Sarah Addison Allen — American Author

Sarah Addison Allen is an American author. She grew up in Asheville, North Carolina and attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where she graduated with a degree in literature. In early 2011 Allen was diagnosed with breast cancer and completed a round of chemotherapy by October of the same year... (wikipedia)

My favorite books are the ones that make me smile for hours after reading them. I want that for my readers, for the sweetness to linger. Sort of like chocolate, but without the calories.
There's an old hymn called 'How Can I Keep from Singing?' That's what writing feels like to me. I have to write. It's intrinsic to who I am. So it was a natural choice for me to try to pursue writing as a career. Truthfully, though, I still daydream about how fun it would be to ride on the back of a garbage truck.
Who I am, what I am, is the culmination of a lifetime of reading, a lifetime of stories. And there are still so many more books to read. I'm a work in progress.
My writing process is very organic. I start with an idea. I have the general story arc and the cast. But then I sit down to write, and things change.
Magical realism is a blending of the unusual or supernatural into an otherwise ordinary setting. And, to me, this perfectly describes the South. 'The Sugar Queen' involves a lot of magical happenings, but in a very down-home Southern setting. It's full of things that could almost be true.