Born and raised on the West Coast, Meg Moseley is a California girl at heart. Still, she and her characters have settled comfortably into the Southern lifestyle. Case in point: Gone South, Meg’s sophomore novel from Multnomah, released earlier this month.


Meg is a mother of three and former homeschooling mom. She and her husband reside near Atlanta and enjoy motorcycling across the Southern Appalachian foothills. Fiction, Meg says, makes her world go ‘round, whether she’s writing it or reading it.


Read a previous interview with Meg here.




Welcome back, Meg! Let’s talk about Gone South (Multnomah Books, May 2o13). The cover is gorgeous. How much input did you have on the artwork?


I gave the art department some basic information about the story’s setting and characters, and they came up with this beautiful cover that suits the mood of the story perfectly. I just had to change the protagonist’s hair color because she was originally a brunette. This means I’ll have two redheads in a row, because I had already written the protagonist of A Stillness of Chimes with red hair. I’m very happy with both covers.



Please tell us about the story.


Gone South is the story of Tish McComb, a young woman from Michigan who moves to Alabama to buy a house that was built by her great-great-great grandfather. Instead of connecting with her family’s roots, she runs into trouble that includes a good-lookin’ antiques dealer who knows exactly why McCombs aren’t welcome in Noble, Alabama, but he’s reluctant to tell her.



God often uses our writing to teach us something. What did you learn (about life, faith, and/or even yourself) in the process of writing this book?


I learned that stories, like life, often don’t go according to plan. Sometimes you can only hang onto your hat and trust that God’s still in charge.





Life is filled with detours. What new paths have you discovered since the release of your first novel, When Sparrows Fall?


I’ve discovered that the demands of the publishing world often encroach upon my “real life” world. Sometimes I feel as if I’m trying to walk two paths at the same time, with one foot on each path.



A few fun questions…


What’s your (and/or Tish’s) favorite “Southern” dish?


My favorite is red beans and rice. I never introduced Tish to it during the writing of the story, but I’m sure she must have tried it by now. : )



What verse or story in the Bible best describes your (and/or Tish’s) faith journey?


Psalm 119:105 ~ Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.


Like me, Tish tries to walk by the light of the Word. Like me, she makes mistakes but keeps going even when she can’t see too far ahead.



What’s the title of the last great book you read?


A memoir called The Midwife by Jennifer Worth, who was a midwife in London’s East End in the 1950s. Subtitled “a memoir of birth, joy, and hard times,” the book may be too graphic for some readers, but I appreciated the author’s gentle depiction of her journey from agnosticism to finding God’s love in the slums and among the nuns she worked with.



What’s your current favorite song on the radio or your mp3 player?


Ten Thousand Reasons by Matt Redman.



Thanks, Meg! It’s nice to have you back at DivineDetour.


Thanks for having me, Kathy!

~ ~ ~


For more information about Meg’s books, visit her website.



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