Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for Teressa Shelton's authorbiography, The Sergeant's Daughter. Today, on our tour stop, we have a guest post topic, Ten Random Facts about The Sergeant's Daughter, AND a tour-wide giveaway to share! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now! Follow the tour, HERE!
Genre:
Adult
Autobiography
Publish Date:
August 11, 2020
Publisher:
Synopsis:
As a little girl, Teressa’s father dotes on her and little sister, Karen, while mercilessly mocking her older sister, Debbie. Teressa thinks its Debbie’s fault―until she gets a little older and he begins tormenting her, too. Soon enough, his verbal abuse turns physical. Her sergeant father brings his military life home, meeting each of his daughters’ infractions with extreme punishment for them all. Meanwhile, their mother watches silently, never defending her daughters and never subjected to physical abuse herself. Terrified to be at home and terrified to tell anyone, Teressa seeks solace in books, music, and the family she can find outside of her home: a best friend, a kind neighbor, and a doting grandfather. At first cowed by her father’s abuse and desperate to believe that maybe, one day, things will change, Teressa ultimately grows into a young woman who understands that if she wants a better life, she’ll have to build it for herself―so she does.
Ten Random Facts about The Sergeant's Daughter
The photo on the book’s cover
was taken in 1969, on the
day my dad left for his tour of duty in
Vietnam. We were standing in front of the old white house in Eunice, Missouri
that my dad moved us into shortly before deploying. The house is no longer
there. It was destroyed in a fire decades ago. Another interesting fact about
the cover is my publisher and I disagreed about whether the photo would make a
good cover. She said it was perfect. I said it was horrible. She was right.
The net proceeds of the sale
of the book will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Sangamon County in
Springfield, Illinois.
I’ve included several of my mom's poems
in my book. I found them after she passed away in 2002. I included them because
I think they give such insight into her thoughts, her world. I’ve often said
that Mom’s poems saved me a thousand words.
Song lyrics are embedded in the body of
my work. Music is always playing in mind, and has been for as long as I can
remember. Some of my earliest memories are surrounded in song. Most of the time
I hear Motown music. I was heavily influenced by my dad, who was a huge fan.
Maybe because of this, music is a major theme in my book.
I tell a story early in the book about
Linda Levin. She was my best friend when I was in third grade. Her dad worked
for Campbell Soup Company and he always brought home little promotional trinkets
for us. One day he brought home a paper dress that was decorated in rows of red
and white Campbell’s Soup cans. Both Linda and I thought it was ugly. Her dad
said it was inspired by Andy Warhol and he was going to hold onto it because he
knew it would be worth something someday. Mr. Levin was right. Today they sell
for $2,000-$7,000, depending on their condition.
The opening scene in my book takes place
at my dad’s funeral. When I wrote it, he was very ill and I wanted to be
prepared when the time came to give his eulogy. Dad didn’t pass during that
illness, or the next, and he is still alive today.
As a child I moved over a dozen times. I
attended four high schools. My book follows me through all of them.
When I got stumped while writing the
first draft, I’d often go for a long run. These runs were my “processing time.”
I worked through many scenes while running down the dirt roads and corn fields
that surround the subdivision where my husband and I live.
The most recent memoir I’ve read is Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy,
Paternity, and Love , by Dani Shapiro. It’s a book about secrets kept
within families--something my book and Shapiro’s have in common.
Many early readers have asked if there
will be a follow-up book. Honestly, I haven’t thought about what’s next. Right
now, I’m going to take a moment and enjoy and appreciate this accomplishment
before I worry about what’s coming next.
~~~~~
Praise for THE SERGEANT'S DAUGHTER
“Shelton hails from an extremely dysfunctional family, but, miraculously, she survives intact. People in seemingly hopeless situations may take solace.” ―Booklist
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**About the Author**
 |
| Photo Content from She Writes Press |
Teressa Shelton has lived in nine states and three countries. After graduating from Belmont University in Nashville, she embarked on a career in managing medical practices. She lives with her family in Springfield, IL. The Sergeant’s Daughter is her first book.
Stay connected with Teressa Shelton
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***The Giveaway***
Giveaway is Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter
- ends September 14, 2020
Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box
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