"Southerners Talk Music" by Linda Joyce

 Ladies and gents, if we have any visiting, I found Linda Joyce wandering around in the cold, so I dragged her inside.

Good morning, Linda Joyce! I can't believe it's so cold in March in Georgia! Well, it's warm beside our fireplace.  Grab a comfy chair and relax and tell us about yourself and your NEW book, please.

“Southerners Talk Music!”

Mark Twain said it all when he uttered those words.   

           

To many folks residing west of the Mississippi River and north of the Mason-Dixon Line, the south is deemed ubiquitous. I understand how those folks who live “out yonder” may think that everything down here is all “southern fried” and “slow-talkers.” After all, the south is known for deep-fried okra, pigskins, and turkeys. But, there’s much more to southerners. We take pride and pleasure in the similes and metaphors of the vernacular south. 
           
And the stories...

The south lays claim to some of the riches stories told by authors who are interesting characters unto themselves. Some of the “old guard” includes William Faulkner, Harper Lee, Margaret Mitchell and Mark Twain. Their lives have been captured in biographies, some of which made it to the big and small screen, so fascinating to the public were their private lives.

Other noted southern authors offer wisdom:  

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. ~ Truman Capote  

For the night was not impartial. No, the night loved some more than others, served some more than others. ~ Eudora Welty

A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with.

Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is one my all-time favorite stories. It came out before I was even born. The characters are layered and their hearts are shown in the largesse of their actions. Plus, it’s romantic. The bad boy gets the good girl. Nothing more satisfying for me than crushing conflict that is conquered with a passionate kiss.

The “new guard” boosts of Pat Conroy, Dorothea-Benton Frank, Sue Monk Kidd, Fannie Flagg, and Rebecca Wells, but these are just a few. There are so many authors I love I couldn’t begin to list them all; however, my hope is to capture them in my Goodreads.

In my novel, Bayou Born, Branna explains to James that her life isn’t “deep-fried,” but instead it’s flavorful and abundant like gumbo and ètouffèe; which literally means to “smoother,” as in Branna is smothered in southern culture.

(Bayou Born is available for Kindle only until April 12^th , after that, it will be available in print. http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Born-Fleur-Lis-ebook/dp/B00B9L1VAC/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360196114&sr=1-10&keywords=Bayou+Born )

Please share with me about your favorite authors, and what draws you to them?

I believe a good book is a journey. Pat Conroy said it best in the Prince of Tides:

Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers, that the mind can never break off from the journey.

Happy Reading!

Linda Joyce

www.linda-joyce.com

www.lindajoycecontemplates.wordpress.com