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.
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.
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.
