Meet Patti Callahan Henry

NY Times Bestselling Author Launches New Release Set in a Town Inspired by Bluffton

 

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I fell in love with New York Times Bestselling Author Patti Callahan Henry’s writing after I met her at the Savannah Book Festival a few years ago. I attended her book talk during the festival and purchased one of her books—The Stories We Tell. It was a page-turner, filled with Southern grace, mystery, heartache, family and fulfillment. It spoke to me deeply. I was hooked.

Fast forward a few years and several books, when Patti and I caught up at The Corner Perk coffee house one recent morning in Bluffton, where we sipped lattes and chatted like girlfriends, who had not seen each other in years. No subject was taboo, so it took us a while to turn our attention to her new release—The Bookshop at Water’s End—coming out July 11.

This is Patti’s twelfth novel, and some are saying her absolute best yet. In fact, Dorothea Benton Frank, New York Times bestselling author of Same Beach, Next Year, says, “Patti Callahan Henry has written the best novel of her career with The Bookshop at Water’s End. I absolutely adored it and predict it will be one of the most loved books of the year. In fact, it’s so good, I wish I’d written in myself!”

One of the most thrilling things about the book, especially for us who live along the southeast coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia, is where the book is set. The fictitious town of Water’s End is Patti’s version of Bluffton, S.C. Patti visits Bluffton several times a year—and it’s her favorite place of refuge. And, the a few of the main characters are completely believable as true Blufftonians. 

Patti believes we lose an opportunity when we don’t put bookstores at the center of community. “The best bookshops offer not only what is on the shelves, but also a sense of community, a place to gather and share, a home that settles the heart,” Patti said. 

This book is a powerful exploration of the remarkable resilience of two women, each faced with unspeakable tragedies and the overwhelming task of surviving them.

Synopsis

Unsatisfied with her life, Dr. Bonny Blankenship has been preparing a fresh start for some time. But after a tragic mistake in the emergency room, her meticulously laid plans abruptly fall apart. Seeking escape and solace, Bonny flees to Water’s End, the seaside town where she and her childhood best friend Lainey McKay spent three blissful summers camped out in the local bookshop. Now with her troubled teenage daughter in tow, Bonny is desperate to save them both from the looming uncertainty of their futures.

Lainey has found great happiness through marriage, motherhood and a passionate career as a successful artist. However, a darkness from her past haunts her—something that has followed her ever since one fateful summer night in Water’s End. But when her best friend Bonny enlists her support in a moment of great need, Lainey feels compelled to return to the small town for the first time in decades. What she does not predict is their old favorite bookstore could hold an important link to her past—as well as some long-needed closure.

This is the perfect beach read that embodies friendship, community and the strength of women. The Bookshop at Water’s End is full of genuine interactions between richly developed, relatable characters and unexpected turns of events that will leave readers meditating on the unpredictable paths life takes us.

Upcoming Events

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Patti and Author Ellen Malphrus

Beaufort, S.C. | Friday, July 14, 2017 | 7 PM
Pat Conroy Literary Center
In conversation with Ellen Malphrus, author of Untying the Moon
Technical College of the Lowcountry
MacLean Hall Building 12,
921 Ribaut Rd., Beaufort

A Summer Afternoon Book Launch Party
with Patti and Mary Kay Andrews

Presented by Bluffton Book Festival
Q&A with the authors, book signings and give-aways!

Bluffton, S.C. | Saturday, July 15, 2017 | Noon
Spartina 449 Flagship Store,
Calhoun Street, Bluffton
Books will be sold by Buxton Books. A percentage
of proceeds will benefit the Bluffton Book Festival.
Nibbles and bubbly courtesy of Spartina. 

Happy Hour with Patti and Mary Kay Andrews

Savannah, GA | Saturday, July 15, 2017 | 4 PM
Cocktails / Discussion / Book Signing
Happy Hour with Mary Kay Andrews
Hosted by E. Shaver Booksellers
326 Bull Street,  Savannah

Buy the Book! On Sale July 11

Geography unlocks memories—when we return to a place we once held dear, a flood of memories come rushing back.

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