Q&A with Sarah McCoy

 

 

Sarah McCoy is the author of the new novel Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?. Her other books include Marilla of Green Gables. She lives in North Carolina. 

 

Q: What inspired you to write Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?, and how much was her story based on the life of actress Dolores Hart?

 

A: I was home one summer night in 2016 watching the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel. They showed the 1960 film Where the Boys Are. I’d never seen it and was rapt.

 

It’s about four Midwestern college students who go to Florida for spring break, and is renowned for being one of the first films to explore the changing sexual attitudes of American youth.

 

I was taken particularly with Dolores Hart’s portrayal of progressive feminist Merritt Andrews. We always assume people from the past are so different from our modern ways, but I felt a strong sense of kismet with Dolores.

 

After the showing, the TCM host returned with trivia about the film, including that soon after making the movie, the 20-year-old starlet left Hollywood to join a cloistered abbey in New England where she remains to this day.

 

It was shocking—arguably more scandalous than the film! I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Why did she leave at the height of her stardom? What drew her to become a cloistered nun?

 

I believe that fate calls us to action with unanswered questions. So, I wrote Mother Dolores a fan letter. I wasn’t trying to pry into her private life. I respect her choice of anonymity. I simply wrote that I couldn’t get her off my mind and that her art continues to be deeply impactful to generations of men and women.

 

Truthfully, I didn’t think I’d hear anything. To my great surprise, she wrote me. Slowly, over the course of a decade, we developed a deeply meaningful and life-altering pen pal relationship.

 

I didn’t think of her story as a book until I read the memoir of Olivia Hussey, the actress who portrayed Juliet in 1968’s Romeo & Juliet. Simultaneously, I moved from Chicago to North Carolina and became immersed in the lore of Ava Gardner, who grew up in Grabtown, North Carolina.

 

I saw so many parallels between these young, independent actresses. Lori Lovely began to take shape in my imagination. It wasn’t until 2022 that I sat down to write Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?.

 

Q: How did you research the novel, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: I’m not Catholic, so delving into monastic practices was a major learning curve and full of surprises. I had no idea there were so many powerful female mystics, saints, and storytellers. It was mind-blowing in the best possible way.

 

Also, I think I came at it from a unique perspective. I didn’t grow up Catholic and I wasn’t looking to convert. I was simply a seeker of spiritual understanding. I had no baggage or expectations. I wanted to know these women—to know Mother Dolores. My earnest intent was to honor their life choices.

 

Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Lori and Lucas Wesley?

 

A: Well, I don’t want to give anything away but… Lori and Lucas explore love through every definition: the highs and lows; in friendship and in romance; in proximity and in distance; in denial and in possession; in pride and in shame; in celebrity and in anonymity; in elation and in heartbreak; and so much more.

 

I wanted them to embody the relational journey that we must willingly submit to when we choose to love someone for the long term. It’s constantly transforming.

 

Q: The author Jeanine Cummins said of the book, “Lori Lovely is a blueprint for how to create joy and meaning in a troubled world.” What do you think of that description, and what do you hope readers take away from the story?

 

A: I love this description. I love it as much as I love Jeanine Cummins! She’s a true heart sister. I mean, what are the chances of finding another half Puerto Rican, half Irish woman author who gets you without explanation? Earlier, I spoke about kismet with Mother Dolores. Jeanine is another example.

 

What do I hope readers take away from the story? That’s a loaded question. I wouldn’t dare try to condense it into an elevator pitch. I didn’t write with a takeaway message to impart. I was too busy living and learning from Lori Lovely in my own spiritual, intellectual, and emotional life.

 

Besides, it means so much more hearing how Lori Lovely impacted author friends I admire like Jeanine, Chris Bohjalian, Adriana Trigiani, Kristen Harmel, Tatiana de Rosnay, Charmaine Wilkerson, Allison Pataki, Deborah Goodrich Royce… and every reader who picks up this book. 

 

Like life, it isn’t about the takeaway. It’s about the individual journey— the emotions, ideas, and breakthroughs that Lori Lovely fosters in each reader’s heart.

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: Another book. Ha. I keep my cards pretty close to my chest. I can tell you this: it’s historical fiction with a powerful, real-life woman leading the narrative.

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: My earnest aim in telling this story is to recognize Mother Dolores, Olivia Hussey, Ava Gardner, and other famous artists who were publicly idolized and then discarded. The ones who “fell off,” as the kids say. Check them out. Watch their films. Read their books. Remember them. Art never expires. It always has fresh wisdom to share.

 

On a broader note, I hope this book encourages readers to give more grace to each other. Life is messy. We’re all just clay being formed into one-of-a-kind vessels. We live in a culture right now that proudly criticizes those who don’t conform to a pattern.

 

I hope this story combats that narrow-mindedness with good karma, supernatural grace, and the confident truth that God uniquely created each person for a purpose. Lori Lovely showed me that.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Sarah McCoy.