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WORK TITLE: Secrets of Southern Girls
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://haleyharrigan.com/
CITY: Athens
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: n 2017012980
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/n2017012980
HEADING: Harrigan, Haley, 1983-
000 00786cz a2200193n 450
001 10394057
005 20170313124551.0
008 170307n| azannaabn |n aaa
010 __ |a n 2017012980
040 __ |a DLC |b eng |e rda |c DLC |d DLC
046 __ |f 1983-02-04 |2 edtf
053 _0 |a PS3608.A7812
100 1_ |a Harrigan, Haley, |d 1983-
370 __ |e Athens (Ga.)
373 __ |a University of Georgia
374 __ |a Novelist
375 __ |a female
670 __ |a Secrets of southern girls, 2017: |b ECIP t.p. (Haley Harrigan) data view (graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in creative writing and public relations. She lives in Athens, Georgia. This is her debut novel)
670 __ |a Email from publisher (Sourcebooks), Mar. 8, 2017: |b (Full name is Haley Cabe Harrigan; DOB: 02/04/1983; debut novel)
PERSONAL
Born February 4, 1983. Married.
EDUCATION:University of Georgia, B.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AVOCATIONS:Watching college football and Netflix.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Haley Harrigan is a writer. She attended college at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, and still lives there with her husband and their Yorkshire terrier. In college she double majored in creative writing and public relations.
Described by Letitia Montgomery-Rodgers in Foreward Reviews as “evocative and atmospheric,” Secrets of Southern Girls opens with protagonist Julie Portland living in New York City with her daughter, Beck. Julie moved to New York ten years earlier, fleeing her Southern hometown of Lawrence Mills, Mississippi, in a flurry of shame and grief. The reason for her leaving was the death of her best friend, Reba McLeod, at Julie’s own hands. Julie got away with the crime and chose to leave the town instead of confessing, and the guilt of her choices have haunted her since.
Julie’s world is shaken up when she is contacted by August Elliott, Reba’s old boyfriend. August is reaching out to get her help in finding Reba’s old diary, hoping that the journal may lead to clues about her murder. August believes that Julie has the diary, but whens she assures him that she does not, he implores her to return to their hometown to find it. Initially resistant, Julie begins to worry about who actually has the diary, and what they may know.
Julie agrees to join August, suspecting that local shop owner Nell may have the diary hidden away. The two characters return to Lawrence Mills and find the diary. While this new piece of evidence shines light on the events leading up to the murder, it also reveals to Julie and August that there were sides of Reba, and themselves, that they did not know. A reviewer for the website Dee’s Rad Reads and Reviews wrote that the characters must come to terms with the reality that “maybe they didn’t know Reba as well as they thought they did.”
Throughout the book the story moves around in perspective. Initially narrated by Julie, the story is also told by August. Once the existence of a diary is confirmed, excerpts from Reba’s written perspective are included as well. Due to the inclusion of the diary entries, the story moves between present and past. The story presents both the growth of teenaged Julie and her adult self. A contributor to Publishers Weekly wrote, “Harrigan’s novel, part mystery and part coming-of-age, explores the process of healing from tragedies and misunderstandings.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, April 10, 2017, review of Secrets of Southern Girls, p. 48.
ONLINE
Book Escapade, https://bookescapadeblog.wordpress.com/ (April 1, 2017), review of Secrets of Southern Girls.
Dee’s Rad Reads and Reviews, https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpress.com/ (May 17, 2017), review of Secrets of Southern Girls.
Foreward Reviews Online, https://www.forewordreviews.com/ (January 29, 2018), Letitia Montgomery-Rodgers, review of Secrets of Southern Girls.
Haley Harrigan Author, http://haleyharrigan.com (January 29, 2018), author website.
Meet Haley Harrigan
Haley Harrigan is a Women’s Fiction author represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc.
Haley lives in Athens, Georgia with her husband and the second-most adorable Yorkshire Terrier there ever was. She graduated from the University of Georgia with degrees in Creative Writing and Public Relations, and loved Athens too much to go anywhere else. A bookworm from early on, she started writing as a kid when her grandfather introduced her to his new typewriter. Her first stories were fanfiction pieces (though she didn’t call it that, then) inspired by The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High. These days, she’s an avid and wildly eclectic reader, with tastes ranging from Margaret Atwood to William Faulkner to Gillian Flynn to Rainbow Rowell.
In addition to reading and writing, Haley enjoys hot tea, college football, margaritas and Mexican food, and a good Netflix binge. She is obsessed with all things Joss Whedon and believes that she learned everything she needs to know about life from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Her novel, SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS, is forthcoming from Sourcebooks in 2017.
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Posted: June 13, 2017 by katebrandes
Interview with Haley Harrigan, Author of Secrets of Southern Girls
Today, we’re chatting with Haley Harrigan about her novel Secrets of Southern Girls.
Please describe what your book is about.
Secrets of Southern Girls is about a woman who believes she killed her best friend when they were teenagers. When she learns there could be more to the story, she leaves her home in New York and returns to her Southern hometown to get to the truth of what really happened that night. But she finds more than she bargained for.
Share a teaser sentence or two from your novel.
“It’s not your fault she’s dead. It’s the same thing Julie has told herself, over and over, for ten years. But it’s a lie, and she knows it.”
What did you learn about yourself while writing this novel?
So many things! I learned that being a writer has nothing to do with whether or not your work is ever published. I learned that I have to write in order to feel complete. I also learned to be more comfortable with writing storylines and scenes that aren’t all hearts and unicorns and butterflies. Writing some of the grittier, more “grown-up” content (hello, sex scenes!) of SOSG pushed me way out of my comfort zone, and yet, I think the scenes I was less comfortable with writing turned out to be some of the best in the book.
What was your timeline from drafting to publication?
It’s complicated! I first started toying with the idea that became SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS about ten years ago, but I went through phases where I got distracted (or decided it was terrible) and put it away for months—even years—at a time. I finished an imperfect version about five years ago, polished from there, got my agent in spring of 2015, and sold my book in December of that year.
What is your favorite part of writing (drafting characters, making up scenes, plotting, developing emotional turning points, etc). Why?
Character interviews. I love getting to know my new (imaginary) friends!
Briefly, where did the idea for your book come from?
Eavesdropping on my mother, who was gossiping with a friend of hers about a girl they’d known in high school who was involved in a scandalous relationship.
When do you do your best thinking about your work in progress?
On vacation or relaxing in the sunshine, when my day job and other distractions feel far away.
Share something people may be surprised to know about you?
I’m a sucker for good fanfiction. I’m huge Joss Whedon fan, and I’ve even written a few Whedonverse fanfics. It’s a fun stress reliever.
What’s the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten?
Stop talking about it and do it. Put it on paper.
What’s next?
My second novel is currently in the works. It’s about a woman who becomes obsessed with the suicide of a local college boy. It’s a little dark and creepy. That’s all I can say about it for now!
SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS
Ten years ago, Julie Portland accidentally killed her best friend, Reba. What’s worse is she got away with it. Consumed by guilt, she left the small town of Lawrence Mill, Mississippi, and swore nothing would ever drag her back. Now, raising her daughter and struggling to make ends meet in Manhattan, Julie still can’t forget the ghost of a girl with golden hair and a dangerous secret.
When August, Reba’s first love, begs Julie to come home to find the diary that Reba kept all those years ago, Julie’s past comes creeping back to haunt her. That diary could expose the shameful memories Julie has been running from, but it could also unearth the hidden truths that Reba left buried…and reveal that Julie isn’t the only one who feels responsible for Reba’s death.
Available June 6th from Sourcebooks Landmark.
Goodreads | Amazon | BN | Avid Bookshop | Indie Bound
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Author Interview: Haley Harrigan
Read time: about 3 minutes
Haley Harrigan, the author of Secrets of Southern Girls, was kind enough to agree for an interview. This interview is part of the Spotlight Tour of Secrets of Southern Girls, in association with Source Books. Oh, and before we forget, there’s a Rafflecopter Giveaway of the book running. Go check it out!
Spotlight tour: Secrets of Southern Girls
Source Books is currently running a Rafflecopter Giveaway of Secrets of Southern Girls! You may not want to miss this one!
Tell us more about yourself.
My name is Haley Harrigan, and I’m a real-life Southern girl. I went to the University of Georgia and hold degrees in Creative Writing and Public Relations. I still live in Georgia with my husband and our Yorkie child. When I’m not reading or writing, I’m usually watching something fun on Netflix with a glass of wine in my hand.
Haley Harrigan
How did “Secret of Southern Girls” come about.
Eavesdropping. When I was a teenager, I overheard my mother and a longtime friend of hers talking about a girl they knew when they were younger who was involved in some kind of “scandalous” relationship. I was only writing short stories then and it was years before I actually put the idea down on paper, but that piece of gossip stuck in my brain and evolved into what became Secrets. Invasive or not, I’m still a huge advocate of listening in on other people’s conversations! I think that’s one of many ways writers can get that first golden nugget of inspiration to set a story in motion.
Please share your experience of writing this book and what the readers can expect from it.
Writing a book is hard! For a debut author, I think the toughest thing is that no one is making you write that book. There’s no deadline, no agent, no promise of your manuscript ever being more than a computer file. That can make it hard to stay dedicated to your idea, your characters, your plot. But there’s also the tiny hope that your words might one day mean something to someone, and that can go a long way to pushing you forward.
As far as what readers can expect: Secrets of Southern Girls is both a mystery and a coming-of-age story. It’s about two teenage girls navigating friendship and relationships and secrets in a rural Southern town. It’s also a story about guilt and misunderstandings and, ultimately, healing.
Are the characters, or any elements inspired from real life?
The characters are purely fiction, but I did take some of the geographical elements—particularly the mill—from the small town where I grew up. I loved the idea of the crumbling factory as a metaphor for the broken relationships in this story.
What is the most exciting and challenging part of writing a thriller?
I think of Secrets of Southern Girls as more mystery than thriller. But the challenges are similar: Building the story in an organic way (slow enough to be realistic, fast enough to drive the plot forward), weaving together secrets and revelations in a surprising yet believable way.
Please suggest to our readers 3 Authors and 3 books that you think they must read!
Only three? I love talking about books. I have very eclectic reading tastes, but the winning combination for me is an intriguing plot coupled with beautiful language.
First: All the Margaret Atwood. I know The Handmaid’s Tale is having a (well-deserved) moment and I love that book, but my personal favorite is The Blind Assassin. Read it. Then read it again. It’s wonderfully twisty, and so beautifully written. I’ve recently finished Jessica Chiarella’s mind-blowing debut And Again, which I would highly recommend. It’s about a group of terminally ill people given a second chance at life through a cloning program, but it becomes a thoughtful exploration of what makes you, you.
And third—an oldie but goodie—Judy Blume’s Summer Sisters. An engrossing coming-of-age tale of a friendship gone awry.
Print Marked Items
Secrets of Southern Girls
Publishers Weekly.
264.15 (Apr. 10, 2017): p48.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Secrets of Southern Girls
Haley Harrigan. Sourcebooks Landmark, $15.99 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-49264755-3
Julie Portland holds down a menial job in New York and relies on her ex-husband for the support of their
young daughter, Beck. Yet Julie has never let go of her demons, a fact that rears its ugly head when August,
a man from her past, appears at her door. August was the boyfriend of Julie's best friend, Reba, who died
after falling off a bridge, a death for which Julie holds herself responsible. August wants her to go back to
Lawrence Mill, Miss., to find out what really happened that night. Julie knows that the only way to discover
the truth is to find Reba's diary, which she believes is in the hands of Nell, a woman who owns a small shop.
When Julie and August finally locate the diary, they uncover secrets about Reba, who they both believed
was perfect, almost untouchable. Harrigan's novel, part mystery and part coming-of-age, explores the
process of healing from tragedies and misunderstandings. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary. June)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Secrets of Southern Girls." Publishers Weekly, 10 Apr. 2017, p. 48. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490319229/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=db02b850.
Accessed 8 Jan. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A490319229
SECRETS OF SOUTHERN GIRLS
Haley Harrigan
Sourcebooks (Jun 6, 2017)
Softcover $15.99 (400pp)
978-1-4926-4755-3
Haley Harrigan’s Secrets of Southern Girls opens with a confession: “It’s not your fault she’s dead. It’s the same thing Julie has told herself, over and over, for ten years. But it’s a lie, and she knows it.” From that point on, Julie Portland’s story falls apart as she finally faces a death that might not be the murder it seems.
It’s been ten years since Julie Portland graduated high school and left Lawrence Mills, Mississippi, for New York City. It’s also been ten years since she buried her best friend, Reba McLeod, but Reba won’t rest easy. Already haunted by Reba’s death, when Reba’s old high-school boyfriend, August Elliott, tracks Julie down and insists she help him find Reba’s missing diary, she relents—despite the fact that finding the diary requires them to return to the scene of the crime: home.
August’s insistence might be driven by his need for closure, but, first, it breaks everything open. Julie’s movement toward the truth is mirrored by a steady progression through Reba’s journal entries. As Julie gets closer to the truth, she must confront her long-held assumptions about who Reba really was and who she needed Reba to be.
Harrigan is a great prose stylist who knows how to sustain the tension and tone required of a Southern Gothic novel. Her writing is evocative and atmospheric, whether the action takes place under the bright lights of Manhattan or in Mississippi’s weedy heat. As the story shifts between Julie and August’s search and entries from Reba’s missing diary, past and present are bridged, and the shadow side of friendship, family, and memory emerges. Harrigan’s world is, in Reba’s own words, “like being immersed in a fairy tale. Its intricacy was maddening and stifling … all disturbingly beautiful.”
Reviewed by Letitia Montgomery-Rodgers
May/June 2017
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The author of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the author for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Review – Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan
Posted on May 17, 2017 by deesradreadsandreviews
Secrets of Southern GirlsSecrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan
Expected publication: June 6, 2017
Sourcebooks Landmark
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Julie Portland was raised by her aunt after losing her parents when she was young. When she met her new next door neighbor, Reba it was as if they we destined to be best friends. They were extremely close. But it’s almost like tragedy follows, Julie. When they are teenagers, Reba dies. Her death is ruled an accident but Julie feels that it’s her fault, that she’s the one responsible. She leaves Mississippi not long after.
Ten years later, after a failed marriage, Julie is living in Manhattan with her five-year old daughter Rebecca (Beck). In many ways she feels like she’s just barely surviving. Julie has found ways to deal with her pain, well at least to distract her for a little while. During those times she doesn’t have to think about a bridge or a field….or a dead girl.
“It’s not your fault she’s dead”
If only she believed that. The memories are everywhere, they refuse to let her be. She thinks she can push them away, but no matter how she tries to bury them, they always resurface.
Then out of the blue, Reba’s former boyfriend, August shows up. He claims Reba left a diary behind and he thinks that Julie has it. She assures him she doesn’t but she’s curious as to what could be written in it.
“Reba wrote about everything in that journal, if you don’t have it, then who the hell does?”
Now, August wants Julie to return to Lawrence Mill with him to find the diary. Back to the place Julie couldn’t wait to leave. But if someone else does have the diary ….then it means they may have been there that night and know what really happened. Who else is keeping secrets? August and Julie may find out things they aren’t prepared for and that maybe they didn’t know Reba as well as they thought they did.
I generally enjoy stories told from multiple points of view. I liked hearing from Julie, August and other characters. However, the chapters weren’t labelled and occasionally I would get confused whose perspective it was and had to go back to re-read. There seemed to be a lot of extra information that wasn’t really necessary in my opinion and it felt like things were a bit out-of-order at times. I understand the author was trying to build suspense, but in some ways it was distracting. I did like the inclusion of Reba’s diary entries. I enjoyed hearing the story from her point of view, though I did find that sometimes her voice sounded like it might be from someone older and more mature than she was.
I had a difficult time figuring out how to rate this book. It started out quite slow which sometimes works out, but in this case it made it harder for me to get into the story. But I kept with it and it did eventually pick up. I was very interested in finding out what was in the diary and what really happened to Reba. So while I did have some issues with this book, I still thought it was an interesting read. I look forward to seeing what the author writes next.
Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for providing an advanced copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.
Secrets of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan – A Review
bookescapadeblog / April 1, 2017
The Secret of Southern Girls by Haley Harrigan
Rating : 2.5/5
Goodreads Summary:
Ten years ago, Julie Portland accidentally killed her best friend, Reba. What’s worse is she got away with it. Consumed by guilt, she left the small town of Lawrence Mill, Mississippi, and swore nothing would ever drag her back. Now, raising her daughter and struggling to make ends meet in Manhattan, Julie still can’t forget the ghost of a girl with golden hair and a dangerous secret.
When August, Reba’s first love, begs Julie to come home to find the diary that Reba kept all those years ago, Julie’s past comes creeping back to haunt her. That diary could expose the shameful memories Julie has been running from, but it could also unearth the hidden truths that Reba left buried…and reveal that Julie isn’t the only one who feels responsible for Reba’s death.
Harrigan_SECRETS-OF-SOUTHERN-GIRLS-Cover-Final_20160818-1
My Review:
After plenty of false starts, I finally managed to complete reading this book recently. The false starts were owing to the poor interest generated in the first few chapters. My mind wandered off to other books in my TBR list leaving this book barely touched for quite some time. The book is mainly narrated from the point of view of Julie, the protagonist. There are also diary excerpts from Reba which fill the gaps in Julie’s narration. Extra information is added through the point of view of August and other characters.
Although the book has a very promising story line with plenty of scope for being an excellent and nail-biting novel, it sadly fizzles out towards the end primarily due to the characters themselves. Even though the nature of each character is described to the fullest and their relationships established, I felt that there was no life in any of the characters. They remained in the pages of the book alone and never went beyond that. So, even when the best friends got torn apart and true love destroyed, there was a lack of in-depth emotions being aroused in the reader. Reba also had diary entries which were windows to the internal turbulence faced by a girl who manages to lose her way and struggles with the consequence. Yet, the struggle did not feel real for me. I was unable to feel or relate to the gut wrenching emotions and lack of directions faced by the character even while reading her diary entries to which supposedly she had poured in all her feelings.
The story also has room for refinement. For instance, Julie and August travels to Lawrence Mill in search of some answers to what truly happened to Reba through her journal entry. Even though the author manages to pique the interest of the reader through the existence of a lost diary, the very same entries give away too much of the story such that the climax turns out to be far less shocking as what one would expect. Maybe a realignment of some of the diary entries with respect to the narration could have helped in keeping the readers hooked on till the very last moment to achieve a nail-biting climax.
Haley Harrigan shows promise as a debut novelist and some parts of the novel truly stands out due to her talented writing. She has a way with words and some of the sentences have a deep impact on the readers. Hopefully with a few minor changes this book can reach to where it aspired to be.
My Verdict:
Only readers of young adult fiction need to try reading this book. If you are not a stickler for character formation, then you can try this book as a light read.