V. S. Pritchett called her "a genius." Gore Vidal described her as a "beloved novelist of singular brilliance... Of all the Southern writers, she is the most apt to endure..." And Tennessee Williams said, "The only real writer the South ever turned out, was Carson." She was born Lula Carson Smith in Columbus, Georgia. Her dream was to become a concert pianist, though she'd been writing since she was sixteen and the influence of music was evident throughout...

Dodging romantic (and marital) commitment, successful New York writer Malcolm Niles goes on a cross-country autographing tour that his friend and publisher Robert Hanson has been suggesting. While signing books in a small Southern town, Malcolm meets Nancy Briggs, who is about to be jilted by her fiancé. Despite the best efforts of Malcolm and Nancy, they continue crossing paths in New York. After many complications and confusions, the inevitable...

"A memoir about a daughter trying to understand her father's genius, mental illness, violence, and past. Touches on Japanese culture, immigration, racism, WWII, and the Asian American experience"--