By Laura Ann Brown Tipps/Staff Correspondent
On September 28, Attalla native Tashara Childs will host a book signing for her first novel, Knocking on the Devil’s Door, at Flip Side Café in Gadsden from 3-5 p.m.
The book, which ranked No. 25 on the African-American Christian Fiction Kindle Chart, was published a year ago.
Childs is celebrating the book’s anniversary by hosting a signing event close to her childhood home.
“I really wanted the first time to be at home,” said Childs.
However, the signing is not the only reason Childs wanted to return to the northeast Alabama area.
Having resided in Raleigh, North Carolina, for several years after receiving her bachelor’s degree in English from Jacksonville State University, Childs decided it was time to return to her roots this summer.
“I was coming back and forth to visit my family every month, and I felt like I was missing out on too much,” she said.
Now living on the outskirts of Huntsville, Childs is able to fulfill her writing goals while remaining much closer to her family than she has been in years. She is enjoying the ability to spend more time with her young cousins, ages seven and five, and her position at BBVA Compass Bank in Decatur.
“I just wanted to be closer, and it all happened pretty quickly once I started looking for a job,” said Childs.
When she’s not spending time with family or working, though, Childs is focused on moving forward with at least two follow-up projects to Knocking on the Devil’s Door.
A creative fiction novel, the book, is about a married couple struggling to maintain their relationship as they near their seventh wedding anniversary.
The flyer for Childs’ book signing also states that the book “is a portrayal of God’s love for his children.”
Knocking on the Devil’s Door has recently been rewritten for the stage. The play will debut in theaters in Huntsville, Decatur, Gadsden, areas of Georgia, and possibly Birmingham in the summer of 2015.
“We’re going to start small and expand from there once we see how it goes,” said Childs.
Childs’ first book ended abruptly, leaving readers with many questions about its characters, their backgrounds and their outcomes.
To answer these questions, Childs is currently working on the sequel to Knocking on the Devil’s Door, which will be released in the spring of 2015, just before the first book hits the stage.
“I’m writing the sequel to finish those journeys,” said Childs.
Regardless of where her characters’ paths lead them, Childs is thankful that hers has brought her back to Alabama, adding that she is looking forward to meeting readers next Sunday at Flip Side Café located at 931 Rainbow Drive in Gadsden.
Learn more about Tashara Childs at tasharajchilds.com.
