Wiregrass Country

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If you are like me, you probably think of Texas and other points west when you think of the American frontier. At least, I did until I began researching my manuscript, Wiregrass Country.

The truth is, Georgia, the largest state east of the Mississippi, was still part of the wild frontier in the early part of the 19th century.  Vast reaches of the stately long leaf pine rose above waving seas of wiregrass.

The people who settled this area battled isolation, deadly wild animals, brutal storms, and raids by the Creek Indians, understandably aroused by the invasion of their homeland.

Driving through south Georgia, I wondered what life had been like for my neighbor’s ancestress, who ran away from her plantation home in North Carolina to settle far from others with her six children. How would a lone woman have survived?

Before you know it, I was writing about a young girl who was also forced to flee her Carolina home and penetrate the wilds of South Georgia.  In my tale, my main character, Lee, meets a woman based on my neighbor’s ancestress and the course of all their lives is changed forever.

Fifteen years of age when she arrives, Lee must grow up quickly as she commits to this new family.  Feeling alternately isolated and loved, she is confused about the decisions she must make.  In the process, she accepts great responsibilities and is rewarded with great adventures and a beautiful love.

Like all of us, she comes to realize that happiness is fleeting and she must take it where she finds it.

Writing the book has been an amazing journey for me. I have learned a great deal, not only about writing, but also about the history of my home state.

I have also made many friends and received a lot of encouragement and guidance from people already familiar with the ins and outs of writing and being published.

Now, whenever I travel through my home state, stories come unbidden, waiting to make the past alive again.

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