Authorpreneur Dashboard – Mary Ann Henry
Ladies in Low Places
Literature & Fiction
Set in the mythic, South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry, each story in this unforgettable collection captures the moments in women's lives when they must confront some aspect of their authentic selves. Whether they're seventeen or seventy-nine, the characters bring to life the 'grit, wit, and it' of the southern female psyche as they search for home, family, and love - often finding that rock bottom may be the best foundation from which to move forward. For those readers seeking strong, southern, female voices, Ladies in Low Places delivers.
Book Bubbles from Ladies in Low Places
Hell Hole Swamp Queen
The first thing I need to tell you about the story titled Hell Hole Swamp Queen is that there really is a Hell Hole Swamp in South Carolina. When I first started writing these "coming of age stories for women of all ages", I couldn't let go of a plot idea about an intelligent young woman who visits her grandmother and is forced to compete in the local beauty contest at the Hell Hole Swamp Festival. But, to get a real taste of the local flora, fauna, and funky and fabulous locals, I knew I had to take a road trip. The setting as described in the story is taken exactly as it exists: the houses, the road signs, and of course the Swamp itself. The atmosphere is so rich in southern, gothic detail that it would have been a crime not to include it in the story. But there is always an underside to small town America (and to my stories) and so I let those setting details take the story to some slightly darker levels; all the while, holding a tight rein on the inherent charm of the people and the locale. I hope to read this at next year's festival and if there's a Senior Ms. Hell Hole Swamp Queen category, I'm going for it.
