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Dorothea Benton Frank Pays You a Compliment, Issues an Invitation, and Tells You Where to Eat

Forget summer solstice: I know it’s officially summer when the new novel from Dorothea Benton Frank goes on sale. This means that TODAY is the first day of summer, because The Last Original Wife (written by none other than Dorothea herself) is now in all the stores. Commence rejoicing!

Have I told you all how much I love The Last Original Wife? This novel is really something special. Dorothea’s wit and snappy voice are on every page, and she has created an unforgettable couple with her lead characters, Les and Wes. Once I started reading this, I tore through it—I was always disappointed when I had to turn off my Nook and turn my attention to real life again. I am sure you will feel the same. Test me out: read the first three chapters, now!

Here’s a sweet note from Dorothea, to you, her readers.

Hello!

The Last Original Wife is finally on sale!  Please come see me while I’m running around the country!  I love to meet the people who read my books because I have the classiest, best looking, smartest readers of all the authors in the country and this year I’m going to prove it!  I’m taking pictures and putting them on Facebook – so wash your hair, Susie!  (You know who you are.)   See you in June!

Love,

Dorothea

Isn’t she the best?

Reading Dorothea’s novels always, always make me want to go to Charleston to put my toes in the sand, feel the Lowcountry breeze on my skin, stroll through historic sites, and eat my heart out at all the amazing restaurants she cites. I’ll get there one day, and when I do, I’ll have this handy primer Dorothea wrote, listing the best of Charleston’s dining scene. 

I’m going back to daydreaming out the window about sitting in a beach chair on Sullivans Island with a book in one hand and a sweet tea in the other. But I’ll leave you with this link: it leads to a bit of hilarious banter between Dorothea and Adriana Trigiani!

You’re welcome. Now, go set yourself up with a copy of The Last Original Wife and get your summer started right.

Hit the Beach with the Novels of Dorothea Benton Frank—the Best Summer Reads on Either Side of the Mason-Dixon

For the last few weeks, some of my favorite bloggers have been participating in the Hit the Beach with Dorothea Benton Frank Read Along. I love it when people read Dorothea’s novels for the first or tenth time—they are always delighted at what they find behind those beachy jacket designs.

Pam, who blogs at An Unconventional Librarian says that “Reading Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank is like being on vacation.”  Never having read Dorothea’s novels before, Elizabeth (Silver’s Reviews) admitted that she wanted to be a part of the novel’s family and live with them on Sullivans Island! Uh, me too!

When Colleen (Books in the City) read Lowcountry Summer, she couldn’t wait to go back and read Dorothea’s other “southern charmers,” including Plantation (the prequel to Lowcountry Summer). Honestly, when I first started reading Dorothea’s books, I too wanted to go back and spend more time in the pages of Charleston, SC, so I knew exactly what Colleen was feeling. Sharon (Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews) has read Dorothea’s novels before and is already a fan, and she raved about Lowcountry Summer:

"Lowcountry Summer is one of my favorites of Dorothea's books - the family dynamics are sharp and crackling, the women are strong and interesting, and the men make for nice window dressing - everything you'd want in a fabulous summer read!”

If you want to read what all of our bloggers participating in the Hit the Beach with Dorothea Benton Frank Read Along had to say about her novels, follow this link. And stay tuned—they’re all coming back with their reviews of Dorothea’s new hardcover, The Last Original Wife, on sale June 11, 2013.

Learn more about The Last Original Wife, and Dorothea’s other novels. Swing by her website.

Join Author Dorothea Benton Frank in a Facebook Chat Today, Monday May 6th, at 7pm

Dorothea Benton Frank, the New York Times bestselling author of Porch Lights, Folly Beach, and Lowcountry Summer (among others), is hosting a chat on her Facebook page tonight at 7 PM EST. Dorothea will be answering questions about Porch Lights, new in paperback, and also about her forthcoming The Last Original Wife (on sale June 11,2013). 

Read an excerpt of Porch Lights  and of The Last Original Wife to get a preview of Dorothea's hilarious stories set in on the beaches of the beautiful South Carolina Lowcountry.

RSVP to the Facebook chat here, and swing back to Dorothea's page at 7 PM EST tonight to ask your questions and join in the conversation with other fans.

Hit the Beach (at least in your mind) with Dorothea Benton Frank’s Novel Porch Lights, Now in Paperback

In most of the country, it’s still too chilly to be basking in the sun on a sandy beach. (What was that snowfall in the Midwest this weekend, anyway?!) But that doesn’t mean we have to wait until Memorial Day to solve our beach problem. No, the solution is very simple: read the novels of Dorothea Benton Frank. They are without exception set in the sultry climes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, on islands with names like Folly, Bulls, Sullivans, Pawley’s and (my favorite) Palms.

The characters in Dorothea’s novels know they’ve got it good. They take advantage of all that warmth, sunshine and sand. They go for long morning walks along the beach, the waves tickling their toes. They bring their children or grandchildren to the shore to collect seashells and pebbles. In what I consider a no-brainer, they set up with a beach chair, a bottle of water, and a good book. And in Porch Lights, available this week in paperback, Jackie, Annie and Deb set up a bar on Annie’s porch most evenings, turn on the twinkle lights, and sip their way through the sunset. Sometimes Steve, the hot doctor who lives next door, joins them for a toast.

If I had neighbors as fun as that, I would never need to go on vacation again.

Let me rephrase: if I had a porch to use like that, I’d never go on vacation again.

It’s a long haul to June, July and August. For now, I’m setting up summer in my mind by reading Dorothea’s novels along with the bloggers who are participating in the Hit the Beach with Dorothea Benton Frank Readalong. Want to learn more about it, and possibly even join in? Readalong details and sign-up information can be found here.

Need a little visual to entice you? Watch this video of Dorothea giving us a tour of Sullivans Island.

Read an excerpt from Porch Lights.

Buy the book.

Like Dottie on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter. 

And keep your eyes on this blog for the next installment of the Hit the Beach with Dorothea Benton Frank Readalong! It can only get warmer between now and then!

Plan Your Summer (and Fall!) Reading with the Book Club Girl Sampler!

On sale today - except that it's FREE! - is the first-ever Book Club Girl Sampler - filled with excerpts from current and upcoming summer and fall books that are great for book clubs and summer reading! Download the free Book Club Girl Sampler to your e-reader now and you'll be able to dip into books by the following authors - plus check out some great recipes for book club snacks from bestselling chef Emeril Lagasse and your favorite book club authors!

 The Book Club Sampler features excerpts from:

The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani
The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes
An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd
Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank
With My Body by Nikki Gemmell
Keepsake by Kristina Riggle
The Thread by Victoria Hislop
Have Mother, Will Travel by Claire and Mia Fontaine
The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern
Miss Me When I'm Gone by Emily Arsenault
Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin
The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo
Sharp by David Fitzpatrick
The Midwife of Hope River by Patricia Harman
The Mirrored World by Debra Dean
A Train in Winter by Caroline Moorehead
Lucky Bunny by Jill Dawson

 

 

As well as these recipes from favorite book club authors and Emeril Lagasse, including:

Brunonia Barry's Baby Portabella and Tomato Pasta Sauce
Jessica Anya Blau’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel’s Olive Tapenade
Katrina Kittle’s Tiramisu
Gregory Maguire’s Bleu Cheese Souffles 
Marjorie Reynolds’ Bleu Cheese Crumble
Sonya Sones’ Butterscotch Brownies 
Amy Stolls’ Cheddar Walnut Crisps
Adriana Trigiani’s Pizzelles
Emeril Lagasse’s Herbed Olives; Black Mission Figs Stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey; and Curried Chicken Sandwiches on Pumpernickel

Download it now for your Kindle, Nook or IPad!

 

Book Club Girl's eBook Bonanza! 12 Great eBooks Just $2.99 Each for the Month of May!

For the entire month of May, the following 12 ebooks that are great for book clubs are just $2.99 each - plus you can download a free podcast of the author discussing their book on Book Club Girl on Air to listen to with your group! Click on your favorite e-retailer below to purchase and click the Book Club Girl on Air link below each book to access the author interview. And make sure to share this deal with your book club too! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated with a Note from Dorothea! Listen to Tonight's Show with Dorothea Benton Frank Now!

If you missed the live broadcast, you can listen in to tonight's Book Club Girl on Air show with Dorothea Benton Frank now. Thanks so much to Dorothea for joining us, and to everyone who participated in the show. 

Several people who participated in the show were interested to learn more about the Ifa religion. This just in from Dorothea:
"If someone wants to learn more about the Gullah culture, their religious practices, herbal medicine and general philosophy suggest the following books as a good starting place:"

SAPELO’S PEOPLE – William S. McFeely, author, W. W. Norton and Company, 1994

HOODOO HERB AND ROOT MAGIC: A MATERIS MAGICA OF AFRICAN AMERICAN CONJURE, Catherine Yronwode, author, Lucky Mojo Curio Co, 2002

GULLAH CULTURE IN AMERICA – Wilbur Cross, author, Praeger Publishers, 2008

BLUE ROOTS – Roger Pinckney, author, Sandlapper Publishing, 2007

GOD, DR. BUZZARD, and the BOLITO MAN, Cornelia Walker Bailey with Christina Bledsoe, authors, Anchor Books, 2000

THE HANDBOOK OF YORUBA RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS, Baba Ifa Karade, author, Samuel Weiser, Inc. 1994

THE GULLAH PEOPLE AND THEIR AFRICAN HERITAGE, William S. Pollitzer, The University of Georgia Press, 2005

HOODOO, VOODOO AND CONJURE, Jeffrey E. Anderson, author, Greenwood Press, 2008

Listen in to hear Dorothea discuss Lowcountry Summer and more now!

Listen to internet radio with Book Club Girl on Blog Talk Radio

Reminder! Dorothea Benton Frank Joins Book Club Girl on Air Tomorrow Night (Wed. May 4th)!

Just a reminder that we'll be talking with Dorothea Benton Frank about her new book in paperback, Lowcountry Summer, tomorrow Wednesday, May 4th at 7pm ET!

Set your reminder for the show and return to this same link to listen and participate live tomorrow night! You can ask Dorothea questions by typing them into the chat session and we'll relay them to her, or you can ask her a question directly by dialing 347-945-6149 during the show.

Be sure to register on the site prior to the show's start tomorrow at 7pm ET so that you can participate in the chat session from the beginning. Check out the reading group guide before the show--we're looking forward to talking with you tomorrow night!

Dorothea Benton Frank Joins Book Club Girl on Air to Discuss Lowcountry Summer!

I'm thrilled to announce that Dorothea Benton Frank will join Book Club Girl on Wednesday, May 4th to discuss her New York Times bestseller, now in paperback, Lowcountry Summer!

On the occasion of her 46th birthday, Caroline Wimbley Levine is concerned about filling the large shoes of her late, force-of-nature mother, Miss Lavinia, the former Queen of Tall Pines Plantation. Still, Caroline loves a challenge—and she simply will not be fazed by the myriad family catastrophes surrounding her. She'll deal with brother Trip's tricky romantic entanglements, son Eric and his mysterious girlfriend, and go toe-to-toe with alcoholic Frances Mae and her four hellcats without batting an eye, becoming more like Miss Lavinia every day . . . which is not an entirely good thing.

Return with New York Times bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank to the South Carolina Lowcountry—as a new generation stumbles, survives, and reveals their secrets by the banks of the mighty Edisto River.

I have 10 copies of Lowcountry Summer to give away to the first 10 people who comment that they can participate in the show on May 4th. Browse inside Lowcountry Summer, check out the reading group guide and set your reminder for the show.

 

Listen to Last Night's Show with Dorothea Benton Frank Now!

In case you missed the live broadcast last night, listen in now to Dorothea Benton Frank discussing Return to Sullivans Island. Thanks to Pam for hosting and Dottie for joining us!

 

Dorothea Benton Frank is Coming to Book Club Girl on Air!

I'm thrilled to announce that on May 12th, bestselling author Dorothea Benton Frank will join us on Book Club Girl on Air to discuss her newest book in paperback, Return to Sullivan's Island.

In Return to Sullivans Island, Dorothea Benton Frank revisits the enchanted landscape of South Carolina’s Lowcountry made famous in her beloved New York Times bestseller Sullivans Island. Frank focuses on the next generation of Hamiltons and Hayes, earning high praise from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which writes, “Frank brings to vivid life the rich landscape and its unpretentious folks….A reader need only close her eyes for a moment to feel that thick-sticky heat, smell the wild salt marshes.”

Newly graduated from college, Beth Hayes must put all her grand ambitions on hold when the family elders elect her to house-sit the Island Gamble, ghosts and all. Instead of conquering new worlds, Beth will rest and rejuvenate while basking in memory and the magic of white clapboards and shimmering blue waters. But there is much about life and her family's past that she does not yet understand—and her simple plans begin unraveling with the intrusion of developer Max Mitchell. Still, everything here happens for a reason—and disappointment, betrayal, even tragedy are more easily handled when surrounded by loving family and loyal friends.

 

I can't wait for this show. Browse inside the book, check out the reading group guide and set your reminder for the show on May 12th at 7 pm ET. The first ten people who comment that they'd like to participate in the show on the 12th will receive a free copy of the book to read in preparation.