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.
She will be one of the featured authors at Book 'Em North Carolina on February 22, 2014 and we hope you'll stop by her table and chat with her about her writing!
ABOUT THE BOOK
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.
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.
SPECIAL LINKS
Barbara will be
awarding a $25 Amazon GC to a randomly drawn commenter during the
tour.Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better
your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Special links:
