Bio
Vicki Smith has been writing articles and personal essays for about two years. She was involved in social work for 25 years and obtained a unique understanding of human behavior. She writes from a Christian perspective which offers her readers hope and encouragment.
Trigger Warning
Mrs. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Cross Creek, Florida
(deceased)
Dear Marjorie,
I visited your place last summer. It was hot and muggy, set in the middle of a hot sweaty prairie. Florida has declared your compound a state park now. You should be proud. How lovely your property is; consisting of your house, barn, tenant home, orchard and grounds. I think I would call your house a bungalow. It was not big or fancy compared to today’s standards, just a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, bathroom and of course the back porch. I can picture you writing there with the sweet vines and flowers blooming all around you. You said you wrote every day, sometimes as much as eight hours. That’s dedication. I guess that’s what it takes to become a successful author.
I can see you whipping up your favorite recipes with plenty of cream, butter and spices for your revered guests. You wrote a cookbook filled with every kind of vegetable, game, and other delicious dishes. A woman who cooks and writes?! A rare combination. You should have received the Julia Child award for great chefery as well.
I admire you as a woman. I believe you lived a fulfilled life. You used your gifts and nurtured all things around you. What a tremendous writer you were! You transformed your small community and your everyday life into an unforgettable narrative. Like a good comedian, you didn’t just tell a one liner but wove the fabric of your life into story after story. You so deserved the Pulitzer Prize for best novel of 1939.
As you can probably see, I also want to be a writer. I read your work with great interest and hope that someday I will be as good a descriptive writer as you were. No one else can furnish a tale just by the setting and the characters! You made me fall in love with Cross Creek even though I am well aware of the heat, alligators and bugs that live there too. Would love to see you and have a chat.
Sincerely,
Vicki Smith