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I am very grateful for the outpouring of praise for my latest book my memoir about my life with Pat Conroy TELL ME A STORY. I’d like you all to know that I read everyone of them and the private messages. Until recently (about beginning of March 2020) I was on an extensive book tour where I tried to meet as many of you, my wonderful readers, as I could… Sadly, the world has taken a scary turn; my prayers are with all of you…
Like so many others that reach out to you I was and still am a huge Pat Conroy fan. One of the unexpected outcomes of reading everything Pat wrote was the discovery 0f the numerous female writers he loved, first and foremost, you. I read Tell Me A Story when it was first released, and I just finished The Sunday Wife. I love your writing, and your story, especially your roots in LA (I grew up in LA as well, the North Florida side.) Growing up in Marianna, FL, Dothan AL, was our "big city", and I must have driven through Pinckard dozens of times, perhaps more, on my way to visit relatives in Montgomery, Clanton, and Birmingham. If fate allows us to meet a some point I would love to swap some LA stories, and I am eager to ask you if you had a specific north Florida town in mind when you created Crystal Springs in The Sunday Wife. Take care.
I’m so sorry your precious man is no longer here with you. I feel he and my precious man may be looking down at me right now, while they laugh at me crying, snorting, and wearing this silk sleeping bonnet I’ve been trying out for less frizz. Oh how I miss my precious man. And although this book of yours has opened my flood gates, I can’t stop listening and won’t. ❤️
I enjoyed a fun girls trip to Fripp Island, South Carolina on October 26-29, 2023. One of the highlights of our trip was attending your session with Mary Kay Andrews, Mary Alice Monroe, Virginia Benton Frank, and a book editor at the Pat Conroy Film Festival. After your talk, I immediately downloaded Tell Me A Story on my Kindle. It was such a poignant memoir about you and your life with Pat. In fact, your book submerged so deeply into my bones that I had to write a blog about it on my Facebook. Like you, I love to write!! I’m not a professional, but I do enjoy processing observations, ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. and putting them down on paper.
In 2019, I began writing a blog about my experiences with breast cancer. I found blogging to be very cathartic for me and I discovered that my blogs were helpful to other people going through breast cancer journeys.
Like you so beautifully displayed in your book, I too enjoy an irreverent sense of humor! You are truly a southern girl with lots of movie 😘
I look forward to reading The Same Sweet Girls!
By the way, I’m the lady in the audience who said that I thought your writing was your ministry… helping others through whatever they are going through in their lives … grief, pain, loneliness, giving joy, hope, encouragement, humor…
Thank you for sharing your creative gift with the world!
Sue Rowland
I told my boss at Rite Aid I couldn't work a shift the next day because I had the interview, and Miz Barbara told me that I either had to come in and work the shift or don't come back at all. The next day I was on the phone with Pat and never darkened Rite Aid's doorways again. I left journalism just a couple of years ago, and that 45 minutes on the phone with Pat were the best 45 minutes of my entire career.
P.S. I also enjoyed your article about Fripp Island in the current issue of SOUTHERN LIVING. Figure I should go there on my next trip down Beaufort way.
I met him at a book signing in Atlanta for Beach Music, and he was so gracious. He had been signing books for 2+ hours when I got to him, but he still had time and energy to ask me what I did for a living (high school English teacher just a few years into my career) and chat so kindly about it.
I wrote an essay about teaching that was published at the end of the anniversary edition trade paperback of The Water Is Wide that was released around 2008 or 2009, resulting from a serendipitous chain of events when one of my students wrote to Pat and received a response from Marly Rusoff.
Your beautiful but realistic descriptions of Pat’s final days reminded me of my father’s passing last March (lots of ugly crying there). I’m so glad that you found happiness with each other. Thank you for telling us this story.
As I have told you, I find your writing to be so relatable. For example, your comments about Doug Marlette caused me to recall having heard him speak during the days of Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and PTL, Senators Jesse Helms and John East. Furthermore, having read some of Rick Bragg's books and his Southern Living Magazine articles, seemed I could see him barreling onto his mother's driveway. Then, I thought I heard him speak with his words all wrapped up in that Alabama drawl of his. Thank you.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season.
David
Just thought you'd like to know my widow friend's comments. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you.
Hope you have a nice Thanksgiving.
David