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A: All I'm trying to do with Miss Julia is to depict a realistic character who faces some of the same issues (and some worse ones) that many of us do. I try to make her a well-rounded character, one who has faults, a lack of insight, and one who often does the right thing for the wrong reasons. I'm not trying to make any particular point with this character; I'm just pleased when readers identify with her and enjoy reading about her.

Q: Can you share with us something about yourself that is not commonly known?

A: Something that is not commonly known, hm-m-m. I'm pretty much of an open book, but maybe many people don't know that I love Old English poetry and that of Gerald Manley Hopkins. Oh, and one other thing, although most people probably already know it--I am not Miss Julia.

Q: Would you characterize your novels under the umbrella term, "southern popular literature"? How would you describe this genre, and what makes it so distinctive from other American novel writing?

A: Southern Popular Literature is a distinctive genre--stories are set in the South, the characters are Southerners, and they accurately reflect the customs, manners, speech patterns, habits, etc. of the region. So, in this sense, my novels fit the description. They are, however, read and enjoyed beyond the South, in places like Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland and Croatia! But I like to think of the Miss Julia story as a coming-of-age story, only instead of having an adolescent protagonist, I have one who is long past her prime. Interestingly, the stories of this elderly character who has at last found her voice and her will have struck a chord with a large number of readers.

Q: If you could have dinner with a person, past or present, who would that person be and why?

A: I would love to have dinner with C.S. Lewis, although I would be so awed I probably couldn't eat a bite.

Q: How big a role does humor play in your life? How important is it to your writing?

A: Humor is a major component in my writing. Without it, I don't think my books would appeal to many readers. I never thought that humor played a large role in my own life, although I appreciate irony and the unusual things that people do and say. I am usually considered a serious person; it's just when I sit down to write that funny stuff starts pouring out.

Q: Can you give us some insight into the author-publisher relationship that you have experienced so far?

A: Oh, my, everybody has a different story when it comes to author/publisher relationships. I will have to say, though, that I've had a very good experience. It was my first editor who saw the potential for a series when the first Miss Julia book was published, so I was fortunate to have her. Now that she has moved, I am even more fortunate in the editor I now have. Viking, my publisher, has been highly considerate of me and committed to marketing my books with advertising and with extensive tours.

Q: If you were going to write nonfiction, would it be in science, history, religion, inspiration? Other?

A: If I were going to write non-fiction, I'd like to write history (Old English/Anglo-Saxon, which is what I studied in graduate school) or religious works.

Interview Date: 2006
Profile and questions compiled by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch Library