Trudy Haywood Saunders Title: Travel and Food Writer Education: Gardner-Webb University, East Carolina University, University of North Carolina- Charlotte Trudy Haywood Saunders is a freelance writer, editor, and author. She has written two books for young adults set in her home state of North Carolina. Trudy's travel, food, culture, and feature stories have been featured online and in print magazines nationwide including Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Our State, Okra, and other publications. She enjoys the country life with her family, and is a former field editor for Country Magazine. She has written about culture, food, and travel destinations both in the South and beyond. A lifelong Southerner, Trudy draws from her personal experiences to share her love for the region with readers.HighlightsWriter for Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Our State, Okra, and other publications.Field Editor for Country Magazine, Contributing Editor for Foothills DigestAuthor of two books for young adults - Bigfoot & Basketball: A Lannie Reese Mystery (2018) and Terror at Town Creek: A Lannie Reese Mystery (2020)National Board Certified Media SpecialistGraduate of Disney College of Knowledge, Universal Partner Community, and Royal Caribbean University Experience Trudy Haywood Saunders is a freelance writer, editor, and author. She has written two books for young adults set in her home state of North Carolina.Trudy's travel, food, culture, and feature stories have been featured online and in print magazines nationwide including Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Our State, Okra, TravelAwaits.com, and other publications. A former field editor for Country Magazine, Trudy has expanded her love for country living, focusing on Southern culture, food, and travel destinations both in the South and beyond. As a lifelong Southerner, Trudy draws from her personal experiences to share her love for the region with readers. Education Trudy Haywood Saunders graduated from Gardner-Webb University with a B.S. in Business Administration. She enrolled in English language courses at Brigham Young University and Utah State University and began a career in education, specializing in English. She continued her education at East Carolina University, earning a Master of Library Science degree, as well as National Board certification, and spent thirteen years as a media specialist. She also completed a certificate in Academically and Intellectually Gifted from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. About Southern Living Southern Living, a Dotdash Meredith Brand, celebrates the food, homes, places, and culture of the South. We reach 7.2 million readers a month. Our content is written by experienced journalists and fact checked for accuracy. Learn more about us and our editorial guidelines.