Olsvig, Josie: - Josie is a new Southern author who lives outside Charleston, South Carolina. Previously, Josie was an attorney and social worker who spent her career addressing child abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Her call to service was spurred by growing up in poverty in the inner city, experiencing hardship, strife, and violence. Josie worked for nearly thirty years as a public servant and advocate. In the twilight of her career, Josie served on a statewide committee to combat human trafficking in her home state of Ohio. After moving to the South, she became deeply interested in the Gullah culture and race-based slavery. Leveraging her legal research skills, she interviewed Gullah slave descendants, conducted site visits, and researched archival records. Her first book, Growing Up Gullah in the Lowcountry, is a children's picture book about the Gullah culture, heirs' property, and the history of Charleston. Gullah Tears is Josie's debut historical fiction novel, the first in a series.