"Sullivan's Island" was her first book, completed when she was in her mid-40s and published in 1999. It was the story of a troubled woman confronting her past and was the first of many "Low Country" tales, among them "Isle of Palms" and "Shem Creek."
Her other novels included "By Invitation Only," ''The Last Original Wife" and "All the Single Ladies." Her novel "Queen Bee" came out in May.