Another Side of Southern Writers, Part One

by Gary Fearon, Creative Director, Southern Writers Magazine


In each issue of Southern Writers, we proudly present interviews and instructional articles by the cream of the publishing crop.  Having featured over 900 outstanding authors in our four years of publication, I thought we'd turn the tables today and throw the spotlight on the unsung heroes who help make each issue possible: our staffers and regular contributors. It won't surprise you that most of them are authors in their own right. 

Susan Reichert, our Editor-in-Chief, somehow manages to orchestrate a magazine, a publishing company, a writers group, author seminars, and a dizzying bevy of other projects, while I have yet to see her lose her equilibrium or her cool.  Everyone on staff has been inspired by her ability to stay focused, sometimes in the midst of chaos. What are the secrets of staying balanced? Susan's latest work, Storms in Life: Overcoming–Surviving–Living offers advice for everyone from busy executives to families in crisis. You'll find her encouragement to be the calm after the storm.

Her blog, "Authors Visits", features interviews above and beyond the magazine at http://authorsvisits.com


Writer-at-large Chris Pepple is also a speaker and a freelance writer with two books of encouragement and a novel in the works. Look to See Me, her collection of "slice of life" short stories, delivers a glimpse into the lives of ordinary women who possess extraordinary determination. Each woman in these stories walks through life with a unique blend of faith, courage and love. Chris introduces the reader to women whose voices should be heard and whose stories should be told.

http://chrispepple.blogspot.com



 
Jessica Ferguson is an award-winning author heavily involved in writers associations. She not only writes a great interview, she tells a riveting story. Mystery and romance go hand in hand in her latest novel, The Last Daughter, in which a woman with too many questions about her past seeks the answers that lead to an emotional journey into danger.

Jessica is currently working on a friendship series—four girls, four stories—for release in 2016.  Check out her blog at http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com




Londa Hayden heads up writers groups and conferences, and has created an instant classic for the holiday season. Candy Moon inspires the Christmas spirit in a charming tale that follows a family on their way to help others less fortunate. In a world where traditional values are challenged, Candy Moon is a well-timed children's book that is long overdue, with colorful illustrations by Nick Nixon.

The sequel, Candy Moon Choo Choo, is due out this fall, as is Where Two Rivers Meet, the first fiction novel in the Washington's Woods series. Both are available for preorder at http://londahayden.com.

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing and a former literary agent. A popular conference speaker, his "Book Proposal Boot Camp" column appears in each issue of Southern Writers. Among his helpful writings for aspiring and experienced authors, Terry's Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams is a must-read that covers the essential skills for every writer to get published. For practical advice from a pro, this is the place to go.

Terry also offers answers to proposal questions at http://www.AskAboutProposals.com

Poet and educator Sara M. Robinson graces each issue of Southern Writers with her column "Poetry Matters." Her latest book of poetry, Stones for Words, takes the reader through five distinct levels of an evolutionary journey of her writing and philosophy of life. Her personal development is likened to layers of hard and soft rock, which she must mine for definition and clarity. With characteristic candor, Sara is not reluctant to involve the reader in the intimacy of her thought process and writing revelations.

Her next poetry book, Sometimes the Little Town, will be released in early 2016. It is poetry based on the photo books of well-known regional photography of Hobby Robinson. The people and setting around small town Elkton, VA, are the focus. www.saramrobinson.com

There are more fine authors who appear in each issue, and they are the subject of my Tuesday, July 28th blog post.  

If you enjoy what these wordsmiths do in Southern Writers, I encourage you to check out their own masterpieces. You'll experience firsthand how their talents help make a magnificent mag.

What's in a Name?

by Amy Metz

I have almost as much trouble naming the characters in my novels as I did naming my children. But writing Southern novels makes it a little easier since there are so many colorful names from which to choose. And colorful equals memorable. It’s a pretty safe bet if someone has a unique name, they’re going to be…well, a character.

Some characters name themselves. They tell the author what they want to be named and there’s no arguing with them. Other times, the name can describe a character, like Beedy Eyes Hickman or Slewfoot Taylor. Some names are ironic, like Tiny Walker, who is six foot four and weighs three hundred pounds. Other times, there’s no rhyme or reason why someone came to be known as Spoodle, or Little Bun, Murble, or Boojay. But they certainly are memorable.

If you want a really authentic southern name, go for the double names. They came about as a way to both honor and appease family members. If a child was named for the mother’s sister, she had to be given the name of the father’s sister too. They didn’t want anybody to feel left out. The Closer has two great examples in Brenda Lee and Willie Mae. I love Eula Lee, Dora Sue, and Edna Maye from my family. Women aren’t the only ones with double names. If you live in the South, you know at least one man named Joe Bob, Jimmy Lee, or Billy Ray. It should be an unwritten rule that Southern novels have to have at least one character with a double name.

And nicknames? Child, nobody loves a nickname like a Southerner does. Whether you give a character a perfectly good name, like Araminta and shorten it to Mint, or you give someone a whole new moniker altogether, nicknames abound in the South, and the more unusual the better. When it comes to a name, which would a reader remember more—Tom, Dick, or Harry, or Brick, Skeeter, or Booger? Those kinds of names add richness to a character and a story.

Men’s nicknames seem to be more colorful than women’s, for some reason. Who knows how someone came to be called Stumpy, Moo, Big Curly, Cotton, Cactus, Howdy, or Tuffy, but you can bet the character and the story behind it is not boring. Women tend to get the tamer, but still memorable, names such as Teenie, Liddy, Precious, Princess, Bitsie, or Bunny. But my favorite nickname is Blister. Everyone knows if your nickname is Blister it tells the world you’re a lazy, good for nothing so-and-so who never shows up until the work is done. You’ve defined your character in one word.

Maybe I’m biased, but Southern characters are my favorite. History, culture, dialect, and expressions vibrantly come alive in books about the South and its charismatic characters with distinctive names. I mean, where else but in the south would you find a person, not a restaurant, named Taco Belle? And tell me that’s not memorable.

____________________________

Amy Metz is the author of the Goose Pimple Junction mystery series. Her debut novel, Murder and Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction, is now available (Iconic Publishing). She’s also under contract with Iconic to publish a photography coffee table book on the national historic landmark, Locust Grove. Amy lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her imaginary friends, Mary Tess, Jackson, Louetta, Martha Maye, Pickle, Caledonia, John Ed, Willy, Billy Don, Buck, Henry Clay, and Butterbean.

Connect with Amy online at Facebook, Twitter or her website!

Father's Day Blues

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

One of my Father’s Day gifts was an autobiography of one of the greatest living blues guitarists, Buddy Guy. When I Left Home: My Story by Buddy Guy with David Ritz is an excellent account of the Bluesman’s life. From his boyhood home in Louisiana to his current history in Chicago, Guy’s memories are shared and the appreciation for his journey is evident. David Ritz, who has written autobiographies for Etta James and Ray Charles, and a biography of Marvin Gaye’s life, has again done a great job here.

I also recently received Twilight of the Drifter, a Southern Gothic crime story, from the author himself, Shelly Frome. Shelly has weaved together the Blues, politics and crime in a Southern setting. Shelly has accurately portrayed life in the south and especially on Beale Street in Memphis, TN.  The Home of the Blues should be proud.

I saw an interview with Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones some years ago where he was asked where they got their music. The interview was conducted in St. Louis. Wood’s answer was, “From across the river.” The interviewer said he understood they were from Great Britain. Woods said, “No, from across the Mississippi River from the Delta.” Like so many Americans the interviewer was unaware that many of the songs brought to America by the British Music Invasion of the 60’s were simply returned to their homeland. Whether you are assisting a Blues legend with an autobiography or involving a character in your story with the life of the Blues it is a great topic to write about. It is rich in culture, legend and folklore. It is one of many gifts a Southern Writer has close at hand.