Lame Excuses

For the first time ever on this blog (but hopefully not the last!) I am pleased to have the chance to play host to a guest writer, Alle Wells, author of Lame Excuses.

Forty-year-old Emily Halley sits in a wheelchair in an abandoned lot of a silent, forlorn southern town. She reflects on her life that began in a short-order café that sat on this corner lot in the early 1960’s. She remembers and shares her love for the café that provided everything she needed and demanded nothing from her. As a teenager, Emily’s life at the café ends abruptly with her father’s untimely death.

Forced to find a new life, Emily enrolls in a culinary arts school in a rural farming community. She thrives as a culinary artist and finds a mentor, a lover and a new life in the Sand Fort community. Emily’s life is sprinkled with pleasant surprises, southern humor, disappointments and drama. Her passion for food remains constant and comforts her through the good times and the bad. Emily’s lifestyle begins to take its toll on her at an early age. A medical condition misdiagnosed by a country doctor and ignored by Emily leads her to a tragic and unsatisfied end as she tries to piece her life back together.

Emily’s story in Lame Excuses is relevant to the obesity epidemic still prevalent in many areas of the United States. Most of us relate to the love of food. But, like Emily, many people still ignore the signs of declining health that come from choosing an unhealthy lifestyle. In 2010, CNN Health reported an obesity rate of thirty percent among the overall population in ten southern states in the US. Since the end of World War II, the rising trend toward fast and convenient foods has become the daily routine for many Americans. That’s two generations of kids relying on French fried potatoes, a piece of iceberg lettuce and a thin slice of tomato for their daily vegetable intake. Unfortunately, studies show that poorer families are more likely to rely on foods that lead to life-threatening diseases which, in turn, have an affect on the cost of healthcare.

Today, Americans are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle which begins with proper nutrition. We are hearing words like vegan and whole foods more often. Doctors are speaking out about the crucial link between our food choices and our overall health. We are seeing a shift toward simple living, backyard gardens and eating at home. There are many vegetarian websites and communities on the web that have great recipes and support healthy food choices. You will find links to my favorite vegetarian websites, along with my original healthy recipes and tips at Southern Vegan-Southern Writer.

My first novel, Lame Excuses, is available on Amazon and Smashwords for only $0.99.

About the author:

Alle Wells presents a new twist on Southern Fiction based on down-home inspiration. Her first published novel, Lame Excuses, illustrates the parody in life found only in the rural South. She also enjoys reading, writing book reviews, supporting the work of other Indie Authors, vegetarian cooking and yoga. Alle lives in North Carolina, USA.