just a few months short of taking his final vows. The title refers to a chair in his monastery carved with mermaids dedicated to a female saint said to be a mermaid before her conversion and who is patroness of the island. It was adapted as a 2006 Lifetime movie of the same name. The movie starred Kim Bassinger and Bruce Greenwood. In 2006, Firstlight, a collection of Kidd's early writings, was published in hardcover by Guideposts Books; it was published in paperback by Penguin in 2007. After traveling with her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor, to sacred sites in Greece, Turkey, and France, Kidd and Taylor co-authored a memoir, Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Story. Published by Viking in 2009, it appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including the New York Times list and has been published in several languages. Her 2014 novel, The Invention of Wings, is set during the antebellum years and based on the life of Sarah Grimké, a 19th-century abolitionist and women's rights pioneer. The novel debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list and was later selected for Oprah's Book Club 2.0. In April, Kidd appeared in an interview with Oprah on OWN's Super Soul Sunday episode. Kidd's novel The Book of Longings, was published on April 21, 2020. It tells the fictional story of Ana, an educated woman who marries Jesus Christ. Her formerly privileged life changes greatly, and she is often left alone once Jesus begins his ministry. D. G. Martin calls it "an enriching and challenging read." Personal life Kidd is married to Sanford "Sandy" Kidd. The couple have two children, Bob and Ann. She has lived in Charleston and Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, Florida. She resides in North Carolina. Bibliography God's Joyful Surprise: Finding Yourself Loved, 1988 When the Heart Waits: Spiritual Direction for Life's Sacred Questions, 1990 The Dance of the Dissident Daughter: A Woman's Journey from Christian Tradition to the Sacred Feminine, 1996 The Secret Life of Bees , 2002 The Mermaid Chair, 2005 Firstlight: The Early Inspirational Writings of Sue Monk Kidd, 2006 Traveling with Pomegranates: A Mother-Daughter Journey to the Sacred Places of Greece, Turkey and France (with Ann Kidd Taylor). Viking, 2009 The Invention of Wings, 2014 The Book of Longings, 2020 References External links Official web site American women novelists 21st-century American memoirists American religious writers American spiritual writers Novelists from Georgia