Lemonade

I’m sitting at my desk and looking at a copy of my new book Fried Chicken & Wine.  It’s more than a book to me.  It’s lemonade. That cool, tangy drink made out of one of life’s bitterest lemons —  a sudden change in my life that I wasn’t expecting. But it was an upheaval that led to something very special to me:  I now have done something I never believed I could do. I’ve written a book.

I had a teacher once who told me that I couldn’t write well. The biggest sin committed that day wasn’t her discouragement. It was me believing her. Since then, I’ve resisted writing because when I did, I heard her voice.  Don’t get me wrong — life turned out just fine. My creativity blossomed in other ways — as a speaker, a cartoonist and a radio host. But I always shied away from words.  I didn’t want to hear her voice again.

So when my world was shaken up two years ago, walls began to fall. Walls of doubt. Walls of fear. I began writing short stories that rattled in my head.  And I enlisted talented friends to help me launch them in book form.

A week ago, the lemonade arrived in 79 boxes.  And so far, it’s an early hit.  Reviews and comments have been strong.  I have a book that I am very proud of.

I’m not proud because it’s a literary masterpiece. No, it just shows me that I can do anything I put my mind to — if I get out of my comfort zone.

Tonight at 5 p.m. I have a book signing at Lemuria Books in Jackson. It’s off the I-55 frontage road in Banner Hall.  Get off the Northside Drive exit and head south on the frontage road.  Don’t think of it as me personalizing a book for you. Think of it as me serving you a sweet glass of lemonade.

I think you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.