An Irish author who used Google Maps to set her novel in Butler — despite having never stepped foot there — recently got to see the small town that served as the background for her story, and meet the Alabama community that supported her, for the first time.

Welz Bailey, of Coleraine, Northern Ireland, U.K., spent nine months researching the town of Butler, which has around 2,000 residents and is located in the seat of Choctaw County, after choosing it to be the setting for her first novel, a psychological thriller called “The Pawn” that follows an FBI agent in a race against time to catch a serial killer, at random using Google Maps and Google Earth.

Read more: How Google Maps led an Irish novelist to a small Alabama town

In September, Bailey told AL.com that she was hopeful she’d get to see the town for herself someday. On May 15, she was able to mark that goal off her list with a two-week visit to the South that included a book signing at The Ruby Corner in charming downtown Butler. (She also had stops in New Orleans and Alexandria, La., as well as Vicksburg, Miss., and Memphis and Nashville, Tenn.)

During her visit, Bailey said she has been able to see popular spots near Butler, like Ezell’s Fish Camp, as well as many of the streets and other places she used as the settings for “The Pawn”. While Bailey said it has been a whirlwind of a visit, she’s happy to finally see it all in person.

Related: Ezell’s Fish Camp is a trip back in time, with hush puppies

“It has been surreal, because I’ve been doing it from Google Earth, to actually see it in real life,” said Bailey. “It feels like I’ve been walking into my book. It is different. The lake is a lot smaller than what I thought, but Butler itself is larger. Yeah, so it’s not completely what I had in my head, but it’s been great. I’ve just loved going to the streets that are named [in the book]. It’s been amazing. I’m just soaking it all in.”

It’s been a trip of firsts for the author: first time trying fried catfish (“very good”); first time trying sweet tea (“we like our tea hot”); first time seeing a snake in the wild (“bit of a shock”) and first time meeting many of the Butler residents-turned-friends she’s been corresponding with for months now.

During the book signing, dozens of people from as far as St. Louis, Mo., and as near as a half mile down the road lined up nearly out the door of The Ruby Corner with their copies of “The Pawn” in hand, eager to chat with the Irish author. The signing also included Alabama author Mark Jenkins, who created a Facebook group for fans of thriller novels that was a catalyst for Bailey connecting with many Butler residents.

Among them was Choctaw County Chamber of Commerce Chairman Nick Harrell, who was one of the first to reach out to Bailey after learning about her novel, and its unlikely setting, in 2024.

“We’ve talked online for months, and we’ve all been so excited that she’s coming here,” said Harrell. “It’s a wonderful book. Of course, it’s different from the Butler we experience on a day-to-day basis, but that’s what’s so great about literature is you get an author like [Bailey] who is able to deliver her own unique interpretation. So, I thought it was great, and it’s been really fun to see Butler through her point-of-view.”

For Bailey, she said its this friendliness as well as the hospitality shown to her by fans and strangers alike that she’ll remember the most about her visit once she’s back home.

“I can say the word now: hospitality,” said Bailey. “We don’t use that word really, but over here, we just use it all the time. People in Northern Ireland are friendly, but here, they really do stop and talk to you and have a conversation, even if they don’t know you, they’ll just have a good chat. The connections are amazing.”

While Bailey, who traveled with her husband, William, as well as her sister and brother-in-law, has been to the United States twice before, she said the trip has served as a chance for her family to see a part of the country, the South, that she has always admired and been interested in visiting.

“They [her family] wanted to see the real America,” said Bailey, of her family’s decision to come along for the visit. “Because they’ve done like Miami, Fla., but they want to see the proper America, you know, and it really is. It’s been absolutely amazing.”

So will Butler, or maybe another Alabama town, make an appearance in any more of her novels? While Bailey said she didn’t want to say too much, given that it’s a series — the second, “Call Me Jacob” is mostly set in Alexandria, La., but does include some scenes in Butler — and the town serves as the protagonist’s hometown, it’s safe to think it could happen.

“I don’t want to let any secrets out,” said Bailey. “I’m on my third book now and it’s not, but who’s to say it won’t come back? I don’t want to give too much away, but we’ll see.”

Bailey’s first two novels, “The Pawn” and “Call Me Jacob,” are available on Amazon.