Author Mark Childress* stopped by Books & Books in Coral Gables Florida last evening to talk about his latest novel, Georgia Bottoms (2011 Little Brown). Georgia (think Southern Belle, not the town) makes ends meet by entertaining the pillars of her small town Alabama community ... and she does it with style and graceful cunning. Each man (the bank president, doctor, preacher, publisher) gets one night a week in bed with the gorgeous and good-hearted Miss Bottoms. But when Saturday's date, Preacher Eugene stands before the congregation on that first Sundaqy ready to confess the affair Georgia does what any "Scarlett" would do ... she stands up and faints. The author is a master at writing dialogue and pacing. The story is just plain fun to read.
-Mark sat amongst the attendees and told stories ... about great Southern fiction writers like Harper Lee (who responds to each request for an appearance with a bold "Hell no!" often written with a green felt-tip pen) and Margaret Mitchell who was so determined to save herself she left her elderly, doddering husband standing in the middle of the Atlanta street and dashed for the curb. A fatal error. Mark wrote the script for Crazy In Alabama (based on his 1993 best-selling novel), and the dialogue for John Travolta in The General's Daughter.
-During the book signings a father asked that the novel be autographed for his daughter adding he thought Georgia would be a good role model. Role model? If you love Southern fiction, GB is definitely a role model or as Anne Lamott said "... she's an inspired creation who grows before our eyes.
-Georgia Bottoms received a starred review from both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. The novel is as compelling and devious as it's main character and I highly recommend it.
--*(Crazy In Alabama, One Mississippi)
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