Island author Elin Hilderbrand takes the literary world by storm
BY MARGARET CARROLL-BERGMAN INDEPENDENT EDITOR

Last year, Hilderbrand, 38, published "Barefoot," a story about women, relationships and love, which came out recently in paperback. This week and last "Barefoot" was numbers five and seven, respectively, on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Yesterday, Hilderbrand's most recent book, "A Summer Affair," was released in bookstores nationwide. The book was inspired by Hilderbrand's experience from serving on the boards of three island nonprofits - the Nantucket Boys and Girls Club, The Friends of the Nantucket Public Schools and the Nantucket Preservation Institute.

"I chaired five charity events during the last five years," she said. "At first, I set out to write something that might be fun - a satire, but in the end, it became serious and meaningful."

The book did not come easily to Hildebrand, a veteran writer of six other novels- all beach reads and set on Nantucket, using the island as a central character.

"It's about guilt and about women not being able to say 'no.' The main character, Claire, falls in love with the director of the charity for which she is organizing the fundraising event. She's always giving, giving and giving and wants to get something for herself. She strays from the beaten path," said Hilderbrand. "Either you feel sorry for her or you identify with her. Many women feel overloaded and overworked and on top of it, they have kids."

After "Barefoot" was released last summer, Hilderbrand handed in her manuscript in the fall for "A Summer Affair," thinking her work on that story was completed.

"Two months later, one of the editors picked it up and read it and said it needed more work, but I had less than a month to do it," said Hilderbrand. "So, a friend let me use her house in town and I spent eight to 10 hours a day rewriting and reworking the book. My husband took care of my three kids, and since it was during December, he got everything ready for Christmas."

"I ended writing a much better book. I feel grateful. I call it my challenging and most difficult child, and it almost becomes your favorite because you put so much time and energy into it," said Hilderbrand, the mother of Maxwell, 8, Dawson, 6 and Shelby, 2 1/2. Hilderbrand is married to Chip Cunningham, who works at the Cliffside Beach Club, the setting of her first novel, "The Beach Club."

"He's worked there for 23 years," she said. "No, I don't think I'll be writing another book about the Beach Club," she said with a chuckle. Hilderbrand sold "The Beach Club" to St. Martins, which published the novel in the summer of 2000. She has written seven novels in eight years.

"During the week, I ride by bike and take my lunch, notebook and pen and go to the beach," she said. "People know me at the beach I go to and usually leave me alone when they see me working." I