Sittin' in the Front Pew
by Parry A. Brown
ISBN: 0375757058
Price: 13.95

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Publisher/ Date: Villard Books / 04-2002
Format: Paperback

Synopsis: From the author of the national bestseller The Shirt off His Back comes a novel about love, family, and honoring loved ones

Death brings about strange emotions, and people’s true colors start to show. Glynda Naylor discovers this when she gets the call that her father has died suddenly and she must fly from Los Angeles to Baltimore to bury him. Her beloved daddy, Edward Naylor, raised his four young daughters after their mother's death, and was the perfect father, brother, fiancé, and friend to those who loved him. As friends and family gather to pay tribute to this pillar of the community, Glynda and her sisters begin to search for answers about who the real Edward Naylor was. Their father was a good man, without question, but he also took a secret to his grave. What happens when his secret shows up for the funeral?

From the Back Cover
“Estrogen and oxygen are a divine yet powerful (and sometimes onerous) elixir! The womenfolk in Sittin’ in the Front Pew are sister, auntie, best friend, and—yeah—you and me. Ms. Parry, you’ve done it again.” —Maria Denise Dowd, founder and executive producer, African American Women on Tour

“A radiant family drama with all-too-real scenarios and deep emotional impact. In her sophomore effort, Parry Brown gives us a ride that is both enlightening and entertaining.” —Timmothy B. McCann, author of Forever

About the Author
Parry "EbonySatin" Brown is the coproducer and host of a radio talk show and is also a motivational speaker. She is the author of Sexy Doesn't Have a Dress Size and lives in L.A.

Reviews:

Father’s secret is unearthed at funeral

Compiled by Jennifer Peltz and Robin Deemer
Long Beach Press Telegram

When Parry ‘‘EbonySatin’’ Brown’s daughter returned from her father-in-law’s funeral with some outlandish stories, she insisted her mother write a book about the experience.So Brown penned ‘‘Sittin’ in the Front Pew,’’ a touching and humorous story about family, grief and honoring loved ones.

‘‘I’m hoping that we can read this and laugh at ourselves,’’ she said. ‘‘And hopefully, the next time someone passes, we’ll be a little less demanding and difficult and a lot more understanding and tolerant.’’

She admits she drew from her own life for much of the book.

‘‘Our family just showed out when someone died,’’ she said.

‘‘They acted just plain ugly. Death seems to bring out the worst in all of us. I used a lot of personal experience, but some of my stories would have been too bizarre to believe.’’

The story focuses on the burial of a pillar-of-the-community father and how his sudden death brings out the true colors in his four daughters as they struggle to find out what secret he took to his grave – the secret that shows up for the funeral.

‘‘It’s a story everyone can relate to in one way or another,’’ Brown said. ‘‘I chose this title because I hope to never sit on the front pew at a funeral again. But the reality is, if we’re not the one sittin’ in the front pew, then it will be someone who loves us.’’

Brown’s debut novel, ‘‘The Shirt Off His Back,’’ was a national best seller for more than five months before its January 2001 rerelease. Doubling as an author and motivational speaker, she is also known for her self-help book, ‘‘Sexy Doesn’t Have a Dress Size: Lessons in Love.’’ But 10 years ago, before her work actually hit paper, she began writing on the Internet and became known as the

‘Ebony Lady with the Satin Touch.’’ Thousands knew her simply as ‘‘EbonySatin.’’

‘‘Love is the core of Parry ‘EbonySatin’ Brown,’’ she said. ‘‘I really want to convey the message that nothing else matters except love. You can get more with love. We have to learn to forgive and move on. Love and good, strong black men will always be the foundation for my fiction.’’

She lives in Los Angeles and is a happily divorced mother of two and grandmother of five.

Brown will read from and sign ‘‘Sittin’ in the Front Pew’’ at 7 p.m. Wednesday at 2000+ Bookstore, 309 Pine Ave., Long Beach. For more information, call (562) 435-1199.