The Pulpwood Queens and Me

By Claire Fullerton, author of Mourning Dove

For the uninitiated, first I’ll answer the question, “What in the world is meant by the Pulpwood Queens?” Thank you for asking. The Pulpwood Queens is a book club. It is the brain-child of one fabulous woman from Texas, Kathy L. Murphy, a painter and hair stylist who owned a salon in Jefferson, Texas, worked as a publisher’s rep until she lost the job, and, rather than lying down, bounced back by consolidating her talents. She opened Beauty and the Book, the world’s only combined hair salon and bookstore. From there, she founded The Pulpwood Queens of East Texas Book Club, which exploded into a nation-wide success. Today, The Pulpwood Queens has 765 book club chapters comprised of the most enthusiastically dedicated readers under the sun. I know this because many of the book club members showed up last weekend in Jefferson, Texas for the annual Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend. They brought their giddy-up in their get-along, wore tiaras and full costume for 2019’s How the West was Won theme, and, for the first time, I was there as a featured author. I will tell you in no uncertain terms that the weekend was the Mardi Gras of the book world. Three days of back-to-back panels comprised of authors introducing themselves and their latest work to a rapt audience of readers eager to discover new books. And in the middle of it, Kathy Murphy: the hub of the wheel, the Pulpwood Queen herself, her magnanimous heart on her sleeve in the middle of her mother-hen joy.

The Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend was an organized, over-the-top, combined book and love-fest. It’s not so easy to corral unbridled enthusiasm into a manageable space, though we all made the trip to Texas for the same reason. We came to fraternize with each other in an arena without hierarchy. We were there because we love books, the people who write them, and all those who read. All this reported, there was a plan. There was structure, lest the two hundred or more participants melt into a fawning, neck-hugging puddle of ecstasy over meeting a long-admired author in person for the first time, or someone known only through Facebook, now within arm’s reach.  For months prior, Kathy Murphy’s right-hand administrator, Tiajuana Anderson Neel, sent notice via social media about what to expect from the weekend and when. She posted a list of recommended lodging, suggested costumes, and shared the weekend’s schedule of events on the Pulpwood Queens Website, where she instructed all authors on how to donate an item pertaining to their book, for silent auction, whose proceeds were to benefit everyone’s favorite non-profit, The Pat Conroy Literary Center, in Beaufort, South Carolina.   

On a personal note, I wasn’t going to miss this. No fire, torrential rain, nor threat of mudslide could keep me from leaving Malibu, California and making my way to LAX. I was going to Jefferson, Texas on January 17, if I had to walk, spurred by the fire of anticipation over a three-day book festival aimed at mingling authors and readers.  Every second it took to get from Malibu to Atlanta to Shreveport then make the forty-nine- minute drive into Jefferson, Texas was worth it, and I knew it for what it was when I checked into the Excelsior House Hotel.

I’d be hard-pressed to envision a better backdrop for a book festival than Jefferson, Texas. Everything in the historic town was within walking distance to the convention center, where the party was held. Ambling down the spacious sidewalk on my way to the opening ceremony, I passed restaurants, a coffee shop, and the fully-realized General Store, which had a sign out front reading, “Welcome to the Pulpwood Queens.” It seemed the entire town was behind Girlfriends Weekend. So much so, that even Jefferson’s mayor showed up. Local shops contributed discount codes to the weekend’s attendees, and area restaurants remained open long past their closing schedule because word of the weekend’s festivities was all over the streets.

One foot inside the convention center, and the party was in full-swing. People milled about in cowboy hats and tiaras, smiling ear-to-ear, wearing boots. It was like being in a bee-hive holding the reins of a live wire, until the introduction of each featured author ensued, and the eight Southern Writers on Writing panelists took the stage, then the entire room suddenly felt like being in church. The audience was riveted as each of the panelists shared their thoughts on what it means to be a writer—a Southern writer, certainly, yet the breadth and scope of the discussion was also far-reaching, setting the tone for the following two days.

To bare witness to authors, nationally known and otherwise, talking about the premise of their books was a study in the passionate fires that lead a writer to pick up a pen in the first place. Throughout the weekend, there were key-note speakers that brought down the house: Revis Wortham, Paula McClain, Ann Weisgarber, Ann Wertz Garvin, Lisa Wingate, River Jordan, and we were all thrilled by the repeated participation of author Patti Callahan Henry, who appeared wearing a black, bouffant wig as the singer, June Carter Cash. One after another, Kathy Murphy moderated panels, giving a forum to authors who introduced themselves and their books in what seemed an intimate setting. Primarily, the Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend is geared toward readers; it was to them that each author gave their all, before taking a position at a table to shake hands and sign their book.

A highlight of Girlfriends Weekend was the group that came from Beaufort, South Carolina to share the stories about beloved author, Pat Conroy, who was written about in a series of essays assembled in the engaging book, Our Prince of Scribes. Pat Conroy, many knew, was a proponent of and participant in Girlfriends weekend. On the last day of the weekend, the pillars of The Pat Conroy Literary Center gave a talk about Conroy, with an attendant video that touched the hearts of everyone in the room.

Girlfriends Weekend concluded with a party unlike any other. Billed as The Big Hair Ball, it was all that and more. I’ve never seen such thought go into a bevy of costumes aimed at a western theme: cows, Indians, a pioneer woman, Annie Oakley, outrageous wigs, studded cowboy hats, and a mustache to rival actor Sam Elliot’s swirled on the dance floor in a celebratory vortex to the beats ranging from country to disco to pop.

The Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend was simultaneously an education and a blast. I’m thinking I made life-long friends there, in a jury of my peers. Three days in a weekend that felt too short by half, the first thing I did when I got home was mark my calendar for next year’s Pulpwood Queens Girlfriends Weekend.

____________________________________________________________ 

Claire Fullerton is from Memphis, TN., and now lives in Malibu, CA. She is the author of Mourning Dove, a Southern family saga set in the genteel side of Memphis. Mourning Dove is the 2018 Literary Classics Words on Wings award winner for Book of the Year. It is the 2018 bronze medal winner for Southern Fiction by Readers’ Favorite, a finalist in the 2018 Independent Authors Network Book of the Year, and was listed in the International Faulkner Society’s 2018 William Wisdom competition in the novel category. Claire is the author of Kindle Book Review’s 2016 award for Cultural Fiction, Dancing to an Irish Reel, and paranormal mystery, A Portal in Time. She contributed to the book, A Southern Season: Four Stories from a Front Porch Swing, with her novella, Through an Autumn Window. Her work has appeared in Southern Writers Magazine, and was listed in 2017 and 2018 in their Top Ten Short Stories of the Year. Claire’s work has appeared in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature; Celtic Life International; The Wild Geese, and The Glorious Table. The manuscript for her next novel, Little Tea, is a finalist in the 2018 Faulkner Society’s William Wisdom competition.  She is represented by Julie Gwinn of The Seymour Literary Agency. 

 

Did You Know About The Federal Writers' Project?

By Annette Cole Mastron, Communications Director for Southern Writers Magazine

I love learning things from authors. On my nightstand is my current read, The Sea Keeper’s Daughters, by Lisa Wingate. She has been a favorite after I read, Before We Were Yours. By the way, I recommend this book, too. 

The Sea Keeper’s Daughter, was a 2016 Christy Award Winner in the Contemporary novel category. “From modern-day Roanoke Island to the sweeping backdrop of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains and Roosevelt's WPA folklore writers, past and present intertwine to create an unexpected destiny.” It’s a compelling read. I’ve learned a lot from this read. 

Until reading The Sea Keeper’s Daughters, I had never heard of “The Federal Writers' Project” which was created in 1935 as part of the United States Work Progress Administration to provide employment during the Great Depression for historians, teachers, writers, librarians, and others.

The project produced a series of sectional guide books under the name American Guide, focusing on the scenic, historical, cultural, and economic resources of the United States. Some of these works are still used in state travel departments and parks. 

“The records of the Federal Writers'Project of the United States Work Projects Administration span the years 1524-1947, with the bulk of the items created from 1935 to 1942. They are comprised of correspondence, memorandum, field reports, notes, drafts of essays, lists, drawings, maps, graphs, newspaper clippings, transcripts of documents, oral testimony in the form of life histories, folklore material, inventories, statements, critical appraisals, speeches, administrative records, instructions, scripts, plays, and surveys. Material prior to 1935 consists mostly of transcripts made or copied for references purposes or for preservation. The files of the Federal Writers' Project are arranged in the following series: Administrative File, American Guide File, Folklore Project, Social-Ethnic Studies, Special Studies and Projects, Negro Studies Project, Slave Narrative Project, Miscellaneous Records, Miscellany and Printed Matter. A small Addition was made to the records in 1998.”

As the program evolved and expanded,  program employees began writing about the people of their assigned areas of the country. These interviews are a snapshot of America during a most challenging time in America. There are interviews of those born into slavery and how their lives changed after the Civil War. 

The Library of Congress has the archive of the program’s projects. It is fascinating. After I read the “historical fiction” parts of Lisa’s books,  I’m compelled to google to see what are facts in her book. I’m totally hooked but no spoilers. You’ll have to read it for yourself. 

Did you know there was The Federal Writers’ Project? 

Past Mysteries and Present Day Conundrums – The Art and Science of Working In Dual Timeframes

By Lisa Wingate

Looking at the bestseller lists today, it’s evident that dual timeframe, or time-slip, novels are a hot trend. So, why the popularity of this genre and is it for you? I’ve written a dozen or so novels in this category so far and enjoyed reading dozens more. Here are a few of my thoughts on the time-slip genre in general.

My latest novel, Before We Were Yours takes place in two time frames––1939 and present day. As Avery, a modern-day senator’s daughter, digs into her family’s hidden ties with the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and a Depression era child-brokering ring, the audience begins discovering the story of twelve-year-old Rill Foss, stolen from her family’s Mississippi River shantyboat in 1939 and placed in an orphan house with her four young siblings.

Why not just write Rill’s story as a historical novel? Interweaving Rill’s narrative and Avery’s offers the opportunity to follow Avery as she ferrets out the truth, bit-by-bit. There’s an added element of suspense. The audience can share Avery’s thrill of discovery. There’s also an added element of relevance. The audience can see how Avery’s intense need to know and her eventual discoveries might affect, alter, and even threaten her family’s future.

The biggest trick to making dual time frames work is in weaving the stories together in a way that effectively moves the plot along. Even though the novel is telling two stories, one narrator’s arc will typically control the pace and drive of the story. That could be the historical arc or the present-day. The higher the stakes for the modern-day character(s), the greater the overall tension. Either way, it’s important to show how the discovery of the historical story will change present-day lives. What lessons will be learned? What habits, self-perceptions, future plans might be changed?  What secrets might be revealed? Does the fate for the free world hang in the balance? Could relationships be destroyed? Reputations ruined? Family harmony upended?

They’re intriguing questions and very natural ones. I think most of us wonder about the rumors, tall tales and oft-repeated anecdotes in our families and communities. Stories in dual time frames are all about discovering connections and unearthing the hidden past. In solidifying the connection, it’s helpful to employ some sort of physical link between past and present—an object, a place, a photo, a written record such as a packet of letters or a journal.

It’s a challenge balancing multiple timeframes within one novel. It falls in the category of double-the-work and double-the-risk, but also double-the-fascination and double-the-reward. There’s twice as much research, but with doubling the research comes the potential for twice as many interesting details, unanswered questions, and nearly-forgotten bits of history. Those elements weave new threads into the story loom. New threads add texture and color and dimension and life.

Ultimately, that’s what we all want from our stories—that they come to life, both inside our minds and, ultimately, on the page.

__________________________________________________________________ 

Lisa Wingate is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and bestselling author of more than twenty novels. Her work has won or been nominated for many awards, including the Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize, the Oklahoma Book Award, the Utah Library Award, The Carol Award, the Christy Award, and the RT Booklovers Reviewer’s Choice Award. The group Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with six others as recipients of the National Civics Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Booklist summed up her work by saying, “Lisa Wingate is, quite simply, a master storyteller.”Lisa was inspired to become a writer by a first-grade teacher who said she expected to see Lisa’s name in a magazine one day. Lisa also entertained childhood dreams of being an Olympic gymnast and winning the National Finals Rodeo but was stalled by a mental block against backflips on the balance beam and by parents who stubbornly refused to finance a rodeo career. She was lucky enough to marry into a big family of Southern tall tale tellers who would inspire any lover of story. Of all the things she treasures about being a writer, she enjoys connecting with people, both real and imaginary, the most. More information about her novels can be found at www.lisawingate.com.

Another Side of Southern Writers, Part Two

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine

In my last blog post I shifted gears slightly to introduce you to books written by some of the staff writers and contributors at Southern Writers Magazine. Their interviews and instructional articles appear in each issue, but many are also authors in their own right, and I'm gratified that so many of you have enjoyed getting to know their works.  Today, I'm proud to brag on the rest of our respectable regulars:

Vicki H. Moss

Like many of our staffers, Vicki has been a vital part of the mag from the very first issue, sharing expertise and writing up awesome author interviews with a strong and witty voice. Her passionate personality permeates her many other projects including blogging, poetry, speaking, and teaching writing classes, and her book How to Write for Kids Magazines While Working on a Debut Novel is a smart guide to making extra cash in a fun market.

You'll want to keep an eye out for her soon-to-be-released Writing with Voice. It's already getting rave advance reviews from no less than bestsellers Lee Smith and Emily Sue Harvey. I'm jealous because I haven't gotten my copy yet.  You can visit Vicki at www.livingwaterfiction.com

Julie Cantrell

Literate and lovable, Julie Cantrell is truly a champion for the cause of communication. A speech-language pathologist and literacy advocate, her debut novel Into the Free was an international bestseller and received two Christy awards. She and Lisa Wingate team up for The Writer's Jar, a popular feature in each issue of Southern Writers, where they engage in lively conversation with Southern authors.

Julie's latest novel, When Mountains Move, is a Carol Award winner and, like its predecessor, has been recognized as a top read of the year by USA TODAY. Her eagerly anticipated third novel, The Feathered Bone, will be out this November.

www.juliecantrell.com

Lisa Wingate

Lisa is a former journalist, inspirational speaker, and the author of over twenty novels. Her national bestseller Tending Roses is now in its 19th printing. Lisa graced our very first issue with our first Last Word back in July 2011, and has been a favored friend of the mag ever since.  Her feature The Writer's Jar with Julie Cantrell became a Southern Writers staple in July 2014.

Lisa's current series, Carolina Heirlooms, continues in September with her next release, The Sea Keeper's Daughters, available for pre-order now.

www.lisawingate.com

Shelly Frome

After an illustrious career as a professional actor, film critic, and a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, Shelly is now a full-fledged Southerner and shares his vast insider's knowledge of the theater via his current series on screenwriting. Anyone who finds the psychology of story fascinating appreciates his astute insights, which is why I own pretty much everything he's written on the subject. 

The author of several nonfiction books including Playwriting, The Art and Craft of Screenwriting, and The Actors Studio, Shelly is also an acclaimed mystery writer whose latest novel, Tinseltown Riff, has all the cinematic flavor of a good Hollywood whodunit. His latest crime novel, Murder Run, will be released in a couple of weeks.

www.shellyfrome.com

Edie Melson

If you've taken social media seriously in the last few years, you've come across Edie Melson, a leading voice in the blogosphere. She is co-director and faculty member of numerous writers conferences, and her writing website The Write Conversation is a resource referred to regularly by both beginning bloggers and experienced world wide webbers. As our Social Media Director, Edie cuts through all the noise and spells out the means to having a successful author platform.

Her book on social media and networking techniques, Connections, is a must read for anyone who wonders "How much time must I spend on Facebook and Twitter when there's this book I'm trying to write?"  Hardly a week goes by that I don't recommend Connections to someone who ends up thanking me later. Simply put, Edie makes it easy. 

http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com

C. Hope Clark

One of the most common things authors tells us they struggle with is writing dialogue. But C. Hope Clark has tongues wagging thanks to her frequent articles on just that subject. The founder of FundsforWriters.com, Hope reaches over 40.000 readers each week with advice on markets, grants, contests and much more, and her book The Shy Writer Reborn: An Introverted Writer's Wake-Up Call, has ignited many an author's ability to promote themselves with confidence.

Hope is the author of the Carolina Slade mysteries Lowcountry Bribe, Tidewater Murder and Palmetto Poison. Her newest series, The Edisto Island Mysteries, begins with Murder on Edisto. For lovers of Southern intrigue, nothing is finer than to be in Carolina with Hope.

http://fundsforwriters.com

Steve Bradshaw

Steve is one of the newer contributors to the magazine, but someone who's been around the (writer's) block. A forensic investigator, biomedical founder-president/CEO, entrepreneur, radio talk show host, Steve was the youngest field agent for the Medical Examiner's Office in Texas history, investigating 3,000 unexplained deaths and 300 homicides. There is no dearth of death in Steve's background, which uniquely qualifies him to instruct on the mechanics of mayhem in Southern Writers.

His personal experience with the grisly and gruesome also lends chilling authenticity to his Bell Trilogy of mysteries, which include Bluff City Butcher, The Skies Roared, and Blood Lions. www.stevebradshawauthor.com

In my previous post I was also proud to feature Susan Reichert, Chris Pepple, Jessica Ferguson, Londa Hayden, W. Terry Whalin, and Sara M. Robinson, but the Southern Writers family hardly stops there. We consider the 900+ authors who've graced our pages our extended family, not to mention every subscriber to the magazine and every visitor who comes here to read Suite T. Thanks to one and all for your role in making the writer's community an amazing place to be.

Getting Past the Panic Point

By Lisa Wingate

It happens to most of us eventually.  At some point during the hours, and hours, and hours of writing that goes into the creation of a novel, panic begins to set in. 

The panic voice whispers things like,

This story is a waste of time.  It’s a total bomb.

You’ll never make that deadline.  Not with this pile of hoo-hoo.

You’ve written yourself into a corner now.  You’ll never get out.

It’s moving too slow.

It’s moving to fast. 

It’s junk.

Rubbish.

What ever made you think you could be a writer?

Does any of this sound familiar?  Am I talking to the right crowd here?  If none of this rings a bell for you, please send me some of your mojo, because I hit the panic point on every manuscript, and the latest release, Firefly Island, is no exception.  If you’re lolling around in the mire of the panic point right now, or if you find yourself ending up there repeatedly on manuscript after manuscript, here are a few tips for getting past the panic point and journeying on to those glorious final pages, where all the loose threads become the weave of another great story:

1.  Keep trudging.  I know it sounds elementary, but keep putting words on the page, even if you’re convinced that they’re junk.  A whole manuscript that needs work is better than three perfect chapters any day. Don’t let the panic point knock you off your writing schedule.  It can feel like you’re slogging through the mire, but even slogging will take you somewhere.

2.  Get out the index cards.  Make notations about major plot points you know will be in the story, then make notations about possible scenes. Lay out the cards, arrange into chapters.  If you’re a seat-of-the-pants writer, you might change much of this later, but having a potential plan is a great way to move past the panic point.

3.  Add a character, remove a character, kill a character, change locations.  Consider changing the story up a bit.  A change in staff or location might be just the burst of fresh air you need to get going again.

4.  Brainstorm with a buddy.  Talk through the scene with a brainstorming buddy.  Discuss what might happen next and what wouldn’t happen next.  Have your buddy hold you accountable for getting on with your writing.

5.  Exercise or do something creative. Never underestimate the power of physical activity or creative activity to get the brain moving.  If you have a cell phone or iPad, or iPod, consider using the built-in dictation app and working on your story while you walk or do a craft project.  Sometimes a change in writing location or routine can make a big difference.

6.  Realize that it’s supposed to be hard.  That’s all there is to it.  For most of us, writing an entire novel is hard.  Why shouldn’t it be?  You’re creating lives that never existed, on stages of altered reality, and trying to make it all sound believable.  And that, my friends, is no small job!

Above all, don’t listen to the panic voice.  What does it know? 

It hasn’t ever written a novel, now has it? _____________________________________________________________

Lisa Wingate is a magazine columnist, inspirational speaker, and the author of twenty mainstream fiction novels, including the national bestseller, Tending Roses, now in its seventeenth printing.  She is a seven-time ACFW Carol award nominee, a Christy Award nominee, and a two-time Carol Award winner.  She has found success in both the inspirational and general fiction markets, writing mainstream fiction for Penguin Putnam and Bethany House. Recently, the group, Americans for More Civility, a kindness watchdog organization, selected Lisa along with Bill Ford, Camille Cosby, and six others, as recipients of the National Civies Award, which celebrates public figures who work to promote greater kindness and civility in American life. Her latest book releases today,The Sea Glass Sisters is the prequel novella toher bookThe Prayer Box. More information about Lisa’s novels can be found at www.Lisawingate.com  Twitter:   http://twitter.com/#!/lisawingate

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lisa-Wingate-Readers-Circle/132187520154779

Pinterest:  https://pinterest.com/lisawingatebook/

Blogging Mondays at: www.SouthernBelleView.com

CONTEST

Southern Writers One Stop Christmas Shopping Contest

Southern Writers has teamed up with three incredible authors to bring you a one-stop shopping opportunity that only costs you a few clicks and moments of your time! By following each step below you will earn at least one chance to win an incredible prize package that will include:


1) Lisa Whittle's {w}hole. 

Get past whatever holds you back – and start living a whole new story

We all have holes in our lives — those things we lament about ourselves. Those things we allow to define us in ways we don’t like. Those things that keep us from living the life God wants for us.


But what if you discovered that the holes in your life are really the things that will ultimately make you… well, whole?

Author and communicator Lisa Whittle knows this all too well. When her world was rocked to the core in a very public way, her faith and whole reason for living were challenged like never before. In that moment, Lisa was confronted by the holes in her spiritual life. And what she learned not only changed her life, but could bring great possibilities to yours.

In {w}hole, Lisa calls you to take an honest look at your holes, discover how to fill them with God’s presence, and get to a real and vibrant place of wholeness instead. In her trademark bold, compassionate, and relatable voice, Lisa takes you on a transformational journey of understanding who you really are… and what you were born to be and do.

2) Lisa Wingate's Dandelion Summer

The latest in the inspirational and heartwarming Blue Sky Hill series from Lisa Wingate. 

All her life, Epiphany Salerno has been tossed like a dandelion seed on the wind. Now, at sixteen, she must move to the low-rent side of Blue Sky Hill and work where she's not wanted: in an upscale home on The Hill.

J. Norman Alvord's daughter has hired a teenager to stay with him in the afternoons. Widowed and suffering from heart trouble, Norman wants to be left alone. But in Epie's presence, Norman discovers a mystery-- memories of another life and a woman who saved him. As he and Epie take an unexpected road trip through sleepy Southern towns, they form a life changing friendship and uncover long-held family secrets.

3) Tamera Alexander's A Lasting Impression

A fake. A forger. That’s what Claire Laurent knows she is, which is why she can’t fathom working in the home of the richest woman in Nashville, let alone America. But when she meets Sutton Monroe––Mrs. Acklen’s far too handsome and equally as discerning personal attorney––Claire’s certain the first impression she made with him…will be her last.

When I first stepped foot across the threshold of the Belmont Mansion in Nashville, TN, and learned about Adelicia Acklen––the born-before-her-time woman who built Belmont––and her “tough as nails” personality and extraordinary life, I knew I wanted to write a story that included her, her magnificent home, and this crucial time in our nation’s history.

But when I “met” Sutton Monroe and Claire Laurent while visiting the mansion one afternoon, or more rightly, when they shoved their way into my imagination and met each other, oh…I knew I had to write their story. And I knew exactly what the setting would be too. The historic Belmont Mansion. After over two years of research and writing, A Lasting Impression is the culmination of that “chance meeting.”

A Lasting Impression is about being authentic in one’s life and relationships, and in one’s faith. It’s a love story about a nation mending after war, ­­the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves––and each other––for who they really are.

4) A Kindle, Offered by Southern Writers Magazine

The new Kindle is lighter, smaller and faster. Southern Writers Magazine wants to make it easy to read this holiday season. 

Southern Writers nurtures and encourages authors on their writing journey and is the first magazine of its kind to equip writers not just with skill as a writer but empowers them to market and sell their books. Their informative and inspirational magazine has been heralded as a "writing conference in a magazine" and is an essential tool for any writer serious about publication and success as a writer.

5) Southern Writer's Most Popular Book

Visit the Southern Writers Bookstore to explore the prose penned by each issue's featured authors. Whether you're looking for a book to thrill or inspire, you'll find your favorite emerging and established authors in the Southern Writers Bookstore. Get a copy of your next favorite book today!

Who wouldn't want to win all these great prizes? Entering is easy. Just follow the instructions below and be sure and visit on Thanksgiving Day when the randomly selected winner will be announced!