I
recently just read The One That Got Away by Leigh Himes and completely fell in
love with the story line and the characters. I am thrilled to say that guest
posting today is the author of the book, herself, Leigh Himes.
After All These Years Away, Am I
Still Southern?
This year
marks the year I will have lived longer in Pennsylvania than in my home state
of North Carolina. It got me wondering—after so many years away, am I still a
Southerner? Along with my a lot of my accent, have I lost my Southern-ness?
I’d like
to think one’s heritage never expires. Even when it fades a bit, or hides
itself, it’s always there.
But just
to be sure, I decided to take inventory of all the ways I’m still a NC gal,
starting with…
I’m a hugger. It was so strange when I moved
up here and learned that people, even college kids, greet each other with a formal
kiss on the cheek (just one, not two). In the South, we greet everyone with a hug,
even if it’s just a quick in-and-out or a glorified back pat. I’ve tried to
learn the kiss thing but it just doesn’t come naturally. So I continue on with
my hugs, even though I suspect it makes everyone slightly uncomfortable or
confused.
I love anything mayonnaise based. It’s such a cliché but I can’t
get enough potato salad, coleslaw, deviled eggs, chicken salad… and the more
mayo used, the better. When my mother comes to visit I force her at knifepoint
to whip up a huge batch of her famous coleslaw that I then freeze and ration
out the rest of the year. (Hey, there’s another Southern trait; we exaggerate.)
I let my
kids play in creeks. My husband was aghast last summer when I let my kids swing
on a rope and jump into a random creek in Delaware County. But, I’m sorry, when
you’re a Southerner, and you see a creek, you wade in. That’s just what you do.
I say “I promise,” “I swear,”
and “I’m sorry.”
These are terms we Southern gals say all the time but we don’t mean them
literally. They are just emphasizers… like warm-ups for what’s coming next. For
example: “I’m sorry but these deviled eggs are fantastic.” Or, “I promise you
that creek water is fine.”
I like it hot. I grew up in a house in
Greensboro with no air conditioning and people up here think that’s insane. But
what I think is insane is all how Northerners complain about the heat, even
when it’s barely 85 degrees. I can only imagine what they would say about
Kiawah Island in August.
And in
fact, the rare times the temperature does tick over 90, it reminds me so much
of home. I’m never happier than sitting in a lawn chair on the grass in August,
watching my kids running around outside until their faces get bright red, and
they get all sweaty and sticky and gross.
In fact, I
think that’s the best time to go in for a hug. I swear.
Leigh
Himes’ debut novel, “The One That Got Away,” is the story of a struggling
working mother who gets the chance to live the life she always wanted with a
man she nearly dated years before. It was called “brilliantly realized” by
Booklist and a “clever, thought-provoking love story” by Elin Hilderbrand, and is
available in hardcover, Kindle and on Audible. The One That Got Away takes
place entirely in and around Philadelphia, but we hear she is working on her
second novel—set in Charlotte.
This sounds like a great book. I just finished reading The Secret Life of Bees (for the millionth time). And I need another to read this summer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this interview! It was fun to read. I actually used to be obsessed with mayonnaise. I used to eat it straight of the jar when I was little lol.
xo Azu
www.raven-locks.blogspot.com
I love The Secret Life of Bees! And I am almost embarrassed to admit but sometimes I still eat mayonnaise straight from the jar!
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