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Victoria Benton Frank Books

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The Violet Hour

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“There was this time of morning that always gave me peace. I liked to call it the "Violet hour." Not because it was my alone time, although it was, but because the light was the prettiest blue violet. It was the hour before the sun would rise, turning the pitch-black velvet night into the fresh blue brightness of day. It happened right before the world woke up and gave me the slice of the morning to really think, or pray, or problem-solve.”

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Book:The Violet Hour
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“A deep-yellow sauce dotted with green encircled a plump piece of white fish; gently seared golden skin nestled in a smaller circle of plump cherry tomatoes. There was a small handful of lemon-pepper-drizzled arugula salad with shaved slices of Parmesan cheese. I slid my fork into the side of the fish, popped the opaque flesh into my mouth, and tasted thyme, the ocean, and actual sunshine.”

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Book:The Violet Hour
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“The cooks went outside to Alice's truck and brought in six pies, a crate of veggies, and a bushel of fresh crabs. I was beside myself with excitement. We took out large hotel pans, filled them with ice, and poured the oysters and crabs on them to keep them fresh. It was a beautiful sight. Her veggie basket also included the juiciest grapefruits I'd ever seen. I decided to serve them alongside the beautiful crab. My mind was going crazy with different ways to combine all these fresh ingredients. In New York we had wonderful seafood and produce, but most of it was imported. According to my palate, though, no crab was tastier than one that had been swimming a hundred yards from your table earlier in the day.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“It was a classic southern spread. Shrimp and grits, red rice, biscuits, mac and cheese, pulled pork, and a ton of other sides. It smelled delicious. I made myself a little pulled pork sandwich with Carolina BBQ sauce on a Hawaiian roll. It was even better than it smelled. I made a note of the caterer. Hamby. Of course. Hamby Cateringwas the caterer; they did all the best events in Charleston. We both wolfed down the delicious chicken salad sandwiches, huge helpings of mac and cheese, and two biscuits that were lighter than clouds--- not as good as Maggie's, but pretty good.”

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Book:The Violet Hour
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“Last night I dreamed of Charleston, as I do almost every night. Far away from my beloved land by day, at night I am there. I dreamed of the marsh grass, the coral sunsets, the smell of plough mud, and the sound of the breeze rustling through the fronds of the palmetto trees. If you were to cut me open, you'd find the water of the Atlantic instead of blood, driftwood instead of bones, and seashells in place of everything else.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer: An Enchanting Southern Saga of Family Traditions, Unforeseen Destiny, and Summer Romance by the Beach
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“The sight of the pale-yellow façade of 82 Queen with the large golden numerals on the small black awning over the narrow entrance always made me smile. It was one of the grand dames of the Charleston restaurant scene. Opened in 1982 and comprised of three adjoining eighteenth-century town houses and a courtyard, it was the first restaurant to combine the local African, French, Caribbean, and Anglo-Saxon tastes to create a new culinary genre known as Lowcountry cuisine.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“The South is different from anywhere else on earth. Every time I returned, it seemed it was the beginning of my greatest story, like something was about to happen, the kind of something music was written about. There was a touch of magic in the air, and the Lowcountry was extra special. It must have something to do with the region's history, or maybe it was just the weather, but I felt more alive here. Even the sky was different. The sunrises were more jubilant, the stars brighter in the evenings, and the flowers more fragrant. It was easy to lose touch with nature in New York City, but just like a love that got away, you never knew how much you'd miss it until it was gone. In the evening when the sun would set, the horizon looked as if it were in flames. During a summer storm, giant blue-gray clouds pregnant with heat lightning rolled across the sky, making you run indoors filled with terror.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“In the back of my closet, I saw a pink wrap dress that was hopelessly Southern. Pale pink, with little flutter sleeves all in a Swiss-dot fabric that you could see through if you held it up to the light. I would need nude undergarments, which I was sure I had. My mom always told me never to wear wild undies, you never knew who'd see them! What if I got in a car wreck? I pulled my hair up and allowed a few red curls to fall out of a messy bun at the nape of my neck. I slipped the dress on and gave my lips a quick swipe of gloss. I chose small gold hoop earrings that had belonged to Gran at one time and stepped into a pair of gold flip-flops. I looked at myself in the mirror and reminded myself I was going to a farm. Jim walked in. "Ready for the big... Oh, my God, Magnolia!" "What? Too much?" I said, grimacing. "Good God, no! You look absolutely perfect! You look like a mouthwatering pink confection! A true Southern Magnolia!”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“This right here is the holiest of holies, my mother's garden. This is where she grew mint for tea and lavender for sachets and belladonna for--- honestly, I always wondered, but maybe she knew this day was coming? My mother did have a kind of sixth sense for things... Maybe she knew that someday her soul mate would fall prey to a woman who would move in, insult his family, and pour concrete over her garden..." I could see that the comments were coming in hot now, and I kept going. "Some of you say I don't have sympathy for widows going out on the dating scene, but you know what? I do. In fact, are there any of you Callie Knox fans out there who are looking for a great guy? My mother was magic, and I know some of you are magic, too. Maybe you have the kind of magic that can save me and my family from this massive b----" And then I did it. I gave my dad's name, address, and phone number to an Instagram Live audience that was now apparently upward of ten thousand people.”

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Book:The Violet Hour
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“God, you're beautiful," he said, unleashing the adjective Ronny had never used to describe me. "Ha, come on, I'm still a mess from the kitchen," I said. "I don't see anything messy. I smell dinner, and you're making me hungry," he said, moving closer. God, this was heating up quickly. "You don't smell all the garlic, onions, and fryer oil?" I said, giggling and feeling shy. "I love fried food, Maggie." He inhaled deeply, and we both laughed.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“Parmesan cheese?" Miller said. "We're not cooking Italian food." I rolled my eyes. "Yes, keep grating it, and when you're done, whisk it into those eggs. Now you know the secret ingredient of our fried chicken." Once the dredging pans were ready, I showed the young cooks through the four steps. They watched me closely. Ben, sweet baby--- bless him--- wrote everything down. The first step was to dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel, so they were tacky but not wet. This would enable the seasoning to stick to them. The secret here was not to salt too far in advance, because although salt helped enhance flavor, it also dried out meat. The second step was to dredge it in the flour mixed with cayenne pepper. After you shook off the excess flour, you put it into the mixture of eggs and grated Parmesan cheese. Finally, you dunked it into a second flour mixture that contained enough freshly ground black pepper to turn the mixture gray. This chicken was, as the kids say, fire, meaning it was so good. Its heat was balanced with the Parmesan cheese.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“Buster's daughters certainly hadn't spared any expense, and, surprisingly, had chosen the perfect dishes--- ham biscuits, maple ham slices with artichoke relish, golden pimento mac and cheese, and a tray of salad. Not a morsel of frozen seafood in sight! Of course, I gave all the credit to the caterer, one of the best in Charleston. I was impressed by the beautiful blend of lettuces, Bibb, frisée, and red oak.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“I went outside into the alley behind the restaurant next to a dumpster and ate the rest of the chicken myself. It was damn good. It was perfectly fried and moist. You could taste the gentle hints of thyme and cayenne pepper I had used in the buttermilk last night to brine it. It was perfectly seasoned and crunched with every bite. The collards that she totally ignored were tender and rich with vinegar and bacon.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“Don't look at me! I'm the victim here," Joyce said with a pout. "Um, I don't know if I'd call you the 'victim,' Joyce, you've been scratching at them like a cat." "Only because they have done everything in their power to make it uncomfortable for me!" Joyce said. "What are you talking about?" Jess said. "You know what I'm talking about," Joyce said, leveling her gaze at me. She grabbed a piece of garlic bread, tore it into smaller pieces. "My husband's dead, too! You don't hear me ranting and carrying on about him." "Are you kidding me?" Mike stood up. My dad was shaking his head in disbelief over what she had just said. Jess had a tear rolling down her cheek. She never cried. This was insane. "Joyce, the kids can talk about their mother as much as they want." She did a little fake laugh. "But when is it enough, you know? When---" "And so can I. It's never enough. This is their family home, and Callie was their mother." I looked over at Joyce, whose eyes were as big as dinner plates.”

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Book:The Violet Hour
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“He undid his shirt and I stared at his tan chest, covered with a light dusting of golden hair. He reminded me of a lion, and I felt like a lioness, proud and ready. His belt was off so fast, it clunked when it hit the ground, and he stepped out of his jeans. I was almost blinded by my desire for him then. It was like the edges of my vision were blurred. I reached out to him, and he pulled me close, unhooking my bra and tossing it on the pile of tangled clothes on the grass, and then pressing me against him again. His chest was so warm against my skin that it only made me burn hotter.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“The white picket trellis was covered in climbing vines, and the soft, brown weedless soil was covered with winter squash peeking out from underneath velvety dark-green leaves. The island breeze carried the scent of Gran's rosemary plants. I went into the potting shed, grabbed the scissors, and snipped a bunch of rosemary. I could use it in the butter for the mashed potatoes that would be served with the fried chicken. I looked around at her herbs and listened to the tinkle of the wind chimes' sand dollars. I snipped some parsley and thyme. Those herbs would add depth or brightness to any dish. I also plucked a half-dozen bright-yellow lemons to add to the fish dishes.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“Somewhere along the way, though, I had become timid about life's storms. I had learned to keep my mermaid nature wrapped and hidden. If I had an inner siren, she'd become muzzled in the process of growing up. I'd grown scared, I guess, that if I let my hair out of its tight bun, if I acted on my wild and tempestuous impulses, I would lose control and then be truly lost at sea. This is the story of how I found myself, out there in the storm, and learned my own true nature.”

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Book:The Violet Hour
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“I saw exactly how they'd ordered the burger and the fish and noticed that they'd asked for mayo. Violet came back into the kitchen. "Maggie, we just had a ten-top walk in. Are you ready for this?" "Yes, I got it. Don't worry, it's all under control," I replied. "Alice, let's cut up the rest of that fresh basil, we are going to make an herb mayo. Ben, I need you to tell me where everything is." The next few minutes were a bit of a blur. Ben gave me the ins and outs and Alice whipped up a yummy aioli. We decided to add it on the side of each burger or plate of fries going out. I looked around the kitchen and decided to make some homemade mac and cheese. We had all the ingredients: milk, cheese, flour, butter, and even some dried ground nutmeg and cayenne pepper. We threw the mac and cheese into little ramekins and crushed up some bread crumbs to put on top. At least I could contribute something new to the menu.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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“We made love then, under the trees, near the bank of the marsh sprinkled with snow-white egrets. I held him to me, and I looked up at the sky, thinking that this moment must be what absolute perfection was like. It felt as if we were melding together in a timeless kind of bliss. When we were both satiated, Sam shielded me from the breeze with his big body, keeping his arms around me, and I curled into his nook, closing my eyes. Every part of me tingled with pleasure and satisfaction. I had never felt like that before.”

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Book:My Magnolia Summer
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