Storyteller Revealed

A Conversation with Lake Burton's Leading Author

by Kathleen Stevens Whaley

Novelist Mike Maffett will tell you anything you’d ever hope to know about the history of Lake Burton, the upper Tallulah River, every hike within a 30 mile radius of Clayton, Georgia, and his wife’s middle name.  But don’t ask him the title of his upcoming book.  It’s a secret.

For three long years, Maffett has tasked himself with penning a 65,000 word manuscript chronicling the rich history of Lake Burton, one of Georgia’s most beloved lakes.  In addition to the creative writing, Maffett has painstakingly gathered countless exhibits of personal testimony, maps, charts and vintage photographs for inclusion in the hardback.  For those unfamiliar with the lake, this means very little.  But for others who’ve summered on her shoreline since childhood, or discovered Burton’s pristine emerald waters along life’s journey, Maffett’s book can only be referred to as a long awaited gift to her disciples.  To Lake Burton’s faithful, there’s no place on earth equaling her mystic pull.

Plenty of literature has been written about Georgia, North Georgia adventures, the Appalachian Trail, Rabun County and other neighboring lakes.  But Maffett’s book is a first.  Its pages will concentrate solely on Lake Burton’s history, physicality, her people, and the greater legacy to America’s Southeast at large.  Full Article . . .