Book launch for the 11th novel by a Salisbury native – Salisbury Post

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Kristy Woodson Harvey spoke from the second-floor balcony to the group gathered on the lawn. – Karen Kistler

Kristy Woodson Harvey, right, signs one of her books for Kristen Hodges. — Karen Kistler

The historic Hall House hosted the book launch on June 25. Book tables were set up to sell copies of Kristy Harvey’s books. — Karen Kistler

The line stretched from the porch of the house to the street so Kristy Harvey could sign books. – Karen Kistler

Two members of the Minnow Band performed at the book launch. – Karen Kistler

The lawn was filled with book fans listening to Kristy Harvey speak. – Karen Kistler

SALISBURY – The historic Hall House was the setting for the book launch of Kristy Woodson Harvey’s latest book, “A Happier Life,” published June 25 by Gallery Books.

The Historic Salisbury Foundation and the South Main Book Company jointly organized the publication.

The historic home provided a great backdrop for the event, said Beth Woodson, Kristy’s mother, who along with her father Paul also helped organize and support the opening.

Harvey said she was contacted by Sherry Beck, chair of the Historic Salisbury Foundation’s Preservation Advocacy Committee, who asked her opinion about holding a book launch at the house. After consulting with Alissa Redmond, owner of the South Main Book Company, they agreed to move the book launch to the South Jackson Street location.

It was a particularly fitting place for the book’s launch because, says Harvey, “I wanted to have something that connected these two stories (of Keaton and Becks) over time, so I decided to make the tour of the old houses in Beaufort this event that connected the stories of these two women over time.”

“A Happier Life,” the eleventh novel by Salisbury-born Harvey, is set in Beaufort, where she lives with her husband, Will Harvey, and their son, Will. This is her first book set in Beaufort, which she finds surprising, “but I think I finally knew Beaufort well enough to be able to really write about it. Plus, it was a lot of fun exploring this place and its past.”

The launch event was not only a great place for book fans to gather, enjoy refreshments and hear Harvey speak, but also a great way to promote Hall House, Beck said, and “allow people to enjoy something that has always been here, a gem of Salisbury.”

Many of her fans had already purchased copies of her book in advance or at the book stands there and took the opportunity to have them signed.

The yard filled up quickly, and the line waiting to see Harvey stretched down the walkway from the front porch of the house to the street. She chatted with the people who visited the table and also took the time to have her picture taken with them to thank them for coming and supporting her.

Cousins ​​Rebecca and Barbara Luffman of Elkin have both commented on how personal they and their family are with all of their readers and make you feel very welcome.

Attendees at the event came from very close by: Leah Campion said she lives across the street, and they came from other parts of Salisbury as well as surrounding areas, including Elkin, Kannapolis, Clemmons, Kernersville and Charlotte, and even from as far away as West Virginia.

Linda Heinkel of Parkersburg, West Virginia, had heard about the book signing, was still sightseeing and came to pick up her third book and have it signed.

Kristen Hodges said this was her third book signing for Harvey and she keeps coming back because “the books are good. I also like the camaraderie, people are like-minded, appreciate local authors and it’s a beautiful day.”

Campion said this was her first book signing, but “I have all her books. I’ve read all her books,” she said.

While people arrived and chatted, they were treated to live music from the band Minnow.

Later that evening, Harvey went to the second-floor balcony where she addressed the assembled crowd and thanked them for coming to celebrate her new novel.

“You’re not supposed to have favorite children, but I’ll tell you all in confidence that this is my favorite book I’ve ever written,” Harvey said. “I love it very much because it’s very personal to me for many reasons. It’s really the intersection of several stories that have occupied my imagination for decades.”

She provided some of the personal details that went into the book and some plot details, but not enough to give the story away to her readers.

Harvey shared some of the details of how she got to this point in her career. Although she loves the city of Beaufort, she said her heart would be in Salisbury because she was born and raised there and “more importantly,” she said, “that’s where I started my writing career, which ultimately changed my life” after starting with an internship at the Salisbury Post.

She graduated from UNC Chapel Hill and wanted to apply to a newspaper after graduation, but there were no openings. She then took a job in finance, she said, saying that math was the only thing she didn’t like.

While she was driving around and talking to clients, she started getting ideas for a creative writing course. She wrote them down and decided to write a book and see what happens. She didn’t expect it to be published, but it would be nice to tell her grandchildren about it.

One manuscript became three, and her husband asked her if she would just keep them hidden or try to get them published.

She hired a literary agent, and while trying to sell one manuscript, she finished another and submitted it to a writing contest, which led to a call from the editor of Penguin Random House, who served as the contest’s final judge and wanted to buy her debut novel, Dear Carolina, in 2015.

“Even then, I had no idea that I would still be doing this 11 books later,” Harvey said. “It’s been an incredible few years and I’m so grateful that I can still do what I love so much, and I can do that because of readers like you.”

The event ended with a question and answer session, starting with where you get your inspiration from. She said they say you should write about what you know, and her knowledge of small towns in the South is what she draws on in her novels.

However, she said that she “usually doesn’t know where I want to go before I sit down and start writing, and it just comes as I do it.”

Another question was what her next book will be about. Harvey said she had already written and turned in another one so she could announce the title. It’s called “Beach House Rules” and is about “a small Southern town, mothers, multiple generations, all the things I love,” she said.

When asked what she hopes her readers will take away after reading it, she said, “I think that discovering our origins is a great way to help us continue on our new path, and that it’s never too late to start over or start a new chapter.”

The turnout for the launch was great and Redmond said it was a fantastic opportunity to work with the foundation and “we really had a lot of fun.”

When she saw how many people came for Kristy, her mother said, “It’s incredible. It’s wonderful. It feels so good,” and her father, Paul Woodson, remarked on how they had taught her to work and learn.

“She has always been a worker,” he said, “and she is nice to everyone and never says anything unkind about others.”

It was an honor to be able to return to Salisbury for the opening, Harvey said.

“This city raised me and gave me so much, and I’m so grateful for the city and the post office and all the incredible lessons I’ve learned here. I can’t think of a better place to launch a book about a woman discovering what home and family really mean, because that’s what I have here,” she said.