Anne River Siddons, bestselling author of a number of novels over the years, was born in 1936 in Fairburn,
Georgia. She was an
only child and did what was expected of her while growing up. In school,
Anne got straight A’s, was head cheerleader, won
homecoming queen and also won Centennial Queen of Fairburn. She went to
Auburn University and while there studied
illustration. She joined the Tri-Delt
sorority and was voted “Loveliest of the Plains.” While working as a columnist for the college newspaper, she wrote several pieces welcoming
integration during the tumultuous
Civil Rights Movement. The school administration requested she pull these columns, but Anne refused and consequently she was fired.
After graduating college she worked in the advertising department for a bank, and while there grew more passionate about writing. She eventually left the bank and joined Atlanta magazine, and was one of the magazine’s first senior editors.
Anne married Heyward Siddons when she was 30 years old. Soon after, an editor at Doubleday noticed her work and wrote her a letter asking her if she might consider writing a book. She thought the letter was a prank and did not respond. The editor tracked her down and she was offered a two book contract. One of these was a collection of essays and the other, a novel she wrote during college, was called “Heartbreak Hotel.” The novel was turned into a film called “Heart of Dixie,” and starred Ally Sheedy.
Anne continued writing novels, switching around with publishers. A horror book of hers, “The House Next Door,” was praised by Stephen King. Though it was not until she published “Peachtree Road” that she gained real commercial success. I have read several of her books and they are great light reads.
Some of her novels include:
“Outer Banks”
“Colony”
“Nora, Nora”
“Hill Towns”
“Up Island”
“Low Country”
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