Are you a Southerner? I am. Okay – I admit – I was born in the great state of Maryland. But, my family has lived in South Carolina since the 1640s. We’re about as American as white people can get y’all. God has blessed us with this amazing state to call Home.
I’ve lived in the Upstate for just about 20 years now and this place is where my soul is happy. I live and breathe the Upstate. I went to Clemson University, leaving my parents’ home when I was just 17 years old. And I have not lived more than 20 minutes away from the University since then.
People tend to think of the coast when they think South Carolina. Charleston, Myrtle Beach… but the foothills of the Appalachians are gorgeous and lush. The people here embrace technology and progress with one hand, while holding onto their roots and traditions with the other. It’s a magical place where the word “community” means something and where God is still on the throne of the people’s lives.
My family and I thrive here. My husband was born on the coast of SC, and while I like it fine enough, it pales in comparison to the hills and people of the Upstate. You can’t help but fall in love with this part of South Carolina.
Much of my writing centers here. My first book, War Torn Heart, is based in a little town just outside of Clemson. The characters also visit Charleston as well.
The sequel to War Torn Heart takes place in Myrtle Beach.
Another book I am working on, Living Water, takes place around the Columbia area of South Carolina.
And of course the Grit Girls are from a fictional town just west of Greenville called Bellamy.
South Carolina is in my heart, the home of not just my family, but my ancestors for well over 350 years. This place gets inside of you, grows and blooms.
Allison Wells Writes 