Red Mountain Ranch resident and well-respected author Tommye Staley will host a much-anticipated book signing on Wednesday, April 10 from 5 to 6 p.m. at Pacino’s Italian Grill and Bar.
Her new book, Washing Worms, is a fascinating story of a southern girl who grew up on a farm on an island in central Arkansas. The story features the people who influenced her, the simplicity of life in the South, and the hardships and heartaches of a little girl in less complicated times.
“This is just my way of sharing, to let my readers know how much I appreciate them,” said Tommye, who taught at Wesley College in Dover, Del. and attributes her inspiration to write the book to her students.
Her life lessons were in a different time and place, she said. “I did not realize how different things were when growing up. You really don’t realize how impactful your early years are until you are past them.”
The majority of the people she grew up with in the South were not white, and as she remembers, there was no division within the community. “There was a time when you did not have to be afraid of people,” Tommye said, as she describes her time on the farm with dogs, horses, and dust, she chuckled.
Tommye said in her youth she learned to hunt and fish with her comrades, whom she did not fear or have prejudice against. “If there is a message in this book,” she said, “there have been times when there was no need for fear in this country… where fear wasn’t a part of a child growing up.”
Tommye and her husband Phil have lived in Red Mountain Ranch for more than six years. One of their hobbies is to participate in historical skits on Saturdays at the Superstition Mountain Museum.
For more information, email tcarstaley@aol.com, or call Pacino’s Italian Grill and Bar at (480) 985-0114. Pacino’s is located at 2831 N. Power Road, Suite 104, in Mesa.