Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter

by Lisa Patton

  “Don’t Kissie me,” she retorted. “What you gone do when some junkyard dog gets you in a lip lock and starts running his hands all over your back? Huh? You think he ain’t gone do what I just did? You need to get back in your room and change outta that thing you’re calling a shirt, young lady. Put on a blouse. Something decent.” Kissie pointed her finger down the hall. “You, too, Alice. What would your mama say? Y’all’s shorts are bad enough. Might as well be wearing underpants. You girls ain’t gone go out under my watch looking like you’re askin’ to be taken advantage of. Get on back there, ya hear? Hm hm hm, hm hm hm. You girls gone put me in Bolivar.”

  Bolivar is a place people from Memphis talk about ending up when they finally have a nervous breakdown. I’ve never seen it before but I’ve heard about it my whole life. It’s actually the Western State Mental Health Institute in the town of Bolivar, Tennessee. People have just shortened the place to “Bolivar.” Mama talked about it and so did Daddy. In fact, everyone’s parents did. When I was little I remember Mama calling mental hospitals insane asylums, and the very image of that scared the daylights out of me. I hear the town is as charming as any small Southern town could ever be, but I can’t help but feel a little sorry for the citizens. I bet they are sick to death of people asking them all about the mental hospital when asked the simple question: Where are you from?

  Daddy passed away of complications from diabetes ten years after Mama died. That was unquestionably the worst time of my life. I think something else dies when a girl loses her father, something inside the deepest caverns of her heart. Her sense of security suffers a crushing blow. He’s the one person she can count on to be there for her no matter what.

  Copyright @ Lisa Patton 2013

  Acknowledgments

  There are many people I want to acknowledge and thank from the bottom of my heart. This book has been my dream for more years than I care to count. The people I mention here have all contributed to the fruition of that dream, and I want each of you to know how much you mean to me.

  My sincerest gratitude to all of the lovely people at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. Katie Gilligan, editor extraordinaire, who laughs her way through the day. You have greatly enhanced the lines on these pages. Not only did you fall in love with my book, you went to bat for me over and over. You got the vision, and for that I am deeply grateful. Sally Richardson, you did also—I am one fortunate woman. Thomas Dunne, Matthew Shear, and Peter Wolverton, I’m thrilled to have you all on my side. Thank you to Matthew Baldacci, Courtney Fischer, Lisa Senz, and Sarah Goldstein for your phenomenal marketing skills, and to Michael Storrings and Ervin Serrano for your creativity and brilliance with the cover design. In production, thanks to Julie Gutin and Christina MacDonald for your razor-sharp eyes. And in publicity, Rachel Ekstrom, Joe Rinaldi, and Jessica Rotondi.

  Huge thanks to my wonderful, witty, super-smart agent, a real fireball, Holly Root at Waxman Literary. You plucked me out of oblivion and believed in me. It’s an honor to have you on my team.

  Michael and Will, thank you for hanging in there with Mom all these years. I wanted to show you what can happen when you want something so badly and are willing to invest all the sweat equity you’ve got. Roll up your sleeves and go for it, no matter how long it may take or what struggles life may throw your way. I love you with all my heart.

  My sisters, Laurie, Leslie, and Melanie. Thank you for your love and encouragement. They mean so much to me. I love you.

  There are a few dear friends of mine who have not only lent me an unyielding ear, but have encouraged and edified me for years. Kathy “G” Peabody, you have gone way beyond the call of duty with all the drafts you have read, the help you have given me, and all the Whistlin’ Dixie news you’ve listened to. Thank you, my dear friend, for your love and always being there. Penny Preston, your friendship and love mean everything to me. You are truly my blessing. Gail Donovan, without your love and reassurance I might not have done this. Becky Barkley, old movie buff, Princess Grace and I thank you. Sarah Berger, Steve Berger, Kim Carnes, Gail Chiaravalle, Jan Cross, Emily Kay, Scarlett McDonald, Robin Morrison, Anne Marie Norton, Ron Olson, Vicki Olson, LeAnn Phelan, and Margie Thessin, thank you all for investing your time into my dream. Mike McDonald, you believed in me from day one. Because of you, I actually started to believe I might have what it takes. Thank you.

  Jeff Bridges, Christopher Cross, Karin Gillespie, Linda Francis Lee, Tracy McArdle, Michael McDonald, T. Lynn Ocean, Lee Smith, and Adriana Trigiani, thank you for taking time out of your insane schedules to read my book and offer up your praise. My head’s still reeling.

  Thanks to Mary Helen Clarke, an early editor who gave me a crash course in novel writing. You are fantastic. Wes Yoder, thank you for lending me your publishing expertise and guidance. Thanks to Linda Yoder, cussing coach, your much-needed consulting was invaluable.

  I have been blessed to have lifelong friends from childhood. We wore the needles out on hundreds of albums and got into our share of teenage trouble. You have been the inspiration for some of the characters in this book. Lisa Murphey Blakley, Cary Coors Brown, Katy Collier Creech, Elise Norfleet Crockett, Wilda Weaver Hudson, Emily Freeburg Kay, Mimi Hall Taylor, and Lisa Earp Wilder. All of you have deposited more fun and laughter into my life account than one should be allowed. I love you.

  Four of my dearest friends from college, Alice Davis Blake, Mary Gaston Long Catmur, Genie McCown, and Leelee Thomas Walter, have also contributed to hours of belly laughter, and I thank you for the inspiration that came out of it.

  My gratitude and love to others who have labored through the reading of drafts or offered up encouragement, help, and inspiration: Kathy Aicher, Stephanie Alexander, Tasha Alexander, Allison Allen, all at Backspace the Writer’s Place, Bill Barkley, Clemé Barkley, Tammy Baskin, Matraca Berg, Heather Berger, Josiah Berger, Mel Berger, Jim Bergmann, Julia Black, Mildred Bonner, Genie Buchanon, Chris Burke, Angela Calhoun, Teasi Cannon, Sherry Carr, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Bernie Chiaravalle, Pat Clonts, Hilda and Wayne Collett, Margaret Connelly, Kayleen Cox, Bill Crew, Gigi Crichton, the late Jenny C. Crumbaugh, Laura Elkin, Dave Ellingson, Maureen Ferguson, Denise Foster, Lark Foster, Ben Fowler, Helen Freeburg, Tara Gero, Dawn Goldman, Jennifer Hart, Matt Huesmann, Debbie Ingram, Eric Jacobson, Kim Jamison, Tammy Jensen, Dr. David Johnson, Harvey Kay, Lisa Kloepfer, Candy Kopald, Linda Abston Larsen, Dan Mann, John Marx, Jodie McCarthy, Amy McDonald, Susie Meeks, John Moore, Sherrie Moore, Penny Nelms, Mary Norman, Jessica Olson, Oxbow School, the Pastiche Girls, Rick Peabody, Michele Place, Terry Robbins, Molly Robinson, Emily Roley, Linda Roley, Scott Roley, Dick Runyan, Ed Ryan, Andrea Santee, Melissa Sarver, Gigi Steele, Joanna Stephens, Elizabeth Stout, Barbara Swan, Roger Thorn-Thompson, Grady Walker, Kathy Walker, Treat Williams, and Lisa Winters.

  Mama, Daddy, and Chris—I know you’re up there wishing like crazy you could be in the front row. All three had contagious laughs and wonderful senses of humor. Thank goodness they rubbed off on me.

  And to you, dear reader, thank you for buying my book. Part of the proceeds will benefit struggling single mothers and their children in Williamson County, Tennessee.

  Above all, I owe this book to God, my Redeemer. Without Him, I would have never been able to write it in the first place.

  Reading Group Gold

  Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’Easter

  by Lisa Patton

  A Reading Group Gold Selection

  About the Author

  A Conversation with Lisa Patton

  Food for Thought

  Recipes from the Peach Blossom Inn

  Keep on Reading

  Recommended Reading

  Reading Group Questions

  For more reading group suggestions,

  visit www.readinggroupgold.com

  ST. MARTIN’S GRIFFIN

  A Conversation with Lisa Patton

  What was the inspiration for Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter?

  I really was an innkeeper
in Vermont. Even better, a Southern innkeeper in Vermont! After surviving three sub-zero winters, discovering Vermonters don’t bury their dead in the winter, suffering from vampire bug bites on the back of my neck, and enjoying a four-week summer where I still had to wear a coat at night, I knew I had a story to write.

  “Like Leelee, I’m a work in progress.”

  How has your personal life experience influenced this book? What similarities do you have with Leelee Satterfield?

  The first thing that comes to my mind is the way Southern girls are brought up, at least in my era. We were taught to be agreeable and polite. I’ve heard people criticize Southern women for not saying what’s on their mind. That’s because we are taught from a young age to be great hostesses and make everyone feel comfortable. It might not be the best way, but it’s what we’ve learned. Sure, there’s a bit of me in Leelee. I get caught up in the same trap of sacrificing my needs for everyone else’s and wanting people to like me. Like Leelee, I’m a work in progress. Then again, so are most of my closest friends.

  The best thing about Leelee is her fun side. Leelee gets herself into all kinds of messes—largely because of the choices she makes. She’s Lucy Ricardoish. I’m the same way and while that sometimes makes for a crazy personal life, it sure produces some rich scenarios for writing.

  Are any of those crazy characters (such as Helga) based on people you know?

  No doubt the characters in Whistlin’ Dixie are amalgams of all kinds of people I’ve known—Leelee’s three best friends from Memphis in particular. I named all of them, Leelee included, after sorority sisters of mine from Kappa Delta at the University of Alabama. Helga is fashioned a little bit after an old spinster piano teacher I had in grammar school. She’s also part Wicked Witch from The Wizard of Oz and a lot Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians. I just love a villain, especially a funny villain. Glenn Close is my dream choice to someday play Helga. And I’m dang good at dreaming; it’s gotten me this far!

  About the Author

  Whistlin’ Dixie is a fish-out-of-water story. You mentioned The Wizard of Oz. Helga and Leelee are obvious parallels to Dorothy and the witch. Are there others?

  Many. If you are an “Ozzy,” the likenesses are easy to spot. If not, they might be subtler. Instead of a tornado, Leelee gets caught up in a nor’easter. Leelee befriends three unlikely characters in her own Land of Oz. There are even a couple of lines of dialogue very similar to the movie. Of course there’s Leelee’s beloved dog, Gracie. The only thing missing from Whistlin’ Dixie is an actual wizard. But Leelee’s survival symbolizes the wizard inside her. I wasn’t intentional with the obvious similarities, it just happened that way.

  What other strange things happen in Yankee territory, and how is that different from life in the South?

  Oh my. To be Southern and living in Yankee territory is quite an ordeal. Not only does one experience culture shock, but the thermal shock is brutal. Southerners have this idyllic image of the Currier and Ives winter up North. We have no idea what it’s like to actually exist in it. We see heaps of snow and think, “How perfectly beautiful!” Actually, shoveling snow and rearranging your life to exist in it is another thing all together—for a Dixie chick anyway.

  I remember having to see a counselor four months into living in Vermont. He sympathized with my inability to connect right away and explained how the subtle cultural differences would make it hard for me. He was right. Southern women are generally bubbly and very friendly. Certainly, the people up North are more direct and they take longer to get to know, but once a friendship is formed it’s there for life—without pretense.

  What would you say are some of the positive things that Leelee experiences in the North?

  Leelee is forced way out of her comfort zone. The nor’easter is a metaphor for the storm in Leelee’s life. While living in Vermont, she learns that she can survive any storm, physical or mental. Leelee develops self-confidence in her ability to earn her own living (without the help of her husband). Several real friendships develop for Leelee in Vermont—unlikely ones at that. She gets to experience some Northern wildlife that she’s only dreamed about in the South.

  “Leelee is beautiful, inside and out, but her charm is the most endearing thing about her.”

  How does Leelee grow and change in your novel? What is a “Southern Belle”—a good thing? Or a detriment?

  When someone first reads Whistlin’ Dixie, they might be perplexed at Leelee’s inability to consider her own needs. As the book develops, though, Leelee’s metamorphosis becomes evident to everyone. Her girlfriends from home are shocked by her newfound ability to say no and stand up for what she needs. Even Roberta, her housekeeper in Vermont, has been secretly watching Leelee’s inner strength and true grit develop.

  Leelee is a Southern Belle, but that’s a good thing. The dictionary.com definition of a “Southern Belle” is “a beautiful and charming woman from the southern US.” Leelee is beautiful, inside and out, but her charm is the most endearing thing about her.

  Can you explain the significance of the song “Into the Mystic” in your book?

  First of all, it’s my favorite Van Morrison song, bar none. Romance oozes from each note. Leelee declares it’s her favorite song, too, so there’s another similarity between the two of us. When romance finally touches Leelee again, I thought it would be the perfect song to set the mood for this climactic moment in the story.

  I was working for Michael McDonald around the time I wrote the scene with “Into the Mystic” and when he read it he was inspired to record the song on his next CD. He covered it on his 2007 Soul Speak record in honor of Leelee’s romantic dance. Michael’s version is quite dreamy, by the way.

  Can you discuss the role of friendship in Whistlin’ Dixie?

  Friendship equals family to Leelee. Having lost her parents at an early age, and as an only child, Leelee relies on her friends to be a substitute for that sense of belonging and love. Despite her insistence to the contrary, Leelee is definitely naïve. Her entire life, prior to Vermont, has been spent inside a reinforced bubble. Her friends from home, including her childhood nanny, are not only her family but also her advisors. Much to her surprise, Leelee’s time in Vermont produces three more dear friends who become her Vermont kinfolk.

  How did you find the time to write this novel, as a single mom of two boys? Is there any message you’d like to give to the single mothers out there who may read this book?

  Single motherhood is an enormous job and it leaves very little free time. Stolen moments are responsible for the writing of this book. Late at night, early in the morning before work, halftime on the soccer field, and waiting in the carpool line for the boys—I grabbed all the spare time I could find. That’s why it took me years and years to finish. I dedicate the book to my sons but I also have a dedication to single mothers. They need encouragement and it’s crucial to have hope in difficult situations. My message is to find your heart’s desire and never give up, no matter how impossible it might seem. I know because it happened to me. I have a testimony.

  “Find your heart’s desire and never give up, no matter how impossible it might seem.”

  Food for Thought

  Recipes from the Peach Blossom Inn

  I’m a sucker for fine gourmet food and I get many of my recipes and ideas from Fine Cooking magazine. Most of the menu items in the book were taken from my own restaurant in Vermont. One of the appetizers, Crabmeat Henry, came from an old historic restaurant in Memphis called Justine’s. Readers are invited to visit www.lisapatton.com to learn more!

  —Lisa Patton

  White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Purée

  Ingredients:

  Mousse

  16 ounces high-quality white chocolate, chopped

  ½ cup unsalted butter

  2 cups chilled heavy cream

  6 large egg yolks

  ½ cup sugar

  2 tbsp Kirsch

  Raspberry Purée

  2 cups ra
spberries

  1 tbsp Grand Marnier

  1 tbsp sugar

  Garnish

  White chocolate shavings, mint sprigs, whole raspberries.

  White Chocolate Mousse with Raspberry Purée

  Directions:

  Mousse:

  Separate eggs into two bowls. Melt chocolate in a double boiler (a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water, or a glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power for 3 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently until smooth. Whisk in butter. Remove from heat and add egg yolks, whipping until smooth. Add Kirsch and mix.

  In a separate bowl beat egg whites, slowly adding sugar, until soft peaks form. In another bowl (preferably metal) whip cream until stiff and slowly fold into egg white/sugar mixture.

  Fold of the egg white and whip cream mixture into the chocolate. Then fold that new mixture back into remaining egg white and whip cream mixture. DO NOT OVERMIX. Cover and chill.

  Raspberry Purée:

  Puree ¾ cup berries with sugar and Grand Marnier in a food processor. Strain into small bowl, pressing on solids. Mix in 1 cup berries.

  Spoon mousse halfway into 8 (6-ounce) stemmed glasses. Add some berry mixture. Gently spoon remainder of the mousse. Chill, covered, for at least 6 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes before serving.