A Wedding, Travel, A New Book, and A HAPPIER LIFE
Kristy Woodson Harvey's New Book is Out This Week!
Sometimes life brings everything all at once! Weddings, Travel, Books, and A HAPPIER LIFE.
First, the wedding! When my son, Thomas was young, I imagined his wedding. I joked about the funny pictures I’d put up at his rehearsal dinner and the stories I would tell about him to his new wife. I thought about the toasts and how we’d celebrate great love. And then it happened! And it was more wonderful than I had imagined. My son married the most kind, beautiful, and loving woman and now I have another daughter. I did tell those stories and I did show those photos and there was so much love all around.
During all this family time, we’ve done everything from a wild trip to Disney World, to South Carolina, to the mountains, and now we are just back from Scotland and Sweden for another family wedding. And, in the midst of all of that, I had a trip to New York to attend the Authors Guild gala and to meet with my publisher about my newest release in March, The Story She Left Behind.
And in the midst of all of that, I am here with the things that are inspiring me now through this beautiful time with my family (including my granddaughters!)
A HAPPIER LIFE IS IN STORES THIS WEEK!
Did you also hear the fantastic news? My Friends & Fiction sister Kristy Woodson Harvey’s A HAPPIER LIFE is out tomorrow, Tuesday, June 25th! Mary Kay Andrews called it “that wistful, sparkling summer song whose notes will long linger in reader’s memories.” Such a lovely description of this bookcation to Kristy’s own town of Beaufort, NC, where a historic home holds a long-buried family secret.
Inspired by the unusual deaths of Kristy’s great aunt and uncle in the 1970s (deaths that, in her mind, were never quite “solved”) and an abandoned house that she was one of the first people to enter after it had been closed up for fifty years, this novel is the culmination of two events that have occupied her imagination for decades.
A HAPPIER LIFE has topped “must-read” lists of summer on Katie Couric, Cosmopolitan, Parade, Reader’s Digest, and so many more, and Annabel Monaghan summed it up as: “a family mystery wrapped in a love story (that) is also a gracious nod to tradition and the people who came before us,” proclaiming it “the novel to read this year!”
Emily Giffin declared, “This novel needs to be in your beach bag,” and I couldn’t agree more! Grab your copy from your local indie, visit Kristy on tour, or purchase from the Friends & Fiction Bookshop.org page or wherever books are sold!
WHAT IS INSPIRING ME NOW
BOOK: A Happier Life by Kristy Woodson Harvey. It inspires me to think about all the ways I can make other people’s life more beautiful!
SUBSTACK: Brooke Lea Foster’s Author Confessions (as well as her new book out just now called All the Summers in Between, which I adored). This Substack has the most fascinating interviews with authors, and it’s a do-not-miss!
TREAT: Atone Matcha in the afternoon. It’s the perfect afternoon pick-me-up, a Radiant Matcha is grown in a cool, pristine valley at the southernmost tip of Japan, in the volcanic mineral-rich soils of Sakurajima. Our farmers use multi-generational methods of truly organic farming, ensuring strict conscience for the purest quality and health-enhancing teas.
EVENT: The Author’s Guild Gala reminded me that the freedom of language and story is vitally important. With speakers like Jesmyn Ward, Ken Burns, LeVar Burton and others, I was inspired and moved. The Friends and Fiction crew sponsored a table and had the best time.
NEWS
Meanwhile, you can check out all the newest right HERE! Including…
Just a few days ago, I revealed the title and the cover for my March 2025 novel, The Story She Left Behind. Get all the details on my website HERE.
This feature in the Salisbury Post.
This feature in Woman’s World magazine that included The Secret Book of Flora Lea in their list of 12 Must-Read Books About Books: From Historical Fiction to Romance and More!
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.
EVENTS
I’ve got several events happening this summer!
First up, I’ll be in St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday, June 28th!
Come see me and my Friends & Fiction sisters all together in-person on Friday, June 28th in St. Louis! We are all gathering to celebrate the launch of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s new novel A HAPPIER LIFE in grand F&F style at a garden party and author panel hosted by the St. Louis County Library and The Novel Neighbor. GET TICKETS now!
After that, I’ve got a string of events, both in-person and virtual, to support The Secret Book of Flora Lea and the “If All Arkansas Read the Same Book” program:
• Gravette, AR — July 14, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
• Arkadelphia, AR — July 15, 2024, 12:00 p.m.
• Conway, AR — July 15, 2024, 7:00 p.m.
• Virtual Gathering of Book Clubs, hosted by the Independence County Library — August 8, 2024, 2:00 p.m.
Always keep an eye on the EVENTS PAGE on my website for the latest news.
FRIENDS & FICTION
We are busy as ever over at Friends and Fiction!
Did you catch last week’s LIVE episode where we celebrated the launch of my dear friend Kristy Woodson Harvey’s new novel A HAPPIER LIFE? If you didn’t tune in live last Wednesday night, you can watch it now on our Facebook page and YouTube channel or listen on our podcast.
Coming up this week…
Join us on Wednesday, June 26th at 7pm ET to watch our next episode of The Friends & Fiction Show with Ron Block and me interviewing the New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End, Chris Whitaker, to discuss his brilliant new novel, ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK, a soaring thriller and an epic love story that spans decades. Watch the video broadcast as it airs on Wed 6/26 at 7pm ET on F&F’s Facebook & YouTube, and catch it on our podcast Fri 6/28.
Keep an eye on the EVENTS PAGE on my website so we can see each other whenever I’m out on the road.
For now, back to planning for the March 2025 release and book tour for The Story She Left Behind—and plotting the book after that!
That’s all for now, my friends.
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!
Patti, congratulations to your son and that is the most beautiful family photo! Thanks for sharing. I love the cover for The Story She Left Behind and am so looking forward to reading it! Can't wait! Hope to see you soon!
What a fabulous update, friend!