Shannon McCrimmon, first time author of the new and acclaimed Southern fictional novels The Summer I Learned to Dive and The Year I Almost Drowned will be having a book signing in Tryon on Saturday, April 27 from 1-3 p.m. at The Book Shelf located at 94 N Trade Street, Tryon.

Shannon McCrimmon spent most of her life in central Florida, growing up with a big family in Orlando; attending Valencia Community College and then Rollins College for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Back in 2008, McCrimmon and her husband relocated to the country side of Greenville, S.C. where she became a guidance counselor at Landrum High School.

The move was a stark contrast from living in a metropolitan area. Moving to South Carolina inspired McCrimmon to begin writing her first novel, The Summer I Learned to Dive.

“I was inspired by so much when I wrote this story: the natural stunning, landscape of the upstate of South Carolina, southern people and culture, art, music, young women I’ve met in my life. Readers may recognize some familiar South Carolina landmarks,” said McCrimmon.

The story begins in The Summer I Learned to Dive with main character Finley “Finn” Hemmings, high school senior that is focused and driven.

On the night of her high school graduation, things take a dramatic turn when she discovers a secret her mother has been keeping from her.

This secret causes Finn to do something drastic.

In the middle of the night Finn packs her bag and travels by bus to Graceville, S.C. seeking the truth. In Graceville, Finn has experiences that change her life forever; a summer love, forgiveness and revelations. She learns to take chances and to dive right in to what life has to offer.

The story continues in The Year I Almost Drowned with 19-year-old Finn living in Graceville, S.C. with her grandparents.

Her summer love is still going strong until they are forced to deal with obstacles that throw them off-track as Finn prepares to leave for college.

Just as things start to become normal for Finn at college, something unexpected happens that takes her back to Graceville where she is forced to deal with one challenge after another.

McCrimmon’s novel The Summer I Learned to Dive is currently nominated for The Indie Romance Convention Readers Choice Awards. Also The Year I Almost Drowned has a rating of 4.9 stars (out of 5 stars) on Amazon.

“This young adult novel is an enjoyable, moving read and perfectly appropriate for young — and old — adult readers.” –Talk Magazine.

– article submitted by Keri Reddings