Carole Townsend is a true Southerner, having been born in Atlanta, living in Nashville for a while during college and going right back to Atlanta upon graduation. Following a brief stint as a New York city resident, she married a southerner, and they've raised their family of six (plus two rescued Golden Retrievers, a Goldendoodle and a chihuahua) in a suburb north of Atlanta. Townsend loved writing from her very early pre-teen years. After 20 years in the corporate world as a Marketing professional, she realized that her most effective contributions were always in writing. At the age of 40 (when most women reach a blinding clarity envied by the other half), she threw in the corporate towel, rolled up her sleeves, and started chiseling out a living as a freelance writer. Now 11+ years into a career as a newspaper reporter and columnist, Carole still enjoys writing her column for the Gwinnett Citizen newspaper, (Not So) Common Sense. In it, she muses about the quirky business of life, things both major and minor. Readers appreciate her honest, no-nonsense humor and her love and understanding of all things Southern - the good, the bad and the downright ugly. In October 2011, Townsend released her first book - "Southern Fried White Trash." The book has been well received for two reasons: The family humor it satirizes speaks to readers everywhere (not just the South) and Townsend's matter-of-fact sense of humor has readers laughing out loud from cover to cover. Her second book, "Red Lipstick and Clean Underwear," was released in October 2012. The highly acclaimed book takes a look at advice women got from their mamas, and how (and whether) it helped them later in life. MAGNOLIAS, SWEET TEA & EXHAUST, her third book, chronicles Carole's misadventures as she hits the road for a solid year, learning all that she could about NASCAR. Her fourth book - "Blood in the Soil" is the first book about the investigation into the shooting of Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt and his country attorney in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in 1978. But this book is not primarily about Larry Flynt, or even his shooter (the serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin), though both men are of course important characters in the story. This true account is told alternately from the perspective of Detective J. Michael Cowart and by following Franklin’s life from childhood through his execution. Visit caroletownsend.com for more information about Carole and her books, and to read her weekly column. Carole has for years been involved in the Gwinnett community, particularly the Gwinnett Hospital System. A member of the hospital's Women's Advisory Council, she speaks at various civic events and is an advocate for women's and children's healthcare, especially neonatal care. Carole has been a guest on CNN, FOX, and major network news stations for several years now. She is often a guest on radio shows, as well. Book signing tours, literary events and speaking engagements take her throughout the southern United States for much of every year. - See more at: http://www.caroletownsend.com