Jody Seay Part Texan, Part Oregonian, 100% Character
Jody Seay is an award-winning author whose first novel, THE SECOND COMING OF CURLY RED, won First Prize for Fiction at the Mendocino Coast Writer's Conference, and then went on to become a Finalist in the prestigious Oregon Book Awards. Her musical play (BUNKIN' WITH YOU IN THE AFTERLIFE) was professionally produced and performed in Portland, Oregon. Her numerous essays and short stories have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the country. Even though Jody swears she loves to write, she also maintains that writing makes her self-absorbed and grumpy for extended periods of time. Sometimes, she also breaks out in a rash, but, usually, that only happens when her computer crashes. Technology is hard for her, which brings her deep shame and makes her mean. She swears she'll get better at it, but, really, she never does. Luckily, she has other strengths, and, thank goodness for that! ALMOST A MURDER is Jody Seay's third book.
THE SECOND COMING OF CURLY RED
This candid, compelling, compassionate novel could have been torn out of today's newspaper headings. One minute Texan Jimmy Heron is sitting next to his beloved wife of 50 years eating pie, the next minute she is dead in his arms; killed by a racist, woman-hating, semiautomatic gun-toting maniac. Shattered by Lou's senseless death, Jimmy Heron hits the road - can't sit still; can hardly breathe. He roams the western landscape looking for solace until he lands in the tiny pioneer town of Reliance, Oregon. Here he settles, figuring it is as good a place as any to wait until he dies. His new neighbors, however, delicately jump into his life. They are a lesbian couple eagerly awaiting the birth of their first child and their Native American ranch hand. Together they gently encourage Jimmy to deal with loss and death and kindness, perseverance and love. Jimmy Heron starts the healing process. That's when his new friends become the targets of a vicious campaign. Fueled by lies and bigotry couched as "family values", the hatred begins to poison the soul of their little community. Each character caught in the conflagration must decide what they believe. It is in this heat, a community is forged and a town remembers how it got its name. The Second Coming of Curly Red will grab you by the heart and not let go.
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DEAD IN A DITCH: GROWING UP IN TEXAS AND OTHER NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES
I come from a large family. My Mother's biggest fear was that one or all of us would die on her watch when we were babies and then children. As we grew up, her fear shifted a little - not just that we would die, but that we would be found Dead In A Ditch. It was the ditch part that always made it seem so much worse, something drug or alcohol related, to be sure. Mother's children crumpled up and tossed out the window like an old beer can. 'Where have you been?' she would say, 'I was worried sick. I thought you were dead in a ditch.' This was Mother's mantra. Author Jody Seay is as compelling in person as she is on the page. Her memoir is like looking at someone’s picture album and, bit by bit, figuring out the story of a loud, rowdy, both loving and dysfunctional Texas family of the 1950-60’s and beyond. From snakes to heathenism to communists to lockjaw, Jody takes the reader on a ride full of laughter and tears, swirling through her childhood of double-dog dares, screeching through a young adulthood filled with addiction, danger, stupid choices, redemption, and am amazing amount of (mostly undeserved) good luck to, finally, coming out as a lesbian to her very conservative family after her realization: LIVING AN AUTHENTIC LIFE IS THE BRAVEST THING SHE’LL EVER DO.
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ALMOST A MURDER
In a REAL-LIFE COURTROOM LEGAL DRAMA, ALMOST A MURDER, authors Jody Seay and Jim Lloyd recount how a wealthy "Son of Oklahoma" is slain by his delicate foreign wife. To police, the brutal facts are clear: she cracked his skull with a bat, shot him twice, she strangled him, dumped his body; lied repeatedly and then, when cornered, she confessed. Everyone believes it's going to be a slam-dunk murder trial and a quick trip to lethal injection. But cub lawyer, Lloyd, reluctantly comes to her defense in this completely lopsided contest. He puts his family and future in jeopardy to defend a killer with no friends, no money, and who barely speaks English. Together the defendant and Jim stand against powerful political and financial forces in an epic battle between retribution and truth in the Oklahoma legal system. Ultimately this TRUE CRIME THRILLER is one of the most studied legal clashes in US law today. Written by an award-winning author and the lawyer who defended this case, ALMOST A MURDER, showcases their stunning ability to capture pivotal moments and to reveal vulnerability. This provides readers an unparalleled "you are there" view of the headline-making trial with personalities on display. And the regional tone is captured perfectly. It's a sensational battle... drama, humanity, moral dilemma and, yes, even painful self-examination as it happened in this great Oklahoma courtroom. xx
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I've Finished Almost a Murder
I’ve finished my third book, ALMOST A MURDER. It’s a true story, written like a novel (like Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, but we didn’t have to make things up because this story is exciting enough all on its own). It’s a nonfiction novel, or literary realism, or a courtroom drama – call it what you will, we are very proud of it. I think it could make bestseller so that means we all need to be talking it up and recommending it to others.
Jody Seay (pronounced ‘See’)
Her writing is a combination of tender, funny, and common sense. It reflects the humor and wisdom of fellow Texan, Molly Ivins, shaken together with the type of yarns spun by American populist, Will Rogers. Jody Seay has always believed in the power of stories to change our world. Jody says, “I do see myself as grounded, intelligent, funny, outspoken, and liberal. My writing reflects those characteristics along with a touch of tenderness, which I think touches people’s hearts. If I can write a story that makes people laugh and cry, then that makes me a happy girl. Indeed, if I can write a story that breaks my own heart and I still feel good at the end of it, I know I’ve put another one over the center field wall.” Jody now lives in Oregon with her partner, their sweet little dog and a mean cat.