Author Confessions: Mary Kay Andrews

The New York Times bestselling author talks about her latest novel, where she gets her ideas and the newspaper editor that made her cry.

Mary Kay Andrews had me at the hotel. Her new book, Summers at the Saint, is set at a historic resort on the Georgia coast, a place where generations of upper class families have been vacationing for one hundred years. Yes, please!

Deemed “a gripping mystery and swoony romance” by Publisher’s Weekly, the plot is perfection. Struggling to keep her family’s St. Cecelia resort afloat after her husband’s death, Traci Eddings hires a new staff and hopes to turn the historic hotel around. But when an unexpected tragedy muddles her plans, a police investigation ensues. Enter cute hotel landscaper named Whelan, a former private investigator, who tries to get to the bottom of things, while unearthing a decades-old mystery—and winning Traci’s heart.

If you love beach reads with a little mystery (and a lot of southern charm), then it’s time you read a Mary Kay Andrews novel. Chances are, you’ve already read one. The prolific author has been churning out books since her debut, Every Crooked Nanny, in 1992, publishing over thirty novels since. Many of her sparkly (and spunky) stories, including Summer Rental and The Newcomer, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list.

What I envy about Mary Kay’s writing is that she’s able to whisk you away to another world, and with equal parts humor and warmth, you don’t want to leave it behind when the book ends. You’ll follow her anywhere! Now that she’s written over thirty novels, I asked her if the process ever gets easier. “I think the more books I write the higher my self-expectations are,” she says. “I've found that every book has its own challenges, but hopefully my writing has matured over the past three decades.”

Let’s talk some more! Welcome to Dear Fiction, Mary Kay Andrews!

How did you get the idea for Summers at the Saint? I'm just floored by how many stories and characters you've dreamed up!
When I was on tour for my 2022 novel, The Homewreckers, I visited lots of coastal tourist towns and noticed HELP WANTED signs in nearly every restaurant, bar, hotel or boutique. I got the idea to set a book at an iconic Southern resort, loosely inspired by Sea Island, on the coast of Georgia. I honestly think I have more ideas for books than I'll ever have time to write. Inspiration is everywhere--in my dreams, snippets of eavesdropped conversations, newspaper headlines, ect. 

I love that. I’m curious. You’re so good at writing plot twists. What part of writing comes easy for you? What is the hardest? Dialogue? Interiority?
I think dialogue comes easily for me, but plotting and pacing---and including emotional depth comes much harder. In Summers at the Saint, for instance, my editor wanted me to change the murderer, after I'd gotten about a third of the way into the plot. Definitely threw me for a loop, but I think it made for a much stronger book.

Tell us about where you write. What is in the room? Where are you sitting? What snacks are on the desk/table/bed?
I have a lovely office but rarely write there. Instead I curl up on the sofa in our sunroom, where I can see out into our lush green backyard, where our three English setters are chasing squirrels and trampling the flowers. I might have a Diet Coke at hand, and maybe a handful of peanut M&Ms. 

OMG, I’ m a peanut M&M girl, too. Addictive! Do you ever doubt yourself as a writer? A bad review or a book that just wasn't working?
Every time I sit down to write I'm plagued by imposter syndrome. The middle of a book is the worst, I'm always convinced I'll never get to the end. I've only abandoned a book idea once, when I was about three chapters in and I knew the idea would never really work. Fortunately, I had a better idea up my sleeve---for the book that became SAVANNAH BLUES.

What is the single most important advice you ever received about writing? 
I took a writer's workshop with Sue Grafton before I sold my first book. She had so much great advice, but one of the most important things she taught me was that every paragraph in a story needs to inform about character or advance the plot.

What part of Summers at the Saint do you think that you NAILED? Is there a scene or character or moment that you hope readers enjoy as much as you?
I agonized over the resolution of this book because I wanted Traci, my protagonist, to come away from everything I put her through with a sense of hope. And I really wanted her to confront a character who was nearly her undoing. I wrote a scene where she confronted her brother-in-law in what gave me (and I hope the reader) great emotional satisfaction.  

Ooh. I’m not there yet in the book. Can't wait to get to that part now! Lastly, if you could redo one day in your life, what would it be?
I'd love to re-do the day the managing editor of newspaper where I was working told me I wasn't a real writer and was at best, mediocre. I wish I could have stood up to him and told him why he didn't really know me and why he was a terrible manager. Instead, I left his office in tears, devastated and defeated. It was only a few days later when I decided that as revenge, I would by God, tunnel out of newspapers and have a career as a novelist. 

Thank you so much for stopping by! What is your favorite Mary Kay Andrews novel? Leave a comment. :)