Isaiah 6:8

8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Sunday, July 12, 2009

One of My Absolute Favorites

I love reading Southern writers. One of my favorites is Mary Kay Andrews. She writes about Savannah, Tybee Island, places I know and love in the South. A former reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, she wrote ten critically acclaimed mysteries, including the Callahan Garrity mystery series, under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck. Ms Andrews is native of St. Petersburg, Florida (and a diplomate of the Maas Bros. Department Store School of Charm), she started her professional journalism career in Savannah, Georgia, where she covered the real-life murder trials which were the basis of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil(another one of my favorite tales).
For those of you who follow Tales of Bloggeritavilles Thrifty Thursday you will be delighted to know that not only does she write...she is a lifelong ""junker"" and claims to know the location of every promising thrift store, flea market and junkpile in the southeastern United States, plus many parts of Ohio. Now that is my kind of woman. She has a B.A. in newspaper journalism from The University of Georgia (but I won't hold that against her - War Eagle!), and is a guest lecturer and writing teacher at workshops including Emory University, The University of Georgia's Harriet Austin Writer's Workshop, the Tennessee Mountain Writer's Workshop and the Antioch Writer's Workshop. Her mysteries have been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Awards. Mary Kay Andrews has been married for over 30 years to her high school sweetheart. She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta. So, I needed something to read and I unashamedly bribed Frank into riding to Auburn after church. I got a gift card from a student for tutoring her during the second semester and I needed a new book. I finished up the Nora Roberts I was reading this morning before church and was in need of a reading fix....so I told Frank if he would go with me...I would share and get him a book too. You have to understand...husband number 1...only read if it had pictures (preferably comic ones)....when I met Frank we both had ended up at the Firecracker 400 in Atlanta. He was there with clients and I was there with friends...or seats were side by side. I brought a book....I am NOT a NASCAR fan. I was invisioning the race as a great day in the sun....and time to read. It turned out to be a great day all around. Frank sat down and made a comment about the book I was reading...it was one of the Left Behind series...I slid my eyes over the top of my reading glasses and said, "You read?" I know...for those of you who know me...this is kind of harsh...but remember...I had been burned and was not looking to play with fire again. He laughed the biggest and sweetest laugh...and we spent the rest of the race talking about books, each other...it was awesome. I even gave him my email address...so he could contact me. He did not get my phone number for another month or so....ok...I have digressed wildly here. I WAS talking about Mary Kay Andrews. I have read, New York Times Bestsellers Hissy Fit, Savannah Blues,Savannah Breeze, Little Bitty Lies, and Blue Christmas. They are wonderful. If you love southern humor, charm, and just good fun....and she always includes a few good recipes in the back of the book. You will love Mary Kate Andrews. The one I bought today is called Deep Dish. I will let you know how good it is when I finish it. Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

3 comments:

The Giveaway Diva said...

thanks for the awesome giveaway shout out!! =)

Sweet Tea said...

Loved hearing how you met Frank!! Great story, and the book sounds great too. I love Mary Kay Andrews...You sound happy to be home!!

Wade's World said...

I found you via AL bloggers and just dropped by.

I adore Mary Kay Andrews. She is such a fun Southern writer and I wish she had more books out!