Alice C. Early

Awards

Winner, Women’s Fiction, 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards

Winner, Cross-Genre, 2020 American Fiction Awards
International Book of the Month (April 2022), Pulpwood Queens
Silver Medalilst, General Fiction, 2021 Independent Book Publishers Association, Ben Franklin Awards
Distinguished Favorite, Women's Fiction, 2021 NYC Big Book Awards

Finalist First Novel, Chick Lit, and Paranormal categories, 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Awards

Media & Praise

Praise for The Moon Always Rising

“Early’s prose is tight and lyrical, confidently capturing her characters and their emotional landscapes…The enchanting portraits of Nevis—and of…Scotland—help make this an unexpectedly memorable beach read.” — Kirkus Reviews

"Complicated and memorable… The Moon Always Rising finds a woman remaking her life abroad and a ghost repairing old rifts." — 4 star Foreword Clarion Review

“The Moon Always Rising takes your imagination on a trip to lush Caribbean Nevis and the Scottish Highlands in an engrossing story about how love and forgiveness help broken people mend. I especially loved the fabulous ghost (jumbie)—such a unique and intriguing character!” — Martha Hall Kelly, author of international bestseller Lilac Girls and its prequel Lost Roses

“Alice Early gifts us with a smorgasbord of never-dull ex-patriots on the sunny, vibrant island of Nevis. There's a ghost, witty and concupiscent in his afterlife; a charter sailor who is trying to forget, and a Jamaican Rastafarian with a surprising secret up his sleeve. Best of all, there's Ms. Early's heroine, the comely and fractious Scot. Eleanor Gordon. Bad luck, betrayal, and numbing tragedy have pursued "Els" to Nevis, where, maybe, she can dare to open her heart and let the world back in. The Moon Always Rising is a rich and intelligent novel written with grace and style.” — John T. Hough, Jr., author of The Fiction Writer’s Guide to Dialogue and the award-winning novel, Seen the Glory.

“I finished the book and think about it every day! We are so welcomed into the story, and into the lives of the characters, that the effect on the reader is profound. The reader is THERE—present to the smells and sounds and tastes of each scene... We feel Els pain, and her struggles with grief and loss. We love the community... the locals who come to drink and talk politics, and [charter captain] Liz's mysterious involvement in her life. We care about the woman Jack wronged, and Els’s estranged mother Giulietta, and the unraveling of their stories. There are times we want to give Els a big shake, but we learn to let her emotions thaw, and let redemption slowly work its magic. We become part of the process. Good storytelling! I'll be recommending it whenever I can.” — Ann Bassett, producer, MVTV

“Early is a consummate writer who so stunningly draws us into the very texture of her story that we can feel the humid tropical air and interior lives of her characters…[She] just as vividly fleshes out her “minor” cast of characters who reflect a swathe of the fascinating social, political, and racial divides of which tourists aren’t typically aware…We are fortunate that [her] rich tapestry of both characters and narrative creates a much-needed refuge during these challenging times.” — Martha’s Vineyard Times

“Early does a spectacular job of balancing magical realism while keeping the story from spinning into ludicrous territory…She flawlessly captures life in the Caribbean region…Early’s narration is always well-paced and vivid, the characters all coming to life convincingly — right down to the snarky jumbie…Readers will come to The Moon Always Rising for its pleasant narrative, for its realistic characters, for the intertwined stories of Els and her jumbie, Jack, but they will stay for the vivid descriptions of Nevis. Reading The Moon Always Rising is the closest you will get to experience the island without actually stepping foot in it.” — Paperback Paris

“…by intertwining the stories of [Els Gordon and Jack Griggs] these two resilient scrappers, Ms. Early turns The Moon Always Rising into a thoroughly enjoyable tale of personal renewal. It’s been a whopping 75 years since Josephine Leslie (writing under the pen name of R. A. Dick) gave the world The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Alice Early has given that beloved old story a sensual and knowing tropical update.” — Vineyard Gazette

"LOVED IT. There are so many elements to this story; family drama, a ghost story and a subtle love story in more ways than one." 4 stars, Reedsy Discovery 

Conversations with Alice

To watch a virtual author talk with fellow author Carol Newman Cronin (Ferry to Cooperation Island) sponsored by Rhode Island's Bank Street Books/Savoy Bookshop (during which Alice's computer melted down—twice), click here. 

To watch a virtual author talk with fellow Vineyard author Nancy Star (Rules for Moving), sponsored by the West Tisbury Free Public Library, click here.

To watch a virtual author talk sponsored by the Vineyard Haven Public Library, click here.

To listen to my conversation with Sarah Meckler, host of GSMC Podcast Network, click here. The interview starts about minute 7:40. 

Listen to my conversation with Laurel Redington, host of WMVY "Night Casts," where we talk about writing MOON and she intersperses some of the soundtrack of the novel.