C. C. Payne was born and raised in Kentucky, by a family chock-full of superb storytellers: readers, writers, teachers, librarians, and lawyers—yes, Payne insists that any lawyer worth his salt knows how to tell a good, persuasive story. Growing up, she says, all kinds of stories were used, to quiet, to entertain, and to teach life lessons, but all stories worked to instill in Payne a love of the story—any story.
Naturally, at the age of seven, she became a voracious reader. “After that,” Payne says, “the house could’ve fallen down around my ears, and I would’ve just thought, Does this mean I have to put my book down?”
Payne’s first novel, Something to Sing About, received a boxed, starred review from Booklist, and was nominated for a 2010-2011 Children’s Crown Award and a 2011 Kentucky Bluegrass Award. Meanwhile, as Payne continues to write, she says she’s beginning to notice that all her books are like her: hopeful, humorous, and distinctly Southern. She lives in Kentucky. To learn more about C. C. Payne, visit www.ccpayne.net.
