What is the title of your latest release?
DOWN ON THE SOUTH BEACH DRAG
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
It’s 1972 and eighteen-year-old Maeve O’Connor must win a photography contest to escape her suffocating, conservative family and attend her dream college in Manhattan. But where can she find arresting subjects? She sets her sights on Asbury Park, New Jersey, a once-thriving seaside resort where artists, musicians, side-show entertainers, carnies and alternative lifestyles thrive on the boardwalk in plain sight.
After convincing her parents to let her go, Maeve falls in love with Georgie, a talented and androgynous young man, and connects with other artists. But as she embraces the bohemian lifestyle, Maeve must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to live her truth.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
DOWN ON THE SOUTH BEACH DRAG is set at the Jersey Shore in 1972. The early 70s were the most colorful period of my life. I always knew that I would want to revisit that kind of carnival life on the boardwalk. When I decided to write about marginalized people of that time and place, I thought, “Where better than down the shore?”
Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
My story’s main character is largely based on the first ten years of my life in an Irish-Catholic neighborhood in South Jersey. Most of Maeve is me. She’s more talented that I am, taller and has the red hair—but I think I’d like to know this one. Even if we’re so much alike.
What are three words that describe your protagonist?
18-year-old Maeve O’Connor is cheeky, brave and has Chutzpah. Meaning she is irreverent in an endearing and often amusing way. Courageous even when it’s hard to be. And her self- confidence can border on the point of audacity—in a good way.
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned that there was so much more to the music scene in Asbury Park, New Jersey in the early 70s than Bruce Springsteen.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I do both. After every paragraph I use the read aloud program to make changes. And most of my days go like this: Write in the morning and early afternoon. Then after an hour or so break, I edit everything I’ve written that day.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
Soft shell crabs when they are in season.
Describe your writing space/office!
I have an open office in a large landing of my house. My husband and I are empty nest now, so my papers and books often wind up on the dining room table where I get inspiration from the view of the Green Mountains of Vermont.
Who is an author you admire?
One author? Boy that is a tough choice. Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Daisy Jones & The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. I admire her very much. Her historical fiction novels are known to draw the reader in emotionally. I find her work to be engaging. If I’m taking a long flight, I’m sure to have one of her books on my Kindle.
Is there a book that changed your life?
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I read it when I was ten and have re-read it every other year since. It reminds me how good an author can be.
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.
My new novel DOWN ON THE SOUTH BEACH DRAG is my fourth novel, the third with the same press. Being able to publish this book was never in question. But I will never forget the moment I received “the call” about signing a contract for my first book. I was at home, pacing the living room as I was thinking about the chapter I was writing when my phone rang. The excitement was palpable as I listened to the editor share her news. It felt surreal, like a dream coming true after years of hard work and perseverance. That feeling faded after I got the paperwork and read over the various clauses. It required so much from me that I was reeling a bit. Still, I’m still here writing away.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
I have a soft spot for historical fiction. I love how it can transport you to different times and places. But I also love when the plot is built around a woman who is confronted by extraordinary circumstances. The fun part is watching her change for the better as she adapts.
What’s your favorite movie?
Dallas Buyers Club. Based on a remarkable true story, Dallas Buyers Club follows the life of cowboy Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey). Set in Texas in the 1980s, Woodroof is diagnosed with AIDs and given 30 days to live. With no cure for the disease, Woodroof joins fellow AIDs patient, Rayon, (Jared Leto) in creating the “Dallas Buyers Club”, where they sell medical treatments and remedies for AIDs. This movie evokes emotion with themes like friendship, humor, and tragedy. Dallas Buyers Club moved me like no other film I've seen so far.
What is your favorite season?
Autumn here in Vermont is my favorite season. The crisp air, the changing leaves, and a sense of renewal makes me feel we are preparing for the slumber of winter. It's a time for cozy sweaters and making a big batch of butternut squash soup.
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
We are in Savannah in March which is when my birthday happens. The city has a seventeen-day music festival, and we go to many of the shows to celebrate my big day. It just so happens that one of my favorite writers was born on the same day: Flannery O’Connor. Her museum has a street festival to commemorate her and her work, but it feels like they are honoring me.
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
Not long ago I watched "The Queen's Gambit" and was captivated by the storytelling and character development. It beautifully explores themes of resilience and genius, which is my favorite.
And podcast? I am still loving the banter between three long-time, real-life friends on SmartLess. Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, & Will Arnett have a podcast where they talk to people from all walks of life. Their discussions often devolve into hilarious moments. It’s the rare episode that doesn’t make me breathless because I’m guffawing. A nice surprise is that in each introduction of SmartLess, one of the hosts reveals his mystery guest to the other two. Of course, it’s a big reveal to the listeners as well.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
I love Italian cuisine. Growing up in New Jersey my best friend’s grandparents were from Naples, and her mother was taught to cook.Sundays the house was often filled with relatives from Hoboken (That’s where Frank Sinatra grew up too). There’s something comforting about pasta dishes, and I can’t resist a good Ossobuco.
What do you do when you have free time?
Free time? What is that?
What can readers expect from you next?
I am deep into the third draft of my 5th novel. It has the working title of Boulder Road in the Kingdom. It’s an homage to the Alfred Hitchcock’s movie Rear Window but set in the wilderness of the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont instead of New York City. Like the book the protagonist is stuck in their home because of a serious injury and starts spying on their neighbors because they are bored. Spying leads to witnessing a crime. When the criminal discovers they’ve been found out things become dangerous. It’s a thrilling page turner of a novel!
A Novel
A poignant and irreverent coming-of-age tale of a queer young aspiring photographer in the ’70s torn between her love for her conservative family and her desire to be true to herself, perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six.
It’s 1972, and eighteen-year-old tomboy Maeve O’Connor must win a photography contest to escape her suffocating, conservative family and attend her dream school in Manhattan. But where will she find arresting subjects? Why, a washed up old seaside resort called Asbury Park, New Jersey—a place where sideshow entertainers, strippers, carnies, artists, and alternative lifestyles coexist on the boardwalk in plain sight.
To her great surprise, Maeve manages to talk her parents into letting her go for the summer. Immediately upon reaching Asbury Park, she meets and falls in love with Georgie, a young man with superstar talent, held back by the fact that he is androgynous. She befriends other undiscovered artists as well, including a man who breaks through with a hit album. But what price will she pay for embracing the bohemian lifestyle where she feels she belongs?
Coming of Age | LGBTQ [SparkPress, On Sale: July 15, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9781684633241 / eISBN: 9781684633258]
Mary Kathleen Mehuron is a novelist, musician, and photographer who grew up in an Irish Catholic family in New Jersey. Her early life in this environment deeply shaped the characters and themes in her work. After earning a degree in photography, she moved through various creative pursuits, blending her passions for storytelling, music, and visual art.
Mary Kathleen now resides in Waitsfield, Vermont, where she and her husband raised their three sons. She is a regular columnist for her local newspaper, The Valley Reporter, and has authored several novels, including Fading Past, The Opposite of Never, and The Belonger.
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