bookshelves: to-read
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by Patti Lacy
Greetings Unika Modlen
AAMBC Reviewer,
As I yet to read this wonderful novel, What the Bayou Saw by Patti Lacy, of which I hope to soon, your review has given me such a sweet flavour of the bittersweet taste that I know existed on ' highway 55 north, from Louisiana to Illinois...'
It may have been told in a fiction story form but it was as real then as it is now. In fact, as I sit here, now over 6,000 miles away blessed to be living now near London, England drinking my hot cup of tea, I too am delightfully forced by the reading of your review to go down memory lane.
I thank you for such an enticing review and welcome you as well to read my novel, Feelings, as it too embarks on social injustice through the eyes of my heroine, Manerva R. Jones as she ventured from the South to Chicago.
Sincerely,
Tempie
of
Albert and Tempie ]]>
AlbertandTempie Williams
read and liked
African Americans on the Move Book Club's
review of What the Bayou Saw:
"Patti Lacy has penned an unforgettable literary masterpiece in What the Bayou Saw. Laced with lyrics from African American spirituals, this tale eloquently illustrates the lives of three unlikely women. The story takes the reader on a ride down highw...more "
"Patti Lacy has penned an unforgettable literary masterpiece in What the Bayou Saw. Laced with lyrics from African American spirituals, this tale eloquently illustrates the lives of three unlikely women. The story takes the reader on a ride down highw...more "
by Tempie
TEMPIE…
TOMORROW’S AUTHOR TODAY
‘FEELINGS’
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Conducted via telephone on July 30, 2006.
BY ALBERT WILLIAMS
(MEET) TEMPIE
E
very once in a while, there comes along an author who captures in real-time the spirit of a particular society.
One such author in my view, is Memphis-born, Tempie D. King, author of ‘‘Feelings’’ (ISBN -4241-0706-7) Published by Maryland-based, traditional publisher, Publishamerica LLLP. This 164-page publication is a modern-day, classic written in the literary tradition of the Deep South. Its treatment of its subject, matter resembles such writers as the renowned, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Ernest Hemingway and Og Mandino who are the author’s idols.
Following is an in-depth exclusive interview with the author herself, in which Tempie reflects on her past, present and future.
WILLIAMS: Tell us a little about your background. What prompted you to write ‘Feelings’. Who is Tempie?
TEMPIE: Ok Albert. Excellent question made me stop and think for minute. Tempie is…a very passionate, simple southern, down home country girl. She has a sense of family, she has been single. She is 51 years old. She has never married. She has no children she is the oldest of five. In a sense she has mothered her siblings. She is that type of person. She has been writing basically all of her life. That has been her estate. She’s very expressive. She’s very emotional. She’s very proud of that. And ‘Feelings’ was not originally thought out to be novel. ‘Feelings’ is simply what it is, her ‘Feelings’. ‘‘Feelings’’ is a combination…is compiled of all her 51 years of notes when she was going through life. When she had moments
SIGNATURE PHOTOGRAPH OF TEMPIE MODELLING AN OUTFIT FROM ONE OF OPRAH’S DESIGNERS SHOPS IN CHICAGO
of almost anything. Whether she was happy about getting a gift, or whether she was sad about losing a friend, whether she got a promotion on her job, It was sort of her diary; it was journal. Back when people didn’t really write, this was ‘Feelings’ is her friend too. Basically, that’s what ‘Feelings’ is. ‘Feelings’ kind of grew with her.
WILLIAMS: …And you come from Memphis, right?
TEMPIE: Born and raised in Memphis Tennessee.
WILLIAMS: Now when did you realize that you wanted to turn these journalistic doodlings into a novel? What inspired you to want to publish a novel?
TEMPIE: Another good question. It’s interesting that you say that, because I really didn’t realize that until I had moved away from Memphis Tennessee. You see Albert, I’m very proud of being 51, and I will tell you that I spent half of my life in Memphis, and half of my life in Chicago up until now. So it was at the latter half, that I felt that I was at a crossroad. I remember being a strong, southern somebody, in a very opposite place that I was born and landed in Chicago. And I remember I was going through a transition period between jobs. In fact I was unemployed at the time. And I had a lot of time on my hands. Well, I am sure that every person goes through transition periods. My transition past time at that time, as I remembered was that I relied on doing what I did best; and that was sitting and analyzing my life and my self. And doing that I had a lot of time on my hands and started reading more and going through my notes. I found my self, getting up early in the mornings. That’s when I, I don’t mind telling you too, from a religious point of view, God and has always been my guide, and he would get me up about 3am to 4 am every morning. And then reading my scriptures, and reading my notes, and little by little, things just kind of came up to me, and I found myself just excited about writing. When I started writing, the story sort of leaped out. One thing led to another. It really surprised me. Because I found out that within a couple weeks time, I had written a chapter…and it excited me. I think I always had this secret desire deep down to write…but I hadn’t really pursued it until then. So it really gave me an opportunity to challenge my self, and I found myself going to the library to learn how you write novel.
“I had no idea that I would actually write a novel, but I did know that I had stumbled up on something that could not be ignored.”
This is basically how it started. I’d like to say also, ‘Feelings’ was written ten years ago…that’s when I wrote it. I remember every day, it was like a had an obsession. I’d go to the library and I made a job out of learning how to write a novel myself. I read every writing book on fiction. I found out something about myself that in writing, I became very happy. You can see how I am now because of what it did for me. I was this person away from home. I was going through my own life obstacles but I didn’t want family and people to know. So I would just write down what I was feeling, and when I did that gave me a sense fulfilment. It made me feel good about my self and my life…it filled a lot of voids, and so I built on that. One thing led to another, and the idea came to me, I knew I had been successful in jobs, and the reason why I didn’t have one at the time was no fault of my own, it was simply down-sizing. I had been at the height of my career in Chicago. I had become very successful in management, sales, marketing, education and healthcare. You name it I thank God I had been able to accomplish so many things. I will also share I was able to meet so many people in my career and walk through life including my walk through the years while living over twenty years in Chicago. I will get a little ahead of myself and say, later after I had my book, ‘‘Feelings’’ published I choose to use the picture on the back cover because it represented such a successful time in which I was able to model some of Oprah’s clothes that were specially designed for her from one of her designer shops in Chicago. No Albert, I have never met Oprah, however, my signature picture wearing the apple green pantsuit with the bold and colourful scarf on my book cover back is one of the outfits from that designer shop. My wish is to someday meet Oprah and tell her and let her know how much I have always admired her and what an inspiration she has always been to me in my life. Then all of a sudden with no prior notice or indication
my job was no more....
by Albert Williams
JOURNALIST, FREE-LANCE REPORTER, LITERARY CRITIC, POET AND AUTHOR OF
HAUNTED HERITAGE AND OTHER STORIES
PUBLISHAMERICA-
ISBN 1-4241-0680-X
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Haunted Heritage and Other Stories receives 5-star rating
Reviewed by Tempie Author of Feelings
Reading this author/poet’s collection of mystifying stories and sensual poems immediately took me to another place. A place far beyond my soul. A place where I was challenged to feel every essence of this written- journey. Where as a reader you make an effortless choice of either savoring the flavor of arousal or simply reading the mere words and have an insipid insatiable affect.
It all began when I first took the sheet of paper off the typewriter on the cover and turned the page. I too became prey of a most inviting beast that engulfed me whole. Swallowed by untainted delight not wanting to be released as each poem took hold and gripped me tightly. Shamelessly, asking where are those trees that were greenest? Can anything be more desirable than the sun at its zenith? Feeling the flower blooming every hour against a verdure stem. . With light illuminating their dream world she reads their favorite poems. Realizing the heart that knows depths of love may never be deceived. Without her he is lost.
The Haunted Heritage is the highlight story with a most exhilarating twist. Centering around a British husband Phillip’s ordeal of taking his Dominican nurse wife Margaret back to her ginger bread fretwork homeland after being gone for seventeen years. The story unfolds as they return to find a seventy five year old caretaker Leah of African decent displaying bouts full of hostility. The evening is hot and sticky and Margaret becomes uneasy whispering to Phillip she hears strange things. Phillip ultimately accuses her of going mad over the spirits of the West Indies.
The author/poet writes a beautiful story line that shows that Margaret is overtaken by bouts of manic depression. She is hailed by the town as not only being of notoriety in being a descendant of a famous writer but she too writes her own novel, The River Clear Revelation.
Another story that took my fancy was, Baby in the Middle. This story had a faint biblical abstract at its core. It is about a baby being born of a couple that after six months of their marriage the husband accepts a seven-year medical study scholarship. He is only able to be with his wife once a year and for six months they are able to be with another. As this story continues, the wife announces by telephone into the sixth year of marriage she is with a child. The husband joyously receives the news only to inform the wife he has had a sperm count done and found out he could no way father a baby. The wife frantically confesses she had been unfaithful many times with the gardener. The doctor weighs his options and suggests they adopt the baby to avoid a scandal.
All in all this is a must get book to feel, see and taste the idyllic sensual delight of life that this author/poet takes you on within the most simplistic joy ride journey ever. I highly recommend Haunted Heritage and Other Stories by Albert Williams to be a great read for mature adults with a creative and vivid imagination. This is a five star rating.
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Author Comments...Feelings!!!
One of the most fascinating aspects for me was to develop a powerful dimensional storyline in which spiritual truths and social injustice are interwoven. Where blacks exist on a high professional status quo level in multi - cuture environments. Rising above stigmatisms showing hope prevails in the face of adversities if beliefs in God, family and love are not waivered. Tempie ]]>