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WHEN THERE'S time.
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Hello, friend!
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Spring. WE ARE GOING TO GET THERE, in spite of the current cold snap that's had me fretting over the seven new hydrangea bushes we planted last October, their sweet, tiny, baby green leaves having just emerged in the days before cold returned. We've covered them the last three nights, so 🤞🤞🤞 they'll survive. And thrive! There's nothing I love more than a summer vase overflowing with hydrangea.
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Updates for March: a little less book promotion travel which has, blessedly, given me time to:
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- read! 📚
- work on Novel #2 (I'm excited!) 👩🏼💻
- hang out with our 22-month-old granddaughter, precious, funny Posey, who reminds me again and again what a difference it makes when a girl is particular, opinionated, and not the least bit shy about making her preferences known 🤣
- spend time with friends! two trips to Edisto over just four weeks 🐚
- think about/prepare to get back to a little painting! 🖼️ (my Etsy shop is mighty happy to hear that)
- learn to crochet!!! i've been a knitter since I was a girl, and knitting is still my great yarn love. but it sure is fun to try something new. also, it gives me renewed empathy for all the folks i've tried to help in their "learn to knit" journeys. i remember, now, what it's like when the needle and yarn feel clumsy in your hands. 🧶
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I do hope you've been given the gift of a little time and that you have been able fill it with people and places and things to do that you love, that lift you up, that bring you overwhelming joy. There's simply nothing better.
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I'm overjoyed to share with you That Which Binds Us has been named a finalist in the FOREWARD Indies Book of the Year Award in historical fiction! Judged by booksellers and librarians (I love that!), FOREWARD recognizes and honors the finest fiction and non-fiction books published in the last year by independent and university presses. (In practical terms, this means publishers outside of the "Big Five.") Needless to say, I am tickled and honored! Thank you to my indie publisher, Turner Publishing, for believing in That Which Binds Us. YAY!
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Things are gearing back up as we head into Spring!
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Richland Public Library, Columbia, SC
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I am jacked to be a featured author at this fantastic two-day book festival in my hometown of Columbia! I attended as a reader last year, and I was blown away by the scope and energy of the event. Truly special! My session is Sunday afternoon, when I'll be on the Main Stage with the very fine novelists Donna Everhart and Angela Jackson-Brown. Our topic: Living the Past Through Story
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130 S. Main Street, Greenville, SC
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Such a special one! I can’t wait to be in conversation with fellow Clemson grad Katherine Scott Crawford, author of the The Miniaturist’s Assistant—which received the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction (!)—at this private “Orange Shoes” gathering sponsored by the Clemson Women’s Council. Clemson women (and their non-Clemson-grad friends) are invited. Tickets are $40 and include a signed hardback copy of my novel, That Which Binds Us, as well as a signature cocktail or mocktail. IMPORTANT NOTE: This event is NOT listed on the M. Judson website, as it is a private event. Please use this link for tickets.
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304 S. Elm St, Greensboro, NC
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I'll be in conversation with Stacia Pelletier, author of the wonderful historical fiction novel The Deliverance of Barker McRae. I wrote about Stacia's stunning novel in last month's newsletter—it is truly one of my favorite books of all time, so needless to say I can't wait to talk with her about it!. If you're in the Greensboro area or if you have friends or family there, I'd love to see you/them!
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297 W. Jackson Street, Gate City, VA
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What a joy to be taking my novel back home to SW Virginia, where I'll be in conversation with Scott County’s own Rita Sims Quillen, musician, poet and author of the novels Hiding Ezra and Wayland. This a free event and reservations are not required. Join us!
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These are a couple of my favorite photos from the entire book tour, both from my recent visit to Maple Tree Book Shop in Gate City, VA, the town that is a primary location in my novel. (Readers will recognize it as Estilville, the town's original name.) Thank you to Maple Tree and Samantha Culbertson (photo #2), who did such a wonderful job with promotion and graphics. You guys sure know how to make a girl feel welcome!
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Reminder: I do love meeting with book clubs! I'm happy to come to your meeting in person, if geography and schedule allow. Also, Zoom meetings are a blast! Do reach out if your club is interested. You can reach me via my socials, my website or cathy@cathyriggauthor.com.
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I've only watched one season of this UK series, but I am totally enthralled! It's fascinating to watch as a handful of selected artists (plus 50 wildcard artists but that's primarily a colorful aside) attempt to capture a single scene on site, simultaneously, over a course of four hours. I love watching these painters paint and creators create as all the while we viewers are privy to the comments, critiques and discussions of the three very knowledgable judges. (I've already learned so much!) Plus the Plein Air settings are beautiful. And you get little history lesson to boot! Think: Great British Baking Show, but with art!
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The Voice, season 29 (NBC)
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Shrinking, Season 3 (Apple TV)
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(I've posted about Shrinking on Grace Notes before, and it remains one of my favorite streaming shows EVER. Cannot recommend highly enough.)
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Imma have to be honest. I enjoyed this podcast, focused largely on Saunder's latest release, Vigil, more than I loved the book. Not that I disliked the novel—far from it. I just really, really loved this conversation between two really smart, really insightful writers/human beings. I've listened to it twice and there will no doubt be a couple more go-rounds for me. It's interesting to hear him (and her!) so beautifully articulate so many things I've found to be true in writing fiction.
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What an honor it is for me to be in conversation with Angela and Donna at Read Freely Fest! They are two highly accomplished authors, and I was most interested to read their novels, both for pleasure and for craft. They did not disappoint! Important snapshots of history, strong, smart female protagonists, and compelling stories that kept me turning the pages. I flew through each! I am so excited for this conversation!
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Untethered, by Angela Jackson-Brown
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Untethered by Angela Jackson-Brown is a historical fiction novel set in 1967 Troy, Alabama, following Katia Daniels, a Black woman running a group home for boys while grappling with family stress, her twin brothers serving in Vietnam, and a recent hysterectomy that prevents her from having children. The story explores themes of womanhood, responsibility, love, and self-discovery as she reconnects with a high school crush and navigates personal and family challenges amidst the backdrop of the Vietnam War.
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Women of a Promiscuous Nature, by Donna Everhart
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Accused of “promiscuity” in 1940s North Carolina, a young woman unjustly incarcerated and subjected to involuntary medical treatment at The State Industrial Farm Colony for Women decides to fight back in this powerful, shockingly timely novel based on the long-buried history of the American Plan, the government program designed to regulate women’s bodies and sexuality throughout the first half of the 20th century.
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Daisy Jones and the Six is one of my favorite novels, particularly on audio(!), but I have to say, Taylor Jenkins Reid is typically hit-or-miss for me. Still several friends raved about Atmosphere and so I jumped on the bandwagon. I enjoyed it—the story was propulsive, I cared about the characters, I wanted to know what was going to happen next. At the heart is a love story that's passionate, tender, and engaging, still for me, I felt the balance was off. I wanted there to be a little less love story and a bit more Nasa.
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Haha! Now that I write that, I notice it is right there on the cover: Atmosphere: A love story.
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From the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six comes an epic new novel set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program about the extraordinary lengths we go to live and love beyond our limits.
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Cathy's Cherry Blast Mocktail
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I'm a gal who likes a little celebration at the end of the day. A little reward, if you will. And what a joy it is to have discovered/adapted this option for a mocktail that feels just that! There are versions all over the internet, but here's the way I make it.
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- Fill a cup with ice. I use a sizeable stemless wine glass.
- Zest a good bit of lime over the ice. For some reason, this is key as a first step. The lime on the ice just works.
- Pour in a slug of tart cherry juice. I do about 1/3 of the liquid of the drink as tart cherry. More might be better? But, you know, CALORIES.
- Add in a good squeeze of fresh lime juice, then toss that bit of lime into the drink. You could certainly pretty this up by throwing away the squeezed bit and adding a fresh lime pinwheel which, perhaps, I'd do for company, Maybe, LOL.
- Top it all with cherry-lime sparkling water. I am very loyal to Waterloo Cherry Limeade for this, but you be you!
- Stir well. I do have a long cocktail spoon which I think is very fun and festive!
- Add a cocktail cherry. Or two! Along with a spoonful of the juice/aka syrup. We are partial to these bourbon-soaked cherries which we get at Publix. A tiny splurge, but with all the money I'm saving by using the squeezed lime bit, I feel we've earned it.
- Grab a cocktail napkin (or in our case a paper towel) because using a glass glass, which we do, this baby sweats.
- Enjoy!
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Note: With my size wine glass, one can of Cherry Limeade makes two mocktails. Also, the photo above shows a sprig of mint. I don't use mint, but for summer, this seems like a swell addition!
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from THE DAILY GRACE archives
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Note from Cathy: Sweet friends, I have been woefully negligent in staying up-to-date on The Daily Grace blog. I abandoned you in December, after only 17 Days of Joy! I shall pick up and commit to my regular (intended) schedule of monthly posts, I promise. Still there is an upside! I came upon this March post from 2023, which happened to be the early days of our fabulous 33-Day RV trip. It made me so happy to re-read the dispatch this morning, and to feel the excitement, the nerves, the sense of adventure all over again. I think I'll go back and revisit the entire series. What a trip that was! I hope you enjoy.
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We RV.
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It's our big RV trip and we are underway! Day one was filled with wonder, joy and our first big surprise—an encounter with a wolf. (This is true, and it was lovely, actually.) We're so happy you are here at The Daily Grace and are along with us for the ride!
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Posey spent last weekend with Birdie and Poppy, and she graduated from colored pencils to watercolor!
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NOW AVAILABLE
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