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sweet, sweet summertime
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Hello, friend!
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THIS IS SHAPING UP TO BE a summer like no other, what with the release of my novel, an honest-to-goodness book tour that has me hopping state-to-state across the southeast, and the incredible joy of Posey, a granddaughter who sparkles brighter than the season's most brilliant sun and moon and stars. Posey is just over one year old and she is taking steps, jabbering up a storm, exploring and considering and processing every new wonder with an awe that leaves me breathless and somehow, a little changed.
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There is so much to be reminded of when you find yourself viewing the world through a small child's eyes and ears. The combination of trepidation and determination as she works her way to letting go, then taking one, then two, then three four five steps and falls, giggling with delight and pride. The look when she first tastes watermelon, decides "I love this," and reaches for more with a distinct MMMMMM. The endless jibbering that, for months now, has started with her own distinctive phrasing that sounds very much like lordy lordy lordy (and which gets me to giggling and I can only think: Oh girl. How much I agree.)
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WE'VE LAUNCHED INTO THE WORLD my debut novel, That Which Binds Us, and the reception has been beyond my wildest dreams. People are so generous and kind. I've made a ton of new friends, and how I've loved meeting readers! I will tell you a writer dreams of what it would be like to be that author sitting at that signing table, and those conversations? To hear from folks who have read your book and who have things to say about the story or the characters or the way a particular scene touched them—oh, the glory of those conversations! That intimacy is beyond anything I could have imagined, and I am so deeply grateful to every person who has been a part of this dream-of-a-lifetime journey. (I count you among them! I am so thankful for this cathyriggauthor/thedailygrace tribe!)
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at the South Carolina Launch Party in Columbia
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at the Virginia Launch Party in my hometown of Wise
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(They closed down Main Street for this fabulous photo!)
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chatting with Scott Tynes-Miller at Troubadour Booksellers in Charlotte
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the beautiful crowd at Pendleton Bookshop
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At this moment, though, I am at my desk in my studio in the mountains, high on a ridge in Western North Carolina where I'm surrounded by more beauty and awe than a heart can possibly hold. Much of That Which Binds Us I wrote standing right here, on very early mornings and long afternoons and through weeks and months and years of reminding myself, over and over: Do the work. Hoe the rows. Keep not quitting. (my actual mantra) A cool breeze is coming through the open windows and I'm giving deep thanks for that tenacity. I'm also bowing to every single one of you who has pushed me forward and cheered me on along this 13-year path to publication.
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It's a gorgeous time in life, and I keep reminding myself to stop, to acknowledge, to honor, and to enjoy.
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I'm also wishing for you a happy holiday weekend and a glorious summer that's spreading wide before you. May it be filled with popsicles and flip flops and watermelon and movies; with piles of good books (and plenty of time to read them!); with lemonade and tomato pie and a garden so prolific you carry the bounty, neighbor-to-neighbor; with waterfalls and mountain hikes and beach afternoons that stretch out long and like the reassuring shore, curve slow and easy; with sea and salt and sand and sun and that glorious holy shower the follows—the one during which your only thought is nothing's ever felt this good.
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Full-on summer is here, my friend. Let us all soak it up!
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7.3.25 Summer View from #catsmountain
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The trailer just dropped for next year's Project Hail Mary, a movie based on the incredible novel by Andy Weir (author of The Martian). Tim and I and about a zillion other people listened to Project Hail Mary on audio, and it was the first time we loved an audiobook so much we'd sit together at happy hour or during the evening to listen. Well now Project Hail Mary is going to be a movie, and if that's not exciting enough, the movie stars RYAN GOSLING who is adorable and perfect and I cannot wait!!! Check out the movie trailer here, then if you haven't read the novel, do so ASAP. As stated above, I highly recommend the audiobook.
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The Miniaturist's Assistant by Katherine Scott Crawford
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Promo copy reads: When an art conservationist in historic Charleston unearths a familiar face in a 200 year-old miniature portrait and realizes she’s lived more than one life, she must fight to stay true to herself as she races to reconcile her complicated past, solve an art mystery, and save the people she loves across two different lifetimes. A romantic and brainy timeslip novel sure to appeal to fans of Diana Gabaldon and Deborah Harkness, The Miniaturist’s Assistant explores the mystery of time, how our choices ripple throughout history, and what it means to be a fully realized woman—in any century.
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If you love a good mystery, time-travel, art, or anything Charleston—this novel is for you. Katherine Scott Crawford does a masterful job crossing centuries just as she seamlessly contrasts "historic" and "contemporary" in bringing characters, locations, and changing attitudes/perspectives to life. I particularly loved that the protagonist, Gamble Vance, holds to her own values and voice even as she inhabits 1804 Charleston. What a fun read! (Katherine is also a very fun Instagram follow. Find her there @thewritingscott.)
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Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin
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Promo copy reads: In this debut novel set during the American Civil War, a South Carolina mother who's a Union supporter leaves home to retrieve her only child, a wounded Confederate son, staking everything in a mission of danger, privation, and emotional anguish. This beautifully written and powerful novel of love despite family division takes a hard look at the cruelty of war, racism, and misogyny, but it also offers hope.
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Nell and I are going to be in conversation next week at Union Ave Books in Knoxville, TN, and I cannot wait! I loved this novel, and the moment I finished reading it I said to my husband, "the word that comes to mind is 'stunning.'" Needless to say Nell and I will have much to talk about as we compare and contrast our stories, both of which are set during the Civil War. Oh, I loved this novel.
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I made this just the other night and it was DELISH. Pro tip—if you're making your own spiralized Zucchini, do that ahead of time so the bulk of the moisture in the veggies can release before you (very quickly) cook them down. If you don't, you'll have a good bit of liquid. Not a big deal—it just dilutes that yummy pesto.
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My book tour for That Which Binds Us continues this summer and into the fall, and if you’re in an area in which its convenient, I sure would love to see you! Dates are being added regularly, but here’s the current lineup:
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I’ll be in conversation with Nell Joslin, author of Measure of Devotion.
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6-7:30 Program and Signing
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I’ll be in conversation with Lo Patrick, author of Fast Boys and Pretty Girls.
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Appalachian Writer’s Workshop
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I’m spending the week with my beloved writing community, where I have the honor of studying Creative Nonfiction with Karen Salyer McElmurray.
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I’ll be in conversation with Carolyn Newton, author of The Refugee’s Daughter.
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The Cliffs at Walnut Cove
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Program and Q&A moderated by journalist and Appalachian writer (and my good friend) Chelyen Davis.
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Fort Hill Presbyterian Church
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I’m joining the Fort Hill Book Club, along with members of the larger community, for an in-depth conversation about That Which Binds Us.
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most recent post on THE DAILY GRACE
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The Women Who Came Before
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Tomorrow is publication day for my debut novel, THAT WHICH BINDS US. It's thrilling and scary and there are a hundred thousand things yet to be done, so it's not surprising that I woke up really early this morning with an intention to Get Right To It. Yet for some reason I decided, instead, to take a minute to look back to the time I started the novel (12 years ago!) to see what I was doing and thinking and writing about then, which of course is captured via The Daily Grace. I don't know how I can be astounded by what I discovered, and still I am.
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NOW AVAILABLE
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