The box sat unopened in her grandmother’s house for over 20 years.  It bore the simple words, “Jonnie’s letters, do not destroy.”  Who would dare.  After all, Jonnie had been her grandmother’s youngest son, killed in World War II, and these were her last words from him.  So at her death, the box of letters moved unopened to her mother’s house for another 20 years.  When Pat Cunningham Devoto inherited the box, when her mother died, it sat unopened on a shelf in her office for several years more.  Finally, one day Devoto opened the box, and the last letter inside it became the inspiration for Devoto’s latest novel, On Tripoli Circle.  Pat Cunningham Devoto will be in Pell City on Wednesday, July 25 at noon, to speak, to share, to sign copies of her book, at an author event that you will not want to miss.

On Tripoli Circle tells the story of Aggie, who lives in one of the homes on Tripoli Circle, in a respected neighborhood housing families who have given their children to war for generations.  Aggie’s own father is a war hero.  The memories of his service, define his life at present, and seem to color all that he does.  As Aggie’s mother struggles to provide a safe haven for her family, and to compensate for her husband’s unpredictable behavior, she resorts to comedy, and outlandish tales, to the point that her children sometimes have trouble discerning what is real as opposed to what is imagined.  When a neighbor’s body is discovered in the house across the street, and certain details become unearthed, no one can ignore the impact, or the true toll of war’s aftermath.

Pat Cunningham Devoto’s writing is mesmerizing and heartfelt.  She weaves her tales with an authentic Southern voice of a native Alabamian.  Born and reared in Florence, Alabama, Ms. Devoto graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelors of Science degree in Secondary Education.  After attending graduate school at Georgia State University, she settled in Atlanta, and taught high school history and economics, took up flying—becoming licensed as a private pilot, and raised two boys.  About writing, she admits, “I love, love, love having written!  The process itself is just unadorned slogging away—like picking cotton, one boll at a time, and seeing the end of the row, miles in the distance.”  Ms. Devoto’s works include, My Last Days as Roy Rogers, Out of the Night that Covers Me,  The Summer We Got Saved, and her latest work, On Tripoli Circle.  The much beloved  Out of the Night That Covers Me was selected as a Book’s-A- Million President’s Pick.  It was also selected as the Book of the Year for Alamance County Reads, in North Carolina. She was featured in “Southern Living” Magazine, and named the Alabama Author of the Year by the Cullman City School System. “Writing has given me the chance to know so many people and communities that do great things to promote books and reading,” Pat acknowledges.   On public libraries, she notes—“Show me a good library, and without fail, it’s attached to a great community.”

Ms. Devoto will be at the Pell City Library on Wednesday, July 25 at noon.  She will speak on and sign copies of her latest work, On Tripoli Circle, but she will also entertain questions from the audience as well.  The event is free and open to the public.  It is part of the library’s annual Adult Summer Reading program aimed to encourage reading in the community.  Why should kids have all the fun? By reading three books of their choice, participants earn the right to place an entry into the weekly drawing for fabulous prizes and the chance to win a grand prize at the close of the program in August.  The kick-off began on July 18, but it’s not too late to register.  Don’t miss the opportunity to have a little fun, and the chance to win a fabulous prize, at the Pell City Library this summer.