MAYBE THAT’S JUST CAPE COD

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Have you ever met someone who you instantly know is going to be a friend forever? That's what happened when I met the fabulous Marion McNabb. I was speaking at an event on the Cape, and she was there, with her mom! And she tentatively came up to me and talked to me about her debut novel SOME DOUBT ABOUT IT, and it all sounded so wonderful. 

Turns out, she's a friend of Hallie’s, too! 

And now, I hope she will be your friend as well.

No doubt about it :) And keep reading for a giveaway!

  

 

MAYBE THAT’S JUST CAPE COD

by Marion McNabb

 

There is something magical in the air… or maybe that’s just Cape Cod.

 

After more than twenty years living out west in Los Angeles I find myself, in springtime, living in a pretty house adjacent to a cranberry bog and steps away from a large freshwater lake on Cape Cod. From my window I see well-bloomed daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinth, little robin red breasts, bunnies, turkeys and so many dancing trees.

 

Oh the trees! The imposing white oaks, always the last to bud, tower overhead, stubbornly resisting the power of new growth that is exploding all around, but the wind bristles and the dogwoods, holly, Japanese maples, pitch pine, spruce and sassafras wave and wiggle hello. I am enchanted. I grew up in New England, north of Boston and came back each summer for visits to Cape Cod.

Last July my move here was made permanent and I am experiencing the change and shift of the seasons once again. I embraced the autumn and winter with curiosity, warm sweaters, and buckets of hot tea. Now, after surviving my first New England winter in decades where these same friendly trees morphed into dark lonely sticks jutting this way and that, there are now fat, eager buds bulging, springing forth, soaking up the sun’s warming rays. It all feels so daring and hopeful, like something great is about to happen.

 

Cape Cod has long been my muse. But I’m not alone, dreamers, writers and artists have long been enchanted by this wondrous strip of land. Thoreau, Vonnegut, Hopper, Mary Oliver and there are just too many to name who have walked these shores. I can feel them. Every time, and I really do mean every time, I drive over that scary Sagamore bridge to return to this arm of land jutting its fist out into the mighty Atlantic, I feel the energy.

And now it’s home. I’m hooked. I feel all the hope and promise of a Cape Cod spring coursing through me, spurring on new growth, inspiring me.

 

In my debut, “Some Doubt About It,” Cape Cod is almost a character unto itself. Caroline, journeys from the white hot frenetic pace of Los Angeles to the sleepy, quaint, seaside New England town of Barnstable and in so doing learns what true love and success really are. Hey, write what you know, right?

 

And, I know what you’re thinking - big city girl goes small town, has an epiphany, centers herself, falls in love, blah, blah, blah. What a tired trope! I mean, I used to sit in velveted, high-back stools sipping overpriced gin in swanky LA bars laughing at how unrealistic those stories are. And now look at me. (And, yes, there is a love story here for me, too, but that’s for another blog…).

 

For now, I am enjoying all of the changes. Four defined seasons! And with Spring a promise of wondrous things still yet to come. It is so welcome, especially at this time in my life when it feels like my children are growing so quickly, two gone to college already, and my career is burgeoning. In sun-soaked Cali it felt like life was flying by. I was racing, trying to catch up to some idea of who I thought I should be.

 

So, I made a decision to live a more intentional life. And, these seasonal changes are so much more pronounced in the Northeast and it makes me feel more aware of time and my space in time.

And now, on the precipice of summer—the most popular season of all on Cape Cod and in my opinion its greatest—I feel like I’ve earned something. I raked leaves, I shoveled snow, I planted seedlings. The osprey have returned to their massive nests. The swans on the lake have built their nest. The hydrangeas made it through March and April without freezer burn and they are getting greener and fuller every day. 

 

And now Cape Cod and all its glory is gearing up to show off all summer. Go get it, girl! I’ll be watching. Front row tickets. And having all of this lined up with the release of my debut novel feels kismet. Magical even. A truly beautiful connection I have longed for.

 

That old Cape magic. Can you feel it too?

 

 

HANK: This is SO wonderful! Hurray, Marion!

Reds and readers, have you ever been to Cape Cod? Have you ever wanted to? (I'm doing a whole tour of the Cape in August for my paperback release, and I absolutely cannot wait!) What's your favorite place on the Cape? And your favorite bookstore?

And we will give a copy of Marian’s new book to one lucky commenter !

SOME DOUBT ABOUT IT

In this fun, feisty romp, a celebrity life coach collides with her former mentor as both women struggle with the choices they’ve made, the lives they have now, and the legacy they’ll leave behind. 

Caroline Beckett is living the dream. A self-help guru with a glamorous clientele and a marriage to a handsome photographer, she’s proof women really can have it all. But one night leaves Caroline reeling, forcing her to reconsider everything she thought she knew about her life—and what (if any) business she has teaching anyone how to live theirs. 

Retired professor Devorah Van Buren is spending her time getting herself and her chihuahua, Mary Magdalene, kicked out of local restaurants for causing scenes with tourists. When she learns about Caroline’s rise to success and the personal scandal that’s followed, Devorah has a new purpose: sue her former student for stealing the ideas that made Caroline famous. 

Back in her hometown to handle this new problem, Caroline is surprised to find reconnections with not only Devorah but her high school sweetheart too. After the way her life fell apart, Caroline is beginning to wonder if, with Devorah’s help, maybe she can build something better. 

Marion McNabb is an author and screenwriter for film and television whose work includes the animated series Rainbow Rangers on Nick Jr. and Netflix. She studied film at NYU and received a theater degree from Arizona State University. McNabb lives on Cape Cod with her family, swimming with the mermaids when not working on her next novel.