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Guest Post with Isla Morley, author of Come Sunday & GIVEAWAY

September 10, 2010 by Darlene


I’d like to welcome Isla Morley, author of Come Sunday to Peeking Between the Pages today. Come Sunday is a wonderful novel that takes you on a journey through a mother’s grief over losing a child to finding in herself the will to move on again and choose life. You can see my review of Come Sunday here.

Isla joins us today with a personal story that really hits home with me. She talks of losing a family pet but finding joy in another – that really the only thing you can do is open your heart and love again. Grab your favorite drink and read Isla’s story of Birdie…

I came home from grocery shopping a couple of weeks ago and on the kitchen counter, commanding the attention of my husband, my daughter, the dog and the Siamese cat was a collection of fuzzy feathers and a big, wide-open orange beak. I wanted to say, “Oh, no, no, no. This is all going to end badly. C’mon, everyone, back to your senses,” but I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. A baby mockingbird was throwing a tantrum. Birdie wanted num-nums, and she wanted it N-O-W.

She scampered over to me and gave me that look. “You have to feed her!” I yelled at my husband. (You’d think after eight years of motherhood I would be impervious to such obvious displays of manipulation.)

“I have fed her,” he said. “Three times already.”

“Well, then, feed her again. She’s starving.” I looked at the little bird and cooed. And then we were all lost, all of us hopelessly smitten with a curmudgeonly bird marching up and down the kitchen counter.

Birdie kept us on a rigorous schedule. I’d wake up at dawn to the sound of a cheep as incessant as the smoke detector when the battery dies. I’d poke my husband in the ribs. “Birdie’s hungry.” The feeding ritual – a goopy mix administered by a syringe – would then go on for the next sixteen hours with very little interruption. After a gargantuan meal, Birdie would nap. For about three minutes. And then the whole process of fluttering wings and high-pitched chirps and acting cute would start up again.

My husband took her to work, with all the requisite paraphernalia. I considered buying a diaper bag. On Sunday morning, as he conducted the worship service, Birdie got to sit right in front of the pulpit and try out her cutsie act on a couple hundred people.

On Monday, a week after falling out the nest, Birdie began flying lessons. Her tail feathers were just starting to grow out but she was eager to launch off my daughter’s finger and flap her way to a rather smooth landing on the office floor. When she grew tired, she nestled in my daughter’s neck and went to sleep, for three minutes. Life was great. Perfect, really. My girl was happy, my husband was enjoying motherhood and Birdie had beaten the odds. And then…

A friend came to visit the latest family member. After she held the bird for a minute, she passed it to my husband. Being passed from my husband’s hands to my daughter’s, Birdie seized on the opportunity for another flight lesson. She fluttered quickly to the floor amidst very big shoes. Sensing the danger, my daughter quickly knelt down to retrieve Birdie before someone stepped on her. In the split second it takes for disaster to strike, Birdie fluttered to the patch of carpet just where my daughter’s knee was about to land.

It’s an awful sound, silence.

In place of Birdie’s cheep, came the razor-sharp silence of self-recrimination.

I kept wanting to say something, kept waiting for my husband to say something, but what? Nothing made sense. There was a wild thing beating in my chest, and I only had to look at my daughter’s tear-streaked face, to see how she couldn’t right herself, to know the wild thing had gotten her worse. Something had taken our best intention and flipped it on its back, made us realize there’s no defense against accidents, or grief.

We buried Birdie in the corner of our yard under the old oak tree. There wasn’t any answer to the question, Why. A couple days later, a crazy idea materialized and its name was Puppy. Now, in the back room of my head lives a very old naggy lady who does the crossword puzzle and has impeccable hearing and likes to tell me what I write isn’t fit to print. When the word “puppy” was whispered between my husband and I, she said, “If you jokers can’t take care of a bird, how are you going to take care of a dog?” But I remembered the lessons I learned from writing Come Sunday, how eventually there is nothing left to do but risk your heart again, love again.


We brought home for our daughter a chocolate-colored fuzzball. The old lady neighed, “You’re never going to get any work done with that thing around.” We’ll, she’s sometimes right. The fuzzball wakes us up at dawn, and wants to play way past bedtime. She chews everything in site, teases the Siamese and pesters the tortoise. It doesn’t matter that my writing has stalled this summer because we are all head-over-heels again.

__________

Isla, thank you so much for sharing this story with us. You have a way of telling any story that manages to capture my heart. I really look forward to your next novel. Come Sunday is such a special novel that it won the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for 2009!!! You can check info on what this award is here. Come Sunday was also a finalist for the Commonwealth Prize and longlisted for South Africa’s premier literary award, the Sunday Times Literary Award.
__________

About the Book

Abbe Deighton is a woman who has lost her bearings. Once a child of the African plains, she is now settled in Hawaii, married to a minister, and waging her battles in a hallway of monotony. There is the leaky roof, the chafing expectations of her husband’s congregation and the constant demands of motherhood. But in an instant, beginning with the skid of tires, Abbe’s battlefield is transformed when her three-year-old daughter is killed, triggering in Abbe a seismic grief that will cut a swath through the landscape of her life and her identity.

Clawing its way through the strata of grief comes the memory of another tragedy, one that has been tucked away for twenty years. If Abbe is to find a way through blame and guilt and find redemption she must confront the last summer of her youth.

It is a journey that will take her back to the continent of her childhood, bringing her face-to-face with her past, to the old witchdoctor’s hut where curses were cast, secrets kept and a crime concealed. Abbe will have to make the harshest of choices, choices which blur the lines of life and death, responsibility and forgiveness, murder and self-defense.

Come Sunday is a novel about searching for a true homeland, family bonds torn asunder, and the unearthing of decades-old secrets. It is a novel to celebrate, and Isla Morley is a writer to love.

About the Author

Isla Morley grew up in South Africa during apartheid, the child of a British father and fourth-generation South African mother. During the country’s State of Emergency, she graduated from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth with a degree in English Literature.

By 1994 she was one of the youngest magazine editors in South Africa, but left career, country and kin when she married an American and moved to California. For more than a decade she pursued a career in non-profit work, focusing on the needs of women and children.

She has lived in some of the most culturally diverse places of the world, including Johannesburg, London and Honolulu. Now in the Los Angeles area, she shares a home with her husband, daughter, two cats, a dog and a tortoise.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

I have 1 copy of Come Sunday to share with my readers. To enter…

  • For 1 entry leave me a comment with a way to contact you.
  • For 2 entries blog or tweet this giveaway to spread the word.

This giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents only (no PO boxes) and I will draw for the winner on Sunday, October 2/10. Good luck everyone!

© 2010, Darlene of Peeking Between the Pages. All Rights Reserved. If you’re reading this on a site other than Peeking Between the Pages or Darlene’s Feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Beachreader says

    September 10, 2010 at 11:25 am

    This book sounds fascinating. Thanks for the giveaway.

    jgoffice(at)cox(dot)net

  2. Linda says

    September 10, 2010 at 12:50 pm

    Why do I want to read this book? I'm sure it will sadden and distress me, but everything I've read about the book and even more so about the author is fascinating. Thanks for the giveaway.
    lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com

  3. Zibilee says

    September 10, 2010 at 12:53 pm

    What an incredible way to tell a story! If her book is anything like that, I am sure to love it! Please do enter me in your giveaway, Dar! I would love to read this book!

    zibilee(at)figearo(dot)net

  4. Jo-Jo says

    September 10, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    I would love to win this one Dar!
    joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com

  5. Bethie says

    September 10, 2010 at 3:08 pm

    Sounds like an interesting book. Please count me in. Thanks for the chance.

    lizzi0915 at aol dot com

  6. Myra C says

    September 10, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    This book sounds great and I would love to read it! Thanks for the giveaway.

    myra0502@yahoo.com

  7. bermudaonion says

    September 10, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    What a great post! She is so right – you can't stop loving because you're afraid of loss.

  8. PoCoKat says

    September 10, 2010 at 8:58 pm

    Sounds like a good read…would love to win.

    littleone AT shaw DOT ca

  9. justpeachy36 says

    September 10, 2010 at 9:28 pm

    This one sounds great. Please enter me in the giveaway.

    justpeachy36@yahoo.com

  10. Angela says

    September 10, 2010 at 9:32 pm

    I would like to read this one. Thanks for the giveaway.

    I follow you blog through google reader.
    aploughery (at) yahoo (dot) com

  11. Jenna says

    September 10, 2010 at 9:57 pm

    Wow, this one sounds amazing. I'll probably be depressed while I read it, though. I think I can handle it.

    Thanks for the contest!

    jennapomme[at]yahoo[dot]com

  12. petite says

    September 10, 2010 at 10:28 pm

    Thanks for this wonderful giveaway. rojosho(at)hotmail(dot)com

  13. Janet Ruth says

    September 10, 2010 at 11:18 pm

    This book sounds fantastic, thanks for the chance.

    alongtheway at telus dot net

  14. debbie says

    September 10, 2010 at 11:26 pm

    I would love to read this book.
    twoofakind12@yahoo.com

  15. Alice Teh says

    September 11, 2010 at 9:20 am

    I'd like to try my luck in this one. Thanks for the giveaway!

    teh(dot)alice(at)gmail(dot)com

  16. Anonymous says

    September 11, 2010 at 9:35 pm

    Please enter me in the giveaway.

    headlessfowl at jteers do tnet

  17. SusanB says

    September 12, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    Sounds like a great book.
    susan.byerly@comcast.net

  18. Charleydog says

    September 12, 2010 at 10:31 pm

    Please enter my name in the giveaway for the book. Thanks!

    pboylecharley AT hotmail DOT com

  19. AmandaSue says

    September 12, 2010 at 10:45 pm

    I'd love a chance into this giveaway thanks.

    unforgetable_dreamer_always(at)hotmail.com

  20. Anonymous says

    September 13, 2010 at 2:14 am

    Sounds like a very good book to read!!

    billiondollarprincesss@hotmail.com

  21. Jo-Jo says

    September 13, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    I blogged about the contest here.
    joannelong74 AT gmail DOT com

  22. rubynreba says

    September 15, 2010 at 1:00 am

    I'd really enjoy reading this book. Thanks!
    pbclark(at)netins(dot)net

  23. Anonymous says

    September 15, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    Thanks for the contest.
    Come Sunday sounds like a fascinating book. Sad but good.
    Please enter me.
    RJB
    loki304(at)tds(dot)net

  24. Linda Jacobs says

    September 16, 2010 at 1:05 am

    I would never have another bird. We had one once and that guy had such a personality. His name was Flip (as in flip-the-bird) and he was the smartest thing! Unfortunately, he hated me. Every time I picked him up, he'd hiss at me and try to bite my ear. He loved men and would sit on my husband's shoulder for hours and chirp away.

    Her book sounds sooo good and I'm going to download it for my Kindle next!

    Thanks for your great review!

  25. Koala Bear Writer says

    September 16, 2010 at 3:29 am

    What a beautiful story! Isla is a truly talented writer. It's true that loving again helps the healing process,

    (I also reviewed her book, so don't enter me in the draw. I just wanted to leave me appreciation for the post.)

  26. Koala Bear Writer says

    September 16, 2010 at 3:32 am

    Linda and Jenna – the book sounds like it will be depressing (as a mom of a girl just a bit younger than Cleo, I questioned whether I'd want to read it) but Isla is such a talented writer that it was never depressing. Poignant, yes. Worth readin, for sure.

  27. Amy says

    September 17, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    I've read a few osts about this book and it sounds wonderful! I am very interested in reading it and, of course, it would be great to win a copy!

    Thank you for another terrific giveaway!
    ~ Amy
    Aimala127 AT gmail DOT com

  28. naida says

    September 17, 2010 at 9:36 pm

    Thats a sweet story! It's true, the only way to heal is to love again.

    And Come Sunday sounds very good.

    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

  29. Nancye says

    September 19, 2010 at 12:53 am

    Sounds like an interesting book! Thanks for the chance.

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

  30. Nancye says

    September 19, 2010 at 12:54 am

    Tweet! Tweet!
    @NancyeDavis

    http://twitter.com/NancyeDavis/status/24892980276

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net

  31. Nancye says

    September 19, 2010 at 1:06 am

    Tweet! Tweet!
    @NancyeDavis

    http://twitter.com/NancyeDavis/status/24892980276

    nancyecdavis AT bellsouth DOT net
    #2

  32. Wanda says

    September 19, 2010 at 1:37 am

    This book looks wonderful. Please enter my name in your draw. Thanks.
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

  33. Wanda says

    September 19, 2010 at 1:38 am

    I tweeted about your giveaway – @lemonslippers
    http://twitter.com/lemonslippers/status/24895916550
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

  34. Jackie S. says

    September 22, 2010 at 12:18 am

    Sounds like a book I would enjoy…please enter me. Thanks!
    jackie.smithATdishmailDOTnet

  35. naida says

    September 22, 2010 at 12:57 am

    Hi Dar, I hope youre doing ok :O)
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/

  36. Colleen Turner says

    September 23, 2010 at 6:43 pm

    This book sounds so good! Please include me.
    Thanks,
    candc320@gmail.com

  37. pippirose says

    September 25, 2010 at 3:56 pm

    Thanks for the chance to enter.
    The book sounds wonderful.
    pippirose59 at gmail dot com

  38. Susan says

    September 25, 2010 at 11:59 pm

    Sounds like a really rich read, one that would stick with you for a while. Thanks for the chance to win it.

    safoga at gmail dot com

  39. Susan says

    September 26, 2010 at 12:11 am

    Tweeted about this giveaway here ~ http://twitter.com/safoga/status/25542510534

    safoga at gmail dot com

  40. Wanda says

    September 27, 2010 at 12:44 am

    I would love to win this wonderful book!
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

  41. Wanda says

    September 27, 2010 at 12:44 am

    I tweeted!
    http://twitter.com/lemonslippers/status/25639723534
    wandanamgreb(at)gmail(dot)com

  42. Wanda says

    September 29, 2010 at 12:39 pm

    Please enter my name for a chance to win, thanks. I will post here.

    wanda_waiting[@]hotmail[.]com

    I'm glad "puppy" was able to console Isla's daughter after so tragically losing "Birdie".

  43. Anita Yancey says

    September 29, 2010 at 7:35 pm

    Sounds like a very interesting book. Really like to read it. Please enter me. Thanks!

    ayancey(at)dishmail(dot)net

  44. Linda Jacobs says

    September 29, 2010 at 9:11 pm

    I'm kind of worried about you! Everything okay?

  45. Book Loving Mommy says

    October 5, 2010 at 8:47 pm

    What a great sounding book! I have an award for you over at my blog!
    http://booklovingmommy.blogspot.com/2010/10/life-is-good-award.html

  46. Catherine Denton says

    October 6, 2010 at 11:20 pm

    Sounds moving. literaturel(at)gmail (dot)com.
    Making Life a Work of Art!

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