1--What is the title of your latest release?
THE LIGHT ON HORN ISLAND
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
When Edie Gardner suffers a heartbreaking loss, her grandmother, Adele “Punk” Cheramie, urges her to return to Bayou du Chene, a coastal Mississippi hamlet where Edie spent many happy summers growing up. Punk and her three closest friends help Edie heal and introduce her to a mysterious antique dealer who will change her life in ways she never could have imagined.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
I tend to lead with place, meaning I know where I want to take readers before I know exactly what my characters will do there. Coastal Mississippi has a certain undercurrent that you won’t find anyplace else. My fascination with this area and with the great storms that have shaped it made Mississippi an easy choice for me.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
Absolutely, if I were in my twenties again! Edie is the college roommate you’d hope for—fun-loving but considerate and kind, curious, intelligent, open about her insecurities even as she encourages others. She’s not perfect, and she doesn’t have it all figured out, but that’s what makes her approachable. Also, she loves Otis Redding and Elvis, so what’s not to like?
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
kind, curious, open
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned a lot about certain residents of heaven, but if I say more than that, I’ll give too much away.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Edit, edit, edit, edit, edit. Repeat.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Cheese dip and salty chips.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
Oh dear. This question makes me a little sad. I USED to have a tiny little cottage with a front porch, right next to our house in Birmingham. I called it the Story Shack. But we sold our house and moved, so right now I’m writing in a spare bedroom with packing boxes stacked all around me. The good news: It overlooks a gorgeous cotton field, so I have an inspiring view even if my workspace is less than ideal. Not to worry. I’m busy plotting my next Story Shack.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Eudora Welty
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
To Kill a Mockingbird
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
I had just gone back to work for Southern Living magazine after a 5-year stint as a freelancer. (I was not a good freelancer.) I can’t remember if I got an initial call or email, but somehow Kelsey Bowen, who became my editor and spirit guide at Revell, set up a time to talk at length. It was in the middle of the day, so I took the call in my car on my lunch hour. I don’t remember what exactly we said, but I do remember that when the call ended, I squealed out loud in my car.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
Kind of a tie between Southern fiction and history.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
On the Waterfront
15--What is your favorite season?
I used to be all about summer, but now I really look forward to fall every year.
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
By pretending I’m still 30! I used to tell my husband he could never go wrong with jewelry, especially if it came from a locked glass case.
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Leanne Morgan’s I’m Every Woman standup comedy special on Netflix. I could be having the worst day ever, and this hilarious Tennessee mom would make me laugh.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Downhome Southern cooking.
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Right now, I’m a caregiver, so I don’t have very much free time. But we recently moved back to the small town where I grew up, so I’m planning to take some long walks through the cotton fields and see what books I can dream up.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I want to write so many books! More Southern novels, of course, but I’d also like to do a fun gift book—a mix of recipes, short essays, and humor—based on the women in my family. And children’s books. And I’m sure some more books that I haven’t thought of yet.
Southern Women's Fiction about Community, Sisterhood, and Self-Discovery Set in Mississippi
Just when her life comes crumbling down, she discovers secrets that could shape her future—and heal her past.
When Edie Gardner's life in New York falls apart, her grandmother Adele "Punk" Cheramie coaxes her back to tiny Bayou du Chêne, Mississippi. Edie spent many happy summers there, a stone's throw from untamed Horn Island, where she once found love. Can she now demystify the island's strange new light?
Punk and her colorful friends introduce Edie to the Trove, a fascinating gallery and antique shop. Like Horn Island's light, The Trove has appeared out of nowhere. Its proprietor, with a gift for discerning his customers' needs, gives Edie a Victorian parlor game that asks players a series of personal questions, which is harmless fun at first. But Edie and her grandmother's circle find that the game has a way of uncovering secrets, including a heartbreak that has haunted one of the women for decades. Banding together, this Southern sisterhood is determined to find answers that will bring healing, hope, and happiness—and maybe explain the transcendent illumination of a wild and windswept barrier island.
Women's Fiction Southern [Revell, On Sale: April 29, 2025, Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780800741617 / eISBN: 9781493448685]
Valerie Fraser Luesse is the author of Almost Home and the bestselling, Christy Award–winning Missing Isaac. Her third novel, The Key to Everything, was inspired by a true story. An award-winning magazine writer, Luesse is best known for her features and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently the senior travel editor.
Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, she has published major pieces on the Gulf Coast, the Mississippi Delta, Acadian Louisiana, and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana won the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society.
The author lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave—and a mischievous orange cat named Cheeto.
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