Save the Date Is Now Out {+ Giveaway}

When it comes to writing about Southern charm and high jinx, author Mary Kay Andrews knows how it’s done.

I’m thrilled to welcome Mary Kay back to Thoughts in Progress today to talk about her amazing new release, SAVE THE DATE. Thanks to Mary and the lovely Meg, I have a print copy of this charming summer read to giveaway in celebration of the recent release. Please see the end of the post for details.

First, here’s a brief synopsis of SAVE THE DATE:

      A savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime — one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn't believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them.
      But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all.

Now, please join me in welcoming Mary Kay, who has graciously answered some questions about her new book.

The main character in Save the Date is a wedding florist. How did you research this character and her profession?

Mary Kay:
I have a friend in Savannah, Elizabeth Demos, who is a wedding stylist. She connected me with a talented local florist, and I interviewed her on the phone and spent some time observing her and her assistants in her flower shop, Gardens on The Square.

There are so many different types of weddings described in Save the Date from high society chic, to art student funky, to country barn rustic. How did you come up with the ideas for all these affairs?

Mary Kay:
In a word—Pinterest! I also liberally borrowed wedding theme ideas from magazines and my friend Liz’s book about vintage-inspired weddings.

You are happily married to your high school sweetheart and yet most of your books feature some not-so-stellar guys. Where do you come up with the ideas for these bums if not from Mr. MKA?

Mary Kay:
Unfortunately, lots of them are drawn from real-life stories shared by friends and friends of friends—and even Facebook friends.

Tell us about your writing process. When you begin a new book, do you follow an outline?
 
Mary Kay:
I don’t outline, because I was never good with Roman numerals, but I do try to write a synopsis that will give me a road map of the story. Sometimes I’ll write bios of my protagonist and other major characters. Then I start at the beginning, and plow all the way through to the end before I do any major revisions.

What books have you read more than once?
 
Mary Kay:
Gone With the Wind.

What books are you embarrassed never to have read?
 
Mary Kay:
So many. The most embarrassing is the fact that although I’m from the South and am identified as being a Southern writer, I’ve never read any Faulkner.
 
If you weren’t a writer, what would you be?
 
Mary Kay:
A travel guide.

Mary Kay, thank so much for stopping by again. You have definitely captured the highs and lows of a wedding florist in this new book.

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Mary Kay, here’s some background on her.
Mary Kay Andrews is the author of the New York Times bestselling The Fixer Upper, Savannah Breeze and Blue Christmas, as well as Deep Dish, Hissy Fit, Little Bitty Lies and Savannah Blues.

She also wrote ten critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series, under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. Her mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards.

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida (and a diplomate of the Maas Bros. Department Store School of Charm), Trocheck earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia in 1976 (Go Dawgs!). She started her professional journalism career in Savannah, Georgia, where she covered the real-life murder trials which were the basis of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She left journalism after a ten-year stint as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

She is a frequent lecturer and writing teacher at workshops including Emory University, The University of Georgia’s Harriette Austin Writer’s Workshop, the Tennessee Mountain Writer’s Workshop, and the Antioch Writer’s Workshop.
As a lifelong “junker” the author claims to know the location of every promising thrift store, flea market and junk pile in the southeastern United States, plus many parts of Ohio.

Married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two grown children and a proud grandmother. After a brief hiatus in Raleigh, NC, she and her husband moved back to their old neighborhood in Atlanta, where they live in a restored 1926 Craftsman bungalow. She divides her time between Atlanta and her restored beach cottage on Tybee Island, GA.

For more on Mary Kay, you can visit her website and connect with her on Facebook.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for one print copy of SAVE THE DATE. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only and will end Wednesday, June 18. To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and following the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load, so please be patient. 

The winner from this giveaway will have 72 hours to respond after being contacted or another winner will be selected. The email will have ‘Thoughts in Progress: Mary Kay Andrews’ in the subject line, just so you know what to watch for (in case it goes into your spam folder).

I do appreciate you stopping by today and visiting. Have you ever had any experience as a wedding florist? Would you want to be a wedding florist?

*This post contains affiliate links. a Rafflecopter giveaway