Lindsey Rogers Cook author of Learning to Speak Southern Joins SI Meeting Recap

So, history was made at Shelf Indulgence during our October 17th meeting to discuss Learning to Speak Southern. Author Lindsey Rogers Cook joined us - and, guess what? She’s a childhood friend of our own SI member, Bailey Dozier.

Lindsey and Bailey became pals while in elementary school in Woodstock, GA. Lindsey, who has written two novels, is a UGA graduate. And, yes, she’s a Bulldog fan, though, being a journalist (for the New York Times),

and a novelist, she admits to journaling during SEC football.

We had many questions for Lindsey, including how she managed to interweave the past and present stories of a mother and daughter. Turns out, she did write their stories separately, then decided to follow a less linear narrative by interspersing the flashback backstories with the current stories. Her clever use of the mother’s letters, which her daughter had never read, really heightened one of the book’s intriguing mysteries.

This is a book with surprises. You’re smarter than me !! if you guessed them all in advance. By the way, if you visit Lindsey, you might discover she is an avid user of notecards. She says she has them stashed away all over her house. Yes, despite being a senior editor who trains others in digital writing/editing, Lindsey jots down interesting ideas constantly on notecards, which she then categorizes.

It’s always fascinating to find out the unique ways writers like to create. A central theme in Learning to Speak Southern is family, with the message that family does not necessarily mean just your biological family. Family is

also those we bond with over our shared interests. You know, like a book club.

Posted by book lover: Phyllis T.