South of Heaven
Publisher: Main Street Rag PublishingISBN: 978-1-59948-905-6Genre: FictionPrice: $17.95Miscommunications and slights, real and imagined, threaten to keep two middle-aged sisters divided but the inexplicable bond of family, a widowed preacher in search of his own lost faith, and an unlikely business venture deliver rescue. South of Heaven is a testament to second chances and unexpected consequences.
Patti Meredith grew up in Galax, Virginia. Most of her stories are set in her beloved Blue Ridge Mountains, but South of Heaven takes place in the North Carolina Sandhills where her family’s roots run deep. After graduating from Virginia Tech with a degree in horticulture, she was fortunate to cultivate a career in television production and marketing. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Memphis. Her stories have appeared in Appalachian Heritage, Still: The Journal, and Mulberry Fork Review. She has lived in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana, and wouldn’t take anything for the friends she's made along the way. Patti, her husband, Lee, and their Springer Spaniel, Maggie, are now settled in Chapel Hill.
Reviews
Wise and funny, Patti Meredith’s story of love and possibility and emus is about coming to terms with life’s twists and turns and finding bits of Heaven wherever you are. An enchanting debut from a natural-born storyteller, you’ll laugh and cry and find your heart just a little bigger by the last page.
Sonja Livingston, author of Ghostbread
With an impeccable ear for dialogue, an artist’s eye for detail, and deep understanding of the push and pull of family, Meredith gives us South of Heaven—a celebration of growth and survival when confronted by mistakes and denial and, ultimately, how people can be transformed by acceptance and the astonishing surprises we should all be looking for. A beautiful read!
Darnell Arnoult, author of Sufficient Grace and Galaxie Wagon
An astute and stunning novel. I am fascinated by the mix of comedy and sorrow, delivered by a keenly observant writer. Fern’s sweeping emotions will linger in your mind. Vivid with the cadences of a particular time and place—North Carolina in the 1990’s—South of Heaven presents a dazzling comparison of fiery, idealized, long-ago love, versus the more complex experience of love in middle age.
Cary Holladay, author of Brides in the Sky: Stories and a Novella