Do you know when Mary Alice Monroe wrote her first novel?

If you aren't familiar with lowcountry author Mary Alice Monroe, you need to get to know her and her books.

Her biography is interesting. She has always loved to read and write. She was encouraged to write by teachers who recognized her talent. She studied journalism, was an assistant editor to the General Editor of Encyclopedia Britannica, and co-authored an English language text for Asian immigrants. But when she was confined to bed for the final month of her pregnancy her husband handed her a notepad and pencil and told her to write the novel she had always dreamed about. In her own words she says, "I gave birth to a baby and a book."

Now, a dozen books later, Mary Alice continues to write, incorporating her love for nature and the environment into her novels. Just out in a new trade paperback edition is Sweetgrass. Coming out next month in trade paperback is Last Light Over Carolina. I just read Time is a River while on vacation and I couldn't put it down. I have chosen it as my "Staff Suggestion" for May and it's on display now in our "Staff Suggestion" section.

Visit Mary Alice's website and decide which novel you'd like to read this month.