You guys… ONE MONTH. When I was writing SUMMER STATE OF MIND roughly two years ago, pub day seemed forever away. And now… It’s almost time! SUMMER STATE OF MIND is one of those books that didn’t just appear on the scene. It came to me in bits and pieces over years. It started with an article about a NICU nurse adopting a baby. And then a friend—also a NICU nurse—telling stories of a co-worker who had done the same. Then a book of essays written by nurses in every field crossed my desk, and I lapped up their stories of heroism and bravery and those inevitable moments when they had to make a hard called. I’ve long believed nothing is black and white in our world and even less so when you are dealing with life and death on a daily basis.
Daisy, my protagonist began to take shape in my mind—this plucky, smart, kind-hearted woman whose life hasn’t gone exactly according to plan. (Do any of our lives?) Her fresh start in the sleepy town of Cape Carolina is supposed to be without complication. But then, on her first day of work, an abandoned baby turns her world upside down.
When I began to dream of Daisy’s perfect fit, I wanted him to be someone at a crossroads too, someone whose life had been upended in a way that was particularly difficult to recover from. I had recently read a book about former pro athletes and how hard it is to move onto something new when a sport that defined you is no longer the centerpiece of your life. The more I thought, the more I realized: Mason, the former baseball star, Parker’s brother from UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY simply was who I was thinking of. I couldn’t get him out of my head.
And then… Well… Aunt Tilley from UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever written. I had to return to her! She never got her happy ending. And Daisy has so, so much to learn from her. Throw in some giant dinner parties at Dogwood, the family compound from UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY, a community theater production of Hello, Dolly!, a lot of time on the baseball field, a dreamy, coastal setting and a a couple love stories and… Voila! You’re in a SUMMER STATE OF MIND!
Nothing is all that simple in this novel, but the best lives, the best loves, so rarely are. And, amidst the complication, something beautiful arises. I hope this novel brings you joy one month from now, that kind of joy it has brought me. I hope it’s the beginning of my favorite season of the year and puts you immediately in a SUMMER STATE OF MIND!
Thanks so much for all your support so far. Your preorders and early reads and posts and articles and comments and LOVE mean more than I can ever say. I am so, so grateful! And I can’t wait to hear what you think on May 5! And I can’t wait to see you on tour! (check out my events page to see where I will be!)
(Side note: Though some secondary characters become main character, SUMMER STATE OF MIND is not a sequel to UNDER THE SOUTHERN SKY. There’s no need to read it beforehand. Unless, of course, you want to 😉 )
Nantucket Books Special Preorder Almost Sold Out!
Hurry before this fun freebie is sold out. Pre-order an Autographed Copy of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s Summer State of Mind with exclusive “My Summer is Booked” writing journal and “Live Your Story” magnet.
Friends and Fiction:
Join us Wednesday, April 8th LIVE at 7pm Eastern on the F&F Facebook page and YouTube channel as the full F&F family gathers to welcome this month’s F&F Featured Authors, #1 NYT-bestselling novelist V.E. Schwab and screenwriter and YA author Cat Clarke to discuss their new locked-room thriller (co-written as Evelyn Clarke), The Ending Writes Itself, our April 2026 Pick of the Month, which Stephen King has proclaimed as “in the running for best mystery of 2026!”
