For days I didn’t know whether my sons and friends were alive. It’s this experience and the stories told afterwards that set this novel in motion.

Mary Kathleen Mehuron – 18 June 2023

The Back Flap

Caribbean-island innkeeper Holly Walker is hunkering down against a monster hurricane. Unfortunately, so is player Lord Anthony Bascombe, a man who excuses his bad behavior by saying he is descended from pirates. Then her grown son, Byron, and his father, Montez—the man she’s never stopped wanting—go missing. Will she ever see them again? What about the many others hurt and dying? And will help ever arrive? With each passing day, Holly’s tumultuous past and the epic storm send her hurtling toward a shattering climax that will change the island—and Holly’s life—forever.

About the Book

When did you start writing the book?

Five years ago, though I was thinking the plot through before then. As I was writing it I was also taking a deep dive into learning more about writing and I would go back with new information and redraft.

How long did it take you to write it?

The first draft was done in a year. But I did many other drafts. All through the pandemic, The Belonger was being shopped to big names in the publishing industry, but in the end I went back to my indie publisher.

Where did you get the idea from?

Envisioning The Belonger was a multistep process. The first moment of inspiration came as I was stepping off a tiny puddle jumper plane onto Grand Turk Island. My sons and I were immediately entranced with the place. We came back to the island repeatedly and fell more and more in love with the culture and people.

Then I met a dashing man, somewhere between Ernest Hemingway and a musician from the old band The Beach Boys, who made a glib comment, “You must forgive me, my only defense is that I’m descended from pirates.” A bell went off in my brain with a ding sound. I thought, “What a good character that would make.”

My protagonist, Holly Walker, came from meeting many formidable women on Grand Turk. You can’t throw a rock there without hitting a gorgeous woman who is also intelligent and strong. I’m not sure how the island draws them, but it does.

And then came Hurricane Irma which was an extremely powerful Atlantic storm that caused major destruction in September of 2017. Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to hit the Northeastern Caribbean Islands. The eye went right over our little family home down there. I wanted to deal with the insurance company and told my family that I was going to Grand Turk. Nothing could stop me. But since there was no communication at all with the outside world, my sons wouldn’t allow it. Such a strange thing. For the first time in their lives they were telling me what to do instead of the other way around. My eldest, Bruce, and youngest, Thomas, took charge and gathered survival equipment up and went into that state of emergency.

Little did they know that once they made it in, they would be stuck because another hurricane was on the way. Hurricane Maria was also a Category 5 hurricane that destroyed anything that Irma had not. For days I didn’t know whether my sons and friends were alive. It’s this experience and the stories told afterwards that set this novel in motion.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

My main character is an American woman, a white woman, living in another country, whose locals are largely of African descent. I had to be really careful about writing from her point of view and not assuming that I know what it is like to be an Islander—a Belonger. I was lucky enough to meet a fellow author who is. She thought I should include some of the patois. I told her, “I wouldn’t presume to know how. Do you want to help me?” So we collaborated on that because she has made a study out of the language.

What came easily?

The setting. This novel is my love letter to Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos in the British West Indies. I cry every time I leave there. It’s an enchanted place filled with beautiful, formidable women and idiosyncratic, fascinating men. It has the third largest coral shelf in the world. Whale migration. Scuba diving. The moveable feast of outdoor restaurants. Yet it is small and out of the way. And pristine. I think that the lack of air pollution is one of the reasons we see so many green flashes when the sun sets. Such an interesting color that green. They say once you see a green flash, you will never again go wrong in matters of the heart. Just the memory of those sunsets makes my heart race.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Well, this is a big joke on the island. I wrote the book in a bungalow in the middle of Cockburn Town, and everyone knows who influenced me for a character. Or part of that character. They like to tease me about it.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I often say that writing spoiled reading for me. I used to be a rabid reader. I would just let the words wash over me and couldn’t turn those pages fast enough. And I am into women’s fiction, especially slice-of-life kind of books. I read To Kill a Mockingbird every few years. Fannie Flagg is a great writer. Ann Tyler breaks life down well. But some of the new authors fascinate me too: Taylor Jenkins Reid? She’s great. Jojo Moyes. Celeste Ng. Too many to mention.

But I no longer get lost in a book. Instead I pause and think things like, “Why a semicolon? Why not a comma?” and “ Did she really mean to use the word magical? I think she should have chosen dreamlike.” I have a queue of books in my Kindle that I don’t get to often. This is why I cherish long plane rides. The authors that have the fewest pause times are the ones that influence me. The strength of their voice and character development keeps my mind on the page.

Do you have a target reader? 

Women. I like to write stories that women care about.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?

My very first passion was ballet. It taught me discipline. Now that my children are grown I can craft my life that way I want to. And what I want is the joy that comes from creation. I force myself to schedule exercise and healthy food preparation into my day first. The rest is all mine. I write in two blocks, early morning and afternoon. It is the rare day that I take time off because nothing makes me happier than writing.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

You know that question people ask, “Are you a planner or a pants-er?” I used to fly by the seat of my pants. For my second novel I didn’t know the ending until the day I wrote it. But you know what? It’s inefficient. I wound up throwing hundreds of pages out. Since then I’ve learned a lot about pacing and structure. It saves time to know more about where you are headed with a book. I’m still learning though.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

I edit in the late afternoon. After all the writing is done for the day.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Never. Good Lord, how can anyone do that? If there’s music playing I’m focused on that.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

I had an agent all through the pandemic. There was a lot of interest in this book by big companies, but they never pulled the trigger. Publishing was so backed up at that time. I just wanted it out there and went back to my indie press.

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

With my first novel I was learning and had to prove myself. I assembled the best team I could and put out a good book. With my second, an indie press wanted to acquire it and I went with it. It’s a gradual process, I always start with the query letters and see where it will go.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

My publisher has a design team. They came up with the cover.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

This is an interesting story. During the pandemic, when I couldn’t sell The Belonger and my fourth novel, S.Beach Drag, I wrote some articles for our local paper because I really need to write every day. During the research process I found that our four historical societies in the Mad River Valley are in big trouble. They need volunteers and the means to protect our artifacts.

I tagged each of my articles with, “Mary Kathleen Mehuron lives in Waitsfield and writes novels.” When each was published I saw an uptick in book sales. That got my attention. Across time the articles became a column called Take Me Back, then a 501(c)(3) non-profit with a mission to raise awareness of and money for projects that showcase the history of our Valley towns. On the same day as the launch of The Belonger a fundraising book will also launch. It’s called Take Me Back: An Anecdotal History of the Mad River Valley. Locals donated their writing and photos and our businesses paid for the graphic designer and printer. Therefore 100% of the profit will go to history projects. Both my novel and the fundraising book will be available at the launch party.

I’m finding that by doing good work for my community, my name is out there, and people get online and buy my novels. I’ve also got a New England book tour this summer and a good publicist.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors? 

I was on a podcast once where the host said, “I believe that story-tellers are born, but writers can be made with education. That’s probably right but I also think that aspiring to publish a book is a form of insanity. Think about it, you isolate yourself for thousands of hours to create a written work that may never be read. So, yes, I think story-tellers are born but there are some who write because they have to.

If you are in that category, you will find a way to get your stories out in the world. Because you have to.

About You

Where did you grow up?

We moved around a lot but primarily New Jersey. I’m an Irish-Catholic Jersey Girl.

Where do you live now?

Vermont, Grand Turk Island and Savannah. These are my favorite places on earth, and I am fortunate enough to have a home in each location.

What would you like readers to know about you?

Only one thing? My biggest success is how my three sons turned out. Everything else isn’t even a close second. Not even close.

What are you working on now?

My new novel S.Beach Drag is set in 1972. It tells the story of Maeve who dreams of becoming an artist and meets suave Georgie, an androgynes man who becomes her muse and the object of her affection. It’s a historical coming of age story and I believe readers of novels like Daisy Jones and The Six would enjoy the book.

Camera in hand, high school graduate Maeve O’Connor dives into the decayed pandemonium of carnival life on the boardwalk of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Grifters, carnies, side show entertainers and characters of every ilk abide there. Many, like Bruce Springsteen, are undiscovered artists. Looking for these arresting subjects, Maeve is desperate to win a photography contest that will get her a scholarship to art school in Manhattan, which she believes is her only chance to escape her suffocating suburban life with her large family. Many are willing to sit for her, in exchange for some copies of the photographs. But in her crawl through the underbelly, what price will she pay for making a deal with the devil who lurks around every corner?

End of Interview:

Get your copy of The Belonger from Amazon US or Amazon UK.