Years later, I discovered that after emancipation, my triple-great grandfather, Mingo McFadden, made his home as freeman in Ozan, Arkansas a mere 2.5 hours drive from Bigelow. Till this day, I’ve not set foot in Bigelow or the Wonder State. My very first novel (SUGAR) was centered in Bigelow, Arkansas. My decades long enchantment and longing is evident in my writing. Oh, you may think my adulation is less than genuine, but believe me, what I say is true. I may have grown up with blacktopped highways and the scream of sirens in the night, but I prefer oak shaded back roads and crooning katydids. Yes, I have Yankee sensibilities, but I do enjoy cheese grits and the occasional tall, cold glass of sweet tea.
My paternal grandfather was born in Kentucky, and his father before him - South Carolina. My maternal great grandparents were born in Georgia, as were their parents before them.
You may very well be the very drum of my heart.
In fact, I feel you, under my skin, pulsing through my veins. An Open Letter to The Southern States of America,
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