New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of the freshest and most popular voices in southern women’s fiction. Her latest book, A HAPPIER LIFE, was released in late June and became an instant bestseller. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Kristy as our guest this month.
Marie: Kristy, I could go on and on about your wonderful new novel, A HAPPIER LIFE! However, in the interest of brevity, could you share the book’s basic premise and plot?
Kristy: Oh, wow! That is so kind of you. Thank you so much! In a very small nutshell, it’s about a woman who discovers that her mother never sold the childhood home she shared with her parents who passed away in an accident. Keaton returns to Beaufort, North Carolina to put the house on the market and, in the process, comes to realize that the stories she has been told about her grandparents might not be totally true.
Marie: The idea of having Keaton return to a family home that’s been virtually untouched for fifty years is such an intriguing premise. Where did you get the inspiration for that portion of the story?
Kristy: When I was a child, we moved to a new neighborhood. The house across the street had been empty for fifty years. I was one of the first people to go inside that house, and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that the Thanksgiving meal was still on the table. I had forgotten all about it, but, when I sat down to write this book, all those memories came flooding back.
Marie: Something that grabbed me right off was fact that the first chapter is told from the point of view of the long-abandoned house, who longs for the return of the family. It was so poignant and instantly imbued the story with a strong sense of place, which has long been a hallmark of your work. But I’m wondering what it was like to set a book where you live? Was it easy? Or did you find yourself doing extra research, trying to see your hometown with fresh eyes?
Kristy: We have lived full time in Beaufort, NC for almost eight years now, and I think I finally felt like I knew it well enough to write about it in this book. I had lived there long enough to really understand what it was like as a place, but for not so long that I no longer recognized the things that made it special, if that makes sense. It felt like a big responsibility to get it right, but the feedback has been good so far!
Marie: Was the Saint James home modeled after any particular house in Beaufort? One you’ve lived in, or visited, or simply admired?
Kristy: It was indeed. Mine! The only real difference is that the library is downstairs in the Saint James House, and, in my house, it’s upstairs.
Marie: Rebecca Saint James, also known as Becks, is the grandmother Keaton never knew and such a vibrant, brave, remarkable woman. Where did the inspiration for her come from?
Kristy: Her name came from my great-aunt, who passed away before I was born in the accident that inspired this story. But the character herself is quite a bit like my grandmother, who found true joy in a life that often centered around taking care of others. She was incredible, and each of the tips at the beginning of the chapters were something I could easily imagine her saying to me!
Marie: As the story progresses, Keaton learns so much about so many things – herself, her family, her relationships, and the patterns and habits that are preventing her from living a happier life. There’s just lot of food for thought here! What themes in A Happier Life were most important to you personally? And what do you hope readers will take away from the story?
Kristy: This is the first novel I’ve ever written, where, if you take the stories apart, they really can’t stand on their own. (In my opinion!) And the reason for that was because I wanted to explore how uncovering what made Becks happy informs Keaton’s next steps on the journey to her own happiness. Keaton is searching for a happier life; Becks couldn’t have had a happier one. But what a happier life looks like for each of us is so subjective—and subject to change.
I think the real message here is that we don’t have to stay in the same place. We don’t have to choose something and stick with it forever. We change and grow and what makes us happy does too. So, I think maybe the real take away here is that we have to keep searching for a happier life. And it’s never too late to find it.
The historic houses in the seaside town of Beaufort, North Carolina, have held the secrets of their inhabitants for centuries. One of the most enduring refuses to be washed away by the tide: What happened to Rebecca and Townsend Saint James on that fateful night of their disappearance in 1976?
Now, the granddaughter they never knew, Keaton Smith, is desperate for a fresh start. So when her mother needs someone to put her childhood home in Beaufort on the market, she jumps at the chance to head south. But the moment she steps foot inside the abandoned house, which has been closed for nearly fifty years, she wonders if she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Wading through the detritus of her grandparents’ lives, Keaton finds herself enchanted by their southern traditions—and their great, big love. As she gets to know her charming next-door neighbor, his precocious ten-year-old son, and a flock of endearingly feisty town busybodies, Keaton begins to wonder if the stories she has been told about her grandparents are true.
Keaton’s grandmother, Rebecca “Becks” Saint James’s annual summer suppers are the stuff of legend, and locals and out-of-towners alike clamor for an invitation to her stunning historic home. But, in the summer of 1976, she’s struggling behind the facade of the woman who can do it all—and facing a problem that even she can’t solve.
As Keaton and Becks face new challenges and chapters, they are connected through time by the house on Sunset Lane, which has protected the secrets, hopes, and dreams of their family for generations.
Women's Fiction Contemporary | Romance Contemporary [Gallery Books, On Sale: June 25, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781668012192 / ]
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly best-selling author of nine novels including Under the Southern Sky, The Peachtree Bluff Series, and The Wedding Veil. Her Peachtree Bluff Series is currently in development with NBC with Kristy as co-writer and co-executive producer. She is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing, a finalist for the Southern Book Prize, and her books have received numerous accolades including Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks, and Katie Couric’s Most Anticipated Reads.
She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be the catalyst for creating a beautiful life. Design Chic is the inaugural member of the design blogger hall of fame, sponsored by Traditional Home, and winner of Amara’s Best Luxury Blog, as chosen by Roberto Cavalli. She also loves connecting with readers her website.
Harvey is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism and holds a master’s in English from East Carolina University, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Southern Living, Traditional Home, Parade, USA Today, Domino, Our State and O. Henry. She has been seen in Today.com, Women’s Health, The Washington Post, US News and World Report, The Huffington Post, Marie Claire’s The Fix, Woman’s World, Readers’ Digest, Bustle, New York Live and North Carolina Bookwatch, among others.
Kristy is a co-founder and co-host of the hit weekly webshow and podcast, Friends & Fiction, with fellow authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel and Patti Callahan Henry. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy Writers, serves on the board of The University of North Carolina’s Library Board, the Beaufort Historical Association, and is a member of the University of North Carolina’s Women’s Leadership Council. She is a frequent speaker at fundraisers, book conferences and private events. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and ten-year-old son where she is working on her next novel.
When not curled up with a good book, Marie Bostwick can usually be found in her office, trying to write one.
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of eighteen uplifting works of historical and contemporary fiction, Marie’s books are beloved by readers across the globe.
Drawing on her lifelong love of quilting and her unshakable belief in the power of sisterhood, Marie’s popular Cobbled Court Quilt series has been embraced by quilters and non-sewers alike. Her standalone books have also found a passionate following among lovers of women’s fiction. Marie’s novel, The Second Sister” was adapted into the 2018 Hallmark Hall of Fame feature film “Christmas Everlasting”, starring Patti LaBelle. Marie’s most recent novel, Hope on the Inside, was published in March 2019 and was chosen as a Reader’s Digest “Select Editions” book.
Marie’s latest endeavor is Fiercely Marie, a lifestyle blog that encourages women to live every minute and love every moment. She is currently working on her next novel, “The Restoration of Celia Fairchild”, which will be published by William Morrow in the spring of 2021.
Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
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