Chapter 40 - Every Moment Since

This past weekend I was honored to be a part of a book road trip with T.I. Lowe and Marybeth Whalen. Y'all know about my friendship with Tonya. She and Marybeth were "on tour" so to speak in Georgia and upstate South Carolina. Tonya was discussing her latest book Lowcountry Lost and Marybeth was showcasing her newest, Every Moment Since.

I had met Marybeth a few years ago at one of my last bookseller functions at Chapin Library in Myrtle Beach. She seemed pleasant at the time and her talk gave me a lot of insight into her life as a writer. (I say "her life" because each writer works and lives in totally different ways.) She offered some practical suggestions for fitting writing into your life and basically summed it up by stressing that if you really want to write, you will find a way to do it.

Over our shared weekend I found out much more about Marybeth and the books she has written. First, let me tell you how she comes across as a person - she is warm, amazingly funny, practical, and intelligent. Marybeth is also a true crime aficionado but not in a creepy way. She just wants to figure out what makes criminals tick.

While she started her fiction writing with novels around Sunset Beach, according to her she grew tired of that and started writing books which are more about how people move forward after a tragedy. So, although Marybeth's Sunset Beach series is well written and sweet, here are some of her newer books, I'd recommend.

Every Moment Since - This novel is about what happens after a child goes missing. Everyone in Wynotte, North Carolina knows about Davy Malcor who disappeared one night 21 years ago. When his very special jacket turns up suddenly, the cold case reopens. There are people who know what happened that night, people who are harboring secrets, and four people whose lives have never been the same.

This Secret Thing - Everyone in Raleigh knows Norah Ramsey after she is accused of being a suburban madam. As her mother, Polly, comes to take care of Norah's daughter, Violet, she holds secrets of her own. So does, Norah's best friend Bess whose daughter has returned home suddenly from college. Finally, Nico, the detective on the case is having his own problems at home. Is there redemption for any of them?

The Things We Wish Were True - All families have secrets, ergo all neighborhoods have secrets, and this is true of Sycamore Glen, North Carolina. When a near accident at the community pool occurs suddenly the neighborhood starts to unravel. But it is when a previously self-exiled woman returns due to a tragedy that the secrets spin out of control.

When We Were Worthy - The Wildcats of Worthy, Georgia had just won a big game and three of the cheerleaders were in a celebratory mood when they were in a car accident, killing all three. The only survivor, a boy, in the other car, is believed to be at fault. Four mothers grieving and looking for answers. One cheerleader who should have been with the other three that night but wasn't. What really happened that night?

I can guarantee that if you read any of Marybeth's books you will enjoy them. If you've read any please let me know which one(s).