Gradle Bird by J.C. Sasser

<p>This is a story that begins with a lone singer recording original songs on cassette tapes for the author a long time ago. She remembers listening using the tape deck in her mama’s white Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme out at the edge of town where abandoned things and the music made her wonder. We’re talking with author J.C. Sasser (Jana) about her novel Gradle Bird on this Desideratum. Jana's southern tale has an incredible cast of characters .The title character is a 16 year old girl named Gradle being raised by her Grandpa. Then, there's a teenage boy named Sonny Joe who is a Siamese Fighting Fish aficionado. And there's Delvis Miles, a professional dumpster diver and a genius musician, whose mental health makes him both fragile and fierce. &nbsp;But we start our conversation with Jana herself, because she’s as intriguing as any of her characters. Throughout this novel there are three characters who commit serious crimes with dire consequences that haunt them. &nbsp;You’re going to hear a scene near the beginning of the book, that starts in a grocery store with a confrontation and gives you some history for one of the characters. &nbsp; Thank you to Jana for sharing her recording of the real Evans Miles singing When the Whippoorwills Holler at Night for this episode. Thank you to the Pat Conroy Literary Center for shining a light on Sasser's storytelling. &nbsp;And, as always, thank you for listening. Here are links to learn more about J.C. Sasser https://www.jcsasser.com/ &nbsp;and the Pat Conroy Literary Center &nbsp;https://patconroyliterarycenter.org/</p> --- Support this podcast: <a href="https://anchor.fm/theresa-bakken/support" rel="payment">https://anchor.fm/theresa-bakken/support</a>