This is the first stop on my Southern Writers Tour. Every Wednesday, I'll introduce you to one of my favorite Southern writers, his/her work, and a regional recipe or two. (Because what would a Southern Writers Tour be without some Southern food?)

And since this is a Southern Writers Tour, as far as I'm concerned, there's only one person to start with – Flannery O'Connor.

Flannery O'Connor was a Southern Gothic writer who penned two novels and thirty-two short stories. She is famous for her authentic regional settings and physically and morally grotesque characters (another reason to love her). She was born in Savannah, Georgia, but she returned to her ancestral farm, Andalusia, in Milledgeville, Georgia after she was diagnosed with lupus. She loved birds, and raised over 100 peacocks at Andalusia.

Aside from the fact that Flannery O'connor was incredibly eccentric, I have always loved her because she has no mercy when it comes to her characters. They are flawed, damaged, and, in many cases, immoral, yet you are invested in their fates from the first page. My favorite short story is "Good Country People," and it's a great place to start if you haven't read any of her short stories.

"Good Country People" is about a morally superior woman who loses her leg and tries to seduce a Bible salesman, who she considers a simple country boy. I don't want to give away the ending, but let's just say she grossly underestimates him…

My favorite collection of her short stories is A Good Man is Hard to Find. You can also read The Complete Works. Her biography Flannery: A Life of Flannery O'Connor by Brad Gooch is also a great read.

Favorite Flannery O'Connor Quote:

"Anything that comes out of the South is going to be called grotesque
by the northern reader, unless it is grotesque, in which case it is
going to be called realistic."

Regional Recipes

Peggy's Peach Bread Pudding

Pecan Pralines (Pronounced "Prawlines" down South)

* If you aren't up to making them, you can order them from River Street Sweets.