Jennifer Vido: What inspired your new release, THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS?
Kristy Woodson Harvey: For starters, I started writing this book during the pandemic, and I just wanted to go somewhere fun! And outside! So I knew I was going to write a book about summer camp. But my family actually ended up going to a family camp during that time, and, while we were there reminiscing with friends about our own camp experiences, this story really started to take shape.
Jen: Who is June Moore, and what’s her connection to Camp Holly Springs?
Kristy: June Moore is the owner and director of Camp Holly Springs—and protagonist Daphne’s aunt. Daphne and June have been through a lot together, namely losing Daphne’s mom and June’s sister. Throughout the course of this book, Daphne really begins to realize how Camp Holly Springs brought her back to life after that loss. And June begins to realize that maybe she’s used camp as an excuse to hide from the real world. But this place is incredibly special to both women, and they have a hugely vested interest in saving it.
Jen: Who are Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart, and how are they connected?
Kristy: Daphne, Lanier, and Mary Stuart are best friends who met as eight-year-olds at Camp Holly Springs. They have been doing each other’s “hard things” since they were children at camp and, when they discover it’s about to close, they must band together to save it despite all the chaos going on in their personal lives!
Jen: How does Daphne’s role as the lawyer for Lanier’s fiancé dare to threaten their relationship?
Kristy: Daphne finds out that Lanier’s fiancé has done something illegal that Lanier doesn’t know about. If Daphne tells, she will likely get disbarred. If she doesn’t, her best friend could walk down the aisle and marry this man not knowing the truth about him. Daphne is putting it all on the line to protect Lanier. But what she doesn’t know is that Lanier might not exactly be doing the same thing for Daphne… But you’ll have to read to find out more!
Jen: Who is Huff, and how does his appearance affect Daphne?
Kristy: Huff is Daphne’s ex-boyfriend—and Lanier’s brother. So, yes, things are complicated! Daphne and Huff loved each other greatly but broke up for myriad reasons. Lanier was never happy about their dating and, when they run into each other again later in their lives, nothing about that situation has changed, including the spark they’ve always had.
Jen: What do you hope readers take away from the story?
Kristy: That real friendship—especially the kind that lasts a lifetime—is complicated. And that the best things are always worth fighting for, even when it’s hard.
Jen: What’s your favorite summer camp memory?
Kristy: Oh, gosh. So many! I think my favorite, though, is becoming a “Rowainer,” which was my camp’s greatest honor. If you were chosen for your service to your other campers etc., you were pulled from your bunk in the middle of the night and had to complete a series of tasks in the woods at night—without talking!—with your fellow campers who were being considered for the title. We passed the test! But being in the woods in the middle of the night like that was such a unique experience. I’ll never forget it!
Jen: What’s the best way for readers to stay up-to-date on your latest appearances and book releases?
Kristy: I have a weekly newsletter that people can sign up for on my website. I am also on Instagram, and Kristy Woodson Harvey on Facebook.
Jen: Sneak peek! What’s your current work in progress?
Kristy: OUR LAST SUMMER ON SUNSET LANE releases on April 23, 2024. It is a book that has been in my head for YEARS about a granddaughter who goes to clean out the abandoned house of the grandparents who died before she was born and uncovers that the story she was told about them her whole life might not be true. We get to hear from Keaton in the present day and her grandmother Becks’s story unfolds from 1935 until 1976. There’s a piece of this story that is based on something that happened in my own family, but it’s a major spoiler, so I’ll have to tell you later!
Jen: What’s on your TBR stack?
Kristy: Forever Hold Your Peace by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley by Courtney Walsh, and Homecoming by Kate Morton. I’m currently reading and loving The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand.
Jen: Thanks for chatting with me about The Summer of Songbirds, the quintessential summer read! Best of luck with your fabulous new release!
Kristy: Jen, you are absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for inviting me here! And I can’t let your readers go without telling them how much I loved Serendipity by the Sea. If they haven’t read it, they need to right away!
THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS by Kristy Woodson Harvey
Four women come together to save the summer camp that changed their lives and rediscover themselves in the process in this heartwarming new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil.
Nearly thirty years ago, in the wake of a personal tragedy, June Moore bought Camp Holly Springs and turned it into a thriving summer haven for girls. But now, June is in danger of losing the place she has sacrificed everything for—and begins to realize how much she has used the camp to avoid facing difficulties in her life.
June’s niece, Daphne, met her two best friends, Lanier Bradley and Mary Stuart Harris, during a fateful summer at camp, and the three are inseparable even in their thirties. But when attorney Daphne discovers that Lanier’s fiancé—who just so happens to be her client—has done something highly illegal, she must choose between her job and her friendship.
Meanwhile, Lanier is hiding secrets both new and old that might make Daphne see the situation in an entirely different light. When one of those secrets unexpectedly rises to the surface, it threatens to change the very fabric of their friendship.
But when the women learn that their childhood oasis is in danger of closing, they put aside their own problems and band together with June to save it, sending them on a journey that promises to open the next chapters in their lives.
From an author whose “writing coats your soul with heart” (E! Online), The Summer of Songbirds is a lyrical and unforgettable celebration of female friendship, and a love letter to the places and people that make us who we are.
Women’s Fiction Southern [Gallery Books, On Sale: July 11, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781668010822 / eISBN: 9781668010846]
Buy THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Love’s Sweet Arrow | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Kristy Woodson Harvey
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher’s Weekly best-selling author of nine novels including Under the Southern Sky, The Peachtree Bluff Series, and The Wedding Veil. Her Peachtree Bluff Series is currently in development with NBC with Kristy as co-writer and co-executive producer. She is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing, a finalist for the Southern Book Prize, and her books have received numerous accolades including Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks, and Katie Couric’s Most Anticipated Reads.
She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be the catalyst for creating a beautiful life. Design Chic is the inaugural member of the design blogger hall of fame, sponsored by Traditional Home, and winner of Amara’s Best Luxury Blog, as chosen by Roberto Cavalli. She also loves connecting with readers her website.
Harvey is a Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism and holds a master’s in English from East Carolina University, with a concentration in multicultural and transnational literature. Her writing has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Southern Living, Traditional Home, Parade, USA Today, Domino, Our State and O. Henry. She has been seen in Today.com, Women’s Health, The Washington Post, US News and World Report, The Huffington Post, Marie Claire’s The Fix, Woman’s World, Readers’ Digest, Bustle, New York Live and North Carolina Bookwatch, among others.
Kristy is a co-founder and co-host of the hit weekly webshow and podcast, Friends & Fiction, with fellow authors Mary Kay Andrews, Kristin Harmel and Patti Callahan Henry. She is a proud member of the Tall Poppy Writers, serves on the board of The University of North Carolina’s Library Board, the Beaufort Historical Association, and is a member of the University of North Carolina’s Women’s Leadership Council. She is a frequent speaker at fundraisers, book conferences and private events. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and ten-year-old son where she is working on her next novel.
Peachtree Bluff
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About Jennifer Vido
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry filled with southern charm and hospitality. In between chapters, she interviews authors for her bi-weekly Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com. Most mornings, she teaches an arthritis-friendly water exercise class for seniors before heading to the office to serve as the executive director of a legal non-profit. A New Jersey native, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband and two rescue dogs and is the proud parent of two sons who miss her home-cooked meals. To learn more, please visit her website.
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