Today author Barbara Casey visits on her tour with Goddess Fish Promotions for the inspirational suspense novel, "The Gospel According to Prissy".
Barbara Casey will be awarding a $25 Amazon or BN.com gift card to one randomly chosen commenter, so leave a comment today and follow the rest of her tour by clicking on the banner above.
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.
Enjoy an 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.
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.
www.barbaracaseyagency.com
www.strategicmediabooks.com
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-According-Prissy-Barbara-Casey/dp/098524402X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1369269065&sr=8-1&keywords=gospel+according+to+prissy
Buy from Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gospel-according-to-prissy-barbara-casey/1113714187?ean=9780985244026
Thank you for hosting me today. The excerpt you have introduces the little girl in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY. It will be fun to hear what your bloggers think.
ReplyDeleteNice excerpt, thank you.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Thank you for your comment. As I mentioned before, Prissy is just so special. She is a child who belongs to everyone because she has an amazing ability to give to everyone.
DeleteThank you for sharing the excerpt, Prissy does sound like such an intruging figure, I can't wait to read more
ReplyDeletefencingromein at hotmail dot com
Thank you, Shanon. Except for mentioning the three Army veteran misfits, so far all of the comments have focused on several of the female characters in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO PRISSY: Lara Kruger, Miriam Temple, a very brief mention of Prissy's grandmother, and, of course, Prissy. Before my tour is completed, I want to talk a little about the male characters. I think you will find them intriguing as well.
DeleteThe title really caught my eye! What does it mean and/or how does it tie into the story??
ReplyDeleteandralynn7 AT gmail DOT com
Hi Andra,
DeleteThat is a terrific question. This is revealed in the story, but I can tell you that Prissy was given her name because she was born in a prison. I gave the book the title "The Gospel According to Prissy" because the little girl has her own unique understanding of the gospel, and she quotes her version of biblical scripture freely. It is precious and endearing and totally Prissy. It is what makes her a gifted child. It is why her grandmother says that she was born with the gift of prophesy.
She sounds like a adorable little girl. I loved the excerpt. sounds like a fabulous book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MomJane. I assume you are a mother, so you know what it is like to love a child. But even readers who are not mothers are drawn to Prissy. When my publisher (a man) read my manuscript for the first time, he told me he literally had tears in his eyes at the end. I am glad he was so moved, because he liked it enough to publish it.
ReplyDeleteI have had a great time today here on "It's Raining Books." Thank you again for hosting me. And thank you, bloggers, for your comments. I look forward to hearing from you again.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the publication of The Gospel According to Prissy! It sounds like a fascinating book. Thanks for sharing the excerpt.
ReplyDeletebhometchko(at)hotmail(dot)com
Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
DeleteThe excerpt just drew me in. This is going to be a great read.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you, Mary. I appreciate your comment.
DeleteBarbara, I've read your book and loved it. Very original plot and the characters and each of their backgrounds really leapt off the page. Best of luck with your book tour!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. As a wonderful writer yourself, I know you understand when I say that I write because not to would make me feel incomplete. But to write something that someone else loves really makes all of the work and effort worthwhile. Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteSounds like a great read!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
Thank you for stopping by, Natasha.
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteMy best,
Barbara