Today, I
would like to introduce you to another book: The Gospel According to Prissy
by Barbara
Casey. Read on to see if it’s for you. And don’t forget to follow the tour and comment
for a chance to win a gift card. Barbara Casey will be awarding a $25 Amazon or
BN.com gift card to one randomly chosen commenter. The more you comment, the higher your chances of winning. You will
find the tour dates HERE.
BLURB:
Three Army veteran misfits, a college dropout, an unmotivated
high school graduate accused of murder, a controversial warden of a women's
prison, and a little girl with the gift of prophesy – these are the people
31-year-old Lara Kruger invites into her life after suffering a miscarriage, a
divorce from an abusive husband, and unemployment.
EXCERPT
The young child
skipped through the tall trees and underbrush, unaware of the puddles created
by recent rains or the low-lying tree branches and vines that swiped at her
coveralls and scratched her bare arms.
Hugging a doll that showed the wear of a favorite toy and a faint smudge
of chocolate ice cream, the child pushed forward with determination. She knew where she wanted to go, and her face
showed the intensity and resolve of a person much older than her five years. The black woman wearing the uniform of a
prison guard struggled to keep up with her young charge. The thick green tangle of natural forest
growth and uneven turf was more of a challenge to a woman her size and stature.
The child stopped
when she reached a clearing, that place in the woods that wasn’t quite so overgrown
and where the wild vegetation had been pressed from previous visits. In front of her was a tree, magnificent in
size, ancient in age. She had reached
her destination. She called it, quite
simply, “the place.” Quietly,
reverently, she approached the tree, reaching out and touching the familiar
rough surface and its many irregular crevices.
She squatted where some roots had pushed upward and were now gnarled and
covered in bark before extending downward again deep into the soil. It was between two of
these large root formations that the child placed the doll – a throne. Her hand explored the curvature of one
darkened root, first touching the soft green moss, and then the small indented
place that held water whenever it rained.
It was moist. Satisfied, she
knelt. Then, lowering her head and
folding her dimpled hands together, she started to pray.
AUTHOR
INFORMATION:
Barbara Casey is president of the Barbara Casey Agency,
representing adult fiction and nonfiction for authors throughout the United
States, Great Britain, and Japan. She is
also the author of numerous articles, poems, and short stories. Her award-winning novels have received
national recognition, including the Independent Publishers Book Award, the Dana
Award for Best Novel, and the Publisher’s Best Seller Award. Her novel, The House of Kane, released in 2008, was considered for a Pulitzer
nomination, and her novel Just Like
Family received special recognition by the 7-Eleven Corporation. Her latest young adult novel, The Cadence of Gypsies, was reviewed by
the Smithsonian for its list of 2011 Best Books. The Gospel According to Prissy, a contemporary adult novel, was
released in the spring of 2013.
In addition to being
a frequent guest lecturer at universities and writers’ conferences, Ms. Casey
served as judge for the Pathfinder Literary Awards in Palm Beach and Martin
Counties, Florida, and was the Florida Regional Advisor for the Society of
Children's Book Writers and Illustrators from 1991 through 2003.
LINKS:
Hi Liz,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting me today. I am really looking forward to hearing from your bloggers. Meanwhile, have a safe and happy Memorial Day.
Barbara
Barbara,
DeleteYou're very welcome. Your novel sounds very interesting and I LOVE the cover. I wish you all the best.
Liz
This sounds like a fascinating story. I love the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MomJane. I am glad you stopped by.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
I am glad you did. The excerpt introduces you to Prissy, the little girl who was born with the "gift of prophecy." Thank you for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteLiz, thank you so much for taking time out of your Memorial Day to host me and give me a chance to talk about my latest novel, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY.
ReplyDeleteBarbara
Just to be even considered for a Pulitzer nomination - WOW!! I'm so impressed.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you, Mary. That is exactly how I feel. I am thrilled to even be considered.
DeleteThanks everyone for stopping by to support Barbara. Have a lovely day. Liz
ReplyDeleteSounds like a beautiful and heart warming story.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
andralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
Andra, there is a lot of beauty in this story, but it is also a slice of reality; and that reality can sometimes be ugly. Take Lara's husband, for example. He comes from a rural background, never had much, but put himself through school because he has a driving ambition to be successful--to really be "somebody." He is constantly stuffing his pockets with notes he scribbles to himself on scraps of paper, trying to impress, trying to prove himself, trying to leave his background behind. As bad as he is, there is a small piece of him that you can't help but sympathize with and understand. Thank you, Andra, for following my tour. I really appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to let you and your bloggers know that my book, THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY, has just been selected for the "2013 List of Best Summer Reads" by Conversations Live Radio/Conversations Book Club.
My best,
Barbara