A Trip to England, A Paperback Tour, and Things Inspiring Me Now.
Dear Readers,
I have just returned from a land they say is created by fire but carved by ice, and I could not love that description more! I was visiting the Lake District of England, and I know I left part of myself in that landscape. I’ve always believed that external geography can change our internal landscape, and the land and lakes of this region will be no different for me.
This was the landscape that inspired some of our favorite artists and writers like Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth, and Arthur Ransome, just to name a few. I know it inspired me.
I have loads of photos and videos on my Instagram if you want to check it out! I’ll be talking more and more about it as we draw nearer to next year’s novel, but for now – let’s talk about the PAPERBACK TOUR for The Secret Book of Flora Lea!
I am so thrilled to get back on the road to meet readers. There are some exciting things coming up, including bookstore visits, wineries, Instagram takeovers, and a conversation with Kristin Hannah! You can check it all out HERE.
In case you missed it last time, I have a BOOK CLUB KIT for The Secret Book of Flora Lea, and it includes a travel photo journal, a short story inspired by a real child evacuee from London, and so much more.
ABOUT THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA
Out this week in trade paperback, The Secret Book of Flora Lea was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Barnes & Noble National Book Club pick, and Amazon Editor’s Pick when it was first released in hardcover last year. When a woman discovers a rare book with connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood in the English countryside during World War II are revealed in this “beguiling blend of hope, mystery, and true familial love” (Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author). The novel was called “a poignant meditation on the bonds of sisterhood” by Publishers Weekly and “an enchanting tribute to the power of storytelling” in a starred review in Kirkus Reviews. Learn much more about the book HERE.
INSPIRATION
Meanwhile, I will always leave you with the things that are inspiring me now.
BOOK: The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks
Yes, the landscape of the Lake District is a land of poets, writers, and artists from Beatrix Potter to William Wordsworth, but it is also a land tended to by shepherds and farmers across generations. I wanted to know both worlds, and I know you’ll love reading about it.
SUBSTACK: Padraig O’Tuama—an Irish poet—I love everything he puts into the world. He inspires me.
QUOTE: “There is something to be said for having a small collection of things that make you happy.” Beatrix Potter said this. And when I visited her little house called Hill Top last week, I saw so many of those collections. I have my own little collections of rocks, feathers, photos, quotes, cards, and so much more all around my office. Yes, they make me happy!
NEWS
BOOKBUB INSTAGRAM LIVE: Join me TODAY, Mon 4/1 at 4pm ET over on the Instagram feed for BookBub as I do a live Q&A, answering all your questions about The Secret Book of Flora Lea. What do you want to talk about?! Come at me with your questions! And all day long today I’ll be taking over BookBub’s Insta Stories, with insights into my inspiration, writing process, daily routine, tour, etc.
I’ll be doing TWO MORE live events on Instagram too! Join me Tuesday, April 2 for an Instagram stories takeover on the Books-a-Million Instagram feed. And on Tuesday, April 9, at 12:30pm ET, I’ll be in conversation with #1 NYT bestselling author Kristin Hannah on the Barnes & Noble Instagram feed.
ARKANSAS STATEWIDE READ: The Secret Book of Flora Lea was chosen as the selection for 2024’s “If All Arkansas Read the Same Book” annual, statewide reading program. This program is designed to encourage the enjoyment of reading and promote book discussion in libraries of all types across Arkansas. I’m honored that they chose my book and look forward to traveling through the state of Arkansas in July to talk with readers all about it! Read all about it HERE.
FRIENDS & FICTION
We are busy as ever over at Friends and Fiction!
Join us on Wednesday, April 3rd at 7pm ET to watch this week’s episode of The Friends & Fiction Show with Mary Kay Andrews & Kristin Harmel interviewing #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline to discuss THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS, her latest pulse-pounding domestic thriller about family and justice, the ties that bind us, and the lies that tear us apart. Watch the video broadcast as it airs on Wed 4/3 at 7pm ET on F&F’s Facebook & YouTube, and catch it on our podcast Fri 4/5.
We’ve got a lot to look forward to this season on F&F! Take a look at our full Spring guest line-up!
Lucky me as I get to be the host for three incredible guests—Jo Piazza on the 4/10 show, Sunny Hostin on the 5/29 show, and Lisa Wingate on the 6/12 show. Stay tuned to our YouTube channel, too, as we have some great bonus “Behind the Book” mini-episodes, like THIS ONE where Kristin Harmel and I got to chat with Emmy Award-winning news anchor Alisyn Camerota about her new memoir Combat Love. I hope you’ll also sign up for the F&F Substack, too, as we always have great content there. Coming up this month, we will have a roundtable chat with the four F&F hosts and founders about debut novels, how we each got our start, who helped us along the way, how we pay that forward—and we’ll even include a big, juicy round-up of loads of new and noteworthy debut novels we hope you’ll keep on your radar.
That’s it for now as I hit the road for book tour!
Loads of Love,
PCH
ABOUT PATTI CALLAHAN HENRY
New York Times Bestselling Author and Podcast Host
Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Globe and Mail bestselling author of seventeen novels and a podcast host. She is the recipient of The Christy Award—A 2019 Winner "Book of the Year”; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year for 2020; and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for 2019.
Patti is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly web show, podcast, and online community, Friends & Fiction.
A full-time author, mother of three, and grandmother of two, she lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama, with her husband, Pat Henry. Her newest novel, The Secret Book of Flora Lea, is set outside Oxford in the hamlet of Binsey and was released on May 2nd, 2023, by Atria (Simon & Schuster).
Be sure to follow Patti on social media and visit my website for the latest updates and announcements!
I'm so glad your Lake District trip went well. I remember the "multiple suitcases conundrum" post. It's so beautiful though, isn't it? Sending best wishes. Always love listening to the podcast whenever I can, and (again) THE SECRET LIFE OF FLORA LEA was such a treat to read. My English family members love how meticulous your research was, and my dad (who usually restricts his reading to Dickens, Eliot, Greene, Byng, Kipling, and British murder mysteries lately) devoured FLORA LEA. He kept saying, "This is exactly what it was like when we were being evacuated during the war. She is a terrific author!"--
Enjoy a wonderful week, and a lovely tour. If you ever find yourself in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, well, I'll make sure I'm right there in the front row. If not, I'll find you somewhere along the way during my travels elsewhere. ~ 🌿🦋📚
As a fellow anglophile, it was such a pleasure to read about your trip. It sounds like it was inspiring, and, I hope, refreshing!