Between the Pages of WELL READ Magazine

“Reminiscent of the novels of Lee Smith, Kaye Gibbons, and Sandra Dallas, Everhart builds a firm sense of place, portraying the tiredness and hope of a dry southern summer and voicing strong southern women.” ~Booklist

“Readers will find The Road to Bittersweet to be a lovingly crafted coming-of-age novel set in the unforgiving Carolina hills. Everhart understands the mindset of a young girl on the cusp of womanhood as her world fills with hardship, betrayal, and the wonderment of growing up. Readers will be struck by how beautifully Everhart captures the dialect of her well-drawn characters and the landscape –...

“Young Dixie Dupree is an indomitable spirit in this coming-of-age novel that is a heartbreaking and honest witness to the resilience of human nature and the fighting spirit and courage residing in all of us, and for those who have lived in the underbelly of betrayal and child abuse. A triumphant debut novel which can transform a brokenness, bring forth a wholeness, The Education of Dixie Dupree w...

Welcome to The Holley House! Each month, Holly Hart Shirley will share stories with WELL READ. In February's issue, Holly shares the story of her grandmother, Lenis Holley.

Welcome to the Holley House! Holly Hart Shirley shares stories about her family with WELL READ. In March's issue, she introduces us to her Grandfather, Dr. Al Fonto Holley, otherwise known as Doc.

Donna Everhart is full of surprises and a pleasure to talk with! We covered lots of topics, including her writing process, what she's been reading, what's on her to be read list, what she's working on, and lots of encouraging words for fellow writers. Donna is the USA Today bestselling author of authentic, vivid Southern fiction, including the Southeastern Library Association Award-winning The Roa...

Originally from the Ozarks, Paulette Kennedy now divides her time between her Missouri hometown and Los Angeles, where she lives with her family and a menagerie of rescue pets. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys tending to her garden, knitting, and finding unique vintage treasures at thrift stores and flea markets. As a history lover, she can get lost for days in her research—learning everything s...

Jeff Arch received an Oscar nomination for his screenplay, Sleepless in Seattle, and his debut novel, Attachments, quickly became a bestseller. The entire trajectory of Jeff’s life pivoted when, in 1976, he made a phone call to Conrad Hall, a well known and successful American Cinematographer...

Vincenzo (Vince) Spinnato, author of My Pursuit of Beauty: A Cosmetic Chemist reveals the Glitz, the Glam, and the Batsh*t Crazy, Cosmetic Chemist and President/CEO of TurnKey Beauty Inc, has been selected by The Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation and Ella Fitzgerald's licensing and brand management agency Evolution USA, to create a perfume that honors the iconic “The First Lady of Song,” Ella...

Join Robert Gwaltney and Jeffrey Dale Lofton as they talk about Jeffrey's debut novel, growing up in Georgia, finding your voice, mixing truth and fiction, and realizing the power of words on the page.    RED CLAY SUZIE - A novel inspired by true events The coming-of-age story of Philbet, a gay, physically-misshapen boy in rural Georgia, who battles bullying, ignorance, and disdain as he makes his...

Mary Gauthier is a decorated musical artist, with numerous awards and recognition for her songwriting, including a Grammy nomination. She's also the author of, Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting. Part memoir, part philosophy of art, part nuts and bolts of songwriting, her book celebrates the redemptive power of song to inspire and bring seemingly different kinds of people to...

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting "Gauthier has an uncanny ability to combine songwriting craft with a seeker's vulnerability and a sage's wisdom."--Amy Ray, Indigo Girls

From the Grammy nominated folk singer and songwriter, an inspiring exploration of creativity and the redemptive power of song - Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting "Think Anne Lamott meets Julia Cameron meets Patti Smith... Anyone who can still write from the heart about writing from the heart after being in the music business as long as Gauthier has is the real deal. Her boo...

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting The Associated Press named Mary Gauthier one of the best songwriters of her generation. Her album Rifles & Rosary Beads was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Folk Album and Record of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Her songs have been recorded by dozens of artists, including Boy George, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Bettye Lav...

Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting Unveils how a master managed many of her most memorable pieces, like a magician revealing all of her tricks....A powerful memoir that says as much about Gauthier and her eventful, trailblazing life as it does about her music. --Kirkus (Starred)  

Sharp as a Serpent's Tooth - Eva and Other Stories will have you cheering for snakes and cussin' in church.  Eva, the young daughter of traveling Pentecostal preachers, catches snakes while her parents hide behind the bible and a large wooden crate. Eva's life changes when she makes her first friend and realizes there is more to life than fear. "Mandy Haynes' writing voice is as smooth as fabled T...

“Interviewing” George is anything but difficult. You don’t interview George, you listen. He is a master story-teller who has the ability to turn day-to-day events into a story, and if you pay attention you’ll get the answers you wanted without asking the questions. But before we get to the interview, let me introduce him. George Singleton is the author of nine short story collections, These People...

Daily Grind is an essay from George's upcoming collection, Asides, coming out later this year. He starts this reading off with, "It's kinda mean spirited, but I don't care - I'm mean."  ENJOY! "Singleton’s fellow writers regard his work with an affection bordering on awe, but both comic writing and short fiction are underrated forms, which is how Singleton has become something like the John Prine...

George talks a little bit about this piece before his reading. What Could've Been - coming out in a collection of essays this fall. "In his brilliant mix of comedy and tragedy and deep tenderness for the most “minor” characters among us, George Singleton is nothing less than the Shakespeare of South Carolina." ―Margaret Renkl, author of Late Migrations    

This is an essay from George's upcoming book of essays, ASIDES, coming out later this year. "Over his career, George Singleton has written unruly characters living unruly lives. His depictions of the American South―in particular the everyday tumult of white blue-collar men and women struggling to come to terms with this strange and chaotic world― are both tragic and comic, heartbreaking, surreal,...

Vaccination appears in the collection, You Want More: Selected Stories of George Singleton. "Singleton brings together his best work along with one new story in this smashing collection that combines satire, tragicomic premises, and small-town South Carolina locales. Items as innocuous as caulk or a VHS tape become the focus of droll yet moving meditations on the foibles of modern life or the mise...