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Author Guest Post - Mary Alice Monroe

Readers, please join me welcoming Author Mary Alice Monroe who will be guest blogging here today!

Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of eleven novels, including 
Time is a River, Sweetgrass, Skyward, The Beach House, The Four Seasons, and The Book Club. She is an active conservationist and lives in the low-country of South Carolina. Her work with environmental groups has inspired several of her novels, including her latest, Last Light Over Carolina, which goes on-sale 7/14/09.


How many of us have looked out on the ocean, seen the shrimp boats with their green nets out, and wondered, what’s it like out there on that boat? What’s that life like?

I live on the Isle of Palms and often see the boats on the horizon. Every year, there are fewer boats. I’d wanted to write their story for years. A few years ago m friend, vice president of the SC Shrimpers Association, said to me, “Mary Alice, if you’re going to write a book about shrimpers, you better do it now while you still can.” I was electrified, knowing he was right. Many boats are docked because captains just can’t make a living. This lifestyle is part of our southern coastal heritage and landscape.

Imagine yourself eating at a restaurant in a coastal town, maybe even overlooking the water. A shrimp boat might be docked outdoors. You eagerly order shrimp, thinking it’s local. Guess what? It might be imported! 85% of shrimp served in restaurants or sold at grocers is imported, pond raised shrimp, even in the Gulf states. Nothing tastes fresher or sweeter than local shrimp, and there aren’t any antibiotics or chemicals in them.

So don’t be fooled. If you live, or are visiting restaurants or stores, along our southern coast, ASK FOR LOCAL, WILD AMERICAN SHRIMP!

In Last Light Over Carolina you’ll travel to a small shrimping village- McClellanville, SC. I will bring you out on the boats and into the homes of my characters to tell the story of an American family and a vanishing southern lifestyle. The highest compliment I received about the book was from one of the local shrimp boat captains after reading the book. He loved it and exclaimed, “It’s so real, it’s unreal!”

Please visit my website for photos of McClellanville, shrimp boats, recipes, videos and much more! www.maryalicemonroe.com

Thank you for that entertaining post, dear Author! Thanks also to Sarah of Simon & Schuster for including this blog in the tour! Readers, your thoughts / comments are most welcome.
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Comments

  1. One of my fave authors that write about my hometown area. Unfortunately, she's the only one I've found that makes it believable. Others try to play up the southern thing too much - makes me nuts. My book club is actually reading The Book Club next month :) I'll have to show them this link :)

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  2. I absolutely Love Mary Alice she has a way of making you feel passionate about what ever she is writting about, she is mine and my mother-n-law's favorite author a funny story of how we discovered this is i was telling her about how much i loved a book i just finished and she says that sounds alot like a book i have and it's my favorite book, it turned out my book was the follow up book to The Beach house so we traded books then bought each other a copy so we could get our books back from each other. She is such a gifted writter i am looking forward to her book coming out.

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  3. Just in case she reads this she won't know me by photoquest but i wanted to say i am looking forward to meeting her at the book signing in Aug. possibly at Emerald Isle in July and of coarse my mother-n-law also : ) Lori Barnes

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