The Spark That Started it All

Are you like me after reading a really good book—wondering to yourself what sparked the idea behind the author’s story?  Memorable characters, suspenseful scenarios, unforgettable dialogue…I try to imagine what real-life experiences or observations in that writer’s life might have led to such a well-told story that kept me interested from cover to cover. 

I just returned home from a whirlwind book tour that has me both exhausted and exhilarated.  Exhausted because I’ve been on the road since the week before THE SUMMER GIRLS debut.  Exhilarated because I've received such amazing support and comments from readers and booksellers.  Thanks to all of you, this novel, book one of The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy, hit the main New York Times Best Sellers list.   

During the book signings, reading events and luncheons, readers often asked what was the spark behind THE SUMMER GIRLS? As I’ve mentioned in a previous post (Why Dolphins, Why Now), my style of writing weaves together the characters’ lives from my story world with the animals of our real world.  Nature is the inspiration for my novels.  I’ve long dreamed of writing about the bottlenose dolphins I often see here in the Lowcountry but the moment was just never right.  I hadn’t received a sign from above to write the novel; that is until one particular day at the South Carolina Aquarium.

While serving as a member of the board of directors, we were called together at the aquarium for an important meeting led by Philippe Cousteau—explorer, environmental activist and grandson of the famous Jacques Cousteau.  He was giving a special presentation about dolphins.  Coincidently, I had just watched a soul-stirring documentary on dolphin captivity in Japan called The Cove (an eye-opening, must-see film).  With Philippe were Dr. Stephen McCulloch of the Marine Mammal Research and Conservation program at Florida Atlantic University and Dr. Pat Fair, head of marine mammal studies at the Charleston branch of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).  They informed us that 48%--almost half--of the dolphins living in Charleston's estuarine waters were sick.   And 52% in Florida's estuarine waters.  I was shocked, as I'm sure you are, too.  It was during that meeting Philippe and Pat told me that it’s time to write the book about dolphins--now.  They understood how my novels can reach a wide range of readers, people who might not pick up a non-fiction article or book about dolphins. 

I dove first into academic research, learning everything I could about the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, the type of dolphin found in our waters.  I also began Photo IDs of our resident dolphins with Dr. Pat Fair.  Pat has since become my mentor in my research and a friend.  We zipped along the waterways in NOAA's Zodiac boat, stopping whenever a dolphin was sighted.  Photographs are taken of the dorsal fin.  These have unique markings similar to our fingerprints. The photos are then analyzed in the computers, dolphins identified, and the community health status observed.

Next I journeyed to the Florida Keys to volunteer at the Dolphin Research Center.  For several weeks I did whatever dirty job they asked me to do, slowly moving my way up the ladder to involvement with the dolphins.  I learned that dolphins are not only social and  highly intelligent creatures, but that they have huge personalities.  The second year's visit I volunteered in the Pathways program with a boy with special needs, and the Oddyssey program with wounded warriors.  I'll write more about these powerful experiences later.

During the many months of reading about, observing and working with the species, my story world opens up.  Characters take shape.  Plot develops.  Themes crystalize.  Everything starts coming together.  The dolphins taught me three major lessons: 

1) the power of communication
2) the importance of family and community bonds
3) to remember to laugh.  

From these lessons I created themes, then plot and characters.  Of the characters, there are two strong females, parallels that seam all three books together--Mamaw, the Muir grandmother and Delphine, the charismatic dolphin.   

THE SUMMER GIRLS isn’t about the bottlenose dolphin though.  It’s about three sisters, disconnected, unable to communicate and searching for their identities, brought together by their scheming grandmother, Mamaw, on hopes they will rediscover the bonds of family.  During a three-month stay at Mamaw’s Sea Breeze beach house, the women find their lifeline in a wild dolphin .

Little did I know that Philippe’s push to write the dolphin book I’d been dreaming of would become a trilogy!  And that leads me to the most frequently asked question I’ve been getting on tour, through my website and on Facebook—when’s the next installment coming out? 

The answer is…June 2014, my friends! 

Thank you for the massive support of THE SUMMER GIRLS, book one of The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy.  I'm already working on book two . I can’t wait to share more with you about the Muir girls and the beguiling dolphin, Delphine.

What did you find most interesting about the bottlenose dolphin in the novel?  What questions do you hope will be answered in the sequel?    

Why Dolphins, Why Now

 

MAM and Jax sharing a laugh at Dolphin Research Center

I get asked that a lot.  It’s a great question, considering that every novel I’ve published in the last decade is rooted in the natural environment of my surroundings, which we here in Charleston, South Carolina call the Lowcountry.  Sea turtles, birds of prey, butterflies, wild shrimp—the list goes on.  These natural elements aren’t the story themselves, but the inspiration.  I draw my story themes from what I learn from my volunteering.  My story world is authentic and the animals are so interwoven with my characters’ lives that they themselves become characters.  By the end of the book, you find yourself rooting for them—for their survival in both the story world and the real world.  

I’ve always loved dolphins.  Who doesn’t?  It must be that beguiling smile! Of all the species I’ve ever worked with—and I’ve worked with many—no other animal is self-aware or as intelligent as the dolphin.  If you are fortunate to get close enough to look a dolphin in the eye, you know you’re being just as closely regarded, even studied.   Because I live by the Atlantic Ocean, I'm fortunate to see dolphins leap from the waves, swim in pods on the creeks, and chase boats near the harbor.  I had been yearning to write a novel about a dolphin for quite some time. I have many species I want to write about, a long list.  I wait for some sign from the universe, some tapping on my intuition, a whispering that tells me "choose this one now." 

One day, during a special meeting for the board members of the South Carolina Aquarium, I got ‘the sign’ when guest Philippe Cousteau urged me to write a book set against the issues threatening dolphins today.  I had just seen the film, The Cove, and Dr. Pat Fair from NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) had informed us that almost half of the dolphins living in Charleston's estuarine waters were sick.   Shocking!  So I cannonballed off that proverbial dock into the world of wild dolphins and after three years of research surfaced with not one story but three! 

This was a first for me—intentionally writing a trilogy.  The Beach House series was written over a span of years as my work with the sea turtles expanded.  I jokingly say it was a trilogy ten years in the making.   In The Lowcountry Summer Trilogy, I am setting out to write a trilogy of books in which all of my characters are touched by the harrowing journey of one charismatic dolphin, Delphine.  It's the story of three granddaughters, one seaside summer, and one dolphin.   Sweet Delphine is the thread that connects all the books.  The first installment—THE SUMMER GIRLS—comes out June 25^th.  

In THE SUMMER GIRLS, the behavior of the dolphin and the interactions shared between Delphine and the women were inspired from my work with dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida and research with NOAA in Charleston, South Carolina.  What the women do, out of love for the dolphin, is in fact dangerous to the species’ well-being. 

I've always felt that the signs and TV ads that inform the public DO NOT FEED THE DOLPHINS don't amount to a hill of beans when one is staring at that beguiling face in a boat or from the dock.  Everyone thinks, "Aw, I want to make contact.  I want to share a moment with this creature.  What harm can one fish, or sandwich, this one small something do?"  Now, imagine thousands of people thinking this...  This is my character, Carson's journey.  Through her eyes, I bring you to that very real moment and allow you to experience with her the natural consequences.  It's so much more powerful to experience the raw emotions and passions.  As a storyteller, I rely on the old adage: Show don't tell.

My hope is that when you finish the final page of THE SUMMER GIRLS, you’ll find yourself excited to see what will happen next to the sisters—Carson, Eudora and Harper--and to Delphine.  And through the characters’ intimate and emotional relationship with a wild dolphin, you’ll feel an even deeper love for the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and see that you can make a difference. 

Want more?  Watch this brief interview about what compelled me to write about dolphins. 

You can also read an excerpt of THE SUMMER GIRLS at www.maryalicemonroe.com or my Author Facebook Page.  

What is it about dolphins that you love so much?  Share your story in the comments section.