Book Title: KISSING THE SKY
Character Name: Suzannah
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
Weird. My dad is a strict army colonel, very tough on my brother and me. Despite the fact that I’m a rising sophomore in college, he treats me like I’m a child. He scrutinizes every article of clothing I put on my body and insists I change if he dislikes my outfit. My poor mother can’t make the bed without him criticizing her. If the corners aren’t perfect, she gets yet another “tutorial.” When I was little, he wasn’t quite as bad, but ever since he made my brother, Ron, enlist in Vietnam, he’s become a tyrant.
What is your greatest talent?
I’d say my singing voice, though my dad restricts me from using it anywhere other than church. I’d rather sing Beatles songs all day – every day – but ever since John told the world The Beatles were more popular than Jesus, I’ve been banned from their music. How embarrassing is that? Everyone I know listens – and dances – to the Beatles. I’m a pretty good dancer, too, but my church calls dancing a sin. I think I’d say music is the most important thing in my life. Before he left for Vietnam, Ron taught me to pay guitar. It brought me a mountain of joy. But, surprise, surprise, Dad banned that, too. These days I stay pretty much to myself. I can’t risk people learning I come from a psycho family.
Significant other?
Not yet. Though I’ve been longing for a boyfriend for a very long time. Another embarrassing fact about me is: I’ve never been kissed. No surprise there. My dad wouldn’t allow me to date in high school. I’m insanely jealous of my friends who come home from dates with ruby red chins after making out all night.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
Trust. I have a hard time trusting anyone. I’m sure that’s because of my dad. If you can’t trust your parents, who can you trust?
Where do you live?
I’m from Memphis, Tennessee but I attend a conservative Christian college in Jackson, Tennessee. I’m living back at home with my parents for the summer, counting down the minutes until school starts again.
Do you have any enemies?
I certainly do – Marianne Gentry. We are pretty much mortal enemies. She spread a nasty rumor about my ex-best friend, Livy, and blamed it on me. Marianne is a black widow spider, full of venom. I can’t stand her. The saddest part about the whole thing is Livy believed Marianne over me. Even after that betrayal, I’d never call Livy my enemy. We met in kindergarten and were best friends until her Judas Kiss.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
I have no children, thank goodness and much to my dismay I don’t have a pet. The dorm would never allow one and neither would my father. He thinks they belong outside. No way I’d make my dog live in a doghouse.
What do you do for a living?
I’m primarily a college student but I need spending money so this summer I’m working at a fine department store in Memphis called Goldsmiths. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I’m a bra clerk. All the cool departments were full when I applied, so they stuck me in lingerie. The first time I had to lift an old lady’s boob and gently place it inside a brassiere, I broke out into a cold sweat. Now, I do it without thinking. My only co-worker/friend is a 62-year-old lady named Gertie. Actually, she’s pretty cool…much cooler than my mom. I can tell her anything.
Greatest disappointment?
The day my brother left for Vietnam. He’s my only sibling and I’m terrified he won’t make it home.
Greatest source of joy?
Paul McCartney.
What is the most daring thing you have ever done?
That’s an easy question. Less than a week ago I ran away to an Aquarian Music Festival in upstate New York to not only hear Crosby Stills Nash and Young, The Who, Sly and the Family Stone, Janis Joplin, and Creedence Clearwater Revival, but the one and only Jimi Hendrix. After bumping into Livy while on my lunch break, we reconnected after three long years. It was like we’d never spent a day apart. As soon as we got back together, she wouldn’t let up about me joining her on the road trip to the festival. At first, I said no, but after my dad did the most horrific thing ever, I snuck away in the middle of the night and walked all the way to Livy’s house. We left two mornings later.
What is your greatest personal failing, in your view?
As hard as this is to admit, I lie my way out of things. I’m not proud of it, but lying is often the only way I can feel normal. I can’t let people know how embarrassing my home life is. So, I lie about it.
What keeps you awake at night?
My brother’s enlistment in Vietnam. It’s all my fault. I did something so stupid one day when I was mad at him. When I think back to it, I can hardly breathe.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Besides my brother’s enlistment, it’s the boy I met on the road to Woodstock. He’s the cutest guy I’ve ever laid my eyes on, with the exception of Paul McCartney. I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with him. Actually, I am in love with him. But the festival will be over in twenty-four hours, and there’s a high chance I’ll never see him again. The thought of that is too much to bear.
Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have?
For yourself or for someone important to you? I need to forgive myself for causing Ron’s enlistment in Vietnam. I suppose I need to forgive my dad, and Livy, and Marianne Gentry. The list is long. It seems insurmountable but I know in my heart it’s the only way I’ll ever be able to trust another human being. Or have peace.
KISSING THE SKY by Lisa Patton
A Novel
From the bestselling author of Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter comes a soulful, nostalgic novel about a young woman coming of age in the ‘60s to the blare of the music that shaped a generation.
It’s the summer of ’69. While her peers revel in free love and rock and roll, Suzannah is home from college, sequestered inside her conservative Southern home. Her domineering father has condemned rock music and driven away her best friend. She’s counting the days until fall.
But everything changes when her free—spirited best friend, Livy, resurfaces, urging Suzannah, a talented singer, to join her for three days of peace and music in upstate New York. Fed up with her father’s rules and fearful for her brother’s fate in Vietnam, Suzannah agrees to the road trip, sneaking off without her parents’ knowledge.
Miles outside her comfort zone, the electrifying bedlam of Woodstock jolts her into a journey of self—transformation. But it’s not all incense and peppermints. Suzannah’s falling hard for Leon, a boy she meets at the festival, and the seductive bud of first love conceals a thorn of heartache. Lies uncover betrayal, and Livy’s wild behavior leads to a startling revelation.
A nostalgic trip through the turbulent ’60s, this is the story of a lovable heroine who lets go of the girl she was to embrace the woman she’s becoming while she learns to lift her voice—for herself and perhaps for the world.
Romance Historical [ Lake Union Publishing, On Sale: March 1, 2026, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9781662535376 / eISBN: 9781662535383 ]
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About Lisa Patton
Lisa Patton, author of Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter and Yankee Doodle Dixie, is a Memphis, Tennessee native who spent four years as a Vermont innkeeper—until three sub-zero winters forced her back to the South. She has over 20 years’ experience working in the music and entertainment business, and is a graduate of the University of Alabama, Kappa Delta sorority and the Memphis Junior League. She guides walking tours of Historic Downtown Franklin, Tennessee where she lives with her two sons.
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