Life’s just a little faster for Maggie Brown these days. Following the July release of her first CD, Brown said she’s basically been living out of a suitcase.

With planned trips to Charleston, W.Va., and Atlanta, things aren’t going to get any slower. That’s why she’s looking forward to balloon race weekend and playing in her own town.

&uot;I’ll know somebody out there,&uot; the Ferriday native said. &uot;That’ll be the cool thing. It is neat to look out and see someone you know.&uot;

Even with numerous road gigs and radio station interviews as far away as Philadelphia and North Dakota, Brown said she still likes the local scene.

&uot;I still want to do the local stuff,&uot; she said. &uot;I’ve learned so much and met so many people.&uot;

And of course being at home, in Natchez, makes it easier for the country/blues singer/songwriter to do what’s most important to her &045;&045; spend time with family.

&uot;If I could tour more, it would be nice,&uot; Brown said. &uot;But it’s not worth the sacrifice, the time with the kids.&uot;

Mother of two and stepmother to one, Brown said the biggest kink in her music career is her responsibilities at home.

&uot;I’m turning down stuff because of my family,&uot; she said.

When possible though, the children do travel with Brown and have experienced some of the life on the road.

Though Brown said she likes the local scene, she has an appreciation for the big shows too.

&uot;You get a rush off of thousands of people standing out there,&uot; she said. &uot;It’s a different kind of cool.&uot;

Shows aside though, Brown said her favorite part of her new life is reading the reviews of her music and hearing comparisons to other artists.

&uot;I’m still kind of shocked that it sounds good,&uot; Brown said of her own songs.

The recording industry still has a hard time fitting Brown into a music category though. Currently she is listed in several categories including country, blues and the Texas scene. This week she was listed at No. 30 with her new music company, Americana, based on the number of radio spins.

Money, charts and numbers aside, Brown is doing what’s she’s supposed to be doing, she said.

&uot;After I play somewhere I feel a sense of peace that I don’t get anywhere else,&uot; she said.

Brown credits much of her success, and the feeling of peace, to her mother. From age 14, her mother pushed her to be a musician.

&uot;She’s the reason I’m any good. Now I feel like I did what she wanted me to do. It meant so much to her.

&uot;Part of me always felt like it could happen. But I’m a realist and I knew it was hard.&uot;

So far, Brown’s biggest hit, &uot;Used Cars&uot; has received 5,000 radio station plays. She is still waiting on major distribution of the CD, to stores like Kmart and Wal-Mart, but it is available at several online sites and locally at Darby’s, Cover to Cover, Heard Music and the Visitor’s Center. She has received several positive reviews, including one from The New York Times.

Autotrader.com has taken Brown’s &uot;Used Cars&uot; and developed a sweepstakes for $25,000 used car shopping spree with the Web site.

Links to purchase her CD are on her Web site at

http://www.maggiebrown.net/.