Behind The Book With Martha Hall Kelly  

A year ago this month, I did a Q&A with New York Times bestselling author Martha Hall Kelly. Now Martha is back to discuss her new novel The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club which is available today on May 27^th wherever books are sold!

Q: Welcome back to Book Notions Martha! For those who haven’t read the novel, can you give a brief description of The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club?  

A: A thirty-something Mari Starwood comes from Los Angeles to a gorgeous seaside farm on Martha’s Vineyard to ask famous painter Elizabeth Devereaux about an address she found in her deceased mother’s belongings. When Mari confronts Mrs. Devereaux about her mother, Elizabeth tells Mari to sit down and hear the story of two sisters who once lived there during WWII. The story then alternates between 1942 and current day as Mari slowly learns how a mysterious man once washed up on that beach during the war, how the sisters’ book club got them through that difficult time, and how Mari is connected to these incredible women. 

Q: We briefly discussed The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club last year and how it was inspired by your mother’s story of her time on Martha’s Vineyard. How long did it take you to research & write this story?  

A: About three years. Though I’ve been spending summers at Martha’s Vineyard all my life, I had to do a lot of research about WWII out on the island. There was a lot happening out there! 

 Q: I love the characters in The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club. You based Cadence Smith off your mother & other characters off other members of your family. Is Mari Starwood based off you?   

A: I’m so glad you enjoyed the characters. I based Mari on my daughter, Mary Elizabeth Kelly, who lives in Los Angeles. She’s an actor and I was so happy she got to perform the role of Mari in the Random House audio book. 

Q: With out spoiling too much, can you share a little bit what’s fact vs fiction in the book? 

A: My rule in writing is If it’s true, use it, vs. making something up. The truth is always more interesting. So, I based so much on fact in this book. Not only are the characters based on my family members, but I also include the mock invasions the U.S. military performed on the island and the German U boats that once cruised the waters. Once I dug into the submarines, I was astounded to learn they were cruising all up and down the Eastern Seaboard downing our ships bound for Europe with war supplies. There are many accounts of German subs interacting with Martha’s Vineyard fishermen and of German soldiers coming ashore. 

 Q: Last year when we did our Q&A, when I asked what lessons, you hope readers learn after reading your novels you wrote, I don’t go into the writing process with a specific lesson in mind. I’m always happy when readers take away something meaningful though. It means the book resonated and they connected to the emotion of it, which is always my goal. But if there’s any lesson common to all my books it’s that everyone makes mistakes, but you need to confront fallout from that mistake before you can heal. With that being said, what is something meaningful that you hope readers take away from reading The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club?  

A: Oh, everyone in this book makes their share of mistakes! But I hope when readers finish The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club, they feel like they’ve taken a fabulous trip back to the 1940s—to a kinder, simpler time, when we were together as a country pulling at the same oar. A time when The Greatest Generation stood up for the truth, and even a little island book club could be heroic and save our country.