This week the FREE BOOK is a beautiful, large print edition, hard cover of THE FORGIVING KIND! You can read the flap copy here.
How to win? Comment on these questions.
Have you ever thought, why do we have Southern fiction, but not Northern fiction, or Mid-west fiction, etc.? Why do you think it’s in a category of its own?
I’ve read a couple of different answers on this subject. I’ve been asked and answered that question in a Publisher’s Weekly article. When I announce the winner on Monday, I’ll share what I’ve learned about this sub-genre.
If you win the book this week, don’t forget to leave a review! Also, I would love to see the winners post pics!
As part of the Trio collection for 2019, go here to listen to the song, written and sung by Bruce Greenwood, and to see the accompanying artwork by Nikki Kozak. Both of these pieces are stunning, and enrich the background of the story I wanted to tell.
Now on to this week’s sentence for THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER! (December 31, 2019, Kensington)
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Jessie’s Uncle Virgil is a “woe is me” sort. Feeling he got the short end of the stick with regard to his “inheritance,” he’s constantly reminding Jessie’s daddy, his older brother, that he’s owed more. To add to his misery, his relationship with his wife, Jessie’s Aunt Juanita, is centered around pleasing her, what new thing he can afford to buy her, and about keeping a job. Essentially, she’s high maintenance, demanding and self-centered. With his strong attachment to Sasser shine, his self-esteem somewhere at rock bottom, and her own self-worth being somewhere far above his, it makes for a combustible relationship.
Jessie is tired of the arguments between the two, and it gets bad enough, she has to find solace somewhere. As much as she can’t stand making shine, she realizes being in the deep woods, tucked away in a holler, she can find peace.
Chapter 14
By July, it was necessary to find ways to get away from Aunt Juanita and Uncle Virgil’s constant bickering, so I actually did volunteer to go to Big Warrior and Blood Creek on my own.
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The winner of THE FORGIVING KIND will be announced Monday morning!
Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER here, and be included in the sweepstakes to win a ***leather -bound journal like the Sassers use!
Also, if you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to add THE MOONSHINER’S DAUGHTER to your Goodreads To Be Read list!
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I believe many books are set in the South because we have the impression that it’s a slower, more relaxed pace of life. We also have the impression that it’s a closer knit community as opposed to the northeast which we think of as hurried, not too friendly, pressurized lifestyle.
I never thought about that before! It is a good question. I think it is because the South has its own uniqueness which makes it stand apart from all other sections of the country. It has its own cuisine (i.e., Southern Fried Chicken, for example), as well as its architecture and history which makes for rich storytelling.
Books are set in the South because there is much history particular to the South (civil war, civil rights, slavery, antebellum period) allowing for setting. There is also the ocean which has been important both past and present for setting. Add to that the weather which dictates a slower pace of life (past and present) and everything that comes with that such as conversation leading to relationship building within families and beyond, polite manner, or heat or even storms fueling emotion.
I know that question/those questions, because they’ve been asked of some of my favorite authors, too, like Dorothea Benton Frank, Mary Kay Andrews, Lee Smith, and some regional favorites like Anna Jean Mayhew, Diane McPhail, and Celia Rivenbark. About 32 years ago I was teaching a techie class to a bunch of *Yankees* in Maryland and they giggled over how I pronounced some words. The gigglers told me to read up on Florence King, who is a Southern woman’s spokesperson in the ilk of Erma Bombeck. Read “Southern Ladies and Gentlemen,” because King puts words and definition to the Southernness of Southern. In the first chapter, here’s a paragraph, “It enabled us to start a war without owning a single cannon factory, secure in the belief that such things are of no consequence to aristocrats. Thanks to our mad decision, we became the only Americans to know military defeat–an experience that made us America’s cinder blocks: Once you have been through fire, you can never burn again.” (You can still buy this wonderful book, and I keep that paragraph highlighted in the Kindle App!) I would only add to Ms. King’s thought that military might didn’t matter to antebellum dirt-poor farmers [like my ancestors] either after the Tories and Loyalists were shut up. Thanks for the opportunity to enjoy that bit again, to try to win a book, and look forward to “The Moonshiner’s Daughter” because I’m sitting here in Wilkes County, NC!
I need to check that book out. I know all those authors, as you might imagine. 🙂 I used to enjoy Celia Rivenbark’s syndicated column – she’s a riot! The paper we get now doesn’t carry it, but she was so entertaining with her wit. Wilkes County! Well, we love the mountains and come through there when we have the chance to visit. I created a fictitious setting (Shine Mountain) but use Wilkesboro, and North Wilkesboro – plus some of the highways, etc. throughout the book. 😉
Wow, that is a very good question! I think it is because Southerners are more peaceful people and at the same time stand up for what is right, not that everybody else doesn’t, but they tend to be more. Have a Great and a Great weekend. God bless you. I am very interested to see what you found out about this question, so for sure I will stay turned until Monday. Thank you . 🙂
I think it is because we glorify the weather there. It is associated with beaches and warmth which appeals to readers. History is rich there as well.
I never really thought about but I’m guessing there is so much southern fiction because the south is so rich in history. It’s also just plain beautiful and hospitable. I’m always drawn to books that take place in the south but honestly can’t explain it. It’s just a fact.