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Based in Charleston, South Carolina, is the New York Times best-selling author of thirty books–and counting. Richly layered and rooted to place her Lowcountry-set novels defy literary labels. More than feel-good escapism or traditional beach reads, her engrossing stories deftly explore the intersections and parallels between Mother Nature and human nature, hooking readers emotionally and introducing them to characters and causes that live in their hearts and minds. Her robust library of work–from the popular Beach House series to her compelling fiction, to her newer middle grade series, The Islanders–engages readers across generational lines, inspiring them to take a harder look at the environment–and our impact on it. To ask the important questions. To seek answers. To create connections–both with nature and in our personal lives.

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Mary Alice Monroe is the New York Times bestselling author of 30 books, including the beloved Beach House series. Monroe has also published children’s books which complement the environmental themes she is known for in her adult novels.

Monroe’s Middle Grade series, written with Angela May, The Islanders, debuted #2 on the New York Times in 2021, the second book in the series, Search for Treasure, was released in summer 2022 and debuted #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers list.  In summer 2024, the third and final book, Shipwrecked, will be released, completing The Islanders trilogy.

Mary Alice has earned numerous accolades and awards including induction into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame; the Southwest Florida Author of Distinction Award; South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence; RT Lifetime Achievement Award; the International Book Award for Green Fiction, and the prestigious Southern Book Prize for Fiction. Her bestselling novel The Beach House is a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. Monroe is the co-creator of the weekly web show and podcast Friends and Fiction. Nearly 10 million copies of her books have been published worldwide.

Mary Alice Monroe has championed the fragility of the earth’s wild habitat. The coastal southern landscape in particular has become a strong and important focus of many of her novels. For her novels Monroe immerses herself in academic research, works with wildlife experts, and does hands-on volunteering with animals.  She then uses the knowledge and experiences to craft captivating stories that identify important parallels between nature and human nature.  Sea turtles, bottlenose dolphins, monarch butterflies, shorebirds are among the species she has worked with and woven into her novels.

Monroe is an active conservationist and serves on the South Carolina Aquarium Board Emeritus, The Leatherback Trust, The Pat Conroy Literary Center Honorary Board, and Casting Carolinas Advisory Board. She is especially proud to be a twenty year plus state-certified volunteer with the Island Turtle Team.

Mary Alice has a home in South Carolina and North Carolina. When not writing a novel, she is with her family or busy working with wildlife somewhere in the world.