Spring 2015

From Mary Kay's Front Porch - Spring 2015 Newsletter

Charleston Salad

CHARLESTON SALAD

After I was served this salad at the Charleston Book and Author Luncheon several years ago, I couldn’t wait to get home and make my own version. Quantities of all ingredients depend on the number you’re serving. For dressing you could use the recipe I’ve included, or simply buy one of the good bottled poppy seed or raspberry vinaigrette dressings available in the produce section at your grocery.

To make this a main dish salad, add rotisserie chicken, cooked shrimp or even poached salmon.

  • Chopped lettuce—Romaine, Bibb or even arugula.
  • Hulled and sliced fresh strawberries
  • Sliced avocado
  • Pink grapefruit sections. (I buy the ones in jars in produce section)
  • Red onion rings
  • Goat cheese crumbles
  • Almonds—blanched and sliced

Arrange chopped lettuce on each plate. Top with avocado, onion, strawberries and grapefruit sections, dribbling a little grapefruit juice over avocado to keep from browning. Add goat cheese crumbles. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top. Drizzle with dressing

Poppyseed dressing:

  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (optional)
  • 2 tsp. Dijon mustard, or 1 tsp. dry mustard and 1 tsp. Dijon
  • 2 tsp. poppyseeds
  • 1/2 to 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup good quality olive oil

Combine everything except olive oil in a lidded jar and shake well. Pour olive oil slowly into jar and shake vigorously again.

Stitch

RENT ONE OF MKA’s COTTAGES

The Breeze Inn
The Breeze Inn
Ebbtide
Ebbtide

Did you know that MKA’s own beach cottages—that she has lovingly restored with her own hands and decorated with her own junking treasures—are available for rent?! You and yours can chillax in beautiful beach cottage comfort in the very spot where MKA pens her bestselling novels. Smaller group? Choose The Breeze Inn which MKA took from ramshackle to the pages of BH&G in a year’s time back in 2009. For larger groups, check out MKA’s new treasure, Ebbtide, which she fixed up in her own signature style. Call Diane at Mermaid Cottages and book yourself in for the full MKA experience! If MKA’s places are not available, Diane has 50 one-of-a-kind cottages sprinkled around the island, all just a short ride on a beach cruiser away from each other. Get yourself on “Tybee time” and discover the magic of slowing down.

Stitch

MKA Online

Dear Friends:

I can’t believe the release of my 23rd novel—and 13th written as MKA—is right around the corner! Kirkus Reviews calls BEACH TOWN “a perfect fit for the romance lover’s beach bag.” Circle the date of May 19th to get your copies of BEACH TOWN! Better yet, pre-order now, so you don’t miss out. If you pre-order the book by May 18th, you’ll be eligible to receive these awesomely cool and customized BEACH TOWN sunglasses.

Details HERE on how to get your own pair just in time for sunny days ahead.

BEACH TOWN is the story of movie location scout Greer Hennessey, who’s tasked with finding the perfect “old Florida” location for a big budget Hollywood film. She finds the sleepy Gulf Coast town of Cypress Key, but things get complicated when the stubborn mayor, a long-time local named Eben Thibadeaux, tries every roadblock in the book to shut her down.

For research for the book I spent time this winter in Cedar Key, FL, which was the inspiration for the book’s setting. After a few spectacular sunsets like this one, I wanted to settle in for the rest of winter!

As always, we’re cooking up an epic Atlanta launch party with our friends at FoxTale Book Shoppe. Circle the date—Sunday, May 17th. This year’s soiree is at the Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams home furnishings showroom at the Avalon shopping mecca in Alpharetta and it will benefit the Atlanta Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer alliance. Go HERE to buy your party tix and to get in on some great incentive prizes for booking early. Your ticket price gets you an autographed first-edition hardcover copy of BEACH TOWN, a great swag bag full of freebies, plus food, drinks, shopping, and fun. We’ll be raffling off awesome door prizes again this year, including restaurant dinners, book baskets, and much more.

Can’t make the Atlanta party? Join us the next night, Monday, May 18th for another launch, in Savannah, at the Brice Hotel. Food, fun, friends! Watch my Facebook page for details.

The 2015 BIG-AZZ BEACH TOWN BOOK TOUR (details at right) will have me hopping to beach towns like St. Simon’s Island, GA., Grayton Beach, FL., Vero Beach, Fairhope, AL, and the Jersey Shore, as well as hot-spots like Raleigh, Birmingham, and Houston. Stay tuned to the EVENTS page on my website as the tour continues to take shape.

And don’t forget, the paperback of SAVE THE DATE releases May 5th—just in time for Mother’s Day, which is May 10th. Back by popular demand is our Mother’s Day gift to you, recipe cards with some of my favorite springtime dishes. Details to come soon on how to get yours.

Also, for a limited time, Amazon is offering an amazing “Kindle Monthly Deal” on the Ladies’ Night e-book. From now through May 4th you can get it for the special low price of just $2.99.

In the meantime, at left enjoy my recipe for Charleston Salad, which is perfect for a Mother’s Day brunch.

Happy Spring, y’all!

Hugs,

MKA

Dividing Stitch

Bookclub Corner

Do you have a book club? If your club is reading one of my books, I would love to call in and join your discussion. You never know, I may even be able to drop by in person if it works out right. E-mail us with your request and we’ll see what we can do! Be sure to include a snail mail address and info about the size of your club.

In stores May 19th! Order NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

In Paperback May 5th! Order NOW!

Book cover: Save the Date

Stitch

BEACH TOWN TOUR

Sunday, May 17

ALPHARETTA, GA

Launch Party

Hosted by FoxTale Book Shoppe

At Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams

Monday, May 18

SAVANNAH, GA

Launch Party

Brice Hotel

Tuesday, May 19

SANTA ROSA, FL

Sanctuary at Redfish

Wednesday, May 20

FAIRHOPE, AL

Page & Palette

Thursday, May 21

RALIEGH, NC

Quail Ridge Books & Music

Friday, May 22

ST. SIMON’S ISLAND, GA

GJ Ford Bookshop

Monday, May 25

DUCK, NC

Island Bookstore

Tuesday, May 26

HOUSTON, TX

Murder by the Book

Wednesday, May 27

BIRMINGHAM, AL

Books-A-Million with Patti Callahan Henry

Thursday, May 28

FLORENCE, AL

Florence-Lauderdale Public Library

Friday, May 29

FAIR HAVEN, NJ

River Road Books

Saturday, May 30

MADISON, CT

R.J. Julia Booksellers

Sunday, May 31

PLAISTOW, NH

Plaistow Public Library

Monday, June 1

WELLSELEY, MA

Wellesley Books

Tuesday, June 2

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Jacksonville Public Library

Wednesday, June 3

JACKSONVILLE, FL

Bookmark with Mary Alice Monroe

Thursday, June 4

VERO BEACH, FL

Vero Beach Book Center with Mary Alice Monroe

Tuesday, June 9

ATLANTA, GA

Book Miser

Wednesday, June 10

ATLANTA, GA

Omega Books

Thursday, June 11

ATLANTA, GA

Book Exchange

Friday, June 19

PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC

Litchfield Books