Suddenly Southern
by Maureen Duffin-Ward

Maureen Duffin-Ward is an author and freelance writer.
Simon & Schuster/Fireside published her first book, Suddenly Southern: A Yankee's Guide to Living in Dixie, in July '04. It garnered TV, radio, newspaper and magazine publicity, including a feature in the Sunday New York Times Book Review! Suddenly Southern made the SEBA best-seller list twice, breaking the top ten in its first week of publication.

Duffin-Ward was a newspaper columnist for The News & Observer of Raleigh, NC from 1999-2005. Her biweekly column, "New in Town,"an irreverent look at moving South from a Yankee's perspective, ran in the North Raleigh News section of The N&O. Popularity of her column led to a counterpoint column and a radio show.
"Don't You Be My Neighbor"(a tongue and cheek program on the cultural clash between Northerners and Southerners) was broadcast on WPTF 680 from 2000-2004. She represented the Yankees, and her nemesis “Native Son” represented the Southerners, and they took live calls from the audience. A regular feature on The Jerry Agar Show, Don't You Be My Neighbor never failed to light up the phone lines. The “Chitlin Challenge” was the talk of the town.

Maureen graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia with a B.A. in Communications & Theater. She was inducted into the school's Gallery of Success in 2004. Before moving South and launching her writing career, Maureen was a National Sales Manager for NBC Television. She directed the Philadelphia sales office, representing NBC’S 14 owned and operated stations around the country. Maureen spent a month in Hong Kong as an interim manager launching the sales effort of NBC/CNBC Asia. Until her relocation, she served on the Board of Directors for WXPN radio, the University of Pennsylvania’s public radio station.

She’s very happily married to Michael Ward, News Director of the CBS TV station in Washington, DC.