What is the definition of a regional author?

A regional author is one who writes of his or her own
region in his or her own particular time. All works by each of these authors are
generally set in the same kinds of places, contain characters which reflect the
attitudes of the time, and utilize dialect authentic to them. That means their
characters are generally realistic, as well. In regional writing, the setting as well as
the customs of the characters are integral to the themes. In other words, the story
would not be effective in any other time or place or with any other types of
characters.

One familiar example of a regional writer is
Mark Twain, particularly his most popular works Huck Finn and
Tom Sawyer set near the Mississippi where Twain grew up. Another
familiar regional author is William Faulkner; Flannery O'Connor is another. Both of them
are writers of the South, and their works reflect a rather gothic southern world. Sarah
Orne Jewett and Bret Harte are also considered regional writers, each setting their
works in the places they know. Regional writers generally exhibit a devastating realism
and deep understanding of their characters and settings.