Georgia Magazine - October 2016 - 21

started a humorous Southern novel that would later become "Bet Your Bottom Dollar." "A slew of editors rejected it, but one had some interest if I agreed to do some revisions that would make it into a series," she says. "Naturally, I said 'yes.' Later my agent called me and offered me a three-book deal with Simon & Schuster, and of course I said 'yes' to that, after screaming a little." Today, she is the author of the Bottom Dollar Girl series, "Girl Meets Class" and the upcoming "Love Literary Style." She is also Georgia Author of the Year in the romance category. "[Writing] has taught me that it is perfectly fine not to know what my next step will be," she says. "But if I keep going and trusting, all will be revealed." Tips from Gillespie * Keep moving. Write the book, then start the next one. * Read "The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller" by John Truby. "I recommend it to anyone writing a screenplay, a short story or a novel," Gillespie says. Lynn Cullen, lynncullen.com Born in Indiana. Writes from Atlanta. When she was 5, Lynn Cullen wrote her first story about a bear that ate so much honey he had to roll home in a barrel. "So I knew I wanted to be a writer from a very young age," she says. She studied English literature at Indiana University and took writing classes at Georgia State University. While raising three daughters and working part time to help with family finances, Cullen began working on a middle grades novel. "The Backyard Ghost" was released seven years later, when Cullen was 35. "Twenty years and 15 children's books later, my first adult novel, 'The Creation of Eve,' about the student October 2016 of Michelangelo and first female painter, Sofonisba Anguissola, was released," she says. "I had to get the kids out of the house and teach myself how to write historical novels- with all of the arduous research that goes along with it-before I could publish the type of literature I was born to do." Today, Cullen's award-winning, bestselling novels have been featured by NPR, People Magazine, Target and even Oprah. "Mrs. Poe" is under development with a film production company. "But my favorite honor is to have novels on the Books All Georgians Should Read list, as 'Twain's End' currently is." Tips from Cullen * Be willing to learn and believe in yourself. * Dig as deeply as you can into Lynn Cullen telling a truth about the human condition. Go for that almost-unbearable truth. Amber Lanier Nagle is a freelance writer living in Adairsville. A selection of Georgia writers museums, memorials and landmarks * The Georgia Writers Hall of Fame (University of Georgia, Athens)-The Hall of Fame recognizes Georgia writers, past and present, whose work reﬂects the character of the state-its land and people. Learn more or browse the honorees at georgia writershalloﬀame.org. * Margaret Mitchell House (Atlanta)-The birthplace of Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" features an assortment of interesting photos, writings and objects. Learn more at atlantahistorycenter.com/mmh. * Sidney Lanier Cottage (Macon)-This cottage is the birthplace of noted poet, musician and soldier Sidney Lanier (1842-81) and features Lanier's ﬂutes and several portraits and ﬁrst editions. Learn more at sidneylaniercottage.org. * Lewis Grizzard Museum (Moreland)-A collection of Grizzard's typewriters, family photos, mementos and manuscripts are on display. * The Little Manse: Erskine Caldwell Museum (Moreland)- The museum includes books, movie art, U.S. and foreign versions of Caldwell's work and a video presentation. * Andalusia Farm: Home of Flannery O'Connor (Milledgeville)-A 21-acre farm complex where Flannery O'Connor and her mother lived and where the author wrote all her published work. Read more at andalusiafarm.org. * Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home (Savannah)-A museum house restored to its former glory with guided tours that reveal the quiet domestic life of the young Mary Flannery and her family. Read more at ﬂanneryoconnorhome.org. More online at www.georgiamagazine.org 21 http://www.georgiawritershalloffame.org http://www.georgiawritershalloffame.org http://www.lynncullen.com http://www.atlantahistorycenter.com/mmh http://www.sidneylaniercottage.org http://www.andalusiafarm.org http://www.flanneryoconnorhome.org http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - October 2016