New York Times bestselling author Kristy Woodson Harvey is one of the freshest and most popular voices in southern women’s fiction. Her latest book, A HAPPIER LIFE, was released in late June and became an instant bestseller. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Kristy as our guest this month.   Marie: Kristy, I could go on and on about your wonderful new novel, A HAPPIER LIFE! However, in the interest of brevity, could you share the book’s basic premise and plot?   Kristy: Oh, wow! That is so kind of you. Thank you so much! In a very small nutshell, it’s about a woman who discovers that her mother never sold the childhood home she shared with her parents who passed away in an accident. Keaton returns to Beaufort, North Carolina to put the house on the market and, in the process, comes to realize that the stories she has been told about her grandparents might not be totally true.   Marie: The idea of having Keaton return to a family home that’s been virtually untouched for fifty years is such an intriguing premise. Where did you get the inspiration for that portion of the story?   Kristy: When…

Get ready to dive into the enchanting world of Kristy Woodson Harvey, a beloved Southern author whose latest novel, A HAPPIER LIFE, promises to captivate and inspire. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Beaufort, North Carolina, this story weaves together themes of family secrets, self-discovery, and the enduring pursuit of happiness. With her signature warmth and charm, Kristy brings to life the vivid characters of Keaton and Becks, drawing readers into their intertwined journeys across generations. In this exclusive interview, Kristy shares the inspirations behind her setting and characters, the significance of historic homes, and the powerful connections that shape her storytelling. Don’t miss this insightful conversation that will leave you eager to explore the pages of A HAPPIER LIFE and discover the magic of Beaufort through Kristy’s eyes.   Jennifer Vido: You chose to set A HAPPIER LIFE in the picturesque coastal town of Beaufort, North Carolina, where you have made your home. What initially inspired you to craft a story rooted in the very place you reside, and how did your intimate familiarity with Beaufort shape the way you brought this charming setting to life on the page? Kristy Woodson Harvey: To be completely honest, I was originally…

If I was putting together the definitive playlist for A HAPPIER LIFE, it could go on forever. Half of this novel takes place during the 1970s, and, if there was a better decade for music, I haven’t found it yet. But, beyond that, to me, this book feels a little like a summer beach day filled with carefree feelings and sun on the tide and boat days with champagne that seem to never end. But this book is also the embodiment of every song both about new love—the beginning part when everything is so exciting—and real, true, forever love that Rebecca and Townsend Saint James personify in this book. But, well, for the sake of brevity, (and understanding the assignment!) I have narrowed it down to five favorites that I highly recommend you listen to while reading this novel. I hope you enjoy every word of the book, every note of the music and that, together, they add up to A HAPPIER LIFE!   Carolina in My Mind, James Taylor. At the beginning of this novel, Keaton Smith isn’t only going to Carolina in her mind; she’s going in real life to clean out her grandparents’ house and put it…

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…

Jennifer Vido: What inspired you to write THE WEDDING VEIL? Kristy Woodson Harvey: I was putting a veil on my cousin’s head—the veil that I had worn, many members of my husband’s family had worn, and several friends had worn as well—before her wedding, and it occurred to me how the veil connected the many women who had worn it. As I so often do, I thought, That’s a book! And here we are!   Jen: What was the most fascinating bit of history you discovered about the Biltmore during the writing process? Kristy: Well, honestly, that first spark of inspiration might have been my favorite! I was considering writing about a real, historical wedding veil, and, after a recent trip to Biltmore, I was very interested in Edith Vanderbilt and all the amazing things she did with her life. A quick Google search showed that the wedding veil she had worn, her mother and sisters had worn and her daughter Cornelia worn had disappeared. I knew immediately that was the framework for my story.   Jen: What does the wedding veil represent to Julia Baxter and her family? Kristy: For Julia’s family the veil is a symbol of long,…

Jen: What inspired you to write Under the Southern Sky? Kristy: I was at a party and one of my friends pulled me aside. She was visibly upset because she had been to the doctor that day and he had told her that she and her husband needed to make decisions about their leftover frozen embryos. She said, “When we were freezing these embryos, all we could see is the babies we wanted. We never thought about what would happen next. We never thought about what we would do with the ones we didn’t have.” And then she said the magic words. “A lot of people are going to be going through this. You should write a book about it.” I remember where I was standing and how I got chill bumps all over, as a sure sign that she was, indeed, correct. I knew there was a story there. Only, I didn’t exactly know what that story was What happens in Amelia Buxton’s professional career that brings an old friend back into her life? Amelia is researching for a story about what people do with their unused, frozen embryos when she is sneaking around and accidentally finds out that…

Jen: What was your inspiration for your latest release, Feels Like Falling? Kristy: It started as most good stories do… In the drugstore! (Just kidding.) It was two days before Christmas, our car was packed to the gills, and we were heading home for the holidays–right after we picked up the photo books I had had made for our families. The woman at the photo desk said she couldn’t give me the books without a signed photo release because some of them were from a professional photographer, but I begged and pleaded and she gave them to me, after getting permission for me to bring the form back later. A few days later, I took her the photo release and she put it on file, no harm, no foul. But then I thought, “What if something similar happened but the woman working had gotten fired because of it? What if there was some reason she had felt like she wanted to do a good deed and, because of that, she lost her job? And then what if these two women formed a bond because of it and it ended up changing both their lives?” Most of my stories start this…