Silver Sparrow WINNERS and QUOTES

So we have all been licking our lips in eager anticipation of announcement of the winners of the THREE copies of Tayari Jones' Silver Sparrow...




There you have it! The winners are

Cresha
Jennifer
Mzinspiredmind


Hoooooraaaaay!!! Congrats to the winners!

Just so you know that I DO pull names, here is the bag of names. You may see yours in there.



I'd drawn a grid, wrote peeps names and cut everthing up... placed them in a bag and shook it up... closed my eyes tight and pulled some names.

So Congrats! And your books will be signed by the great Tayari Jones, and I will get those out to you next week!

I will be attending one of Tayari's signings tonight... I am soooo excited about that. I text with Tayari, and yack on the phone with her occasionally (she's the only chick who can get the tomboy Oldgirl LadyLee to talk about girly things like lipstick and purses), but man oh man, it is a TREAT to get a chance to hear her do a reading and talk about the writing life. It is HEAVEN, I tell ya. Pure Heaven!!

I remember calling her one day last month... I read on Facebook or Twitter or something that she had gotten her tenure. I frantically dialed her cell phone number! (Yes, I am a true stalker. I got her numbers and her Mama and nem phone number too). I was so excited for her!

She was sitting in her office. She had some music going... I congratulated her, and wondered aloud why she didn't tell me. Then I asked her to do something.

"Read to me!"

"What?" she said.

"Read to me, Celie! Read page 5! Second paragraph, last couple sentences, Man! READ!"

She flipped pages. "I don't think that's what you want me to read, Nettie."

Humph. There was some discussion between us. I got a little perturbed. I knew this when I asked her to "Read it right!" through clenched teeth. (My cubicle mate Cowgirl Cre fell into a fit of giggles over this telephone exchange.)

So Celie, uh, I mean Tayari read the following passage:

"On that day, my mother would be called upon to do the talking. She is gifted with language and is able to layer difficult details in such a way that the result is as smooth as water. She is a magician who can make the whole world feel like a dizzy illusion. The truth is a coin that she pulls from behind your ear."

"Woooow," I whispered. "Wonderful! That is great! Read it again, Celie!!!!!!"

She read it again. I was happy. Would've asked her to read it a third time if she didn't have to get ready for class. (She would've probably hung up on me... after which I would have had to do some stalkerish power dialing.)

I think her reading to me that day made my day. I didn't do much of anything else that day. LOL

I will hear her read tonight. But I have been doing much stalker texting. Anytime I read something in the book, I'd throw the book down and text her the line that moved me. Followed by "That's CLASSIC JONES!" LOL

I went back through my text messages and pulled some of my favorite lines...

Here's a small taste of my favorite quotes from the book.

"I was as ordinary as scrambled eggs."

"His glasses were as thick as the bulletproof window at the liquor store."

"It smelled faintly of boy: sweat, fried chicken, and cut grass."

"She was like a pinball machine - all energy, lights, and percussion.

"The truth is a strange thing. Like pornography, you know it when you see it."

"The secret was mine, wrapped like a shiny present, lodged on a high shelf where Mother could see it but couldn't reach it."

"People say, that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But they are wrong. What doesn't kill you, doesn't kill you. That's all you get. Sometimes, you just have to hope that's enough."

*ladylee hugs self and exhales*

Aww yes... those are great lines. CLASSIC JONES! Indeed.

I must go somewhere and light a smallcandle and be quiet and reflective now.

Oh, I just hope I don't pass out from joy tonight.

LOL

Congrats to the winners! Get your info to me!

You all have a great weekend... I know I will! On purpose!!