Local Author Tommy Hays Publishes Third Novel;
Story of Alzheimer's Disease Earned a Starred Kirkus Review

Tommy Hays, noted local author and UNC Asheville’s Great Smokies Writing Program director, has completed his third novel, “The Pleasure Was Mine.” The book is due out in March from St. Martin’s Press.

“The Pleasure Was Mine” explores the themes of love, commitment and family in the face of terminal illness. Narrator Prate Marshbanks is a prickly house painter in Greenville, S.C., who adores his cultured wife Irene, for having chosen him over more promising suitors. When Irene is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, it is a devastating blow to the entire Marshbanks family. However, Prate’s son Newell, an overworked widower, needs to spend time at an artist colony in order to turn out paintings. He leaves his reticent nine-year-old son Jackson with Prate for six weeks. The setup is complete when Billie, the lonely single woman next door, turns out to be an admirer of Newell’s work. The plot is driven forward by Irene and Jackson’s beneficial impact on each other and by the predictable progression of Billie and Newell’s romance. But the crux of the story remains Prate’s love for his wife and his deep sorrow as she slips away.

Ron Rash, author of “Saints at the River,” says, “Tommy Hays has the talent and empathy to do what few writers would attempt, much less accomplish – create a novel of wonder and affirmation out of the devastating impact Alzheimer’s has on a family.”

Kirkus Reviews has given “The Pleasure Was Mine” a starred review, calling it “an intimate, loving portrait of a dreaded disease’s devastating effects.” The book is “colloquial in tone, braced by its narrator’s stoic, plainspoken candor. Hays’ latest outing feels timely and true.”

A host of readings and book signings are planned. Upcoming dates include 7 p.m. Friday, March 11, at City Lights Bookstore Café in Sylva; 10 a.m. Saturday, March 12, at Mountain Lore bookstore in Hendersonville; and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 10, at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café in Asheville. A complete list of events is available at www.tommyhays.com.

Hays is the author of two other novels, “Sam’s Crossing” and “In the Family Way,” which was a selection of the Book-of-the-Month Club and won the Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award. He is director of the Great Smokies Writing Program, a consortium of Western North Carolina writers and UNC Asheville. Hays is also the director of creative writing for the Academy at the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities. He reviews books for The Atlanta Constitution, is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and is a frequent contributor to Our State magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Furman University and a master’s of fine arts degree in creative writing from Warren Wilson. He lives in Asheville with his wife and two children.

Media Contacts:

• Tommy Hays, Great Smokies Writing Program Director, 828/254-1389
• Jill Yarnall, UNC Asheville Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526