This started with a race.
Some people inherit traditions.
I inherited the Month of May.
I’ve loved the Indianapolis 500 for as long as I can remember, long before I understood why it mattered so much to the adults around me. It’s loud and chaotic and emotional and somehow deeply personal all at the same time. Even now, when I hear the engines or see the track in the spring, it feels like something inside me wakes up.
And eventually, without me planning it — that love found its way into a story.
The Last Sunday in May takes its title from the day the race is run. If you’ve ever wondered why that race means so much to people, this book is my attempt to explain it… but through family, ambition, and second chances rather than a rulebook.
I grew up watching IndyCar with my dad, and what stayed with me wasn’t only the speed, it was the humanity. Racing looks like an individual sport, but it’s actually a team effort: mechanics, engineers, family, and people who believe in you when you’re not sure you believe in yourself.
Every driver has a story, and every race involves risk.
It probably isn’t surprising that racing eventually found its way into my writing.
I lived with these characters for years before anyone else met them. I knew their arguments, their fears, and the things they would never say out loud. One of my favorite moments in the book comes when someone calls out the main character for who she really is:
“At first I watched you because you were Wes’s girl, but then I watched because I couldn’t look away. You had that fire. Anyone who watched you knew you were something special. And I saw you out there tonight. You had no business gunning for the front, but you drove like you still had something to prove.”
The book releases May 1, and preorders are officially open.
For a debut author, preorders matter more than almost anything else — they help bookstores decide to carry the book and help other readers discover it.
You can preorder here:
Also Available Through:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
And if you’re local to Chattanooga, I would love to see you in person! I’ll be celebrating the release at Book & Cover at 7pm on Friday, May 1, in conversation with Sara Beth West (Click here to add to your Google Calendar).
For details and tickets, click here: Book & Cover Author Event
Thanks for going on this ride with me!
Go fast and be safe,
Kate Clark Stone
