FOLSOI held its 2026 Annual Meeting and Member Appreciation Event on Tuesday, September 1 st at the Southport Community Building. FOLSOI president Cindy Phillips summarized the organization’s activities and fundraising achievements over the last year, and updated members on the exciting Barbee Library Expansion Project that FOLSOI is spearheading. Then the audience of about 200 was treated to a conversation with best-selling author Mary Kay Andrews, the “Queen of Summer Reads.”
Andrews answered questions from moderator and FOLSOI volunteer Patty Langer, while also taking questions from the audience. She spoke about her early career as an investigative journalist in Atlanta and her eventual switch to writing fiction, first as a writer of cozy mysteries, and then creating her pen name to write southern, beachy novels.
Asked how she continues to come up with new story ideas after 30 years, Mary Kay responded that she finds ideas everywhere she goes by listening and observing the people around her. As for her writing style, MKA said she does not plot out her books or produce outlines but commits to writing a minimum of 500 words per day.
A major supporter of public libraries, Mary Kay mentioned that she loved the bookmobile as a child. She would fill her bag with as many books as she could fit every time the bookmobile came to town. Then she gave a big shoutout to Brunswick County’s new bookmobile!
After signing books and speaking with fans, Ms. Andrews graciously agreed to stop by FOLSOI’s Once More Bookstore – thrilling volunteers and customers who could not attend the meeting.
For an author of such renown, Andrews was down-to-earth, funny and full of stories that entertained us all!