Friendship and experience inspire Lynn Seldon’s second novel, a coming-of-age story with Upstate roots
“Write what you know.”
For creative writers, it’s a nugget of wisdom passed from mentor to mentee, from master to novice. It’s certainly advice writer Lynn Seldon has taken to heart, and not just because the man who said it to him was beloved best-selling novelist Pat Conroy.
Seldon—who just released his second novel, Carolina’s Ring, in February—is mostly a travel writer. Over the last three decades, he and his wife, Cele, have traversed the world, chronicling wine regions and coastal gems alike in their own travel guides and for various other publications. But it wasn’t until 2010 that Seldon considered dipping his pen into a different genre.
“I had never thought about writing fiction, and then in 2010, Pat Conroy came out with South of Broad,” Seldon says, referring to Conroy’s book signing in Charleston. A mutual friend arranged their connection over lunch, and Conroy and Seldon quickly bonded over their shared military experiences, Seldon’s at the Virginia Military Institute and Conroy’s at The Citadel.
Conroy prompted Seldon to “tell him a story” (one of the novelist’s oft-repeated lines) by writing from what Seldon knew, mainly his experiences as a VMI cadet and Army veteran. Virginia’s Ring emerged four years later in 2014, complete with Conroy’s raving blurb on the front cover.
Lynn Seldon’s Literary Connection to the Upstate
Tragically, Conroy died of cancer in March of 2016, but not before he’d encouraged Seldon to pursue a second novel. A few years after Conroy passed, Cele and Lynn moved to Beaufort, and Conroy’s wife, Cassandra King, asked Seldon if he would write in Pat’s old office. Seldon committed to writing there every weekday, and in February 2023, Carolina’s Ring was published by Koehler Books, this time with King’s raving cover blurb.
“Virginia’s Ring is pretty autobiographical,” Seldon shares. “Carolina’s Ring is less so. It’s not really a sequel, but some of the characters show up in Carolina’s Ring.”
Set in the Upstate, the novel is a coming-of-age tale of childhood friends Carolina Stone and twin brothers Ben and Alf Marshall. Told through each of their voices, the book follows the characters through separate college experiences and into the turmoil of the Iraq War. Seldon’s strong sense of place permeates the book, and multiple Upstate haunts feature in the narrative. A hike happens at Paris Mountain State Park, there’s a wedding reception (or two) at Soby’s, and even Edwin McCain and Hootie and the Blowfish appear.
Longtime fans of Greenville, the couple’s first exposure to the city came via the early days of food fest euphoria. They’ve returned countless times since, and as Seldon attests, “the Upcountry is a real character in Carolina’s Ring.”
As he wraps up his book tour, Seldon has already set his sights on a third book. Plans to complete the trilogy are in the works with Georgia’s Ring, a prequel set on Jekyll Island.
“We have fallen in love with Jekyll Island,” Seldon says. “The history is unbelievable.”
For more on Lynn Seldon and his work, visit seldonink.com, or pick up a copy of his books at M. Judson Booksellers.
