Inspired by events in his own life, the author takes us inside the heart and mind of a gay, physically misshapen boy struggling to find his way in a conservative family and community, ultimately finding acceptance and love in unexpected ways and in unexpected places.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Red Clay Suzie will go to support the important work of two organizations dedicated to helping at-risk youth: the Born This Way Foundation (bornthisway.foundation), founded by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, and The Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org), the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people.

RED CLAY SUZIE

JEFFREY DALE LOFTON

JeffreyDLofton.com

Red Clay Suzie (Post Hill Press; On Sale is the come-of-age story of Philbet who—fueled by tomato sandwiches and green milkshakes and obsessed with cars—struggles to figure out how he fits into a family and community that seems intent on marginalizing him for his effeminacy and his skeletal deformity. Taunted and bullied at school and by members of his own extended family, Philbet finds refuge in the long rows of his beloved Grandaddy’s vegetable garden, digging potatoes and carving out paths for his fleet of Matchbox cars. It is in this garden that we see Grandaddy share life lessons that will sustain Philbet as he comes to terms with both his half-sunken chest, which makes taking off his shirt in public unthinkable, and the fact that he fancies not the girls in his life, but the boys.

Chistopher Castellani, author of Leading Men calls Red Clay Suzie an “arresting debut . . . a vivid depiction of a unique childhood that feels universal in its longing.” James Hart, author of Lucky Jim says this about Lofton’s novel: “From

a new, pitch-perfect, Southern voice, a story so close to the heart you can almost hear it beating.” Willee Lewis, of the  PEN/Faulkner Foundation describes Lofton as “a writer’s writer, whose strong, authorial voice captures your imagination with an unshakable grip.”

Set in Alvaton and Warm Springs, Georgia in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, Red Clay Suzie is a descriptive tour de force; the author creates Philbet’s world with a nuanced, deeply-felt understanding of the limitations, ignorance, spoken and unspoken prejudices and, at times, the grace and wisdom that shape people’s lives. Our hero’s journey takes us from his relatively carefree early childhood through a series of events that crush his innocence and sense of security—all against the backdrop of a small, insular world where every norm, every implicit understanding, convinces Philbet that he’s not fit to be loved by Knox, the older boy he idolizes to distraction.

Red Clay Suzie includes a foreword by Lindy Woodhead, author of War Paint and Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge.

Alice Leccese Powers, writer and editor of the best-selling In Mind series, says that “Red Clay Suzie’s Philbet joins Scout (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Frankie (The Member of the Wedding) in Southern literature’s pantheon of outsider children. We have a new literary hero.”

POSSIBLE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

·        Just underneath the title Red Clay Suzie, I see “a novel inspired by true events.” Is this book a thinly disguised memoir of growing up gay in the Deep South?

·        Are you obsessed with cars like Philbet? And if so, how did that start?

·        I’ve read that you wrote Red Clay Suzie in a surprising way. Will you tell us about that?

·        The Author’s Note in the book addresses bullying and body-shaming, and you list some resources that young people can use if they’re struggling living life on the fringes, as you call it. Is Red Clay Suzie a message of hope to young adults who feel marginalized?

·        Philbet’s best friend James is a wonderfully drawn character, one of many unforgettable characters. Tell us about him and their friendship.

·        Is there a scene or chapter that was particularly difficult to write?

·        What gave you the courage to write such a deeply personal and revealing novel?

·        How have your family and friends reacted to Red Clay Suzie?  

·        You are donating a portion of your proceeds from Red Clay Suzie to two organizations that help at-risk youth. Would you tell us about that?

·        If any young people watching/listening today are struggling for whatever reason with life as outsiders, what closing words do you have for them?     

About the Author:

JEFFREY DALE LOFTON hails from Warm Springs, Georgia, best known as the home of Roosevelt’s Little White House. He calls the nation’s capital home now and has for over three decades. During those early years he spent many a night trodding the boards of the DC’s theaters and performing arts centers, including the Kennedy Center, Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth, and Signature Theatre. He even scored a few television screen appearances, including a residuals-rich Super Bowl halftime commercial, which his accountant quipped “is the finest work of your career.” His years telling the stories of playwrights and script writers taught him the pull of a powerful story arc, the splendor of language well used. Today, he is a senior advisor at the Library of Congress, surrounded by books and people who love books—in short, paradise.