Ten years ago, while I was on tour for LIES AND OTHER ACTS OF LOVE, I had a phone call with an editor from Gallery Books that would change my life.
She suggested that writing a series would be the next right move for my career, and, in a totally unplanned and uncharacteristic move, I pitched her an idea, off the cuff, for the series that would become… Slightly South of Simple. And The Secret to Southern Charm. And The Southern Side of Paradise.
During the depths of the pandemic, I was flattered and humbled and overwhelmed by the number of readers who told me they were re-reading the series to feel safe and calm and happy during a truly terrible time. And I realized… I wanted more.
Christmas in Peachtree Bluff was born. I knew, after that, that Peachtree was over, but I had another idea, one that I thought I would just write for myself because I figured it would never be published. Enter: fabulous editor Carrie Feron who wondered… Would I want to write more Peachtree Bluff?
Would I EVER? And so… without any further ado… Coming September 15, 2026…
Welcome to Peachtree Bluff: a sweet, cozy small town where family is everything. The “go-to for elevated beach reads,” (People), Kristy Woodson Harvey, returns just in time for pumpkin spice season.
The air is crisper, the water is calmer, but, when it comes to the Murphy family, nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems.
Youngest sister Emerson is busy planning her dream wedding to Kyle. But her difficulty expanding her family is overshadowing her joy. Pregnant middle sister Sloane and her husband Adam’s dream house has turned into a nightmare. Everything is over time, over budget, and Sloane is over it. Eldest sister Caroline, as always, is there to swoop in and get her sisters’ lives under control. Until her focus is more than a little shifted by Emerson’s hunky costar who manages to sweep her right off her feet—just as her not-quite-ex-husband decides it’s high time he begged Caroline for a second chance.
Matriarch Ansley and her new husband Jack have finally hit their stride. But when a scandal that would affect every single Peachtree Bluff citizen comes to light—and it seems like Jack just might be at the center of it—Ansley questions whether he is actually the man she thought he was.
Through it all, these women must rely on their powerful family bonds, and the quirky characters and small-town charm of the place that, no matter what, always calls them home.
Thank you, readers, for loving this small town and these quirky characters–with all their faults and complications–like I do. I can’t wait for you to revisit my heart’s hometown this September.
And, if you’re new to Peachtree Bluff, I hope you love it!
And huge thanks to my dear friends Kristin Harmel, Dallas Strawn, Cristina Montero, Katie Young, Ron Block, Taylor Lintz, Patti Callahan Henry, Meg Walker, and Mary Kay Andrews for their dazzling vocal stylings in the video above!
