Families come in many shapes and sizes. Familiar are much more than DNA and blood.
Author Kristy Woodson Harvey recently visited Thoughts to talk about her new release, DEAR CAROLINA, which deals with both sides of adoption. Today I’m sharing my thoughts on this heartwarming story. In addition, Kristy is giving away one print copy of DEAR CAROLINA to a lucky reader (and it’s open internationally!). Please see the end of the post for more details. Now here are my thoughts …..
The bittersweet and wonderful sides of adoption are examined in author Kathy Woodson Harvey’s stunning debut novel.
The story is told in letters written to baby Carolina from both her birth mother and her adopted mother. The story weaves back and forth from each woman sharing how their role in her life came to be.
Related to begin with, the two southern women forge an even stronger and close-knit family through their love for Carolina. Theirs is an open adoption that demonstrates “you can never have too many people to love you.”
Frances “Khaki” Mason appears to have it all – successful interior design career, a loving husband in Graham, an adorable toddler named Alex, and homes in North Carolina and Manhattan. But she desperately wants a second child and the couple’s efforts seem futile.
Jodi, Graham’s 19-year-old cousin, has lived a hard life growing up with an alcoholic mother after her father died of cancer. Jodi turned to drinking and ended up living with a loser. Fresh out of rehab, Jodi finds herself pregnant and alone when her boyfriend runs out on her when she needs him the most.
Khaki reaches out to help Jodi when she decides to keep her baby. But when the pressures and temptation overtake Jodi after the baby is born, she asked Khaki for the ultimate favor. What follows changes everyone’s lives in ways they never imaged.
Harvey has created amazing characters that are realistic, likable and well-developed. She has captured the small town atmosphere, as well as the hectic lifestyle of Manhattan combining the two together with great ease.
Readers are quickly drawn in as the two mothers share their thoughts, fears, and joy with baby Carolina. The dialogue is rich and flows smoothly keeping readers’ attention as the group experiences highs and lows while becoming a blended family.
DEAR CAROLINA will tug on your heartstrings and have you laughing all at the same time. The mix of emotions leaps off the page and surrounds you. Harvey has captured the essence of what a real family is all about. Can’t wait to see where she goes from here.
Dear Carolina by Kristy Woodson Harvey, Berkley, @2015, ISBN: 978-0425279984, Paperback, 320 Pages
FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.
GIVEAWAY DETAILS:
This giveaway is for one print copy of DEAR CAROLINA. The giveaway is open internationally and will end at 12 a.m. on Thursday, July 23.
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 Dear Carolina’ in the subject line, just so you know what to watch for (in case it goes into your spam folder).
I do so appreciate you stopping by today to find out more about this delightful book. What are your thoughts on open adoption? Do you think it should be for every adoption or depend on the circumstances?
*This post contains affiliate links.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
It’s a sheer delight to welcome a fellow Southerner and author Kristy Woodson Harvey to Thoughts in Progress today.
Kristy joins us to talk about her debut novel, DEAR CAROLINA. This a heartwarming story you won’t be able to resist. Here’s a brief synopsis of it:
One baby girl.
Two strong Southern women.
And the most difficult decision they’ll ever make.
Frances “Khaki” Mason has it all: a thriving interior design career, a
loving husband and son, homes in North Carolina and Manhattan—everything except the second child she has always wanted. Jodi, her husband’s nineteen-year-old cousin, is fresh out of rehab, pregnant, and alone. Although the two women couldn’t seem more different, they forge a lifelong connection as Khaki reaches out to Jodi, encouraging her to have her baby.
But as Jodi struggles to be the mother she knows her daughter deserves, she will ask Khaki the ultimate favor…
Written to baby Carolina, by both her birth mother and her adoptive one, this is a story that proves that life circumstances shape us but don’t define us—and that families aren’t born, they’re made…
Now please join me in giving Kristy a warm welcome as she talks about taking advice from one’s characters. Kristy, welcome.
I never thought I’d be taking advice from my own characters. But, sometimes, you end up writing what you need to hear the most. Recently, a friend of mine made me these amazing printable quotes from DEAR CAROLINA to share with readers. They were some of her favorite takeaways from the story.
One of those quotes is from Khaki, the adoptive mother in the story’s, Dad. He tells her, “The only thing to do in life is to be open. You have to keep saying yes.”
I’ve reminded myself of that more than a few times over the past several months. Because, you see, when this dream of getting to be a published author finally came true, I promised myself that I would give it my all. I thought that might involve getting out of my comfort zone a bit. But I was going to keep saying yes no matter what.
So, for example, when someone asked me, seven months ago, to speak to a crowd coming into town, it was easy to say, “Sure, I would love to.”
It was easy because it seemed so very far away. The day before the talk, on the other hand, it didn’t seem like quite as good of an idea. In fact, it seemed like a terrible one! The thoughts of having to stand up there in front of all those people and talk about anything—even this book that I loved so much—suddenly seemed terrifying.
But I thought of Daddy Mason. He would have said to do it anyway. He would have said to face the fear because that’s how we find out all the best things in life.
And so, I put on my bravest smile, swallowed hard, and got behind that podium.
And you know what? It wasn’t bad. In fact, after the first minute or two, it was kind of fun. They laughed in all the right places, smiled attentively. A minute or so after that I found that I wasn’t even using my notes any more.
And, when it was over, as relieved as I felt about the idea of getting down off of that stage, I felt even more relieved when they asked if I could please read them a little bit of the story too.
This wonderful group of people were so complimentary about my little talk, which, without a doubt, will make it exponentially easier to get up on that stage the next time and the next and the time after that. And almost every person in that group bought a copy of DEAR CAROLINA, which, of course, is the best compliment you could possibly pay a writer. The sight of all those copies of my brand new book in all of those hands filled me with pride. It was a moment I had dreamed of since I first thought of writing a book.
And I smiled to myself realizing that that moment made me think of another one of those quotes from the book. It’s a moment when Buddy looks at Jodi, the birth mother in the story, and says, “Sometimes, you can’t make a dream come true all by yourself.”
Kristy, thanks for dropping by today and sharing this look at Dear Carolina. I love the quotes that were pulled from the book. They say so much about life.
Now here’s what some others are saying about this intriguing novel.
“Kristy Woodson Harvey weaves a story around characters with rich, complicated lives we all identify with…beautifully shows how a family comes to be. Not only by blood, but also by choice.” -- New York Times Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas
"A story of motherhood told by two mothers of the same child, DEAR CAROLINA is Southern fiction at its best. Lovely and lyrical, with the strong voices of the two female narrators taking us deep into the heart of what being a mother is about. It shows us that love is not without sacrifice, and there’s little in life that doesn’t go down easier with a spoonful of jam. Beautifully written." -- New York Times Bestselling Author Eileen Goudge
Here’s a bit of background on Kristy.
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the author of Dear Carolina. She blogs at Design Chic about how creating a beautiful home can be the catalyst for creating a beautiful life and loves connecting with readers at kristywoodsonharvey.com.
She is a 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. She is a regular contributor for The Salisbury Post, Domino magazine and Houzz.
She lives in North Carolina with her husband and three-year-old son.
DEAR CAROLINA can be purchased at any of the following locations: BARNES AND NOBLE | INDIEBOUND | BOOKS A MILLION | AMAZON | POWELLS | TARGET | iTUNES | GOOGLE PLAY | KOBO
Thanks so much for stopping by during Kristy’s visit. Have you wrote letters to your children (whether or not they are adopted) telling about their birth or early years? What are your thoughts on this idea?
Families come in many shapes and sizes. Familiar are much more than DNA and blood.
