The Summer's End
Mary Alice Monroe
Gallery Books
Pub Date May 19 2015
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Description
In the powerful and heartwarming conclusion to her bestselling Lowcountry Summer trilogy, New York Times
author Mary Alice Monroe brings her readers back to the charm and
sultry beauty of Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, to reveal how the
pull of family bonds and true love is as strong and steady as the tides.
It is summer’s end and Sea Breeze, the family’s beloved estate on Sullivan’s Island, must be sold. It is an emotional time of transition as Mamaw and the three sisters each must face loss and find a new place in the world.
Harper, the youngest sister, arrived at Sea Breeze intending to stay only a weekend, but a rift with her wealthy, influential mother left her without direction or a home. During this remarkable summer, free from her mother’s tyranny and with the help of her half sisters, Harper discovered her talents and independent spirit.
But summer is ending, and the fate of Sea Breeze hinges on Harper’s courage to decide the course of her own life. To do so she must release her insecurities and recognize her newfound strengths. She must accept love fully into her life—the love of Mamaw, Carson, and Dora, the love of Sea Breeze and the lowcountry, and most of all, the love of a Wounded Warrior who has claimed her heart.
The third book in Mary Alice Monroe’s trilogy that brims with “stories that touch the mind and heart of her readers” (Huffington Post), The Summer’s End follows three half sisters bound by love for their grandmother and the timeless beauty and traditions of the lowcountry.
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Local Georgia Tour Dates:
Promo Video Here:
Q&A WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR MARY ALICE MONROE
ABOUT “THE SUMMER’S END”
What do you hope readers will take away from THE SUMMER’S END and the trilogy?
What’s next?
It is summer’s end and Sea Breeze, the family’s beloved estate on Sullivan’s Island, must be sold. It is an emotional time of transition as Mamaw and the three sisters each must face loss and find a new place in the world.
Harper, the youngest sister, arrived at Sea Breeze intending to stay only a weekend, but a rift with her wealthy, influential mother left her without direction or a home. During this remarkable summer, free from her mother’s tyranny and with the help of her half sisters, Harper discovered her talents and independent spirit.
But summer is ending, and the fate of Sea Breeze hinges on Harper’s courage to decide the course of her own life. To do so she must release her insecurities and recognize her newfound strengths. She must accept love fully into her life—the love of Mamaw, Carson, and Dora, the love of Sea Breeze and the lowcountry, and most of all, the love of a Wounded Warrior who has claimed her heart.
The third book in Mary Alice Monroe’s trilogy that brims with “stories that touch the mind and heart of her readers” (Huffington Post), The Summer’s End follows three half sisters bound by love for their grandmother and the timeless beauty and traditions of the lowcountry.
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Local Georgia Tour Dates:
May 26th, Marietta GA: 1:30 PM
Luncheon with Mary Alice Monroe at Gabriel's Desserts. RSVP at Book
Exchange (770-427-4848). Ticket includes meal and signed book.
June 1, Big Canoe GA: 10:00 AM at Big Canoe Chapel. Mary Alice will speak and sign copies. For details, call bookseller Foxtale Bookshoppe at 770-516-9989
June 1, Woodstock, GA: 6:30 PM
at Foxtale Bookshoppe. Mary Alice will give a special book talk and
sign copies of The Summer's End. For details call the store at
770-516-9989.
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Promo Video Here:
Q&A WITH BESTSELLING AUTHOR MARY ALICE MONROE
ABOUT “THE SUMMER’S END”
The Summer’s End hits store shelves May 19th. It’s the third installment of the New York
Times bestselling Lowcountry Summer Trilogy.
For those not yet familiar with the series, does a reader need to read The Summer Girls and The Summer Wind to understand and enjoy
the newest novel?
It’s written to be a stand–alone novel,
so anyone who picks it up will fully enjoy the characters and follow all the
storylines, whether they’ve read the previous novels. However, I went to great lengths to tie up all
the loose ends from the previous books, so to get the maximum experience I recommend
that readers try to enjoy the previous books of the Lowcountry Summer Trilogy
first, if they can.
What
is The Summer’s End about?
The Summer's End, returns readers to the charming seaside town of Sullivan’s
Island, South Carolina, where summer is ending and Mamaw’s beloved family
estate, Sea Breeze, must be sold. It’s an emotional season as Mamaw and
three half-sisters each face loss and struggle to find a fresh start in
life. Harper, the youngest sister, who lived under the narcissistic abuse
of her wealthy and influential mother, has no home or career after breaking
free of her mother’s tyranny. And she finds herself needing courage to
release her insecurities, recognize her strengths and accept love fully to save
her family and her future. The theme of release runs through the novel as each
character discovers her voice.
The Summer's End followsThe Summer Wind (Book 2, release 2014) and The Summer Girls (Book
1, released 2013). Each novel in the trilogy focuses on one
of the three estranged half-sisters (Harper, Carson, and Eudora) spending a
final summer at their grandmother’s seaside home. A wild dolphin they
name Delphine serves as the trilogy’s keystone and all of their lives are
changed by this creature. The themes of the novels are communication in The Summer Girls as the estranged sisters reconnect; healing in The Summer Wind as Dora and Delphine
heal from wounds, and release
in The Summer's End as each woman
discovers her own voice and path.
What
was the inspiration of this trilogy?
Every novel I’ve published in the last
decade is rooted in the natural world of my surroundings, here in Charleston,
South Carolina, an area we fondly refer to as the Lowcountry. I’ve always loved dolphins. Who doesn’t?
And I have known I would one day write a book about this intelligent sentinel
species. The impetus for me to write the novel now was when I learned that 49%
of Charleston's resident dolphins were deemed "not healthy,” and 52% in
Florida. That’s alarming. I knew it was time to finally write a novel about
the species, and the Lowcountry Summer Trilogy was born.
Why
did you choose to write this story as a trilogy?
Dolphins are an exceptional and beloved
species that excel in communication; have strong family and community bonds;
and live in the present. And through my research, I learned there are three
major issues facing dolphins that needed attention: feeding of wild dolphins,
water quality, and injuries. I had to create a strong trilogy to carry through
all the themes.
How is the
process of writing a final book in a series different than writing a book that
will have a sequel?
At the end of a series I must tie up all the loose ends so that the reader will not be disappointed. Each book in the series stands alone, yet the continued story of this one remarkable summer flows from book one to book three and as the master puppeteer, I must bring all the characters' arcs to conclusion. Even--especially-- the dolphin, Delphine. I usually know the ending when I begin a book, but for this final book I rewrote the ending multiple times to get it note perfect and give my readers that satisfying end.
At the end of a series I must tie up all the loose ends so that the reader will not be disappointed. Each book in the series stands alone, yet the continued story of this one remarkable summer flows from book one to book three and as the master puppeteer, I must bring all the characters' arcs to conclusion. Even--especially-- the dolphin, Delphine. I usually know the ending when I begin a book, but for this final book I rewrote the ending multiple times to get it note perfect and give my readers that satisfying end.
What do you hope readers will take away from THE SUMMER’S END and the trilogy?
I'm a story teller with a heart for conservation. I always strive to create a story world with
rich, well-rounded characters that establish a meaningful relationship with
animals and with nature to make readers aware through the power of story. Stories have the power to effect change.
How
has the Lowcountry inspired your writing?
The Lowcountry inspires my writing.
I always begin a book with a inspiration from nature. For example, for The
Summer's End it is the bottlenose dolphin. My research includes
volunteering with organizations to get "up close and personal" with
the animal but also with the people who work with them. I create my
themes and storyline from these experiences. This way, I can bring the
reader to the story world that is authentic. My readers see and feel with
emotion, and this helps them connect...and care.
What’s next?
The story of Mamaw’s “summer girls” will
continue. This series so far has been
contained to one summer on Sullivan’s Island in South Carolina. There is an engagement now—or two—and the new
book in the series is title A LOWCOUNTRY WEDDING. It’s going to be fun to bring back the summer
girls again, and especially the dueling grannies—Mamaw and Granny James, which
you’ll read about in my just released novel, THE SUMMER’S END (May 18,
2015).
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