Hey y'all,
I posted a few months back that my first novel, "What a Sista Should Do" had been published and is now available in stores. My very first booksigning was in June at a well known bookstore in our area. My mom, brothers and grandmother (all JWs) attended even though my book is Christian Fiction. My grandmother was hesitant to attend and about a week before the signing she calls me and says
"Tiffany, are there going to be any reporters there?"
My response, "Why? You afraid someone might take a picture of you supporting your granddaughter?"
She dropped the subject, because she fully intends on being first in line when the royalties start coming in. The book signing was also a discussion about my book and I went into the power of prayer and all of the CHRISTIAN themes in my book. My grandmother looked VERY uncomfortable to say the least and she sat ALL the way in the back. My mother, on the other hand, sat in the front row and even asked questions. She's waaaaayyyy too crazy for the elders to approach, so she does anything she wants to. Example - she once cursed out an elder's wife for kicking the back of her chair during the meeting.
But I digress....
Anyway, one of the bookstore employees is an old acquaintance of mine. She said hello, although I don't think she realized what my book was about until after the discussion, which was piped all over the store. I did the slow fade 8 years ago, so most of the JWs I was friends with will at least speak. Some know that I'm married to a minister and attend a Pentecostal church, but hilariously enough they chalk that up to 'What people do for love'!!! Heaven forbid their doctrine might be in error...
I digressed again!!!
The bookstore employee, I'll call her G, decided to share her juicy little tidbit of gossip. She told someone (not sure who) that my entire JW family was at the bookstore supporting my 'apostate' book. There is not one mention of JWs in this book....can't say that I won't venture there in the future. Oh, I forgot to mention that my grandmother is a regular pioneer.
A side note about G. - she was from a very unfortunate household who at one point were living out of a hotel frequented by prostitutes and crackheads. I was their ONLY friend who visited them, gave them money and didn't make them feel like they were underclass in our very middle class congregation. Guess she forgot about all of that..
Well, my sister, also a regular pioneer was the one who was dragged into the JC. Ironically, she abides by all of the rules and hasn't spoken to me in nearly a year and has not been an aunt to any of her four nieces and one nephew. Apparently, an elder told the elders at her hall that a regular pioneer was seen at my book signing. The tattle tale elder actually claimed to have been in the bookstore at the time. I wish he'd stopped by and said hi.
I called my grandmother after the commotion. I said, "Well...looks like your greatest fear has come true. You were seen supporting your grand daughter"
Her hilarious response, "Well, if they say anything to me I'm going to say I was there to see my great grandchildren."
A regular pioneer has prepared her lie and alibi!!! Wow!
Tiffany