Colleen Oakley makes us feel seen...plus a book giveaway

Photo by Sarah Dorio

We're so glad to have Colleen Oakley back at CLC today. Her latest novel, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, published this week. See why Melissa gave it five stars. Colleen is here today to talk about it and share some other fun information about herself...and she has one signed copy to give away!

Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch, and Before I Go. Colleen’s novels have been longlisted for the Southern Book Prize twice and Close Enough to Touch won the French Reader’s Prize. Her books have been translated into 21 languages, optioned for film and have received numerous accolades including:

*Top 21 Books of 2020 by O Magazine

*People magazine Best New Book

*Pop Sugar’s Books We Can’t Wait to Read

*Real Simple’s Best Books List

A former magazine editor for Marie Claire and Women’s Health & Fitness, Colleen’s articles and essays have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, Woman’s Day, Fitness, Health, Marie Claire, and Martha Stewart Weddings. A proud graduate of the University of Georgia’s school of journalism, Colleen currently lives in Atlanta with her husband, four kids, four chickens, two guinea pigs, and one fish. (Bio adapted from Colleen's website.)

Visit Colleen online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Pinterest

Synopsis:
Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom's crab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper?
 
Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national award-winning podcaster by now, rather than writing fluff pieces for a small town newspaper. But when he gets an assignment to travel to the remote Frick Island and cover their boring annual Cake Walk fundraiser, he stumbles upon a much more fascinating tale: an entire town pretending to see and interact with a man who does not actually exist. Determined it’s the career-making story he’s been needing for his podcast, Anders returns to the island to begin covert research and spend more time with the enigmatic Piper—but he has no idea out of all the lives he’s about to upend, it’s his that will change the most.

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Oakley delivers an unforgettable love story about an eccentric community, a grieving widow, and an outsider who slowly learns that sometimes faith is more important than the facts. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"A gently told story of grief, community and ambition, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is imaginative, lovely and full of surprises."

—Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author of Always the Last to Know

"The Invisible Husband Of Frick Island is a fricking delight! An awkward newcomer travels to a tiny, remote community whose residents cling as tightly to their way of life as they do to their secrets, even as climate change threatens to sweep the whole charming island out to sea. Part mystery, part romance, and full to the brim with heart and hope, Colleen Oakley's latest is the perfect summer read."

—Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs

“Let Colleen Oakley take you away to the enchantment of Frick Island, where a nostalgic past and inevitable present collide in this romantic story of more than meets the eye. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island is headed straight for my favorites shelf!”

—Kelly Harms, bestselling author of The Seven-Day Switch

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing? 
Any compliment is a good compliment, but I think my favorite is when someone says they cried at something I wrote. It's not that I like making people cry (I don't! I swear!), but being able to move people to emotion with words is powerful. It feels like I've done my job as an author.

 
How is Piper similar to or different from you?
I grew up in a small town where people had lived for generations—everyone knew each other and the teachers I had, had taught my friends' parents, or gone to school with them. I was a transplant, in that my parents had moved us there and we didn't share the history of the other people in the town. So I do understand what it's like to be an outsider. But I also understand what it's like to be completely brought into the fold and loved by your community. Though I don't live there anymore, my hometown friends are the first in line to buy my book, and when I go back for events they fill the room.

If The Invisible Husband were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I generally never know the answer to this, but when I was writing Frick Island, my husband and I were binging the Santa Clarita Diet and as soon as I saw Skyler Gisondo on screen I KNEW he was Anders. Not only was he charming and self-effacing, he just looked exactly how I had pictured Anders in my mind. It was like casting at first sight. Is that a thing? 

Which TV series are you currently binge watching?
I recently finished WandaVision, which was incredible—a masterclass in storytelling. And I'm loving the final season of Younger—I just hate waiting a week between episodes!

What is something you learned about yourself during the pandemic?
That I did not miss my calling to be a homeschool teacher to my four children. They agree.

What is your go-to breakfast item?
I love a veggie/potato hash with a fried egg, but if I'm feeling lazy, I just blend a pre-frozen smoothie. And I mainline coffee.

Thanks to Colleen for chatting with us and 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. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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Giveaway ends June 1st at midnight EST.