Thank you to the "Hubbard's Point" Women's Club for hosting such a wonderful evening of warmth, books, and beach love. My lifelong love for this magical place grew even stronger tonight. I loved being able to celebrate THE BEAUTIFUL LOST with so many avid readers.
I wanted this evening to happen in order to express my love for our beach, to acknowledge how lucky I've been to live here, and to honor the fact so many others feel the same way. I told how my grandparents on both sides--one a policeman, the other an ice cream man--built cottages here, how my parents met here after the war, what it was like to grow up in a paradise of nature, salt water, family, great friends, a kind of innocent abandon. I gave each attendee a copy of one of my Hubbard's Point novels--titles such as BEACH GIRLS, TRUE BLUE, THE PERFECT SUMMER, SUMMER OF ROSES--all inspired by memories, nature, friendship, beauty, longing, and loss here at the beach--and told how the name was inspired by my amazing neighbor, Helen Hubbard, an opera singer whose voice as she sang scales early each morning rose over the gentle waves breaking on the rocks and served as my wake up call. Growing up surrounded by art and artists--Helen, my mother writing and painting, other strong women on the Point--I still feel blessed and in awe.
Jan Tauro Tonucci (left) and Danne Pineo (right) are co-presidents of the "Hubbard's Point" Women's Club. These wonderful, generous, creative women do so much for the beach, and i am very grateful for all their hard work and enthusiasm that made tonight so much fun. They made sure the house was packed! It was great. And thanks to Will Bagnell, a bookseller from RJ Julia, back right, for selling so many books (in addition to the ones I gave away, especially THE BEAUTIFUL LOST.
The pavilion was full, with extra chairs curving out to the basketball court and stone wall.
A wonderful crowd of (mostly) Hubbards Point-ers. I grew up here and saw old friends I've known since we were babies on the beach together, new friends I've met in recent years, the children of friends my age, and people who knew my parents since they were teenagers. An incredible place, and I feel so lucky to have been coming here for so long.
I'm so thankful to these women--three generations of the Pineo family--for an amazing event. Danne Pineo (right) is the co-president of the Women's Club. Her daughter, Stacey Pineo Murdock, on the left, is an extraordinary person who arranged things I didn't even know we needed--she even promised it wouldn't rain, and it didn't. Hallie, on my right, is a brilliant artist with an exciting new job i'm sure you'll be hearing about.
The Pineo-Murdock family! From left--Stacey Pineo Murdock, Danne Pineo, Hallie Murdock, me, Rob Murdock, and Phil Pineo. Rob is an extremely talented musician and composer who entertained on piano while i signed books. Check him out on SoundCloud.
I love these posters Stacey made of some of my book jackets and the DVD of BEACH GIRLS.
The evening couldn't have happened without Jan and Danne. I can't get over how beautifully they put it together, making sure there were enough chairs (200!) for attendees who RSVP'd right up until the morning of the event; they greeted everyone, made sure they had gift bags (thanks to Stacey,) and directed them to the table where my giveaway books were stacked; so thoughtfully covered the tables with white linen; and although they're not booksellers they knew to get post-it notes and Sharpies for when I signed. Here they are holding a sign with the cover of THE BEAUTIFUL LOST and "An Evening With Luanne Rice." They are incredibly kind and welcoming and made me feel so comfortable.
Hubbard's Point beach
Moonlight on Long Island Sound, evening in this place we love so much.