A Solitary Man: Speaking Southern and Getting it Right

SolitaryMan[A]FS Reblogged from The Novel Approach

A Solitary Man is finally here! I can’t tell you how excited Aisling Mancy and I are to share this labor of love with the world. It’s a book with a message, but it’s also a story of strength and courage. We hope you’ll enjoy the story! Be sure to read to the bottom of the post for a chance to win a cool A Solitary Man swag bag full of fun stuff.

 

A Solitary Man is set in the fictional Dare’s Landing, near the North Carolina coast, a small city on the Neuse River with a long and colorful history of fishing, pleasure boating, and even pirates. The hot and muggy North Carolina summer serves as a great backdrop to the steamy romance that underlies the mystery/thriller part of the story.

 

But even more important to the ambiance of the story are the colorful people and language of coastal North Carolina. Aisling and I wanted to make sure we portrayed the characters in the story in a loving and respectful way, and since neither of us grew up in the area, we reached out to people who did for their help. We also had a lot of fun exploring “southernisms,” the wonderful and vivid expressions that pepper conversations in the part of the United States where Dare’s Landing is located. 1de7b45f50f1a3d4659c6d4b99972174And oh what fun we had!

 

First off, I wanted to share a fabulous Pinterest board with some of the best southern expression memes I’ve seen, by the wonderful Mel Leach: Song of the South. I may be Northern born and raised, but I grew up with a lot of these expressions too! Here’s one of my favorite memes, which explains the quintessential of all southernisms: “ya’ll” or “y’all” (both spellings are correct!). And let’s face it, either is SO much more convenient. Short, sweet, and to the point.

 

Southern expressions are not one size fits all. The biggest mistake non-Southerners make is to assume there is one “Southerner.” Folks in Texas may share some expressions with folks in North Carolina, but only some. And the accent is entirely different. In fact, even in North Carolina there are a slew of different accents, from the slow drawl of the North Carolina mountains to the brogue of the Outer Banks.

 

bless your heartHighlighting the wonderful expressions you hear in Eastern North Carolina was a perfect fit for A Solitary Man, and a perfect balance for some of the darker moments in the story. Chance Fairchild is a southerner at heart, although he’s learned to disguise his accept after attending a “highfalutin” law school up north. Xav Constantine serves as a perfect foil for Chance and all the southerners in the story. Xav soon learns that “bless your heart” isn’t a compliment, and that some of the deputies he works with think Chance “has his nose so high in the air he could drown in a rainstorm” (what a northerner would call “stuck up”).

 

Aisling and I hope you’ll enjoy all the wonderful characters and colorful language that add to the ambiance of A Solitary Man. Southern charm is alive and well, and a heritage to be treasured! -Shira

FINAL2 SM Blog Tour Meme Draft2 black
Add A Solitary Man to Your Goodreads and Booklikes Shelves
Like A Solitary Man on Facebook
Thursday, October 29th Aisling is at The Novel Approach Reviews
A Brief and Frank Discussion of A Solitary Man
Friday, October 30th Aisling is at Jo & Isa Love Books
A Few Notes Behind the Music Playlist
Wednesday, November 4th Aisling is at Bike Book Reviews
Writing Supporting Characters
Thursday , November 5th
Aisling is at Joyfully Jay Reviews
One of the Biggest Benefits of Co-Writing
Shira is at Prism Book Alliance
Entertainment With a Message
Friday, November 6th RELEASE DAY CELEBRATION!
Yarning to Write Kermit Flail with lovely Amy Lane!
Aisling is at Divine Magazine
More Notes Behind the Music Playlist
Shira is at The Novel Approach Reviews
Southernisms!
Aisling is on Dreampsinner’s Blog
As Authors and Readers, We Bring Awareness to the World
Saturday, November 7th Aisling is at Love Bytes Reviews
Sunday, November 8th
Shira is at My Fiction Nook
LIVE FACEBOOK CHAT with Shira & Aisling 2-5pm EST
Monday, November 9th Aisling is at My Fiction Nook
Tuesday, November 10th Shira is at Bike Book Reviews
Wednesday, November 11th Shira is at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue WordsTWEET, COMMENT, AND VISIT A SOLITARY MAN’S FACEBOOK PAGE
TO BE ENTERED TO WIN A TOTE BAG, 
SIGNED BOOKS FROM SHIRA & AISLING,
AND SWAG!

6 comments

  1. Bea LaRocca - Reply

    Hello. Thanks for the awesome Giveaway! I had to alter the Tweet slightly as Twitter informed me that it was too many characters. Sorry about that!

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