Road Trip!
Mary Kay Andrews newest novel and What I'd Take on a Road Trip (snacks included)
Twenty-five years (or so ago), I was at a Christmas party hosted by my husband’s company in Atlanta, Georgia. There was a woman named Kathy Trocheck at this party, and I’d heard a rumor that she was an author. I cornered her and I whispered, “I’m trying to write a book. Will you go out to lunch with me.” She answered with an enthusiastic, “Yes!” And Kathy, now publishing as Mary Kay Andrews, has been my ride-or-die author pal through all the ups and downs of publishing ever since.
(Scroll on down for what I’d take on my own road trip as well as more information about the novel, and links to MKA’s epic road trip!)
I would go on any road trip with MKA and today her newest novel, ROAD TRIP is out and I can’t wait for all of you to love this journey to Ireland as much as I did.
In ROAD TRIP MKA takes us on the adventure of a lifetime as two estranged sisters honor their mother’s dying wish to travel to Ireland to uncover the provenance of a mysterious and potentially priceless family portrait. Along the way there’s mystery, romance, intrigue, cozy pubs, charming men with Irish accents, and a cocker spaniel named Sinéad O’Cocker.
This is MKA’s first book in two years and, of her 34 published works, it’s her most personal novel to date. For inspiration, she mined her own Irish immigrant grandmother’s story of leaving Ireland a penniless orphan to make a new life for herself in the States. The other key inspiration for ROAD TRIP is a somewhat mysterious portrait of brewing heiress Oonagh Guinness that recently sold for a hefty price at an Atlanta auction. When MKA pondered how on earth that portrait had traveled from County Wicklow to Atlanta, Georgia, the seed for ROAD TRIP was planted.
Sales during the first week of a book’s publication are so important to its overall trajectory. If you love the book like I did, I hope you’ll leave reviews on sites like Amazon and GoodReads. If you choose ROAD TRIP for your book club, check out the discussion guide available on MKA’s website.
Find out more about the book and find buy links HERE. Save the dates and grab your tickets to meet MKA on her massive BOOK TOUR.
And if you’re anywhere near the Savannah area, I hope you’ll GET TICKETS to come meet MKA, me & Kristin Harmel as we take our Friends & Fiction show on the road for an in-person event with all of us live on-stage together on Wed., June 3rd hosted by E. Shaver Booksellers at the Otis Johnson Cultural Arts Center in the downtown historic district.
Every Savannah ticketholder will get an exclusive Road Trip luggage tag courtesy of MKA (available only for attendees of this event) and will automatically be entered to win a 2-night stay at a 3-bedroom townhouse steps from Forsyth Park care of Lucky Savannah Vacation Rentals. I can’t wait to see lots of readers there!
The very next evening, I will be together with MKA again in Charleston. Grab your tickets from Buxton Books and come see us!
What I’d Take on a Road Trip
Music: Right now, my favorite Spotify channel is Chris Stapleton Radio. I can drive forever with song after song about love, the open road and again, love.
AudioBook: Road Trip read by Kathleen McInerney.
Snacks: Obsessed with this protein popcorn white cheddar flavor!
Read: I just finished Kristin Harmel’s newest Meet Me in Paris and I was charmed to no ends! I am still thinking about the characters, whose stories all come together so beautifully. I am also reading an advance copy of Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt by Ben Reeves and it is blowing me away. It comes out in July and you’re going to want to get a hold of a copy.
Podcast: The Shit No One Tells You About Writing.
Movie on Ipad (if you are riding shotgun): H is for Hawk. The beauty of this movie is mind blowing. Claire Foy is a wonder, and the hawk stole my heart.
Now, run out and buy Road Trip by MKA and more from me soon.
Xo
PCH
Upcoming Events
SAVANNAH, GA | Wednesday, June 3, 6:30pm —Join me and my Friends & Fiction sister Kristin Harmel as we gather to celebrate the launch of Mary Kay Andrews’s new book Road Trip with a big F&F Live! event. We’ll be on stage at the Otis Johnson Cultural Arts Center in Savannah’s downtown historic district hosted by E.Shaver Booksellers. Get tickets!
CHARLESTON, SC | Thursday, June 4, 6:00pm—I’ll be in conversation with Mary Kay Andrews all about her new book, Road Trip, at Lance Hall at Charleston’s Circular Congregational Church on Meeting Street hosted byBuxton Books. Get tickets!
Friends & Fiction
We’ve got four amazing guests coming up in June! Join us each Wednesday all month long as we welcome Annabel Monaghan, Ann Patchett, Lisa See, and Lisa Jewell. And be sure to stay tuned for our July-September guest line-up which is coming together as we speak!
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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. Patti is the co-host and co-creator of the popular weekly web show, podcast, and online community, Friends & Fiction.
She lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband. Her newest novel, The Story She Left Behind was released on March 18th, 2025. And her next will be out in April of 2027 — more news forthcoming!
Be sure to follow Patti on social media and visit her website for the latest updates & announcements and appearances!
Happy Pub Day to MKA! And then the countdown to Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel! What a great summer of books it has been. I loved Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt and look forward to that book release as well.
I can’t wait to read this book. I love your Things I’d Take on a Road Trip list!