A lover of books, I grew up inside a southern story defined by folkloric, Bible Belt traditions—characters a bit peculiar but always authentic, and seasoned raconteurs who knew the art of drawling and dangling syllables like each one was a gift from God. Vaccinated with the Mother Tongue, it was my destiny to spin tales.
Family and community were given along with magnolias, grits and cotton. My first plane flight was from Columbia, South Carolina to San Francisco. A young lady smitten with a handsome soldier, drawn to an exotic Italian culture, I flew the coop! Little did I know that years later I would create a vibrant bi-coastal community.
Home for Good, my debut novel was birthed in a writer's workshop. The assignment was to write one paragraph about place. Years later that identical paragraph, inspired by my beloved South Carolina roots, is the first paragraph in Home for Good. I believe that the characters, their voices, and their story emerged from that unique sense of place . . . belonging.
I cherish my San Francisco Bay Area home and tight-knit community, so when curious friends wanted to know about my South, I suggested that we share that real experience—tides, high notes in the Lowcountry, and kindred-spirited folks gathered around the supper table. The Southern Sampler Artists Colony/SSAC was founded in 2006. Two anthologies, A Southern Sampler and Charleston and the South, capture our bi-coastal-inspired workshop/retreat experiences in Charleston, the Holy City.
Reading a page-turner Southern novel or rocking on the porch with friends, the company is everything!
Home For Good
“A rich Southern story that deftly addresses themes of identity and reconciliation…”
~ Kirkus Reviews
