TUESDAY SPARKS: INTROS/TEASERS — GODS IN ALABAMA — JAN. 15

On By Laurel-Rain SnowIn tuesday sparks

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Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events, from Tuesday/First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Bibliophile by the Sea; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by Should Be Reading.

Today I’m sharing a book I got from the library, written by an author I’ve enjoyed.  Gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson, is a story about secrets, guilt, and patched together “alibis.”

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Intro/First Paragraphs:  There are gods in Alabama:  Jack Daniel’s, high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus.  I left one back there myself, back in Possett.  I kicked it under the kudzu and left it to the roaches.

I made a deal with God two years before I left there.  At the time, I thought He made out pretty well.  I offered Him a three-for-one-deal:  All He had to do was perform a miracle.  He fulfilled His end of the bargain, so I kept my three promises faithfully, no matter what the cost.  I held our deal as sacred for twelve solid years.  But that was before God let Rose Mae Lolley show up on my doorstep, dragging my ghosts and her own considerable baggage with her.

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What do you think?  Is your interest sparked by this beginning?

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Teaser:  I took the tequila with me and drank it as I made the long hike home.  Worm and all.  p. 39

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Amazon Blurb:  For 10 years Arlene has kept her promises, and God has kept His end of the bargain. Until now. When an old schoolmate from Possett turns up at Arlene’s door in Chicago asking questions about Jim Beverly, former quarterback and god of Possett High, Arlene’s break with her former hometown is forced to an end. At the same time, Burr, her long-time boyfriend, has raised an ultimatum: introduce him to her family or consider him gone. Arlene loves him dearly but knows her lily white (not to mention deeply racist)Southern Baptist family will not understand her relationship with an African American boyfriend. Reluctantly, Arlene bows to the pressure, and she and Burr embark on the long-avoided road trip back home. As Arlene digs through guilt and deception, her patched-together alibi begins to unravel, and she discovers how far she will go for love and a chance at redemption.

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Now I’m off to see what you are all spotlighting.  Come on by and chat!

46 thoughts on “TUESDAY SPARKS: INTROS/TEASERS — GODS IN ALABAMA — JAN. 15”

    1. Me, too, Sandra….I am surprised at how much I feel connected to Southern characters, since I grew up in California…but my paternal grandparents lived in Missouri, and that’s similar in many ways. Thanks for visiting!

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  5. Gods in Alabama sounds like a fun read. I’m partial to Southern literature as I spent the 90s in NC, which isn’t really considered South by some standards, but still. It was as far south as this Canadian will probably ever be. I loved it there!

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    1. Oh, I definitely think of NC as Southern, Trish…I even notice some Southern characteristics from folks who live in Missouri, which some consider the Midwest.

      I think Southern is a state of mind. Thanks for visiting!

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  12. This sounds like an interesting story. I wonder how her parents reacted to Burr. It reminded me of the old K. Hepburn, and Spencer Tracy movie, “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.”

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  14. Great teaser! Although I’ve read other books by Joshilyn Jackson, I’ve never read this one. I didn’t realize when I read Back Seat Saints, it was the sequel to Gods in Alabama. I recently listened to A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty and LOVED it!! I know you’ll enjoy this book! Have a great week!

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