Down by the sea with Patti Callahan Henry...plus a book giveaway

We are pleased to feature Patti Callahan Henry today, as she has recently published The Stories We Tell. She's here to revel in the summer with us, and thanks to Sullivan and Partners, we have one copy to share with a lucky US reader!

Patti Callahan Henry grew up in Philadelphia and moved south with her family when she was 12 years old. With the idea that being a novelist was “unrealistic,” she set her sights on becoming a pediatric nurse, graduating from Auburn University with a degree in nursing, and from Georgia State with a Master’s degree in Child Health. She left nursing to raise her first child, and not long after having her third child she began writing down the stories that had always been in her head. When her first child was six years old, she told Patti that she wanted “to be a writer of books” when she grew up. That made Patti realize that writing was her own dream as well. She began taking writing classes at Emory University, attending weekend writers’ conferences, and educating herself about the publishing industry. Her first book, Losing the Moon, was published in 2004. She has since appeared in numerous magazines including Good Housekeeping and Southern Living. Two of her novels were Okra Picks and Coming up For Air was selected for the August 2011 Indie Next List. She is a frequent speaker at fundraisers, library events and book festivals. Patti lives in Mountain Brook, Alabama with her husband and three children, and is a full-time writer. You can find her at her website, Facebook and Twitter. (Bio adapted from Patti's website.)

Synopsis of The Stories We Tell:
Eve and Cooper Morrison are Savannah’s power couple. They’re on every artistic board and deeply involved in the community. She owns and operates a letterpress studio specializing in the handmade; he runs a digital magazine featuring all things southern gentlemen. The perfect juxtaposition of the old and the new, Eve and Cooper are the beautiful people. The lucky ones. And they have the wealth and name that comes from being part of an old Georgia family. But things may not be as good as they seem. Eve’s sister, Willa, is staying with the family until she gets "back on her feet." Their daughter, Gwen, is all adolescent rebellion. And Cooper thinks Eve works too much. Still, the Morrison marriage is strong. After twenty-one years together, Eve and Cooper know each other. They count on each other. They know what to expect. But when Cooper and Willa are involved in a car accident, the questions surrounding the event bring the family close to breaking point. Sifting between the stories—what Cooper says, what Willa remembers, what the evidence indicates—Eve has to find out what really happened. And what she’s going to do about it. (Courtesy of Goodreads.)

Favorite thing about summer:
No early alarms to get kids off to school in a frenzy.

Annual summertime tradition:
Beach! Water!

Favorite water activity:
Reading in a hammock somewhere near a river, lake or sea.

Have you been to the Renaissance Faire? If so, what was your favorite thing about it?
I've never been, BUT I must put this on my schedule!

Time to barbecue...what will you be grilling?
Fish -- usually fish that one of my boys caught.

Favorite ice cream flavor:
Caramel. Anything with caramel.



Thanks to Patti for visiting with us and to Sullivan and Partners for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


US only. Giveaway ends July 28th at midnight EST.