Dear Reader,

T. I. Lowe is an ordinary country girl who loves to tell extraordinary stories. She is the author of 21 novels, including the #1 international bestseller and critically acclaimed Under the Magnolias and her debut breakout Lulu’s Café. Her novel Indigo Isle won the prestigious Christy Award in the contemporary romance category and was subsequently named Christy Award Book of the Year. She lives in coastal South Carolina with her husband and family.

South of Somewhere T.I.’s brand new novel: A young mother filled with regret returns to Sullivan’s Island to rebuild her life and finds compassion in the most unexpected places in this heartfelt women’s fiction story of self-discovery and second chances.

Contact T. I. via her website at, https://www.tilowe.com/contact

Welcome back to the book club T.I…

How a Discarded Paper Bag Made Me a Storyteller

In middle school, my English teacher gave the class a writing prompt. I pause to laugh at this prompt because this would not fly in today’s world but back then, in the late 80’s, it worked.
The writing prompt: You find a paper bag on the side of the road. What is inside it?

Most of the class wrote about finding candy, toys, or some sort of game inside. Not me. No, I wrote about finding a magical circus inside my paper bag, filled with clowns, acrobats, and elephants. I described the scent of popcorn as soon as I opened the bag and the whimsical music playing inside. The teacher was quite impressed with my imagination. Adult me is impressed also.

That English paper was my first solid hint that I should pursue writing, but that didn’t happen for another twenty or so years. You see, I’m from a tiny town in South Carolina, and I thought my dream of writing could never get past the tobacco fields surrounding me. Yet, the dream never left me.

During my mother’s battle with cancer, a story came to me that wouldn’t let go and I ended up writing my first novel Lulu’s Café. My mother, near the end of her life, made me promise to share my book with the world. Several months after her passing, I kept my promise.

One of my favorite motivational sayings is “She turned her can’ts into cans and her dreams into plans.” This is exactly what I did. Twelve years and twenty-one books later I’m living my dream and if I can do it, you can too! Dream big, work hard, and go for it!

— T.I. Lowe
https://www.tilowe.com/contact

Thanks for reading with me. It’s so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
Suzanne@DearReader.com