Book cover is by UTC's Ruth Grover
Chattanooga author Patricia Paris has published her second novel, The Spiritual Side of Sarah.
Two book signings are scheduled locally.
They are:
Barnes & Noble - Hamilton Place, July 12, 4-6 p.m.
Waldenbooks - Northgate July 19, 2-4 p.m.
The book is published by 1st World Library, Austin, Tex.
The publishers said, "Native southerner Patricia Paris, a mother of three, shares her lifelong love of writing with readers everywhere as she weaves a colorful pattern of storylines and characters into The Spiritual Side of Sarah, her second novel. Paris uses her uncanny ability to peek between the sheets and her attention to nostalgic detail to give her readers a glimpse inside the heart and soul of Sarah, a religious fanatic and a master of hypocrisy and deception.
"Combining fictional with real characters of the time, readers are given a nostalgically detailed tour beginning in the Tennessee foothills of the Smoky Mountains and stopping briefly in Columbus, Ga., and Fort Benning before heading deep into Alabama. The author, with her inimitable tongue-in-cheek writing style, exposes and spoofs the flaws in Sarah’s spiritual side.
"The Spiritual Side of Sarah, is a compelling story of a southern woman who learns very early in life just how easy it is to get what she wants. Sarah ventures into courtship and marriage in much the same way that the spider weaves its web and her extraordinary journey into fundamentalism allows the reader to see a side of the Deep South rarely seen by mainstream America. In her inimitable tongue-in-cheek fashion, the author exposes and spoofs the flaws in Sarah’s spiritual side."
Ms. Paris, a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild, is currently working on the sequel to The Spiritual Side of Sarah.
Patricia Paris’ first novel, Connections, is available from 1st Books (www.1stbooks.com). Connections, is "a poignant story of relationships, a fictional journey interlaced with memories of being raised alone by an emotionally disturbed mother, sprinkled throughout with humor and heartwarming chuckles."
The cover photography for both of the books was done by Ruth Grover, curator of the Art Museum of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, who in her spare time is an outstanding freelance photographer, aerobics instructor and marathon runner.
Ms. Paris said, "I feel that Ruth's eye-catching photography makes the cover a real attention getter and I humbly and sincerely realize that my book could not be a success without the two of us teaming together.
"I've been 'writing things down' since I was a child, sometimes in the
form of a journal or a poem but often taking events and observations and shaping them into a storyline. Then I would get sidetracked and cram everything into a drawer where I would find it two years later and wonder what on earth had I been thinking and why had I written this? I finally decided to share my love of writing and not stuff it into a
drawer.
"When the bell went off in my head that was the initial idea for 'Sarah',
I instantly knew what the book would be about, plotted the storyline roughly in my mind, could visualize the cover, and knew what the title must be. I had a complete book in my head, complete with graphics, and so I quickly set about writing the book and then spent months finding just the right 'props' so that Ruth could make my vision of the bookcover a reality.
"I couldn't find a cross in any of the retail stores that came close to
my imagined one, so I finally turned to the intenet where I found talented artist, Elizabeth at Kil'n Time Studio in Denton, Tex. Elizabeth listened to my ideas of how the cross should be and got busy with a handful of clay, firing, and glazing. She got it perfect the first time. As many research hours went into 'Sarah' as actual writing time, mainly because I knew so little about the many hues and colors of fundamentalism."
"For more information, visit the website for The Spiritual Side of Sarah at
http://store.1stworldlibrary.com/spsiofsa.html