I FELL IN LOVE WITH PAT CONROY

          



            I fell in love with Pat Conroy when I was in my thirties. He wooed me with his smooth talking, his mesmerizing metaphors, his biting Irish humor. He had me at “My wound is geography.” My love grew with each book of his that I read. I caressed the pages, poring over his words.

            Many people associate Pat Conroy with his vivid, heartbreakingly accurate descriptions of his dysfunctional family. They discuss the relationships between mother and son, brother and sister, and most certainly, father and son.

            When I think of Pat Conroy, however, I always connect with his sultry, salty descriptions of a landscape we lovingly call the Lowcountry. His passion for the vast, seductive wetlands teeming with life is vividly portrayed on every page. He reveals how the ocean and creeks provide a feast so that even the poorest of men can eat like a king. Conroy brings us fully into his story world, not only in the hearts of minds of his characters, but in the sights, scents and sounds of this unique part of the South he calls home.

            I, too, write stories set in the Lowcountry. I am inspired by this architect of words, this writer I have fallen in love with. His words sustain me. Over the past years I’ve been fortunate to meet Pat and call him friend. We share a love of the landscape and found a common ground as warriors to protect it. But I do not compare myself to Pat Conroy. Nor should any other writer of the Lowcountry, not even the South. We all owe a debt to this literary groundbreaker. There is only one Prince of Tides.  

           Join us Oct. 29-31 in Beaufort, SC for "Pat Conroy at 70," a literary festival celebrating South Carolina's prince of titles.  Click here for details. 

BEHIND THE NOVEL: A MOTHER-DAUGHTER PERSPECTIVE

The publisher sent me this last week-- a box of THE SUMMER'S END. This is my first time seeing my story in book form. It's such a thrill!  And it can only mean one thing... pub day is almost here!

In just two weeks THE SUMMER'S END will hit store shelves and I'm excited to share the final installment of the Lowcountry Summer Trilogy with you.  This book cover has special meaning to me; the model is my daughter Gretta.  She's also the inspiration of one of the trilogy's main characters.

Recently, we were asked by women's fiction book website XOXOAfterDark to share the details on how the cover came to be and talk about our special mother-daughter relationship in a guest blog post.  Here it is: THE SUMMER'S END: A MOTHER DAUGHTER LOOK BEHIND THE NOVEL

I enjoyed hearing my daughter's perspective on our relationship and my work. Feel free to ask us follow-up questions after reading this.  And make sure to go to the end of the blog post to see a short video that inspired THE SUMMER'S END cover.

I can't believe the book comes out in two weeks and I hit the road for book tour.  I'm excited to reconnect with friends, booksellers and readers, plus make new friends along the way.  Am I coming to a city near you?  CLICK HERE to see my book tour schedule.

And I'm kicking the tour off with an official Book Launch Party at the South Carolina Aquarium, May 18th in Charleston, SC.  If you're local or want to take a fun road trip with friends, come celebrate with me!  CLICK HERE for the invitation.  Let's launch THE SUMMER'S END together!