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Writer's picturePatti Callahan Henry

Losing the Moon —My first novel: Sixteen Year Anniversary

Updated: May 29, 2020



New Cover. New Price. Available Now in time for Summer beach reading. May 26th




From Instagram & FB:

Sixteen years ago I had my first book signing for my firstborn novel, LOSING THE MOON. It is, to this day, the contemporary novel I get the most mail about. Nick and Amy...


NOW my publisher has given her a fancy new cover, and a fancy new price and if you haven't read it ....now's your chance. :)


This photo was with my daughter Meagan Rock at The Margaret Mitchell House @atlantahistorycenter and I thought ALL my dreams had come true. A southern novel. A book signing and The Margaret Mitchell House. Good Lordy that was a fine day!


Read an Excerpt



"Henry’s beautifully written debut romance is meant to be savored, what with its poetic descriptions and settings that deftly mirror the emotions of the characters. Readers who enjoy the lyrical voices of Patricia Gaffney and Mary Alice Monroe will also be drawn to this talented newcomer.” —Booklist (starred review)


About Losing the Moon


In Patti Callahan Henry’s vibrant debut novel, a wife and mother discover that although life has led her in joyous new directions, she still secretly cherished memories of her very first love.


Like most mothers, Amy Reynolds has anticipated the moment when her son brings home his first serious girlfriend. But when he does, she’s shocked to meet the girl’s father. He is none other than Nick Lowry – the college boyfriend who captivated her heart and soul and then, without a word of explanation or warning, disappeared. She still remembers what she felt for Nick…and she still wonders what took him away from her.


Life has been good to Amy. Her marriage is satisfying, her teenage children thriving. She loves her beautifully restored home and her work teaching at the local college. She has long since buried her memories of Nick. But she can’t help missing the young woman she was then, full of passion and promise. And she can’t help being tempted by the life she might have lived…might still live – even though making that choice would betray all she holds dear.



 

Story Inspiration

I had just finished writing a manuscript entitled Between the Tides – my first full-length manuscript, and I was waiting for some feedback from my agent. The most common advice I received during this time of waiting was, “dive into another project.” So I started Losing the Moon.


When I first started writing it, I understood only the dilemma (which is how I start all my books): What if your first love returned because his daughter was dating your son? I thought of the havoc that would cause in a marriage, especially if there were unresolved issues between the past loves, which of course there were.


I thought I had a completely separate idea about a couple trying to save a barrier island, and then I realized this storyline was part of Nick and Amy’s story. So, this novel not only brings two ill-fated lovers together, but the land also pulls them together in a story that has caused many readers to disagree on the ending.


 


Fun Facts about Losing the Moon

(Kind of like those MTV pop-ups we used to watch):


  • I originally wrote it in the first person and then changed it to the third person when I realized that Nick needed to offer his point of view.

  • The idea of the kids dating came from a joke out of the mouth of a college best friend when we were at an Auburn football game. “Hey,” he said, “what if our kids started dating in college?” Not funny then or now.

  • Oystertip Island is vaguely based on my favorite island in the world: Daufuskie Island.

  • If this book ever becomes a movie – I see Dennis Quaid as Nick. Don’t you?

  • The incident with the gas tank really happened to a friend of mine. And yes, I asked her permission to use it.

  • No, that lake house isn’t real. I wish it was, don’t you?


 

Author and Podcast Host



Patti Callahan Henry is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of fifteen novels, including the (Historical Fiction), BECOMING MRS. LEWIS—The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis (writing as Patti Callahan). In addition, she is the recipient of The Christy Award—A 2019 Winner "Book of the Year.” ; The Harper Lee Distinguished Writer of the Year for 2020 and the Alabama Library Association Book of the Year for 2019.

The author is also the host of the popular seven-part original "Behind the Scenes of Becoming Mrs. Lewis Podcast Series" launched, October 2019. The podcast audiobook collection including bonus material was released on January 7, 2020, and available now. The new expanded Becoming Mrs. Lewis paperback edition was released on March 24, 2020, and available now.

In March of 2021, a new historical fiction novel based on the true story of the Steamship Pulaski wreck will be released.

THE FAVORITE DAUGHTER (writing as Patti Callahan Henry—Southern Contemporary Fiction) was launched on June 4, 2019, and THE PERFECT LOVE SONG—A Christmas Holiday novella released October 8, 2019, and available now.

A full-time author and mother of three children, she now resides in both Mountain Brook, Alabama and Bluffton, South Carolina with her husband. Read More


 

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