Spring is finally here! After a long winter amidst much world drama, I launched Best Boy, my latest novel, and embarked on a book tour. Meeting readers on the road is always special, but coming home is equally wonderful. Now I have daffodils on the mind. Like Thumper in Bambi, I’m “twitterpated” about sunshine, flowers and, as always, a new crop of fantastic books. Pick up a good book and enjoy these slow days before summer whirls us up like the merry-go-round in Watch Hill.
On March 4, architect Thomas A. Kligerman released Summer by the Sea. Cottages from Watch Hill to Little Compton, which celebrates Rhode Island’s shingle style as the “architecture of the American summer.” The book showcases a variety of homes, from 19th-century masters like Calvert Vaux and Charles L. Bevins, to work by contemporary architects such as Jens Risom, Gil Schafer, and Peter Bohlin. Kligerman’s own house in Weekapaug is featured, which he describes as “an architectural madeleine.” Please join me in conversation with Kligerman at the Ocean House Author Series on November 21.
Emily Franklin’s Love and Other Monsters, releasing on April 7, is a guaranteed page-turner. The novel takes readers to the shores of Lake Geneva in the summer of 1816, where Romantic literary figures – Percy and Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Mary’s younger sister, Claire Clairmont – gather for creative and perhaps darker pursuits. Central to the mystery is Claire: What was her role in the summer’s romantic entanglements? And who stole her journal, forever concealing the secrets of those fateful months?
Ready for a new season of gardening in Rhode Island, the editors at Phaidon have compiled a gorgeous (and helpful) new book, The Coastal Garden, out on May 6. Coastlines can be rocky, sandy, or both, and they are always certain to be windy and salty. These elements pose special gardening challenges which are all beautifully addressed with fresh ideas and inspiring images in the book, sure to become your gardening go-to!
May 5 delivers Liberty Island by USA Today bestseller Virginia Hume. A story of love, legacy, and belonging, this multi-generational tale of women defining freedom is set on a rugged island off the coast of Maine. Ricocheting between the story of Anna Bradley, a free-thinking writer at the turn of the last century, and her niece Julia Demarest, who, facing disillusionment with and estrangement from her wealthy family, returns to Haven Point 20 years later.
To wrap-up spring with a little summer-longing rom-com, Katherine Center comes out with The Shippers on May 19. Set at a destination wedding on a cruise ship (what could go wrong?), the novel tracks the shipboard antics as JoJo Burton, sister of the bride, decides to pursue the man she thinks is her own Mr. Right, helped along by the man she knows is definitely her Mr. Wrong. Or is he? This charming story promises a delightful mix of romance, humor, and high-seas shenanigans. Please join me in conversation with Center at the Ocean House Author Series on May 27.
Deborah Goodrich Royce is an accomplished author, former actress, and philanthropist. Her newest psychological thriller, Best Boy, was published on February 24, 2026. Her national bestseller, Reef Road, was a Kirkus Reviews best book of 2023 and an Indie Next pick. Ruby Falls won the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist, and Finding Mrs. Ford was praised by Forbes, Book Riot, and Good Morning America. Royce co-created the Deer Mountain Writers’ Retreat in the Catskills with Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe. She hosts the Ocean House Author Series, partnering with Martin House Books and WCRI to bring authors like Emma Straub, Chris Bohjalian, and Katie Couric to Watch Hill. Royce began as an actress on All My Children and in films, then became a story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time. She holds a bachelor’s degree and two honorary doctorates from Lake Erie College and the University of Rhode Island. With her husband, Chuck, she restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, The United Theatre, Martin House Books, and numerous revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards, and contributes this column quarterly. Learn more at @deborahgoodrichroyceofficial or @oceanhouseri for the full season of authors.
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