publisher, Gallery Books, for continuing to give me the opportunity to share my stories with readers around the world.

My amazing editor, Lauren McKenna flew in to town.

THANK YOU... to my family for always believing in me and uplifting me.

Signing books 

And  THANK YOU... for being a reader, buying my books, and telling your friends about my novels.  Without you, I would not be celebrating this book release, one that marks twenty years for me as a published author.  I’m incredibly grateful for this milestone.  

Nearly 300 friends and fans came to the Aquarium to celebrate THE SUMMER'S END book launch with me.  People from near and far.  Some drove from Charlotte and Highland, North Carolina.  Others drove in early from North Myrtle Beach, and a handful flew into town from Ohio.  And my dear sweet daughter Gretta, endured delayed flights and layovers from Los Angeles to Charleston, just to be with me.  

Gretta made it! I'm one very happy mama.

Thank you all for making this book release extra special.  You made me feel like a beautiful queen. It's a night I will never forget!

With THE SUMMER’S END now out on store shelves, I’m on the road for book tour.  I do hope you’ll join me at an event near you.  We’ll talk, we’ll laugh and we’ll celebrate together our love for great books! 

Click here for book tour schedule.    Click here to order your copy today.

Watch this short video for a little back story about THE SUMMER’S END:

When you finish the final page of THE SUMMER’S END, take heart.  All is not entirely over.  My publisher has asked me to continue the story of Mamaw, and her three granddaughters—Eudora, Carson, and Harper.  And this time, someone’s getting married!  Look for the new book, LOWCOUNTRY WEDDING (working title) next summer.  

For now though, I hope you thoroughly enjoy this next installment of the Lowcountry Summer Series.  

SWEETGRASS: Then and Now

Almost six years after its nationwide debut, my Lowcountry novel SWEETGRASS is gearing up for a springtime comeback. This May will be the first time it appears at bookstores in trade paperback (It’s one of four paperback releases this year).

In preparation for this literary redux, the publisher has given the book cover a makeover (I think the pop of green and yellow color is eye-catching).

As for the story of Mama June Blakely-- her family’s crisis and unlocked secrets—I left the story untouched.

I was inspired to write this story by watching a woman’s strong hands weave together the disparate grasses into a work of art. How like a mother and her family, I thought. And in a flash I knew what my story would be about.

During Mama June’s tumultuous personal journey, the reader also learns about the intricate southern art of weaving sweetgrass baskets. The story raised many harsh realities about the current issues threatening this centuries-old craft.

I’m delighted to report that since its first publication in 2005, some progress has been made to help preserve the ancient African art of Sweetgrass basket weaving.

• Sweetgrass basketry was named South Carolina’s state handcraft in 2006.
• In 2006, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was designated by Congress, thus helping protect one of Southern America’s unique cultures shaped by enslaved West Africans.
• In 2009, the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Pavilion opened at the new Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park in South Carolina, in an effort to help keep the basketmaking tradition alive.
• Local efforts have been made to encourage residents to plant sweetgrass for basketmakers.

However, commercial and residential development in coastal islands and marshes continue to make the indigenous sweetgrass difficult to find. It’s an ongoing issue, one that was prevalent when I was writing SWEETGRASS years ago and continues today. Southern coastal communities must continue to work to find ways to protect our precious coastal resources.

My hope is that anyone who reads or re-reads SWEETGRASS when it’s released in May will enjoy this family saga of a plantation family and come to appreciate the sweetgrass basketmaking culture.

If you don’t have a sweetgrass basket in your home, go out to the new Cultural Arts Pavilion in Mt. P, or to the Market in Charleston, or stop at one of the many basket stands along Hwy 17. Each sewer is a unique artist. By learning about the baskets, you’ll better understand the cost and appreciate that the baskets are a historic and impressive art form of the Lowcountry. I adore them and have them all over my house. 

Here's a photo of the baskets in my office.