Louette's Wake (Wiregrass Series) - Softcover

Cronkite, Sue Riddle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0972410139 ISBN 13: 9780972410137

Publisher: New Hope Press, 2019

Synopsis

Louette’s Wake is a work of fiction which captures the heart and soul of a real people and place, widely referred to as the “Wiregrass” region of Florida/Alabama/Georgia. Louette's journey gives an intimate portrait with culturally colorful details inspired by the deep South born and bred author Sue Riddle Cronkite's life experience. The essence of Southern life (circa 1980's) shines through in the novel's colloquial Wiregrass language. Quotes from Southern gospel songs greet the reader at the start of each chapter and a Southern soul-food recipe section rounds out the novel’s end. Reading Louette's Wake is an unforgettable immersion in the warmth and welcome of the heart of America's soulful "South."

About this title

About the Author

Sue Riddle Cronkite, born 100 yards inside the Geneva County, Alabama line, grew up in Holmes County, Florida. Her first newspaper job was for the Geneva County Reaper, working with the late Karol Latimer Fleming and Joel P. Smith, where she became editor, then publisher. Sue's journey among people of the South included time as owner of the Graceville (FL) News and Hartford (AL) News Herald during an era when women mostly stayed at home. She served as interim editor of the Southern Star in Ozark, AL, during the Cuban Crisis. While living in South Alabama in the early 1960s, Sue spent time as a correspondent for the Birmingham News. She then moved to Starke, FL, where she covered area news for the Bradford Telegraph, and worked for University of Florida Press. Sue also worked with the Geneva Chamber of Commerce, then with Seafarer Magazine and Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. A return to Alabama settled her into a decade-long run at the Birmingham News as copy editor, assistant state editor, assistant editorial page editor, and writer for the Metro desk. Sue Riddle Cronkite was one of a handful of women, in the 1970s, who were the first to serve on editorial boards of major, big-city newspapers in the United States. In her later years, she was managing editor of the Talladega (AL) Daily Home, and news editor of the Clearwater Sun. She worked as managing editor of the Rome (GA) News-Tribune, and Decatur (AL) Daily. She was executive editor of the Dothan (AL) Wiregrass TODAY, reporter for the Apalachicola (FL) Times and the late Tom Hoffer's Franklin (FL) Chronicle. She also served as correspondent and fact-checker for Life Magazine and taught journalism at Jefferson State College. Sue Riddle Cronkite has been a winner of many short-story contests, including the F. Scott Fitzgerald Museum (Montgomery, AL) fiction award for "Tobacco Velvet." Louette's Wake is her first published novel.

From the Back Cover

Gifted story teller Sue Riddle Cronkite casts charms with feisty Louette and the vernacular of lower Alabama. Meet Louette and love her. - Dawn Evans Radford, winner of the 1993 Sherwood Anderson Award, author of Oyster Flats.

In a genuine, appealing voice, Sue Riddle Cronkite tells the story of an ordinary woman coming to terms with loss and life. Her story provides a gentle picture of life lived honestly, with hope. - Adrian Fogelin, author of nine novels, including Crossing Jordan and Some Kind of Magic.

Louette's Wake is riveting due to the author's creative plot, eye for detail, and memorable characters. Readers will fall in love with the characters. - Anita Smith, author of The Lloyd Nolan Story: The Boss and the Legacy.

Veteran newspaperwoman and small-town historian Sue Riddle Cronkite knows these truths about life in the South: Even if you don't know what you're doing, someone else does. And chocolate fudge cake fixes everything. - Dale Julian, Downtown Books and Purl, Apalachicola, FL.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Hope Press
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0972410139
• ISBN 13: 9780972410137
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 250