Interview with Carolyn Brown, author of the Wedding Pearls

Tessa has always known she was adopted but was so secure in her life that it didn’t matter. She didn’t even think about her biological parents until the day that Branch Thomas walked into her travel agency with a proposition that she flat out refused…at first, anyway.
It seemed that her biological mother, Lola, and her grandmother, Frankie, were going to embark on a road trip around the state of Texas in a 1959 Cadillac and they wanted Tessa to go with them. No way was she doing something crazy like that with her vacation time but her adopted mother thought she should.

And she agreed and the journey turned out to be more than just getting to know her blood family, but finding the love of her life.

What are you currently craving?

A big old juicy hamburger with a side order of French fries.

If you could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

Now, this may seem strange but I think it would be amazing to have dinner with Moses. Just think of all those stories he could tell. They wandered around in the wilderness for forty years. Think of all the love stories, the arguments and the journey. I’d love to break bread with Moses any day of the week.

Who is your favorite couple from literature?

Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. Scarlett stole my heart with her sassiness.

What’s on your writing desk?

A pencil box that Mr. B made for me, a post-it pad, a note of actors that Mr. B looked up for me for when I needed a male role model for one of my characters. And a recipe file box where I keep all the character descriptions of the WIP, filed in alphabetical order by their first name.

Where is your happy place? Why does it bring you joy?

A certain beach in Florida. I can get so much work done when I’m listening to the waves coming in and going out and plotting comes easy when my toes are in the sand.

What’s your favorite quote or scene from The Wedding Pearls?

There’s a scene when Lola tells her mother, Frankie, that she’s going to get married that I really like but honestly, to choose one scene or quote would be impossible. Here’s a little snippet from the scene though:
“Mama, I want you to put the pearls on me,” Lola said.
Frankie smiled but shook her head. “You know the rule. You don’t get those pearls unless it’s your wedding day. Have you finally accepted Hank’s proposal? What is this? About the tenth one?”
Lola’s expression was pure shock. “How long have you known?”
Frankie poked Ivy on the arm. “How long?”
Ivy chuckled and readjusted her nose tubes. “Don’t make me laugh. We’ve known since the first time he proposed. He’s a good man. Maybe not in your league financially but then money ain’t nothin’ but dirty paper with dead presidents’ pictures on it so that don’t matter. I hear that since he’s retired from the postal service that he wants to do some travelin’. That what you got in mind?”
“I’ve been scared to death to tell y’all,” Lola said.
Frankie undid her seat belt and slid forward so she could hug Lola. “I’ve been in the same boat about tellin’ you because after that first time when I interfered and made such a mess of it, I swore to God I’d never say another word about your love life. But I’ll be happy to put the pearls on you for your wedding day and then you can put them on Tessa someday, right?”

Do you have a motto, quote or philosophy you live by?

This, too, shall pass.
I believe in it with my whole heart. If something has an end, we can endure it. It’s not knowing that creates the biggest fear but if we believe that something will pass, we can suck it up and live through it.

Carolyn Brown is the author of the new book The Wedding Pearls.

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