Story by BJ Cothran • Photos Courtesy of Barbara Bergwerf, Mary Alice Monroe, and BJ Cothran

Topsail Island, NC - The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center—affectionately known as the Turtle Hospital—is a favorite island destination for visitors and locals alike. Seeing the work of director Jean Beasley and her dedicated volunteers as they care for sick and injured turtles is nothing less than fascinating, as are the individual turtles that are nursed back to health. An incredible amount of effort goes into the daily tasks of the Turtle Hospital—from feeding and caring for the turtles to cleaning the tanks to monitoring the water system, not to mention the tours, educational opportunities, intern supervision, preparation for turtle releases, handling of new patients—often who need to be transported from other towns and other states—and then there is the added task of raising funds to keep everything going and in looking to the future—building a new hospital.

(Left) - Barbara Bergwerf 

(Right) - Mary Alice Monroe

With all Jean and her turtle team do, it’s not surprising that when New York Times bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe decided to write what her fans lovingly refer to as a second “turtle book,” she came to Topsail for some up-close-and-personal research. Spending time at the Turtle Hospital gave Mary Alice a different perspective into the world of sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation. No stranger to turtles herself, Mary Alice is actively involved with several environmental groups and is on the board of the South Carolina Aquarium located in Charleston, the home of the South Carolina Sea Turtle Hospital and an integral part of her latest novel Swimming Lessons.

Fans of the writer have anxiously been awaiting the sequel to The BeachHouse, a heartwarming tale set on the Isle of Palms, complete with plenty of complex relationships, a strong parallel between the land and life, and her first exploration into writing about the rehabilitation of injured and sick sea turtles.

"…Together these fictional stories entertain, educate and inspire…."                                      

Readers turned the last page and instantly wanted more of Mary Alice’s intriguing characters—true-to-life people with realistic emotions and problems and dreams. We wanted to know more…and more is exactly what you’ll find in Swimming Lessons.

The story picks up five years after the original turtle lady, Miss Lovie, passed away.

Fans will be happy to know that Toy and her young daughter, Little Lovie, play a big part in the sequel, and other favorite characters—Cara, Flo, and Emmi—are right there in the thick of things, plus a few new faces you’re going to adore, particularly Ethan, Toy’s new boss and the key to the next chapter in her story. The book begins with Toy rescuing a sick sea turtle on the beach in front of Miss Lovie’s home where Toy and her daughter live. Not to give anything away, but this starts her journey to finding her hopes and dreams and of building a sea turtle hospital from the ground up—no simple task.

Of course, Little Lovie is a huge part of Toy’s world as she tries to teach her all the things Miss Lovie had taught Toy. In the process, Toy assembles a journal of photographs and sketches for her daughter to commemorate their summer spent tending the turtles. As this takes place in the novel, it also comes to life in the real world. The actual journal as Toy wrote it for Lovie is Mary Alice’s first children’s book, Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter—a companion book to the novel Swimming Lessons.

Barbara Bergwerf, friend and turtle-team partner, collaborated with Mary Alice providing the original photographs illustrating the children’s book.

“Together these fictional stories entertain, educate and inspire by providing a rare opportunity to discuss this significant environmental issue through the eyes of one of our leading writers,” writes Katherine Miller and Marjory Wentworth of Sylvan Dell Publishing, the publisher of the children’s novel.

“Swimming Lessons illustrates a model for protecting the sea turtles from extinction while offering a redemptive way of looking at the world and our personal relationships. Similarly, Turtle Summer explains the nesting cycle of the turtles in a way that will allow every child to share the bittersweet excitement of a Turtle Team summer.”

Barbara also has turtle ties, volunteering on the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island Turtle Team, as well as being actively involved with the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital. Her first illustrations appeared in the award winning Carolina’s Story: Sea Turtles Get Sick Too! 

This story about loggerhead sea turtles was awarded the Florida Publisher’s Association’s Best Children’s Nonfiction Book for 2006 and was a finalist for the 2006 SIBA Best Children’s Book of the Year.

“It’s been very exciting to build this scrapbook with Barbara,” says Mary Alice, “and I am hoping that our book brings the wonder and excitement of a Turtle Team’s summer to children.”

                                                             Jean Beasley

Excitement is exactly what fans and new readers of all ages felt when a special event was recently held in the historic Assembly Building in Topsail Beach. The booksigning and visual presentation by Mary Alice and Barbara educated and entertained the audience. The well-attended event announced the release of both books. Sponsored by Quarter Moon Bookstore and The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, a portion of the sales from the event went to the Topsail Sea Turtle Project and in addition, the expenses were covered by the bookstore as support for the project.

“The presentation Mary Alice put on was great . . . very informative,” said Lori Fisher,
owner of Quarter Moon Bookstore. “She has been a delight to work with and when she talks about the sea turtles, you can feel her passion for the project.”

For many years, Lori has been a strong champion of the local turtle projects. In much the same way that Toy, in the book Swimming Lessons, passed on her love for and protection of the turtles and their nests, Lori has passed along her supportive nature to her own daughter Lauren.

"Strong women with equally strong beliefs often pass on to their children some of those same beliefs."

“Mary Alice’s enthusiasm is very contagious—much the same as Jean Beasley’s! Mary Alice’s daughter is studying Environmental Law, the same as my daughter, Lauren,” said Lori. “As you know, Lauren was the first ‘junior’ sea turtle volunteer at Topsail and has had a passion for sea turtles and the environment ever since, thanks to the nurturing and guidance from Jean Beasley.”

 

And just like in the books, things come full circle. Toy showed that as we learn, we often pass on what we learn to others. Strong women with equally strong beliefs often pass on to their children some of those same beliefs. Does life imitate art or art imitate life? Who knows? The good news is that we all benefit.

 

 

Sea turtle being released back into the ocean.

Except from "Turtle Summer - A Journal For My Daughter"

Fall 2007, Issue # 10

Swimming Lessons
Mary Alice Monroe
Price-$21.95
ISBN-13:978-0-7783-2462-1
MIRA Books

"Turtle Summer: A Journal for my Daughter" by Mary Alice Monroe

Photography by Barbara J. Bergwerf

Price-$15.95 Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-9777423-5-6

$8.95 Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-977723-7-0

For children ages five to nine

Sylvan Dell Publishing

It’s obvious both of these books will thrill turtle or beach lovers, but they’re also perfect for mothers and daughters, anyone trying to grow stronger, anyone reaching for a dream, or anyone who wants to kick back and just enjoy a good read on the beach, by the fire, or curled up in a favorite chair.

Mary Alice is the critically acclaimed author of ten novels including Sweetgrass which explored the problems of an endangered ecosystem and the indigenous grass well-known in the Lowcountry as sweetgrass. Generations of Gullah basketweavers have made baskets from the grass—now in danger of disappearing from the region.

Mary Alice lives with her family on a barrier island off the South Carolina coast. Her work has been published worldwide and her honors and awards include being a four-time RITA Award finalist.