About Us

The C-Team:

FOUNDERS:

Whitney Long and Cheri Leavy with C-Team mascots Musa and Nola at the Avenue of Oaks on St. Simons Island (photograph by Boyd Martin)

Whitney Long and Cheri Leavy with C-Team mascots Musa and Nola at the Avenue of Oaks on St. Simons Island

Cheri Harden Leavy

A fifth generation born near Georgia’s sea islands in Brunswick, I grew up in the small town atmosphere of St. Simons Island. With a love of everything southern, I went to Mississippi for school. Oxford and Ole Miss captivated me. A Chi Omega, I excelled in deep southern culture studying Faulkner and the Delta blues and enjoying crawfish boils and greek life. Returning to Georgia, I was graduated from the University with a B.S.E.D. in Secondary English Education and I took my passion for literature into the classroom.

I received the Sallie Mae First Year Teacher Award for Glynn County in 1999. Leaving teaching after two years, I helped open the first island office for The Brunswick News. As editor of The Coastal Illustrated for five years, I utilized my writing skills, while meeting interesting people and expanding my love for the arts, philanthropy, and entertaining. 

Married to my best friend and business partner Vance, we created Bulldawg Illustrated, a publication that covers UGA sports and the lifestyle of being a Georgia Bulldog.  Now in our eleventh year, covering the south’s beloved tailgating and football is of course still a ton of fun. Four years ago, we created a local piece for the place we call home half of the time … Guide2Athens. Our pocket-sized square book and blog captures the people and businesses that make America’s best college town so culturally rich.

When Athens isn’t beckoning, you can find us at home in St. Simons with our two golden retrievers (pictured) enjoying the beauty and tranquility of tidal marshes and the Atlantic Ocean.

Since a sense of place matters so to me, I value giving back to the places where I live. Currently, I am serving on the boards of the Georgia Museum of Art, Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation.

How lucky I am to enjoy such a full life where something exciting is always around the corner. Now with The Southern Coterie, Whitney and I are launching a social network for the south where we can all celebrate the traditions and heritage we hold dear.  Please join the community!

Whitney Wise Long

I represent the great state of Alabama and was born and raised in Elba, a small and idyllic southern town with the courthouse in the middle of “The Square.”  I count myself fortunate to have grown up in the kind of town where you know everyone and everyone knows you.  Parades, proms, football, band day, pep rallies, bon fires and “riding around” were all big… simple pleasures and  memories that still bring a smile to my face.

I attended Auburn University where I was a Kappa Delta and received a B.A. in public relations and communications with a journalism minor. During my college summers, I was drawn to the Georgia coast where I worked as a nanny and got lots of practice for my present day job (see below).  It was also there that I met my future husband Vic.

After a stint working in the big city- Atlanta - I couldn’t shake the sand in my shoes and returned to St. Simons Island.  I got married and since that time, I have been fortunate to call this lovely island home. 

Career-wise, I have worked in corporate communications and also as a freelance writer, scout and stylist with several magazines, including Coastal Living, Southern Accents, This Old House, and Better Homes & Gardens and their numerous special interest publications. It was during this time I got to share some of the South’s beauty and charm up and down the coast of Georgia, Florida and South Carolina.

Before long, motherhood was calling and now with four children – three boys and a girl - and a lovable standard poodle Jack, I live a full, blessed, exhilarating and rewarding life. Activities at school, after school, in the church and the community keep me busy.  I have become quite the master chauffeur, scheduler, chef and chief laundress.

Having known Cheri for many years, we recently found ourselves at a place to try something new. We began to talk and all roads led back to the south – our South – and our love and zest for any and everything southern.  Thus, The Southern Coterie was born.  We do hope you will join us!

The “C” Team:

Administrative/Sales:

Caroline Kinney

A Southern belle with a Tuscan twist!  What’s that you may ask?  Well it’s a mix of a mother who’s as Southern as they come, a South Carolinian.  And a father from Florence - not Florence, SC….the real deal - Firenze, Italia!  

Mother calls them “chapters in our lives”…my first chapter began in Atlanta where I was born and raised.  My brother & I went to Westminster where the best day of the school year was the football season opening game “pig skin pickin”.  After 14 formative years in the big city, my family moved to Mother’s home - Columbia, South Carolina, to be near my aging grandparents.  Columbia opened our eyes to the beauty of a smaller city, a “deeper” South.  And it gave us a handful of years growing close to my granddaddy, who was the essence of a true southern gentleman. 

Next chapter lead me to the Blue Ridge Mountains….tiny Lexington, VA to attend Washington and Lee University.  I pledged Kappa Delta, played on the tennis team….and grew a deep love for the Shenandoah Valley.  Summers in college, I spent in some pretty fabulous places — Charleston, Jackson Hole and Manhattan.  Jackson Hole won me over, launching the post-college chapter…..a move cross-country to Wyoming.

In Jackson Hole, I began my real estate career with Sotheby’s International Realty.  And discovered a part of myself I’d known existed, but hadn’t yet fully developed - my passion for the outdoors.  But as much as I loved the skiing and fly-fishing out west, my southern roots brought me home to get some sand between my toes!  

Charleston was home for several years, a wonderful “chapter”…and the place I met my husband.  Shortly after our wedding in April 20ll, Matthew accepted the position as Director of Business Development at Georgia Jet in Lawrenceville, GA.  Facing a move from Charleston, we agreed on Athens, where Matthew had spent his college years at UGA.  In true southern style – Athens welcomed us with open arms at our first tailgate, and we couldn’t be happier having jumped head-first into Athens life!  Trading in the real estate hat that I’ve worn since college, I joined Cheri & Vance at the Bulldawg Illustrated and guide2athens.  And now The Southern Coterie too!  I’m so thrilled to be a part of The C-Team, and look forward to sharing my love of this magnificent place, the South, that I’m so blessed to call home!

Intern:

Fan Hughes

I was born and raised in the Garden City of Georgia, beautiful Augusta. I have just finished my third year at the University of Georgia, studying Mass Media Communications and New Media Arts.  Thankfully I have a full year left of studies, socials, and staying up late until I depart from the  wonderland of Athens into what is commonly referred to around here as, “the real world”. Luckily, my major of choice allows me to immerse myself within the virtual world of social media that so many turn to today for entertainment and creative expression.

I am a fourth generation Georgia Bulldawg, and have been expected to bleed red and black from my first skinned knee. Beyond the Classic City, Georgia football, and Grady College, I have always been intensely drawn to the outdoors. Some say there is nothing like a southern summer, but after experiencing a summer out west six years ago, I have never looked back. From the south shores of Lake Tahoe, to the rainy Northern Cascades in Washington, to the Snake River running through Wyoming, I have had amazing experiences in the wilderness of the west. I am now searching for a way to unite my two remarkably opposite passions: new media and the outdoors. I am incredibly excited about working with The Southern C and cannot wait to see where this amazing collaboration of ideas, culture, and flair will take me.

Contributors:

Natalie Broulette

You can take the girl out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the girl. I was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, the Hostess City of the South, in a home with parents who love to cook, bake and entertain. It gave me a love for all these things and a desire to share that quintessential southern hospitality no matter where I am. I’ve bounced from coast to coast and currently live in New York City with my husband. We love exploring all the city has to offer and eating lots and lots of brunch. In my free time, I blog at The SoHo, short for the southern hostess, about food, fashion and fun things I come across.

Nealey Dozier

I was born and raised in Auburn, Alabama, a bustling college town where Southern traditions run deep.  I have always been an avid eater, but it wasn’t until moving off to sunny California—and meeting a deviously  handsome fellow from Georgia—that it became clear I needed to be an avid cook.  In order to win the key to the man’s heart, I heeded the famous old wives’ tale and started by way of his stomach.

I began obsessively cooking the flavors of the south, in addition to favorite recipes I practically begged from his mother.  And just like that, what started out as a quest for love turned into a full-fledged career: I quit my dream job as a wedding planner to pursue cooking, and eating, full-time.  Five years and a culinary degree later, I have never once looked back.  We have since relocated from Los Angeles to Atlanta and will be married in April of next year. My blog, Dixie Caviar, is an ode to all of the (delicious) Southern things I love.

Anna Hall 

A coastal Georgia transplant by way of Atlanta, writer Anna Hall finds the Golden Isles and her native South in general to be a mystery that may never be fully unraveled.  Throughout this unique region of the world, conundrums and conflicting messages abound.  It is an endless green vista surrounding an ancient plantation home, which neighbors a double-wide fishing camp.  It is a sweep view of mountain range, coupled with a city scape only miles away.  It is a stay at an exclusive bed and breakfast, followed by a day of scanning flea markets.

It is champagne and fried catfish.  Caviar and PBR.  It is gourmet pickled okra in your Bloody Mary at a Sunday brunch by the pier.  It is Magnolias and Mosquitoes.

It is my home, from which I have drawn great inspiration as a writer for 10 years.  Most of which is based on my sheer confusion about what the heck it actually means to be Southern.  Join me as I seek to uncover the curious and colorful world of the South.

Mary Boyce Hicks

Pat Conroy opens the prince of tides with these words: my wound is geography. It is also my anchorage, my port of call.

Anyone who has ever lived in the south, but especially those raised (or should we say reared) here can deeply understand and relate to this sentiment. We may be wounded, we may be anchored—we most likely are both—but there is certainly no escaping those inextricable ties to the place we call home. The south and its ways—the manners, dress, style and behaviors— affect everything we do. None of us can escape that which is woven into us.

As a born and bred southerner, my heritage defines my personality. I grew up in Atlanta making many trips to visit family in North Carolina and Louisiana. We made beach trips to south of the outer banks each summer. Then I headed off to the University of Georgia and loved experiencing a small town with a distinct southern style. After college, I loved the thought of exploring a different part of the south and headed off to another college town, Charlottesville, Virginia, where I now live and work.  In Charlottesville,  I have come to understand my heritage even more as I have encountered people from all parts of the US. Interestingly, my three roommates are from Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. I have been fortunate to travel to each of those places this year to compare and contrast.  My experience working for guide2athens and The Scout Guide have only added to my perspective of special southern towns.

I am interested in reading, theology, fashion, hiking, design, travel, UGA sports, history and dogs. My posts on The Southern C will draw from my interests in these fields. Come join our conversation about this varied and interesting place we call home.

Kim Holloway

When I vacuum-packed my car and struck out for Los Angeles, my brother told me, “Don’t forget your raisings!” after 18 years of living north (and west) of the Mason-Dixon line, I haven’t. While I’ve made my home in the land of laptops and lattes (a.k.a. Seattle) for the last decade, I still feel a certain reverence when I hear “Sweet Home Alabama.” (And, yes, I always dutifully “turn it up.”) I should mention, however, I’m not actually from Alabama, but I just can’t get enthused about “Mississippi Queen.”

I started my blog Stuff Southern People Like as a way to introduce outsiders to some of Dixie’s finest delicacies and doo-dads–from recliners to R.C. Cola. I figured folks back home would enjoy reading it, too (or at least say they did and proceed to gossip about me behind my back saying, “Bless her heart, she thinks she can write…”). Along the way, I’ve heard from transplanted Yankees who appreciate the insight into their quirky new friends and neighbors. While I adore all my readers, I must confess that I especially love comments from fellow Southern expats who enjoy the “taste of home” my posts offer.

I’m happy to be part of the Southern Coterie and look forward to sitting on the virtual porch sipping lemonade with y’all. You’ll also find me on Twitter @kimholloway

“I think the Southerner is a talker by nature, but not only a talker–we are used to an audience. We are used to a listener and that does something to our narrative style, I think. I think you could talk in the Rocky Mountains. You wouldn’t get anything back but an echo.” Eudora Welty

Grayson Michael Knight

I was born in Northern California, but migrated with my family, rooting themselves in Nashville and surrounding communities.  I lived & worked in New York City for a touch, working specifically in the hospitality industry, then floated back down to root myself back in the south. I am culturally driven in food and beverage and pioneered some of the most popular bars and restaurants in Nashville, TN.  It was only as of two years ago did I re-enter the retail & fashion world with Billy Reid at his store in Green Hills, a small borough of Nashville.  Billy Reid’s lifestyle branding is something that has drawn me into better understanding the relationship between food, culture, and fashion. 

Emily Laborde

Forever wandering and always curious, I’m Emily Laborde and I got bitten by the bug at age 10 on a trip to Washington D.C.  I haven’t slowed down since!  I grew up in the South, part of a huge, LOUD, southern family, so naturally, I love taking the back roads and good southern food (all types of food really).

My background is art history and now working towards my master’s in historic preservation at the University of Georgia.  I currently work for the Georgia Historic Resource Partnership at UGA, documenting historic resources around the state.  My education and upbringing (daughter of a designer and restaurateur) has nurtured my creativity and inquisitive nature.  I am documentarian, lover of fashion, art,music, architecture…all the good stuff.  Also check out my blog, Ems on the Road.

Megan LaRussa

I created my blog, Southern Femme,  as a way to share my fashion adventures, inspirations, and my most coveted style tips with Southern women.  At an early age, I had a keen eye for fashion and an undying passion for wardrobe styling.  My mother often laughs that I would come home from elementary school with my tunic tucked into my leggings, wanting to give myself a truly unique look on the playground.  Throughout my formative years, there were shopping trips with my fabulously supportive family to stylish hubs such as Paris, London, and Florence.  The moment I stepped foot on the Rue de St Honore in Paris, amidst my friends-Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi, and of course Colette– I knew I would live and breathe STYLE forever.

After studying a combination of French and Art History in college, I moved to the land of all things fashion: New York City.  In the fashion capital of the world, my eye for style was honed further working for a famed Trend Forecaster.  There I learned to analyze the runway collections and even predict ‘the next big thing’ in fashion.  To take my fashion knowledge to the next level, I pursued a Masters from Parsons School of Design, where many of my favorite designers (i.e. Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang, and Proenza Schouler) also studied.

But the South was wooing me back with its’ slower pace, picturesque landscape, and yes m’ams and no sirs.  My biggest aspiration upon moving back to the heart of Dixie was spreading my insurmountable love for fashion with my fellow Southern women.  Southern Femme spurred from this desire to educate my favorite women in the world on both the dream world of haute couture, high-end fashion, as well as your oh so important day-to-day wardrobe.  I savor the ‘ah ha’ moments of my Style Coaching clients when they discover new outfit combinations in what they thought was their ‘boring’ wardrobe, or lighting up when that perfect outfit for their daughter’s wedding comes to life.

I am constantly inspired by the women I have the pleasure of lovingly coaching, as well as the creative juices that are allowed to flow when styling and producing fashion shoots for magazines, such as Birmingham Magazine, Alabama Magazine, and Seventeen.  I still can’t quite believe I am living my dream of spreading the fashion gospel with those I cherish most: Southern women.

Ryan Lee

I am a worship leader and blogger living in Tennessee; I am always quick, though, to make sure everyone knows that I am an Alabama native. Roll Tide. I am: a chef of the amateur variety, a pipe smoker, a bird hunter, a lover of books, a bow-tie wearer, a bourbon man (neat, please), an aspiring half-marathoner, a Theodore Roosevelt admirer, and a sucker for red-velvet cake. I blog about the issues facing men and the evolution of Southern culture at my blog:  A Gentleman’s Journal and now here on The Southern C.

Grace Mannon

I live, work, play, and eat in the backwoods of southwestern Virginia, and though my education and career have taken me into a few cities and even up to New York for a spell, I doubt I’ll ever be able to stay away from my beloved home for long.  I have degrees in chemistry and food science, but it didn’t take me long to decide that my time was better (and more enjoyably) spent in an actual kitchen rather than in a lab disguised as a kitchen.  When I’m not making, eating, or writing about food (check out my blog, A Southern Grace), I’m learning to speak German, compiling an ever-growing list of pet peeves, and honing my crossword puzzle skills…using a pen.

Leslie Meshad

Born and raised in Jacksonville, FL, the south is woven into my blood.  I attended the University of Alabama and was a Chi Omega just like my grandmother and cousin before me.  I married an Alabama boy and moved to his hometown of Mobile after college for seven years.  Since then, my husband and I have resided in Atlanta with our three children.
 
I have worn many hats throughout my life but the one common theme has always been art, fashion and design. I adopted a love of the arts at an early age from my mother who is a talented painter and photographer. I love all aspects of design. When I was a child,  my mother would buy me books of dress patterns.
 
I would copy the designs and dream of becoming a famous fashion designer. In college, I studied Painting and Art History. After I was married, my passion turned to interiors. My husband was never surprised when he would come home to a newly painted dining room or rearranged bedroom.
 
I began writing the Fashionable CHICKS blog in March of 2011. It began as a creative outlet to help friends and family with their everyday wardrobe and interiors. I also love to share stories of crazy everyday life in Atlanta, my three beloved children, dogs, a parrotlet and of course my CHICKens!
 
One of my favorite compliments about the blog was when a reader said, ”I feel like when I am reading her blog that she is one of my best girlfriends and we are sitting on the back porch having a glass of wine!”.

My advice to friends is to never stress about clothes, stop worrying about what the label says and wear what makes you happy!  Happy Shopping!
 

Laura Leigh Packard

“When in Rome,” Flannery O’Connor once said, “do as you’ve done in Milledgeville.” Georgia, that is.  It seems no matter where Southerners find themselves, they always stay true to their roots.  You name it, Paula Dean and a pound cake, Scarlett and Rhett, pickled eggs and a mason jar, tradition and the South always appear to go hand in hand.

Though today, thanks to Al Gore and the Internet, some might even say we’ve caught up to the twenty first century.  Aside from a few old souls who still enjoy trying to catch a greased pig while half naked after funneling a six pack, it seems we’ve moved beyond the usual testimonials about the slow paced life of swinging on the front porch, sipping iced tea and have embraced a more urban look at living.  The charm in this holy new endeavor is we still never seem to forget where we came from and that these complexities, or paradoxes if you will, are what make the South one of the best places to live.

See, down here we eat slow and talk fast.  We’ve “never met a stranger,” but we’re fiercely loyal to where we come from.  We put pepper jelly on our cream cheese, shrimp in our grits, and Tabasco on our oysters.  Our air smells salty and sweet all at the same time while its scent stays sticky on your skin and lingers leisurely in your soul long after you first inhale it.  Most importantly, we hold on tightly to the past but never shy away from looking towards an even brighter future.

As a free-lance writer who has lived all 40 years of her life here in the South and in five different states (Texas, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia), I am proud to call myself a Southerner.  Lately, by drawing upon the everyday experiences of being a woman, wife, and mother on the shaded, oak lined island of Saints Simon’s, Georgia, I have been writing a bi-monthly humor column for Coastal Illustrated, an arts and entertainment publication of The Brunswick News since June of 2009.   I’m also a contributing writer for the Golden Isles Magazine and Elegant Island Living magazine where I was voted Best Local Writer of 2011 by their readers.

So, come on over a visit me at www.lauraleighpackard.com.  You’ll find my point of view may not be as overly sugary sweet as your grandmother’s pecan pie, but it’s just as rich.  And remember, if you can’t make fun of yourself, there’s someone else out there that’ll surely do it for you. I can’t wait to visit with you here regularly on The Southern C as a new contributing writer where we can continue to celebrate all the things we love about the South together!

Holly Hollingsworth Phillips

I am a residential interior designer and co-owner of The English Room, which is based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. My style is elegant, eclectic and colorful. I have completed homes all over the east coast that have ranged from the super modern to very traditional while keeping it true to my style. 

I love overseeing the design process from beginning to end. The best part is when your clients really trust you and set you free to do what you do best. My love of color, pattern and layering of old and new can be seen in all my work. Color makes people happy and I love the mixing the tradition of the past with the modern style of the future.

I have worked in the design world from an early age. My mother took me to antique shows all over the east coast and I went on my first buying trip to Europe at age 12. The home I grew up in was designed by Mario Buatta. I have fond memories of introducing Mario “the Prince of Chintz” to Chick-fil-a nuggets while discussing “decorating” as a third grader. My mother, Nancy Hollingsworth, is a well known interior designer, and specializes in the English Country style. Childhood play dates could turn into magical discussions with mother while we moved around furniture. My lifelong passion for the arts has never waned. I have a strong educational love for antiques and the history of the decorative arts led me to this business.

My early design experience includes working with Alexandra Stoddard and Sotheby’s – both in New York City. I completed a Mint Museum Senior Study and worked at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center. After College, I lived in London while completing Sotheby’s 17th and 18th century decorative arts program. I have also completed The Winter institute at Winterthur, which provided a deep exposure one of the most complete collections of American Antiques in existence. My first “professional” job was with Travis & Company in Atlanta where I ran the Antiques side of the showroom. In 1999, I joined my mother full time at the English Room in Charlotte. My educational background includes a degree in Art History from Rollins College and a degree in Interior Design from the American College.

I have been featured in Southern Accents, Southern Living, Charlotte Magazine, Charlotte Urban Home, Southpark Magazine and Better Homes and Gardens Windows and Walls.

Amber Ryder

I was raised in Cajun Country, experienced the boldness of Texas fare, tasted the light cuisine in Florida, and plunged my fork into the various influences in Alabama. I grew up in the small town of Lake Charles, Louisiana where the women in my family taught me the importance of our Cajun heritage and, of course, our cuisine. My grandmother’s kitchen will forever smell of homemade roux, and my memories are filled with boudin, crawfish boils and laughter. I will always carry these moments with me in my pocket.
 
My love for the environment began to grow into a career plan as my college years commenced, and my passion for food became a favored hobby. My dream was to work for NASA since I was a tike and, so, I began pursing a bachelor’s degree in geography. During my senior year at Samford University in Birmingham, being completely frustrated with the lack of ideas for a senior thesis, I turned to the most reliable source of peace, The Cooking Channel.
 
Making a mental note of John T. Edge’s new book that was ALL about fried chicken, hello. I began to do more research on the author. I realized that he was one of the top experts on Southern food. Volumes and volumes have been written on the subject, which had always been a passion of mine. Could this really work? While all of the gentlemen in the class were doing geography projects using GIS, I pitched an idea that centered on how food defines the South. My research included digging to the depths in my own Southern food memories, learning about the geography of the South and tasting one dish after another of local food in Birmingham. I had my work cut out for me (and a gym membership in my very near future.)
 
Then, with the encouragement of my family, friends and professors, I rejected an offer with NASA to pursue writing, Southern food writing to be exact. I began my blog www.fortheloveofthesouth.com in January of 2012, which treasures my most precious Southern food memories. I am blessed to have the opportunities to share my love with so many people. I hope to encourage all of you to pursue your passion; you never know what will come of it.
 
“For I know the plans I have for you…”- Jeremiah 29:11

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”-Dr. Seuss

Kat Rivera   

Growing up in New Orleans has groomed me to have an almost insatiable love of all things food.  From cooking it to reading about it to painting it and most importantly eating it!  I can’t seem to get my next meal off of my mind.    With extensive travels throughout Spain in high school and college (studying abroad!), I learned that my love of food is shared with many different cultures and people.  I started a journal while traveling and found myself writing and drawing about what I had eaten that day, rather than a standard recap of my day.  Once I returned home to Southeast Louisiana, I found myself dating and eventually marrying a chef - go figure!  Although I am not a culinary professional like my husband, I am able to make dishes that keep him on his toes.  

As I plot and scheme my next meal, I know that one thing is for certain - keep track of what you do, and have fun with it.  There is always another meal to make.  Live, Love, Create!

I can be reached at kat.de.cuisine@gmail.com & follow me on twitter @KatDeCuisine

Kate Spears

Hi y’all! I’m Kate Spears, a self-proclaimed southern belle who grew up in a tiny town near Nashville, but I now call Knoxville home. I graduated from the University of Tennessee (Big Orange Country!) with an undergraduate degree in art history and a master’s in public relations & advertising. In 2009, I started my blog, Southern Belle Simple, with the simple hope of giving myself a creative outlet. I continue to be amazed each time it leads to a new opportunity and I cherish the relationships that are formed along the way.
 
I’m passionate about family history, time-honored traditions, and my southern heritage. My people hail from across the south, from the Lone Star state of Texas to the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. I grew up spending summers on my great-grandparents’s Tennessee farm where I developed a deep appreciation and admiration for people who could coax beautiful and delicious things out of a mound of dirt. I come from faithful men, devoted women, hard workers and wickedly good cooks.
 
When I get to Heaven, I hope it’s just like Ms. Beverly Bremer’s Atlanta Silver Shop, with all the lemonade I can drink.  
 

Christine Warren

Sort of like Country and Western music, I guess you would say I am both Texas and Southern. I was a kiddo in Dallas TX with deep Texas roots until my family moved to Nashville where I was a proud Harpeth Hall Honeybear. (That was my school mascot, no I’m not kidding.) I spent my college years at UNC-Chapel Hill where I loved being a Tridelt, a Tarheel and took every classics and creative writing class I could get into. After college I moved back to Dallas, then Boston, and in 2000 finally landed in Austin, my soul’s true home base.  Two years ago I remarried, which is an on-going fairytale and romantic comedy. My husband, who is from Mobile AL, has brought me back to the whole Southern side of life. Together we raise our 13-year old daughter in Austin, but because of his business we also have a home in Mobile and are constantly on the go between Austin and Mobile. NASA can’t touch my complex scheduling skills.

Oh, and we try to spend as much time in Montana as possible because everyone in this family is obsessed with fly fishing.

It was my passion for fly fishing that inspired a major career move. After fourteen years in corporate marketing and advertising, I ditched it all to become a writer, and started my blog FLY FISH CHICK where half the time I talk about fishing, half the time I talk about food, music, travel and daily hilarity. The blog has opened the door to various TV opportunities, speaking engagements and a publishing deal. I wrote my first book PADDLEFISH which was released in 2011 and chronicles a 260-mile river adventure I did. I am madly working on Book #2 which is about the history of honky-tonk.

In a nutshell, I love pretty clothes, grungy fishing days, long dinner conversations, Southern accents, Texas attitudes, honkytonks, outlaw music, designer handbags, big laughs, strong women and college football. But most of all I am head over heels for my husband and my daughter.  XXOO