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.
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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.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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. Two other novels, The Gospel According to Prissy (released in the spring of 2013) and Shyla’s Initiative, both received an IPPY Award for Best Book in Regional Fiction. Her most recent young/new adult book, The Cadence of Gypsies, has been selected as an Amazon Best Read and received the 2013 IPPY Living Now Award.
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.
Follow the Author
Website / Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Goodreads / Authors Den / Linkenin
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GIVEAWAY
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.
Did you have a favorite toy as a child?
The tour dates can be found HERE.
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To get your copy of The Gospel According To Prissy by Barbara Casey, click on the cover below.
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If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.
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Thank you for hosting me today.
It is my pleasure. The cast of characters make me think this will be an interesting read. What intrigued me the most, was the end of the excerpt. I wish you many downolads. ^_^
Prissy is a very special and unique child. For one thing she was born in a women’s prison. But the thing that makes her extraordinarily different from other five-year-old children is that she has memorized the Bible, and she is able to quote scripture for whatever the situation is. Of course, her favorite toy is her doll–who happens to be named Mary Magdalene.
I feel the doll has a story of its own????? ^_^ I feel a need to find out HER story. Excellent blurb and excerpt. Did all it was supposed to do. lol
Thanks for hosting!
My pleasure.
I used to play with the Jane West action figures, my favorite was Geronimo. I played with the neighbor boys who all had GI Joes so this was the next best thing for me. Oh, the memories of those dolls. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and for the giveaway.
I remember having Barbie’s but was not that interested in them. Funny how we called them all dolls, even GI Joes, and now they are all action figures. lol You are welcome for the trip and I wish you luck in the giveaway. I love to ask questions for the giveaways to see what others think. Thanks for sharing.
This sounds very interesting and the excerpt has piqued my curiosity. What an unusual cast of characters she has surrounded herself with. Thanks for sharing!
You are welcome. Thank you for commenting.
Those were my thoughts too Kimba. Thanks for stopping in and commenting. ^_^
Hi Barbara. Glad to see you stopping by. This sounds like a very interesting book with an unusual cast of characters. I couldn’t resist sharing it. ^_^
I am so glad you did. This book is a glimpse into the lives of so many people from different walks of life. Yet they come together in this story with their baggage, faults, and personal dramas with little Prissy serving as the common denominator. As suspenseful and the story is, the ending will make you glad you read it.
It sits on my TBR list. I feel HER looking at me. lol
I had a doll I loved.
Awesome, so appropriate for this tour. ^_^ I cannot remember a favorite toy, but just now I thought of the stick horse I used to ride around the yard while playing Cowboys and Indians. Bang Bang – LOL
A stick horse counts! It is just like a doll except with four legs.
LOL
So did I, Rita. In this case, the doll Mary Magdalene is a physical sign of Prissy’s special gift–being able to quote scripture and apply it in any given situation. Living with her incarcerated mother as she does, in a prison, the inmates come to rely on Prissy for her wisdom–even the most hardened criminals.
I love a blurb that is short and sweet, tells what the story is about without telling the entire story, and piques your curiosity all at the same time. This blurb does that very well.
I had a huge Raggedy Ann doll that was my favorite toy. Then I watched a scary movie and decided she was creepy and gave her away!
I’ll always remember the day my Dad asked my son–who has three sisters–what’s that toy you’re holding? (It was his favorite, a Darth Vader doll.) My son’s response: a Darth Vader Barbie!!!
I love it–“out of the mouths of babes!” Thanks for the giggle, Taylor. In the case of Prissy in this book, her doll offers security and so much more. It symbolizes Prissy’s unusual gift of prophecy. One of the eyes on the doll doesn’t quite close, and one arm juts out at a peculiar angle from being carried around so much, and she is pretty soiled from getting so much attention from Prissy, but that doll is loved–just as Prissy–a 4-year-old child who lives in a prison–is. Thank you so much for your comment and for sharing your story. I really enjoyed it.
Thanks very much Taylor. That was wonderful. I didn’t laugh at you, but with you.
Thanks Barbara for the lowdown on Prissy’s doll. I knew there was something special about her. ^_^
That’s probably why you feel her looking at you–it’s that eye that doesn’t quite close. But she’s harmless–just like Prissy. And very much loved.
LOL. Good one. She does seem to be drawing me in deeper and deeper.
Love the excerpt! Thanks for sharing and for the chance to win!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
Thanks for followiing my tour, Natasha. Good luck!
My favorite toy as a child was a chipmunk named “Chip”. My dad got him while he was off truck-driving
ChaoticKarma23 at gmail dot com
That is adorable Veronica. Thanks for commenting and good luck.
It is amazing what a book can help us remember –especially things from the past. Glad you stopped by, Veronica.
Sherry, I had a wonderful time visiting on your site and meeting you and your bloggers. Thank you so much again for hosting me. Let’s do it again some time. Happy Thanksgiving!
Barbara
I would love to. It was my pleasure having you visit and getting to know you. Happy Thanksgiving!
This looks like a beautiful piece!
I was intrigued by the book, but after I read the excerpt I was even more curious and drawn to Prissy. I feel it might be a little different kind of book, with a young child like her.
My favorite toy was a stuffed turtle. I wonder whatever happened to it?
Hmmm. Whatever made you pick a turtle? Guess you were a beachy person from the getgo.
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