CFBA Presents WHAT THE BAYOU SAW by Patti Lacy

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
introduces
What The Bayou Saw
(Kregel Publications - March 24, 2009)
by
Patti Lacy


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Though Patti's only been writing since 2005, she thinks her latest profession of capturing stories on paper (or computer files) will stick awhile.

The Still, Small Voice encouraged Patti to write after a brave Irish friend shared memories of betrayal and her decision to forgive. In 2008, An Irishwoman’s Tale was published by Kregel Publications. Patti’s second novel, What the Bayou Saw, draws on the memories of two young girls who refused to let segregation, a chain link fence, and a brutal rape come between them.

The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to enliven Patti's gray matter. A third book, My Name is Sheba, has been completed. Patti's WIP, Recapturing Lily, documents a tug-of-war between a Harvard-educated doctor and an American pastor and his wife for a precious child and explores adoption issues, China's "One Child" policy, and both Christian and secular views of sacrifice.

Patti also facilitates writing seminars in schools, libraries, and at conferences and has been called to present her testimony, "All the Broken Pieces," at women's retreats. She also leads a Beth Moore Bible study at her beloved Grace Church.

Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal with their handsome son Thomas, who attends Heartland Community College. On sunny evenings, you can catch the three strolling the streets of Normal with their dog Laura, whom they've dubbed a "Worchestershire Terrier" for her "little dab of this breed, a little dab of that breed.

ABOUT THE BOOK


Segregation and a chain link fence separated twelve-year-old Sally Flowers from her best friend, Ella Ward. Yet a brutal assault bound them together. Forever. Thirty-eight years later, Sally, a middle-aged Midwestern instructor, dredges up childhood secrets long buried beneath the waters of a Louisiana bayou in order to help her student, who has also been raped. Fragments of spirituals, gospel songs, and images of a Katrina-ravaged New Orleans are woven into the story.

The past can't stay buried forever Rising author Patti Lacy's second novel exposes the life of Sally, set amid the shadows of prejudice in Louisiana.

Since leaving her home in the South, Sally Stevens has held the secrets of her past at bay, smothering them in a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her husband, has heard the truth about her childhood.

But when one of her students is violently raped, Sally's memories quickly bubble to the surface unbidden, like a dead body in a bayou. As Sally's story comes to light, the lies she's told begin to catch up with her. And as her web of deceit unravels, she resolves to face the truth at last, whatever the consequences.

If you would like to read the first chapter of What The Bayou Saw, go HERE

Watch the Book Trailer:




JEN'S THOUGHTS

I might be a little biased. You see, I know Patti Lacy. She's a wonderful lady with a heart as warm as an Illinois sunrise. We met at a writer's conference where she took me under her wing, mentoring me for a year and becoming my friend in the process. But no matter how dear to my heart she is, I would never praise her book unless I truly thought it was worthy of it. So trust me when I say that What the Bayou Saw is a read that shouldn't be missed.

Sally Stevens convinced herself that the past was dead and buried. But the rape of a student brings up terrible memories of the girl she used to be, and the best friend she left behind. As hurricane Katrina batters New Orleans, Sally knows she must head back to her girlhood home, to face the past, to find her friend, and to put an end to the lies that have become a way of life.

In What the Bayou Saw, Lacy weaves a compelling tale of a friendship that comes up against bigotry, hatred, and unimaginable ugliness. Yet through it all, God's love and redemption shines through. In her signature style, she writes with unapologetic honesty. The result is a book that is gritty, realistic, and wholly satisfying.