GUEST BLOG: THE MAGIC OF A GOOD BOOK by Karen Hawkins Plus Giveaway!

When I wrote the first Dove Pond Book, THE BOOK CHARMER, I had two motives in mind. First, I wanted to write a story that would provide an escape from the weight of this crazy, always-feels-negative world we live in. I wanted to live in and read about a place, a community, where people helped other people, where problems were shared, and where love always (eventually) wins. My second goal was to look at the harsh realities of life, but to soften them through magic.

I’ve always wanted to have magical abilities. Who wouldn’t? Life would be so much easier, and the magical help the Dove sisters are able to share with their little town not only makes the town special, but also allows us to examine potentially painful topics—love, grief, the loss of a parent to Alzheimer’s—through the hope offered by that same magic.

Each Dove sister has a different magical ability. Sarah’s ability to speak to books and know who needs to read which book at which specific time gives the people of Dove Pond the same gift we get when we, without magic, find the right book at the right time—answers to problems, solace when we most need it, and the simple comfort of an escape from a restless mind during a sleepless night. Meanwhile, Ava’s ability to understand plants and, through them, make teas that help, heal, and comfort, offers physical and emotional ease that are often missing in real life. In Dove Pond, magic makes the world better.

In A CUP OF SILVER LININGS, I decided to look at grief through the Dove sisters’ magical lens. I’ve lost two sisters, so I’m familiar with this particular emotion, far more than I want to be. But it happens, and I’ve walked that walk. But, while it’s a heavy topic, I didn’t want the story to be overly painful for the reader (or me, for that matter). And so cometh the magic, the love, the friendship, and the laughter . . .

When you open a Dove Pond book, rest assured that when you finally leave this magical little town, you’ll have been reminded that there are good, decent people in this world. People who care. People who openly share their gifts to help others. They aren’t perfect people, of course, because they’re only human. And yes, we all make mistakes, but it’s through our mistakes that we achieve the most growth.

You’ll also know that the Dove family is special and anyone who inhabits their world is not only blessed by their gifts, but by their steadfast efforts not only to make the world a better place, but to be better people themselves. I feel like this last weird, unending year has shown us where we could all do better, and I’m determined to make that happen, not just in my life, but in my books.

I love this town and I’m delighted to share Ava’s story with you. I hope that one fine, rainy day, you’ll make yourself a cozy beverage, curl up in your favorite chair, open A CUP OF SILVER LININGS, and lose yourself in this tiny, magical place tucked away in the mountains of eastern North Carolina—where you’ll find friends, love, hope, family, smiles, and the power of a good book served with the perfect cup of tea.

The Dove sisters and I look forward to meeting you there.

Dove Pond: Book 2
Publication Date: July 6, 2021

New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins returns to her beloved Dove Pond series with another “mesmerizing fusion of the mystical and the everyday” (Susan Andersen, New York Times bestselling author)—but this time, the magic is in the tea leaves.

Ava Dove—the sixth of the seven famed Dove sisters and owner of Ava Dove’s Landscaping and Specialty Teas—is frantic.

Just as her fabulous new tearoom is about to open, her herbal teas have gone wonky. Suddenly, her sleep-inducing tea is startling her clients awake with vivid dreams, her romance-kindling tea is causing people to blurt out their darkest secrets, and her anti-anxiety tea is making them spend hours staring into mirrors. Ava is desperate for a remedy, but her search leads her into dangerous territory, as she is forced to face a dark secret she’s been hiding for over a decade.

Meanwhile, successful architect Ellen Foster has arrived in Dove Pond to attend the funeral of her estranged daughter, Julie. Grieving deeply, Ellen is determined to fix up her daughter’s ramshackle house, sell it, and then sweep her sixteen-year-old granddaughter, Kristen, off to a saner, calmer life in Raleigh. But Kristen has other plans. Desperate to stay with her friends in Dove Pond, Kristen sets off on a quest she’s avoided her whole life—to find her never-been-there father in the hopes of winning her freedom from the grandmother she barely knows.

Together, Ava, Kristen, and Ellen embark on a reluctant but magical journey of healing, friendship, and family that will delight fans of Alice Hoffman, Kate Morton, and Sarah Addison Allen.

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Hawkins writes novels that have been praised as touching, witty, charming, and heartwarming. A native Southerner who grew up in the mountains of East Tennessee where storytelling is a way of life, Karen recently moved to frosty New England with her beloved husband and multiple foster dogs. Her highly acclaimed Dove Pond series is a nod to the thousands of books that opened doors to more adventures, places, and discoveries than she ever imagined possible.

To find out more about Karen, check in with her at Facebook.com/KarenHawkinsWriter, @KarenHawkinsAuthor on Instagram, and at her website, KarenHawkins.com.