Jeffrey Dale Lofton

Author

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Biography

Red Clay Suzie

News, Reviews & Lots of Praise

Events

Contact

Biography

Red Clay Suzie

Events

News, Reviews & Lots of Praise

Contact

Praise

The Reviews Are In & Everyone Loves Red Clay Suzie!

Red Clay Suzie has been met with approbation across the spectrum.

Professional and private reviews alike have rave over the heartfelt, inspirational journey of Philbet in this personal novel inspired by true events.

The South kicks its feet up and gets down to business telling this tale through the lens of Philbet, a young boy growing up sweet, gay, disfigured, and defying social norms. The grace he extends toward his ... often cruel beloved makes him an endearing and poetic narrator. This story poked at all the tender spots inside me and reminded me of what was real and important and wisely dusted off for daily use from those growing up days.

Kimberly Brock author, The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare

"Fabulous and heart-wrenching debut novel."

Rasheed Newson author, My Government Means to Kill Me

You can't help but root for Philbet, the unforgettable hero of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's arresting debut Red Clay Suzie. I was moved by the insights and settings of this book and by the vivid depiction of a unique childhood that feels universal in its longing.

Christopher Castellani author, Leading Men

If you've never set foot on the red-clay soil of Georgia, the heartfelt prose of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's Red Clay Suzie will take you there. This book is an intimate exploration of people, place, and identity, one that through its honesty - as well as colorful language and vivid description - opens up the idea of the South into one that is more inclusive and real.

W. Ralph Eubanks author, A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape

From a new, pitch-perfect, Southern voice, a story so close to the heart you can almost hear it beating.

James Hart author, Lucky Jim

Red Clay Suzie’s Philbet Lawson joins Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Frankie Addams (The Member of the Wedding) in Southern literature’s pantheon of outsider children. Read Red Clay Suzie and cheer on Philbet, a new literary hero.

Alice Powers writer and editor, In Mind series

This is much more than a deeply moving story well told by a unique, new voice in Southern literature. It is a lyrical, poetic, and layered work of highest literary art. Red Clay Suzie belongs in the high school English syllabus.

Elaine Greenstone educator, former International Baccalaureate examiner in English, curriculum specialist
    See All Reviews

    The South kicks its feet up and gets down to business telling this tale through the lens of Philbet, a young boy growing up sweet, gay, disfigured, and defying social norms. The grace he extends toward his ... often cruel beloved makes him an endearing and poetic narrator. This story poked at all the tender spots inside me and reminded me of what was real and important and wisely dusted off for daily use from those growing up days.

    Kimberly Brock author, The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare

    "Fabulous and heart-wrenching debut novel."

    Rasheed Newson author, My Government Means to Kill Me

    You can't help but root for Philbet, the unforgettable hero of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's arresting debut Red Clay Suzie. I was moved by the insights and settings of this book and by the vivid depiction of a unique childhood that feels universal in its longing.

    Christopher Castellani author, Leading Men

    If you've never set foot on the red-clay soil of Georgia, the heartfelt prose of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's Red Clay Suzie will take you there. This book is an intimate exploration of people, place, and identity, one that through its honesty - as well as colorful language and vivid description - opens up the idea of the South into one that is more inclusive and real.

    W. Ralph Eubanks author, A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape

    From a new, pitch-perfect, Southern voice, a story so close to the heart you can almost hear it beating.

    James Hart author, Lucky Jim

    Red Clay Suzie’s Philbet Lawson joins Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Frankie Addams (The Member of the Wedding) in Southern literature’s pantheon of outsider children. Read Red Clay Suzie and cheer on Philbet, a new literary hero.

    Alice Powers writer and editor, In Mind series

    This is much more than a deeply moving story well told by a unique, new voice in Southern literature. It is a lyrical, poetic, and layered work of highest literary art. Red Clay Suzie belongs in the high school English syllabus.

    Elaine Greenstone educator, former International Baccalaureate examiner in English, curriculum specialist
      See All Reviews

      “He was that night a silver-tongued devil, a redneck raconteur. And he either said something Uncle Kingston didn’t like, or he was getting too much attention for his well-observed wit.”

      from Red Clay Suzie

      Awards

      Seven Hills Literary Prize for Fiction

      Foreword INDIES Lgbtq+ Fiction Book of the Year Finalist

      Somerset Literary &
      Contemporary Fiction Finalist

      YABC Buzzworthy Book

      Lambda Literary Most Anticipated lgbtqia+ Book

      "This fantastic novel is striking, and the storytelling is strong. You won't be able to put it down. At least I couldn't."
      Morgan Talty
      author, Night of the Living Rez

      There's a richness to this heartfelt, heartwarming debut. The sensory detail is exquisite.

      Zak Salih author, Let's Get Back to the Party
        “From a new, pitch-perfect, Southern voice, a story so close to the heart you can almost hear it beating.”
        James Hart
        author, Lucky Jim

        The South kicks its feet up and gets down to business telling this tale through the lens of Philbet, a young boy growing up sweet, gay, disfigured, and defying social norms. The grace he extends toward his ... often cruel beloved makes him an endearing and poetic narrator. This story poked at all the tender spots inside me and reminded me of what was real and important and wisely dusted off for daily use from those growing up days.

        Kimberly Brock author, The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
          If you've never set foot on the red-clay soil of Georgia, the heartfelt prose of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's Red Clay Suzie will take you there. This book is an intimate exploration of people, place, and identity, one that through its honesty - as well as colorful language and vivid description - opens up the idea of the South into one that is more inclusive and real.
          W. Ralph Eubanks
          author, A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape
          “Red Clay Suzie’s Philbet Lawson joins Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Frankie Addams (The Member of the Wedding) in Southern literature’s pantheon of outsider children. Read Red Clay Suzie and cheer on Philbet, a new literary hero.”
          Alice Leccese Powers
          writer and editor of the best-selling In Mind series
          "Jeffrey Dale Lofton is a writer’s writer whose strong, authorial voice captures your imagination with an unshakable grip."
          Willie Lewis
          PEN/Faulkner board member emeritus, editor of Snakes: An Anthology of Serpent Tales
          "A top recommendation for any library."
          Diane Donovan
          Midwest Book Review

          Red Clay Suzie is a descriptive triumph, an extraordinary, beautiful book.

          Lindy Woodhead author, War Paint and Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge

            Praise

            The South kicks its feet up and gets down to business telling this tale through the lens of Philbet, a young boy growing up sweet, gay, disfigured, and defying social norms. The grace he extends toward his ... often cruel beloved makes him an endearing and poetic narrator. This story poked at all the tender spots inside me and reminded me of what was real and important and wisely dusted off for daily use from those growing up days.

            Kimberly Brock author, The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
              "This fantastic novel is striking, and the storytelling is strong. You won't be able to put it down. At least I couldn't."
              Morgan Talty
              author, Night of the Living Rez

              There's a richness to this heartfelt, heartwarming debut. The sensory detail is exquisite.

              Zak Salih author, Let's Get Back to the Party

                The South kicks its feet up and gets down to business telling this tale through the lens of Philbet, a young boy growing up sweet, gay, disfigured, and defying social norms. The grace he extends toward his ... often cruel beloved makes him an endearing and poetic narrator. This story poked at all the tender spots inside me and reminded me of what was real and important and wisely dusted off for daily use from those growing up days.

                Kimberly Brock author, The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
                  If you've never set foot on the red-clay soil of Georgia, the heartfelt prose of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's Red Clay Suzie will take you there. This book is an intimate exploration of people, place, and identity, one that through its honesty - as well as colorful language and vivid description - opens up the idea of the South into one that is more inclusive and real.
                  W. Ralph Eubanks
                  author, A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape
                  “From a new, pitch-perfect, Southern voice, a story so close to the heart you can almost hear it beating.”
                  James Hart
                  author, Lucky Jim
                  "Fabulous and heart-wrenching debut novel."
                  Rasheed Newson
                  author, My Government Means to Kill Me

                  Red Clay Suzie is a descriptive triumph, an extraordinary, beautiful book.

                  Lindy Woodhead author, War Paint and Shopping, Seduction & Mr. Selfridge
                    “Red Clay Suzie’s Philbet Lawson joins Scout Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird) and Frankie Addams (The Member of the Wedding) in Southern literature’s pantheon of outsider children. Read Red Clay Suzie and cheer on Philbet, a new literary hero.”
                    Alice Leccese Powers
                    writer and editor, In Mind series
                    "A top recommendation for any library."
                    Diane Donovan
                    Midwest Book Review
                    "Jeffrey Dale Lofton is a writer’s writer whose strong, authorial voice captures your imagination with an unshakable grip."
                    Willie Lewis
                    PEN/Faulkner board member emeritus, editor of Snakes: An Anthology of Serpent Tales

                    Don't Miss Out on Robert Gwaltney & Jeffrey's Podcast, Interviewing Hot New Authors!

                    Subscribe to Well Read Magazine’s Weekly Podcast, ‘Inside Voices’ and listen to Co-Hosts Robert Gwaltney and Jeffrey Lofton visit with the hottest new authors. Full of fun and surprises!

                    If eleven-year-old me had had a book like this to read, what a joy that would have been. It’s beautiful. It’s important. It’s F@#%ing magic.

                    Pete Cross Audie and Earphones Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator and Producer
                      “Jeffrey Dale Lofton writes movingly about isolation and a young gay man's hunger to connect. Red Clay Suzie offers a lesson in what it takes to thrive in a world that’s intent on building fences, and it does so with affection and sweetness and a belief that the deepest change is not only possible, but inevitable.”
                      Paul Lisicky
                      author, Later: My Life at the Edge of the World
                      “Make a glass of sweet tea, pull up a porch chair, and a cloth to mop your brow. Red Clay Suzie roots readers in the pacing of the South as Lofton coaxes his people from the heat and the rain and the gardens and the cars. It is a journey of refuge and emergence—helped and hindered by family and friends. Even through the characters’ most painful moments of discovery and loss, it is an absolute joy to read. Three cheers to Jeffrey Dale Lofton and his stellar debut novel.”
                      Claire Green
                      former President of Parents' Choice Foundation
                      “We care what happens to this observant voice searching for the handbook of life.”
                      Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
                      author, No Marble Angels and Burning Distance

                      You can't help but root for Philbet, the unforgettable hero of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's arresting debut Red Clay Suzie. I was moved by the insights and settings of this book and by the vivid depiction of a unique childhood that feels universal in its longing.

                      Christopher Castellani author, Leading Men
                        "I only acquire a few novels every year, so they have to immediately captivate me. Within a few pages of reading Red Clay Suzie, I was in the rural South, feeling the protagonist’s confusion and pain as an outsider. This book deserves critical praise akin to that given to other classic American fiction.”
                        Debra Englander
                        Consulting Editor, Post Hill Press

                        This is much more than a deeply moving story well told by a unique, new voice in Southern literature. It is a lyrical, poetic, and layered work of highest literary art. Red Clay Suzie belongs in the high school English syllabus.

                        Elaine Greenstone educator, former International Baccalaureate examiner in English, curriculum specialist

                          If eleven-year-old me had had a book like this to read, what a joy that would have been. It’s beautiful. It’s important. It’s F@#%ing magic.

                          Pete Cross Audie and Earphones Award-Winning Audiobook Narrator and Producer
                            “We care what happens to this observant voice searching for the handbook of life.”
                            Joanne Leedom-Ackerman
                            author, No Marble Angels and Burning Distance

                            This is much more than a deeply moving story well told by a unique, new voice in Southern literature. It is a lyrical, poetic, and layered work of highest literary art. Red Clay Suzie belongs in the high school English syllabus.

                            Elaine Greenstone educator, former International Baccalaureate examiner in English, curriculum specialist
                              “Jeffrey Dale Lofton writes movingly about isolation and a young gay man's hunger to connect. Red Clay Suzie offers a lesson in what it takes to thrive in a world that’s intent on building fences, and it does so with affection and sweetness and a belief that the deepest change is not only possible, but inevitable.”
                              Paul Lisicky
                              author, Later: My Life at the Edge of the World

                              You can't help but root for Philbet, the unforgettable hero of Jeffrey Dale Lofton's arresting debut Red Clay Suzie. I was moved by the insights and settings of this book and by the vivid depiction of a unique childhood that feels universal in its longing.

                              Christopher Castellani author, Leading Men
                                "I only acquire a few novels every year, so they have to immediately captivate me. Within a few pages of reading Red Clay Suzie, I was in the rural South, feeling the protagonist’s confusion and pain as an outsider. This book deserves critical praise akin to that given to other classic American fiction.”
                                Debra Englander
                                Consulting Editor, Post Hill Press
                                “Make a glass of sweet tea, pull up a porch chair, and a cloth to mop your brow. Red Clay Suzie roots readers in the pacing of the South as Lofton coaxes his people from the heat and the rain and the gardens and the cars. It is a journey of refuge and emergence—helped and hindered by family and friends. Even through the characters’ most painful moments of discovery and loss, it is an absolute joy to read. Three cheers to Jeffrey Dale Lofton and his stellar debut novel.”
                                Claire Green
                                former President of Parents' Choice Foundation

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                                © Jeffrey Dale Lofton 2023

                                Website Designed by EWD

                                © Jeffrey Dale Lofton 2023

                                Website Design by EWD