The Debutante Ball Welcomes Beth Hoffman

Beth HoffmanBeth Hoffman is the author of the New York Times bestseller Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. Though she had always written for her own amusement, it wasn’t until she nearly died of septicemia that she decided to leave her career in interior design and pursue her lifelong dream of writing a novel.  She lives with her husband and fur babies in a quaint historic district of Kentucky.

We’re thrilled to have Beth here at the Ball to celebrate the upcoming paperback release of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt!

Beth Hoffman Takes the Deb Interview!

Talk about one book that made an impact on you.

When I first read “A Christmas Memory” by Truman Capote I was spellbound, and I mean that in the truest sense. Capote was a master of nuance and imagery, and though “A Christmas Memory” is really just a short story, those 65 pages are brilliant and pack one heck of a wallop. When I finished reading, I turned to the first page and began again. Now, when I’m writing and come to a scene where I’m getting too lengthy, I immediately think of how Capote conveyed so much using so few words.

Which talent do you wish you had?

Oh, how I wish I could tap dance! When I watch the old masters like Eleanor Powell and Ann Miller, I’m mesmerized. Most times I write late into the night, and then when I know I should shut down the computer and go to bed, I’m too wired. So I relax by watching tap dance videos on You Tube. Just a few weeks ago I contemplated buying tap shoes and giving it a whirl, but I know I’d just end up on my keister. I dunno, I might buy the shoes anyway. I think they’d make unusual accessories and would look good displayed on my bookshelves.

Share one quirk you have that most people don’t know about.

I don’t like to talk on the telephone, and it’s gotten worse over the past few years. Why? I don’t know, but when the phone rings I cringe. I’ll frequently turn it off while I’m writing, and then forget to turn it back on. I’ve always been a bit on the introverted/eccentric side, and with the passing of each year, I’m becoming more so.

Share something that’s always guaranteed to make you laugh.

Any picture or video of an animal doing something silly will make me laugh out loud. My own fur babies are a great source of entertainment too. My husband and I get the biggest kick out of watching them play in the back yard. They’re so delighted with the simplest things, like a feather or a leaf.

What’s your next big thing?

When Saving CeeCee Honeycutt launched, my life exploded with activity. For a while I wondered if I’d ever have time to write again. But when things finally settled down and was able to have some quiet time, a new story began taking shape. Now I’m happily writing again and hope to get several solid chapters written before I go back on author tour when the paperback is released in the autumn.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, by Beth HoffmanBeth toured extensively when the hardcover was released, and she will be hitting the road again with the paperback launches on October 26, 2011.

You can visit Beth’s website here, or check in with her on Twitter.  To schedule an event with Beth, contact the Penguin Speakers Bureau.

About Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

Steel Magnolias meets The Help in this Southern debut novel sparkling with humor, heart, and feminine wisdom

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town-a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell.

In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah’s perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie’s all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

Laugh-out-loud funny and deeply touching, Beth Hoffman’s sparkling debut is, as Kristin Hannah says, “packed full of Southern charm, strong women, wacky humor, and good old-fashioned heart.” It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.

12 Replies to “The Debutante Ball Welcomes Beth Hoffman”

  1. Beth, I’m so happy for you about the success of your amazing book! You’re one of those people who just seems to spread around sunshine wherever you go…. and selfishly, I’m glad your next book is coming along well. Can’t wait to read it! xoxo

  2. I finally got to take tap class in high school – it was amazing. You’ve made me want to pick up my shoes again.

    You’re such a lovely person – I’m thrilled for your success and can’t wait for the next book. Thanks for dancing with us!

  3. Y’all are so kind! Thank you. I’m honored to be a guest here on the Debutante Ball. I should be reading your posts with a tiara on my head…and maybe tap shoes on my feet too. Now there’s a look. HA!

  4. Great interview, thanks for coming to The Ball, Beth. Ray Bradbury hooked me in high school. He could do so much in a short story – frighten, teach, goad, thrill. I admit to having some mean tap dancing skills. I remember some of my routines from childhood. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy comes on and I’m time stepping all over the place. I’d love to take adult tap lessons – but they are crazy expensive. Deb Kim

  5. This sounds like such a fun book! One of my critique partners hails from rural South Georgia, and ‘m always on the lookout for interesting Southern women’s fiction. This sounds like a great read.

    Thanks so much for taking a twirl at The Ball!

    Tawna

  6. Thanks so much for coming to the Ball, Beth! The book sounds terrific, and I’m thrilled you’ve had so much success with it!

    If you’re ever in L.A., I will totally take a tap class with you. I am the most uncoordinated creature on the planet, but I think it’d be a blast.

  7. Hi Elise. I was in LA this past January and had some really terrific author events. But if I come back, we can be tapping fools. I’ll bring the Band-aids and Ace bandages. LOL!

  8. So great to see you here, Beth! I’m late to the party this week! I love that you wish you could tap dance. I grew up watching old black-and-white Fred Astaire/Bing Crosby movies with my mom, and believe me, I tried my hardest to figure it out, too. The shuffle and hop step, etc. But, even tap lessons as a kid didn’t get me very far. 🙂 It’s lovely to read more about you. xoxo

  9. Hi Sarah. Ah yes, those old B&W movies were so great. I love watching little clips of the dance scenes they have on You-Tube. It sounds like everyone here would like to give tap dancing a try! Wouldn’t we be something?!?! Hahahah!

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