I was raised by strong Southern women, including my Mamaw Myers, whose life inspired The Tobacco Wives, my debut novel. Mamaw was a hairdresser for the wives of RJ Reynolds tobacco executives in Winston-Salem, NC in the 1940s, and as a girl, I was fascinated by the idea of her glamourous, wealthy clients. I’ve always been drawn to stories about women who are “Steel Magnolias, a complex mix of strength and vulnerability” that writer Robert Harling so beautifully defined and brought to life in his play and film of the same name. His is one of the five stories that I recommend if you’re a fan of strong Southern women.
I first read this book in high school and it had a profound impact on me. This memoir of Angelou’s life is described as “a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself.” I find myself returning to it again and again, especially when I am preparing to write something new. Angelou’s voice, her vulnerability, and her honesty inspired me as a 15-year-old and still feed my soul today. Reading her words feels like home.
Maya Angelou's seven volumes of autobiography are a testament to the talents and resilience of this extraordinary writer. Loving the world, she also knows its cruelty. As a Black woman she has known discrimination and extreme poverty, but also hope, joy,achievement and celebration. In this first volume of her six books of autobiography, Maya Angelou beautifully evokes her childhood with her grandmother in the American south of the 1930s. She learns the power of the white folks at the other end of town and suffers the terrible trauma of rape by her mother's lover.
As a child of the 80s, I adored the film. But did you know you can also read the play? After the death of his sister to diabetes in 1985, Harling wrote a play about six women set in a beauty parlor in Louisiana. He later adapted the play for the big screen, bringing to life the touching, at times hilarious, and incredibly moving tale of M’Lynn, Shelby, Truvy, Ouiser, Clairee, and Annelle. A true classic!
Within the walls of Truvy's beauty shop are six women whose lives increasingly hinge on the existence of one another. Together, they absorb the passing seasons, just like the weathered wooden structure of the salon "home" that they share.
An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production, starring Frances Fisher, Jeanie Hackett, Shannon Holt, Amy Pietz, Brittany Snow, and Jocelyn Towne. Additional voices by Josh Clark. Directed by Jessica Kubzansky and recorded before an audience by L.A. Theatre Works.
Talk about a strong Southern woman. Karr grew up in East Texas, the daughter of a hard-drinking father and a mother who painted and married her way through half a dozen husbands. Actually, seven husbands to be exact. Part memoir and part coming of age story, this raw rendering of a tough childhood is told with honesty and heart. It struck a chord with me that I’ll never forget.
#4 on The New York Times' list of The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years
The New York Times bestselling, hilarious tale of a hardscrabble Texas childhood that Oprah.com calls the best memoir of a generation
"Wickedly funny and always movingly illuminating, thanks to kick-ass storytelling and a poet's ear." -Oprah.com
The Liars' Club took the world by storm and raised the art of the memoir to an entirely new level, bringing about a dramatic revival of the form. Karr's comic childhood in an east Texas oil town brings us characters as darkly hilarious as any of J.…
I just love hidden history, especially the hidden history of strong Southern women, and no one does it better than Patti Callahan. This tale of survival, told in two timelines inspired by the mystery surrounding the sinking of “The Titanic of the South,” explores the themes of friendship, grief, family, second chances, and more. Truly a historical fiction masterpiece.
"An atmospheric, compelling story of survival, tragedy, the enduring power of myth and memory, and the moments that change one's life." --Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds
"[An] enthralling and emotional tale...A story about strength and fate."--Woman's World
“An epic novel that explores the metal of human spirit in crisis. It is an expertly told, fascinating story that runs fathoms deep on multiple levels.”—New York Journal of Books
It was called "The Titanic of the South." The luxury steamship sank in 1838 with Savannah's elite on board; through time, their fates were forgotten--until the…
This novel by my new friend and fellow debut author, Caroline Frost, is a stunner. It’s one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. It’s been described as “Badlands meets Paper Moon, a tale about a scrappy young woman and the partner-in-crime she can’t escape.” If you loved Tatum O’Neal in Paper Moon, you’ll love Kit Walker in Pecan Hollow.
"Paper Moon meets Badlands in this mesmerizing Texas backroads thriller, a twisty story of a runaway girl who finds a home and a desperate love on the road with an opportunistic criminal...told in a gritty, sensual prose."-Janet Fitch, #1 New York Times bestselling author of White Oleander
Set in 1970-90s Texas, a mesmerizing story about a fierce woman and the partner-in-crime she can't escape, perfect for readers of Where the Crawdads Sing and Valentine.
It was 1970 when thirteen-year-old runaway Kit Walker was abducted by Manny Romero, a smooth-talking, low-level criminal, who first coddled her…
A vibrant historical debut set in 1946 North Carolina,The Tobacco Wives follows a young female seamstress who uncovers dangerous truths about the Big Tobacco empire ruling the American South. Shedding light on the hidden history of women’s activism during the post-war period, at its heart, The Tobacco Wivesis a deeply human, emotionally satisfying, and dramatic novel about the power of female connection and the importance of seeking truth.
Every picture tells a story, but it’s not always the one we expect or remember. Christmas Actually is a festive drama about family and forgiveness and a snapshot of modern family life, addressing Instagram to motherhood and everything in between.
Why Christmas? My publisher wanted my new novel to have a festive theme, specifically set in Australia–sun, surf, sunburn, and prawns. Christmas in Australia is very different from Christmas in the UK, USA, and Canada. We typically wear shorts and t-shirts, eat salad and seafood for Christmas lunch, and play beach cricket in the afternoon. Despite the season, conflicts, secrets,…
Time spent with family can be challenging, especially at Christmas actually…
Kate Cavendish is stuck in a rut. That is until a former colleague contacts her and offers her a chance to fulfil her lifelong dream of becoming a successful photographer.
With her focus pulled in all directions by her children, her pregnant sister, her newly-dating mother, and the niggling worry that her husband might be having an affair, Kate is filled with self-doubt.
Then as the countdown to Christmas begins, and memories of her own childhood resurface, Kate’s anxiety deepens – both personally and professionally. Can she move on…
