I’m leaving on book tour today. And it made me think of maybe my favorite-ever of all time story about my son.
I started writing literally the day we brought him home from the hospital, signed with an agent when he was a few months old, and my first novel released when he was four. During those early years, we would pack up the car and my parents would bring my son on tour, with my husband meeting us on the weekends.
It was chaotic and super fun, and I’ll never forget it. It was, like, all the dreams I’d ever had culminating in a road trip.
Anyway, one day when Will was in Kindergarten, he jumped in the backseat of the car at school pickup, threw his backpack across to the other side, and exclaimed, with little boy exuberance: “Mom! Did you know that Beau’s mom doesn’t go on book tour?”
I’ll be honest: This one took me a minute. Beau’s mom is a good friend and, at that time, was a first-grade teacher at Will’s school. Then it hit me…
He thought MOMS WENT ON BOOK TOUR. Like, I went on book tour because I was a mom, not because I was an author…
I told him that story for the first time last week, and we laughed so hard. And, for a moment, I could see, in his handsome, grown-up face, the laugh of that little boy in my backseat, a vestige of that snuggly baby he once was.
He can’t go on book tour with me now, of course, with his busy school and sports (and social!) schedules. That’s the hardest part, kissing him goodbye for a couple weeks. But I always remember that he doesn’t even remember a time when I wasn’t an author, when this thing wasn’t a part of our lives.
And, of course, I’ll be home soon, and we have the whole summer stretched out before us to look forward to. Until then… I GET TO SEE ALL OF YOU! Woo hoo! SUMMER STATE OF MIND tour happy dancing!
Today, I’m heading to Charleston, SC to hang with Al Roker and Deborah Roberts (Just casual… Ha!), my pals Paula McClain and John Searles, and meet Annabelle Gurwitch at the Post & Courier Luncheon. Hooray!
From there, I have the Beaufort Historic Site Luncheon, which has just a few tickets left, the SOLD OUT O.Henry Magazine event, the SOLD OUT M.Judson Luncheon and, on May 5 — launch day!! — I’ll be my hometown library, The Rowan Regional Public Library. This one is free and open to the public!
We also have tickets left for what is going to be a FABULOUS luncheon at the iconic The Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill, NC. I’ll be in conversation with the darling Meghan Grant from I’m Fixin’ To Blog, and we will be eating a three-course lunch, and a signed copy of SUMMER STATE OF MIND is included! Quail Ridge in Raleigh, NC is SOLD OUT!
Then I head to Tampa, FL, Franklin, IN, St. Louis, MO, and Gig Harbor, WA to round out the week, and I’d really love to see you there! And that’s just the first week!
Last Chance to Grab Your Preorder Freebies!
Preorder freebies are ending on Monday, so get your SUMMER STATE OF MIND preorder in now and fill out my preorder form to receive your acrylic bookmark, signed bookplate, “Live Your Story” magnet, and digital page-by-page readers guide!
More About SUMMER STATE OF MIND!
“Queen of the beach read,” (Cosmopolitan) New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey returns with a heartfelt escape to coastal Carolina.
After the worst day in her professional life, burnt-out NICU nurse Daisy Stevens runs to Cape Carolina, North Carolina, looking for a new life—and possibly new romance. On her first day at her “simpler” job, high school baseball coach Mason Thaysden discovers an abandoned baby, sending ripples through the entire tight-knit town of Cape Carolina.
Mason is still struggling to reconcile the scars of the injury that kept him out of the big leagues, stuck in his hometown, and searching for a way out. This newcomer and the child they’ve saved together might be just the motivation he needs to stay put. Sparks fly as Mason acquaints Daisy with Cape Carolina, introducing her to his friends and family, including his batty Aunt Tilley, who is looking for relief from long-buried family secrets and her own fresh start.
But as Daisy becomes increasingly attached to this abandoned child, and begins facing her own demons in the process, a startling discovery is made that threatens to rip the entire town of Cape Carolina apart, placing Daisy, Mason, and Tilley in the center of the storm. In a novel that proves that “Kristy Woodson Harvey is (the) go-to for elevated beach reads” (People), they will each learn that with love, understanding—and a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!—sometimes life conspires to bring us just exactly where we belong.
I hope you’ll grab your copy of SUMMER STATE OF MIND, and I really hope to see you on tour!
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