about the book
“Stories don’t end. They just turn into new beginnings.”
Carol is not sure what to make of her grandfather, Serge. Her family has recently moved to his New Mexico ranch for the summer in order to pack up his belongings and convince him to move into a nursing home. Carol hasn’t ever met him due to some rift between Serge and her family that took place long ago.
Carol hoped to be spending her summer by the pool with her friends. Instead she’s stuck in the desert. It is so unbelievably hot on this god-forsaken ranch.
Serge’s dementia has clearly affected his day-to-day functions. Should she believe the crazy stories he tells her? They always start the same: “Once upon a time, there was a tree.”
He tells Carol he hears the bees. In one of his stories he says they will end the 100-year drought. There aren’t even any bees in New Mexico! Serge also calls her Carolina and bugs her about shunning her heritage.
As the summer wears on, Carol starts to hear buzzing sounds around her head. Is she losing it like her grandfather? Or is there something more to his stories?
about the author
Author Lindsay Eagar lives in the mountains of Utah with her young daughter, Fin. A single parent, she has taught herself to write anywhere, anytime: in the park, during Disney shows, while her daughter is at preschool—whenever the time presents itself.
When she was younger she wanted to be a writer and a marine biologist who specialized in studying sharks. When the shark gig didn’t work out, she wrote and wrote and wrote. And rewrote and rewrote and rewrote.
Like many writers, Lindsay reluctantly set aside her first novel, which she had been working on for years. Within ten days of doing so, she wrote the rough draft of The Hour of Bees. Collaborating with friends, Google, and family, Lindsay honed the words until she came up with a manuscript she considered about as good as she could get it. As a result, when she pitched The Hour of Bees for consideration, she had agents contacting her within weeks.
Lindsay believes a fear of death drove her to write the story; she lost her maternal grandfather when she was fourteen years old. Working through her grief on the pages of her book, she discovered a mantra: “Live life to the fullest and you won’t be afraid to die.”
Source:
Author biography: The Greenhouse Literary Agency
Author interview: The Sweet Sixteens
Author spotlight: Goodreads
Author interview: Query Tracker
Author introspective: The Nerdy Bookclub
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