Lola Is Never Drinking Again

The wait is over! The new Galveston novel by Elena Sandovici is now available. There are several fun things planned for the official book release in late June, but you can already purchase and read the book during this soft opening period. If you want to celebrate with us in June, please read on for some special offers for the most dedicated readers. Since these all require a bit of planning ahead, please place your orders by the end of May.

Galveston 1988

Lola is back in Galveston after twenty years drinking and clubbing in Spain. She’s inherited an old house she’s afraid of and a family secret that might be either her undoing or her salvation.

Lola has nothing to show for herself after two decades abroad except for a serious drinking problem and a penchant for picking up strangers. She’s missed her beloved aunt’s funeral and lacks the capacity to digest some of the mysteries of her upbringing – from the demons that plagued her beautiful yet volatile mother, to the ways in which her aunt loved her but kept her at arm’s length. She’s also ill equipped to deal with the old house she’s inherited, unable to afford the repairs, unwilling to face the memories it contains. Or the ghost she thought she once saw in the attic.

While stuck in a vicious cycle she can’t escape, Lola befriends an old woman with an impressive vintage wardrobe – and some skeletons of her own in her colorful closet – and two teenage boys who are adept at getting themselves into trouble with drugs, men, money, and a glitzy yet dangerous party world that seems to have flourished in Galveston despite the overall economic downturn.

Like the Island itself, Lola is scrappy, run down, quite honestly a hopeless mess. But just like the Island she has the capacity to reinvent herself and rise from her own ashes. If only she could stop drinking, she might find ways to help not just herself but those around her as well. Will she succeed? And what would it take? The self-discipline she’s always lacked? Chewing gum to soothe her nerves? A strong desire to help her wayward teenage friends? A pinch of magic? Or perhaps the kind of love that can pierce the veil between worlds and heal the grieving.

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What a special way to remember the summer of the book launch and connect with this story. You could have your own custom painted Sandovici acrylic on wood painting capturing something that connects you to the book or Galveston. Paintings will be completed by October 2023 and unveiled during a special reception at Sandovici Gallery.

Price: $250

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A smaller painting but still magical. A keepsake you will love! Paintings will be completed by October 2023 and unveiled during a special reception at Sandovici Gallery.

Price: $150

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Have a unique Sandovici Galveston watercolor (as seen at the Tremont House Hotel) painted just for you. A special way to celebrate the book release and your own connection to the Island. This could be a beach scene, your favorite building, a pelican or heron, an oyster platter, a drink on a rooftop, a hibiscus in bloom, a sassy grackle, or anything else that will remind you of the Island and its magic. Paintings will be unveiled during a special reception at Sandovici Gallery in September 2023. Watercolors come in simple yet nice frames with matting.

Price: $200