Man in black shirt smiling outdoors with autumn trees in the background.

Hey, yโ€™all! Iโ€™m Arlon.
(But my mama calls me Jay.)

Iโ€™m a Southern writer living in the Florida Panhandle, at my best when telling a story or helping you tell yours.

My award-winning debut novel, Leta Pearlโ€™s Love Biscuits is available now.

Iโ€™d love to personally send you a signed copy! Order one here.

Want to connect? Subscribe to The Southernerโ€™s Primer: Sweeten Your Life in 5 Days, a FREE, 5-day email courseโ€”full of Southern wisdom and witโ€”that I wrote just for yโ€™all. (Youโ€™ll also be auto-subscribed to my free monthly newsletter, Grits & Lit.)

Hit me up directly right here.
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My limited repertoire of party tricks is best seen on Instagram @arlonjay.

View fullsize Current sitch: I’m on a ๐Ÿšข writing the next novel. But I disembarked today in Key West. Went to this special spot where, thankfully @drewauker didn’t heed the warning of the Key West Red Ants 8 years ago. ๐Ÿœ
View fullsize ๐๐‘๐Ž๐’๐„๐๐Ž๐‘๐ // “When I play it all back I am ashamed, and yet I cannot imagine having done any other thing. Grief shared, I think, can produce two outcomes. Either you bind yourselves together and hold on for dear life, or you let go and
View fullsize ๐๐‘๐Ž๐’๐„๐๐Ž๐‘๐ // “Michael takes a deep breath and holds it in. He thinks about Whitney‘s movie, ๐‘Š๐‘Ž๐‘–๐‘ก๐‘–๐‘›๐‘” ๐‘ก๐‘œ ๐ธ๐‘ฅโ„Ž๐‘Ž๐‘™๐‘’, and realizes that’s exactly what he’s doing๏ผŽHolding his breath, waiting to exhale, thinking
View fullsize ๐๐‘๐Ž๐’๐„๐๐Ž๐‘๐ // “I think about that night at Drew Hudson’s— his dark house, the teasing, the uncertainty replaced by fear. I think about all the things I wished I’d done. Said no when he asked me in. Said no when he aske