A pre-order contest, a video trailer, new products at the Viola Store, and lots more! No images? Click here SPRING 2023 ISSUE News from ViolaDear Reader: Happy Spring! I am happy to be back in my home state of Michigan, the center of all my novels. It is also what centers me most. I am so excited for summer boat rides, bonfires & cookouts! Many readers ask me what are some of the first things I do when I open up our Summer Cottage for the season. I swear as we unpack, open windows & pull sheets off the furniture, I hear the cottage exhale and say “ahh summer!” The first two things I do upon returning home: 1) Open up the screened porch! It involves about 1/2 day of cleaning, rolling out rugs, moving furniture, hanging art work and plugging in vintage lamps. (All stored away in the house during winter). The screened porch is where we live in the summer. I write on it, read, nap and eat almost every meal there. Doris and our new rescue, Gerti, also love the porch as much as we do. They love to watch all the birds, chipmunks and squirrels. 2) Go greet Lake Michigan! There is a beautiful road about 1/2 mile from our cottage called Lake Shore Drive. It provides beautiful views of Lake Michigan. It is my respite from writing and where I go to run and clear my mind. Many book ideas have come to me during these runs. Spring has sprung and so have the cherry trees in Michigan. Over two million cherry trees have come alive the last few weeks with stunning colors, pink blossoms set against the backdrop of the deep blue of Lake Michigan and Grand Traverse Bay. I feel like the cherry blossom is always the announcement that summer is on the way! Along with summer being around the corner, so is the June 13th release of my newest novel, Famous in a Small Town. About Famous in a Small TownFor most of her 80 years, Mary Jackson has endured the steady invasion of tourists, influencers and real estate developers who have discovered the lakeside charm of Good Hart, Michigan, waiting patiently for the arrival of a stranger she’s believed since childhood would not only one day carry on her legacy — the Very Cherry General Store — but also break the record she set as a teen to become the first woman to win Michigan’s Cherry Pit Spitting Championship, a record that still stands today. Like generations of Jackson women before her, Cherry Mary, as she’s known locally, runs the community hub — part post office, bakery and sandwich shop — and had almost given up hope that the mysterious prediction she’d been told as a girl would come true and the store would have to pass to…a man. Becky Thatcher came to Good Hart with her ride-or-die BFF to forget that she’s just turned 40 with nothing to show for it. Ending up at the general store with Mary is admittedly not the beach vacation she expected, but the more the feisty octogenarian talks about destiny, the stronger Becky’s memories of her own childhood holidays become, and the strange visions over the lake she was never sure were real. As she works under Mary’s wing for the summer and finds she fits into this quirky community of locals, she starts to believe that destiny could be real, and that it might have something very special in mind for Becky. Bursting with memorable characters and small-town lore, the enchanting new novel from the bestselling author of The Clover Girls is Fried Green Tomatoes meets Virgin River, a magical story about the family you’re born with, and the one you choose. Contest Alert!If you pre-order the paperback of Famous in a Small Town between now and June 8th, you will have a chance at winning a $750.00 Everything Cherry Grand Giveaway! One lucky winner will win a leather Coach Cherry Hand Bag, Coach Cherry Key Chain, 100% Silk Cherry Blossom Scarf and Cherry Apron, along with Cherry Measuring Spoons! To enter, e-mail gary@violashipman.com a copy of your paperback receipt along with your mailing address! The winner will be announced on June 11th. The Setting for Famous in a Small TownThe Michigan Good Hart General Store is the inspiration for the Very Cherry General Store in Famous in a Small Town. I grew up with a general store near my grandparents’ cabin. As a kid, the place was like heaven to me: A freezer full of Nehi Grape Soda & Drumsticks, containers filled with my favorite candies, a circular filled with books, a glass-front with fresh pies, and an area to pick up night crawlers to go fishing. When I stumbled into the Good Hart General Store, I felt like I was home again…and knew the time, place and setting was perfect for the book I had in mind. The Very Cherry General Store is the community hub in Famous in a Small Town, and the nexus between the past and the future, what we had and what we still dream of having. If you had a general store growing up, have one now, or simply love the quaint town hubs like the Whistle Stop Café in Fried Green Tomatoes or Jack’s Bar in Virgin River, I know you will love spending time in the Very Cherry General Store. That’s the foundational meaning of Famous in a Small Town: Coming home…and discovering the legend you were meant to be! Praise for Famous in a Small Town"A heartwarming story of determination, inspiration and creating your own destiny." "Full of summertime delight…and sweet, nostalgic charm, Famous in a Small Town is a beautiful reminder to…fully embrace the magic that lives inside you." The "I Love You 'Cherry' Much" Book Tour is Coming Soon!Seven states in three weeks! Starting June 8th! Missouri! Ohio! Indiana! Delaware! New Jersey! Maryland! Michigan! Michigan Treasure CookiesI wanted to share with you a fun recipe for our state cookie, the Michigan Treasure Cookie! Here is Linda’s recipe, which I think is one of the best versions. New Addition to the Family!On February 22nd, there was a listing on Petfinder.com with a photo that said “Dog” with no info! Gary went to the shelter to see her. She was shaking & scared of everything! He called and announced, "I'm bringing her home!" They had zero information on her, no name, nothing. All they could tell was she was around one year old, had at some point already had a litter of babies, and she was found abandoned on the streets. She was brought into the shelter on Valentine’s Day after animal control took three hours to catch her. She had been neglected and obviously was on her own for a while. Some of her nails had grown into her pads. She had fly bite sores on her ears. She was malnourished, and you could see her ribs. When she came home, the first thing I said was, “She deserves a name, and she looks like a Gerti!” The next day she went to the vet, and we discovered she had kennel cough, giardia and worms. We treated her for everything, and she is now fully recovered. She was afraid of everything, everyone and every movement. Gerti is learning to trust and that she is in a safe place. We are learning how love can heal even the most scared and damaged creatures. Doris and Gerti have become fast friends, and Gerti is living her best life & looking forward to her first Pure Michigan summer! PS: She has the most adorable underbite in the world; I guess she never wore her retainer!
New Spring/Summer Viola Gift Collection!We have added new quotes from my new June release, Famous in a Small Town, as well as some new quotes from my other summer novels! For those of you who don’t know, last spring we started a Viola gift shop and product line featuring favorite quotes from my novels. All of the products are handmade in the U.S. by a renowned Saugatuck, Michigan, artist whose heartwarming work is popular across America. The Viola Shipman gift shop includes:
The shop exists online and at the adorable Saugatuck, Michigan, gift shop called It Is What It Is (Saugatuck-Douglas, Michigan, is my hometown, and the setting of The Edge of Summer). The store ships anywhere in the U.S. I love being a part of your lives, hearts, souls, memories and bookshelves, and I am now so happy and humbled to be part of your homes! I hope my novels allow you to escape and go on a vacation in your mind. If I don’t see you on tour, please remember to follow me on Facebook and Instagram. You will find me live on my Viola Shipman Facebook every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET for my weekly Wine & Words With Wade Literary Happy Hour Podcast. Come Home to Viola Shipman! Follow & Like ViolaPLEASE follow and like Viola on social media! You’ll get the latest news on my books, great giveaways, interviews with your favorite authors, and loads of hope and inspiration. |