C.C. Payne

By Stacy Saunders
From her first construction paper book to her first published novel, C.C. Payne was destined to be a writer. For the past nine years, this previously unknown treasure has been living just outside the city of White House where, for the past five years, she has been quietly writing with daily devotion the tales that have now launched a highly successful career with her first release already on Amazon’s top-ten seller list, despite the fact that the book will not be available until September 1, 2008.

Something to Sing About, the first of three books written with the tween reader in mind, was inspired by Payne’s daughter Laurel, a student at H.B. Williams who requested, “Please write something for people my age, so I can read it!” Payne made the decision to leave her attempts at reaching a more mature audience for a stab at entertaining younger readers, and a delightful character named Jamie Jo emerged. “It just came out, and it was the most fun I had ever had writing,” she recalled.

One hundred sixty-seven pages later, a story full of pre-teen insight and quirky humor found its way to Eerdmans Books in the publisher’s Young Readers division. “Readers will be captivated by Jamie Jo’s humor, wit, and small-town charm as she begins to see her world and her faith in a new way,” the company’s website claims. Those claims certainly held true when Payne shared the first chapter of the novel at the White House Inn Library & Museum’s summer reading program on June 18.

“I’m going to read it myself,” one mother expressed. Others chimed in voicing their anticipation of the book’s release this fall. Children from kindergarten to middle school listened intently to each word and were as motivated to request the book as their parents were. “I believe the library has already pre-ordered a copy that will be available for you to check out,” Children’s Librarian Sherry Tackett assured.

Payne’s stop at the library was one of several scheduled appearances designed to prepare her for a more vigorous book tour in the fall. “I really consider this my home library,” she explained, noting that she and her daughter have visited the local landmark nearly every week for the past nine years. She scheduled the appearance, glad to be able to “start somewhere I felt at home.”

Besides leaving listeners with a taste of her literary style and an eagerness to read more, Payne also delivers a message of inspiration to young people, encouraging them to persevere. “I have hundreds of rejection letters,” she confided, “hundreds.” The author kept each and every one of those letters and at one time planned to wallpaper her office in them to serve as inspiration for young writers to keep trying. Having been categorized as a child as “slow,” a label she has clearly overcome, it is a message she has lived from her youth through today.

To find out more about C.C. Payne visit www.ccpayne.net or www.eerd mans.com/youngreaders. Something to Sing About is available in paperback for pre-order right now at the publisher’s site and at Amazon.com and will be on bookshelves everywhere in September.