Cry — Pamela King Cable

Cry is a contrast in extremes. A young girl, living just above the poverty line, struggles with unanswered questions about her past. Running parallel to her story is the opulent and abundant life of a televangelist, who is not only well-known, she's a woman, "God's anointed daughter." Two different stories -- two opposite women -- merging in the most unexpected place. The inspiration for this tale of Southern women came from the first line. I had written it weeks before all the characters revealed themselves. But also, with church being paramount in my life growing up (my religious roots go way deep), I wanted to explore what it would be like for a young girl who was not raised in church. The characters appeared at the oddest times, visiting my mind regularly to check on my progress. Many nights they got me out of bed to finish a scene or change their dialogue. I originally intended Janey Gay to be my protagonist . . . but in the end, Essie and Loretta convinced me that they had the most important story to tell. Cry is one of the stories in Southern Fried Women, available in paperback and for Kindle.