If you saw my new logo on the way in (shameless plug), no doubt you noticed my tagline reads: Author. Journalist. Southerner.
I can probably guess what you’re thinking: Ok Brandy, obviously you’re an author and journalist, and yes, you live in the South. But what kind of resume credential is being a Southerner? Does that really matter?
You bet your butt it does!
Southerner means a lot more than simply being born in the South. It’s an attitude. A way of life. A different way of doing things, and more than anything else, a different way of expression. Allow me to give you an example.
Non-Southerner says:
“I don’t feel like going to the store.”
Southerner says:
“I would rather lay naked in a pool of honey with a grizzly on the loose than go to the store.”
Our motto is why say something in a few words when you can dress it up in about twenty?
So, admittedly, that’s a snippet of weird stuff we say. But then there’s also the things we eat. Y’all might think some of it is nasty, strange or even oddly enticing. Who knows, you might even be compelled to try something new.
And that’s what this is really about, y’all.
I’m all too aware of the not-so-nice things people erroneously say or believe about the South. While there might be some bad (and that’s true for every place!), the South is a unique place and a lovely area to call home. I was born and raised in a small town situated about 15 miles outside of Greenville, SC (it’s a pretty rad city so be sure to check it out online or search #yeahTHATgreenville). Depending on who you ask, you might learn I’m nestled in the heart of the Upstate, the back country, the up country, the Golden Strip, the piedmont, the foothills or the 44. Yep, those are all in and around the same exact location (told you we like the descriptors!).
And this is the state I love, the place where I got my roots and also my wings. Where sometimes time moves slow and our drawls move slower though our area continues to be one of the fastest growth corridors in the country. Where you can go from hiking the rolling peaks of the Appalachians to navigating the bustling city center of Greenville to burying bare toes in fields of red Carolina clay to lounging in the sun and sand of the revered Grand Strand within the space of only hours.
My books are home in SC, from the vivid settings to the colloquial language to the unique flavor straight from this little slice of the world that means so much to me. I’m not saying our state is the only special place in the nation, I’m just saying it’s the only one for me.
So, as I sat and pondered this author blog thing, planning out the things y’all might want to hear while sharing myself with you in small, bite-sized pieces, I realized that to know my home is to know me. My goal is to share tidbits of Southern life with you once or twice per month (with other planned blogs in between).
Allow me to show you the real me by showing you where I come from—the people, the places, the food, and all the quirks that are The South.
Come along with me!
