CFBA presents THE RHYTHM OF SECRETS by Patti Lacy

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducingThe Rhythm of Secrets(Kregel Publications - December 22, 2010)byPatti Lacy


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patti Lacy, Baylor graduate, taught community college humanities until God called her to span seas and secrets in her novels, An Irishwoman's Tale and What the Bayou Saw. She has two grown children and a dog named Laura. She and her husband can be seen jog-walking the streets of Normal, Illinois, an amazing place to live for a woman born in a car. For more information, visit Patti's website at www.pattilacy.com, her blog at www.pattilacy.com/blog, and her Facebook daily Artbites.







ABOUT THE BOOK

Sheila Franklin has masqueraded as the precocious daughter of avant-garde parents in colorful 1940s New Orleans, a teen desperate for love and acceptance, and an unwed mother sent North with her shame.

After marrying Edward, Sheila artfully masks her secrets, allowing Edward to gain prominence as a conservative pastor. When one phone call from a disillusioned Vietnam veteran destroys her cover, Sheila faces an impossible choice: save her son and his beloved…or imperil Edward’s ambitions.

Inspired by a true story, The Rhythm of Secrets intermingles jazz, classical, and sacred music in a symphony trumpeting God’s grace.


Endorsements:

“A vibrant journey across time in search of the greatest truth of all: grace.”—Tosca Lee, author of Havah: The Story of Eve and Demon: A Memoir 

“No longer a ‘well-kept secret,’ Patti Lacy is a master storyteller who speaks to the soul with a powerful and unique rhythm, weaving a tale so emotionally rich that story and reader become one.”—Julie Lessman, author of The Daughters of Boston series and A Hope Undaunted

“Patti Lacy pens another beautifully written story in The Rhythm of Secrets. I couldn’t put it down!”—Melanie Dobson, award-winning author of The Black Cloister

“The Rhythm of Secrets is a stirring story of faith and endurance that will keep readers turning the page until every last secret is revealed.”—Tina Ann Forkner, author of Ruby Among Us and Rose House

If you would like to read an excerpt of Rhythm of Secrets, go HERE.


JEN'S THOUGHTS

Patti Lacy is one of those rare writers who puts everything out for examination. She doesn't just look at the pretty pieces of life, she looks at the bleak side, too. She knows that without experiencing the bitter, life wouldn't be half as sweet.

In The Rhythm of Secrets, we meet Sheila Franklin, a woman who has lived more lives than most of us could imagine. Tragic circumstances have taken away just about everyone she ever loved. Finally, in her role as wife to Edward, a conservative pastor, Sheila has found a sliver of peace. That is, until an unexpected phone call threatens to tear down her carefully constructed facade.

From the streets of 1940's New Orleans to the jungles of Vietnam, Lacy delivers a story of God's undeniable grace, love and mercy. And she shows that sometimes, the only way to be delivered from your past is to embrace it. I highly recommend this moving novel.

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.

Musing on Dreams with Patti Lacy - WIN HER BOOK!

I'm so happy to welcome back today's guest blogger: my friend, and very cool author, Patti Lacy!

Musing
on Dreams…

Since Daddy was a boys’ dorm director at Baylor back in the early 1960s, two hundred brothers threw me over their shoulders, coaxed me to ride my trike down slick halls, let me operate the switchboard, taught me risqué songs…oh, the trouble…and fun…I had!

Daddy’s work then moved us like pieces about the Deep South checkerboard, and I attended a different school yearly until junior high. Books—and their characters—became the playground friends I didn’t make. I ferreted out clues for Nancy Drew, braided Black Beauty’s glorious mane. Oh, the places I went!

When I wasn’t reading, I dreamed about the mysterious lands in Tales of the Orient or the lovely home where Beautiful Joe lived. Dreams nourished and sustained me through some lonely times, and I thank God for that.

Fantasies morphed into more traditional middle-class desires during my teenaged years. I dreamed of marrying the perfect man, having five husky sons, living on a ranch complete with well-appointed stables and kennels while pursuing important jobs.

Hopes of wearing the robes of a judge or the faded jeans of a geologist vanished like mist over a Louisiana bayou when the Still, Small Voice whispered for me to teach, as my parents did. Then I found a good man who married me in spite of my flaws, and God gave us two children, one boy and one girl.

In 1995, God yanked us from our comfortable Southern porch and deposited us in Terre Haute, Indiana. Just hearing the words Midwest and blizzards and below zero prickled my skin. All my relatives whispered that we’d lost our noggins. After all, none of the clan had ventured north of the Mason-Dixon line—except for Chicago, and that didn’t really count. Wasn’t a big city a big city, even up North?

The Midwest offered amazing friends—and an incredible story about God’s ability to work good through ALL things. Ten years later, the Still Small Voice whispered for me to write that story. I shook my head and stomped my feet, but the Voice persisted. Three years later, Kregel Publications took a chance with my first attempt at writing, An Irishwoman’s Tale.

Dear friends, I have simplified my life by praying one dream: to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God, whose dream weaving makes filthy rags out of my own misguided notions. And oh, it’s an exciting way to live, rising every day and saying, “What do you have for me now, Lord? What do you have for me now?”

To find out more about Patti and her books, visit her website at http://www.pattilacy.com/


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In 1955, Ann Qualls gave birth to her daughter Patti in the front seat of a Buick. By pure coincidence, Ann claims, their daughter was named Patti Day Qualls, PDQ.

This moniker has served Patti well, as she’s moved at least ten times, traveled to forty states, and changed occupations with a liberality unusual in native Texans. However, Patti thinks her latest profession 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, released in 2009.

The secrets women keep and why they keep them continue to capture Patti’s imagination. She writes full time, teaches Bible studies and seminars, and attends book signings. Patti and her husband Alan, an Illinois State faculty member, live in Normal. They have two grown children and a dog named Laura.


ABOUT THE BOOK - What the Bayou Saw

Since leaving Louisiana, Sally Stevens has smothered her childhood with a sunny disposition and sugar-coated lies. No one, not even her beloved husband Sam, knows what happened to her and her best friend, Ella Ward, when they were twelve years old.

Now a teacher in Normal, Illinois, Sally has nearly forgotten her past. Then Shamika, one of her students, is violently attacked, and memories of segregation, a chain-link fence, and a blood oath bubble to the surface like a dead body in a bayou.

Finally entrapped in her web of lies, Sally—and Shamika—embark on a quest to find Ella in post-Katrina New Orleans. With the help of friends, family, and God, Sally can glimpse a life free of the mire of deceit and truly begin to live with joy. But will she pay the price for a lifetime of deception?


WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of What the Bayou Saw, just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on May 21st. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!

CFBA presents AN IRISH WOMAN'S TALE by Patti Lacy

This week, theChristian Fiction Blog Allianceis introducing An Irishwoman's Tale (Kregel Publications - July 8, 2008)byPatti Lacy


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Patti Lacy graduated from Baylor University in 1977 with a B.S. in education. She taught at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, until she retired in 2006 to pursue writing full time. She has two grown children with her husband, Alan, and lives in Illinois.





ABOUT THE BOOK

Far away from her Irish home, Mary Freeman begins to adapt to life in Midwest America, but family turmoil and her own haunting memories threaten to ruin her future.

A shattered cup. Cheap tea. Bitter voices asking what's to be done with the "little eejit." Mary, an impetuous Irishwoman, won't face the haunting memories--until her daughter's crisis propels her back to County Clare. There, in a rocky cliffside home, Mary learns from former neighbors why God tore her from Ireland forty-five years earlier. As she begins to glimpse His sovereign plan, Mary is finally able to bury a dysfunctional past and begin to heal. Irish folk songs and sayings add color to the narrative.


Watch the Book Trailer:



If you would like to read the first chapter of An Irishwoman's Tale go HERE


JEN'S REVIEW

In this stunning debut novel, we meet Mary Freeman, a nurturing woman who wants to take care of her family and have a bit of peace in her life. But caring for her ailing mother is wearing on her, as is her concern for her youngest daughter. When Mary prays for a friend, she never expects God to answer so quickly… or with such a unique woman.

An Irishwoman’s Tale is two stories in one: the tragic heartbreak of a young girl who endures one rejection after the other, and a beautiful, healing friendship between two very different women. Like the threads that make up fine Irish linen, Lacy weaves Mary’s story, combining the past with the present, until both converge and take Mary back to where it all started.

Lacy’s lyrical writing style is perfect for this tale which takes us from Ireland to America and back again. Get ready to settle in with this one, because once you start, you’re not going to want to put it down.

READ THE INTERVIEW

To read my interview with Patti, visit my earlier blog post.

AN IRISHWOMAN'S TALE by Patti Lacy

Writing can be a solitary business, but every now and then God knits you together with someone very special. Today, I’m pleased to introduce one of those people. A talented author and one of my best writing buds, Patti Lacy’s debut novel, An Irishwoman’s Tale is available in stores and online now. Let’s meet Patti!

THE BIO

When Patti left the Louisiana swamps for college in 1972, she actually returned to the site of her first home, Baylor University, where from 1958 to 1962, she lived with her parents in Martin Hall, the boys’ athletic dormitory. Patti’s two hundred big brothers entertained her with magic tricks and tales of wild escapades which planted the love of oral narratives in her heart.

Five years later, Patti graduated with an Education degree and shortly thereafter married Alan Lacy. Both schoolteachers, the couple moved to Arizona, Texas, and eventually settled in the Midwestern town of Normal, Illinois. Alan and Patti are the proud parents of two college-aged children.

The inspiration for An Irishwoman’s Tale was born one day during a discussion on a front porch. An impetuous, red-haired friend asked Patti this question—“What is your first memory?” Four hours later, Patti had been gifted a wonderful story that culminated—four years later—with a trip to the breathtaking cliffs of County Clare, Ireland.

Patti’s second novel contracted in April of 2008. Unsettled Waters takes the reader on a quest with Sally, Mary’s gregarious friend in An Irishwoman’s Tale, to the often-murky bayous of the Deep South. In Unsettled Waters, themes such as racism, sexual abuse, betrayal, and sexual dysfunction within marriage are explored. Patti is also working on a collection of short stories and a memoir.

Besides writing, Patti is passionate about Ministry& More, an organization that provides food and, through prayer, Bible study, and personal testimony, offers the true Bread of Life to clients. Patti also serves as the Midwest Zone director of the American Christian Fiction Writers.

THE INTERVIEW

JA: Please tell us about your book, An Irishwoman’s Tale.
PL: An Irishwoman’s Tale spans two continents and chronicles the quest of Mary, a feisty red-haired woman who’s trying to come to terms with not one, but two dysfunctional families. When her daughter slips into substance abuse, Mary loses her tenuous grip on sanity. At the encouragement of Sally, a chatty new Southern friend, Mary returns to her beloved Ireland and with God’s help, begins to make sense of her past, present, and future.

JA: The friendship between Mary and Sally is really beautiful. What is your favorite thing about their relationship?
PL: Like sweet and sour sauce, they complement each other. One’s caustic, the other syrupy sweet. One’s a motor mouth, the other’s barely civil. Yet the sisterhood of believers provides the glue that holds their friendship together.

JA: Your inspiration for this book was a conversation with an Irish woman after a book discussion group. Can you tell us a little about that?
PL: In 1995, “Mary,” a red-haired woman in a book discussion group I formed stayed late after one of the meetings. I thought she just wanted to help me clean up and pick through the juicy hors d’oeuvres I’d spent hours making a la Southern Living style, but she had something else in mind. As I chatted about my kids, she paced in the family room, finally plopping into a rocker.
“What is your first memory?” Mary asked me.
“I don’t know. I’ve never had to think about it,” I answered.
Her eyes took on a glint of steel. “How pretty. Not to have to think of it.”
Hours later, I’d been gifted a tragic yet majestic story of God’s forgiveness and sovereignty over even the most dysfunctional situations.

Four years later, my family moved away from Mary’s town, yet by now, Mary and I’d become close friends, and stayed in touch. During quiet times, Mary’s story often slipped into my thoughts, and I’d shake my head. Someone sure should write that story, I’d tell myself. One January morning, God told me to do it. I opened a computer file, titled it An Irishwoman’s Tale, and the journey started and didn’t end until Mary and I went back to Ireland and two years later, I’d signed a book contract.

JA: How did the trip to Ireland affect you?
PL: From the minute our jet hovered over the hilly land of a thousand shades of greens, something in my soul opened up and I begin to hear the minor chord of those unbelievable Irish whistles and flutes. With Mary at the wheel, we bumped across the narrow roads of County Clare, meeting Mary’s old neighbors and zany characters who’d find their way into the novel. Mary talked, her expression changing with the intensity of the story, as I held my voice-activated recorder close, hoping to pick up the brogue that was growing thicker by the second. I cherished every minute in that breathtaking country, and the fragrant turf fires continue to burn in my heart.

JA: What do you want people to take away after reading An Irishwoman’s Tale?
PL: The sovereignty of God over even the most dysfunctional situation. The need for society to better accept mental health issues. The value of sharing secrets with Christian companions. The power of Christ’s example of forgiveness.

JA: What’s next for you in the writing arena?
PL: My second novel, Sally’s story, is under contract and will be published in spring or summer of 2009. I think y’all will be surprised at the secrets hidden underneath Sally’s sunny facade.

JA: How has your life changed since you took the plunge into full-time writing?
PL: As much as I miss teaching, I’m thrilled to be doing what I feel God wants me to do. And it’s great to work at home, so I can get a roast going for dinner, have a friend over for coffee, and/or stay in my PJs until noon if I want to.

JA: You write women’s contemporary fiction inspired by Romans 8:28. How has that verse influenced your work?
PL: I love to load my stories up with conflict. The more dysfunctional, the better. Romans 8:28 brings hope to my protagonists (and I hope my readers) no matter how screwed up their lives have been.

JA: Is there something that people would be surprised to know about you?
PL: I’m a pretty normal wife and mother living here in Normal, Illinois. However, I slip so often into the imaginary world of my characters that I have trouble distinguishing truth from fiction. My kids and husband are helping me change this bad habit.

A: Last but not least, how can people keep up with your latest publishing news?
PL: I’m not a blogger—not yet, anyway—but I do update my website monthly and have contests. Please visit www.pattilacy.com and make an entry. I’d love to send you a $15 book card! And thanks for taking the time to visit Jennifer’s blog.

It was great having you as a guest, Patti. May God continue to bless your writing journey!

JEN’S REVIEW

In this stunning debut novel, we meet Mary Freeman, a nurturing woman who wants to take care of her family and have a bit of peace in her life. But caring for her ailing mother is wearing on her, as is her concern for her youngest daughter. When Mary prays for a friend, she never expects God to answer so quickly… or with such a unique woman.

An Irishwoman’s Tale is two stories in one: the tragic heartbreak of young girl who endures one rejection after the other, and a beautiful, healing friendship between two very different women. Like the threads that make up fine Irish linen, Lacy weaves Mary’s story, combining the past with the present, until both converge and take Mary back to where it all started.

Lacy’s lyrical writing style is perfect for this tale which takes us from Ireland to America and back again. Get ready to settle in with this one, because once you start, you’re not going to want to put it down.


WIN THE BOOK

If you’d like to be entered to win a copy of An Irish Woman’s Tale just leave a reply to this blog. I’ll pick a winner at random on September 8th. Please leave an email address so I can contact you if you're the winner. (To prevent spammers from trolling for your email, please use this format with the brackets--you [at] yourmail [dot] com--or something similar.) Good luck!