BIO

The Calling of Jujubee Forthright


In the best tradition of southern novels comes the story of a quirky yet lovable 300-pound auctioneer who leads a pack of misfits on a grace-full revival where salvation is on the auction block for the lowest bidder. A modern-day rendering of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Sinner.

The small north Georgia town of Medlyn is home to the high-brow Presbyterian Wentworth College and the fundamentalist Mt. Sinai Bible Institute. Sandwiched between them is the Town and Country Auction run by bigger-than-life auctioneer Jujubee Forthright. When Jujubee learns that both the Wentworth faculty and the Mt. Sinai congregation are going on retreat to the same island off the Georgia coast, he decides that the lowest bidders (as the world reckons them—the poor in fund and spirit, the lonely and downhearted), deserve a retreat, too. This leads to a movement that gains momentum as it approaches the coast, culminating in an auction like no other.

Fans of Jan Karon's Mitford Series will appreciate this work. Perfect for book clubs and small group studies.

Much anticipated second novel from Scott Philip Stewart, whose first novel, The Healing of Ryne O'Casey (FaithWalk, 2004) won high critical acclaim.


"Have you ever wanted to jump through the pages of a book and hug the main character? Well, hold on to your chairs; The Calling of Jujubee Forthright is that kind of book!

"...Readers will want to jump up and shout 'Hallelujah!'during the final pages of this terrific book. Jujubee Forthright is a remarkable character with a heart full of love and a burning desire to serve the Lord. This story breathes a promise of the glorious power of God to save us, and the incredible ways in which He does just that."

— Joyce Handzo, In the Library Reviews


"Some stories start slow, but not The Calling of Jujubee Forthright, Scott Philip Stewart's new novel – a modern-day rendering of the Parable of the Pharisee and the Sinner in a Georgia setting....

"As he steps out, Jujubee looks increasingly like Jesus, recognizing divine encounters even at the Stop-N-Hop, where he finds a fierce-looking former newspaper delivery man with a mullet and a three-day-old beard browsing the pornographic magazine rack. Here Stewart's skill shines. In minutes and without a trace of preaching, Jujubee empathetically invites him to 'Follow me' – and he does. In these fine moments, Stewart reveals his own heart. In the end, of course, Jujubee, his calling, and his companions all come to their anticipated, happy, and eternally secure end. Stewart does it, however, with rare, inventive word play completely devoid of worn-out church phraseology. His characters, full of excitement and humor, aim higher."

— JoAnne Potter, Agape Press review


Available from from Amazon,
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at booksellers
online and off everywhere.

The Healing of Ryne O'Casey

"And a little child will lead them."

The Healing of Ryne O'Casey takes place in fictional Tynbee, Tennessee, a town in Appalachia that fortune forgot.

Unforgettable, however, are the people who live on the hillsides and in the hollers of Tynbee: Esther and Olie O'Casey, good humored and hardworking--beloved of each other but bereft of a child until God finally answers their prayers with son Ryne. Palsied old Doc Reardon, who delivered all three of them, who, just a few years later, must deliver the news that Ryne is dying. Young pastor McKee, who has lost his way and now finds himself the "stop-gap" preacher at the Historic First Church—the last place on earth he would choose to be.

Now add in some faithful friends and some feckless ones, Olie's wayward brother Heyward, a mean old man named Luther, the contentious congregation of Historic First Church, and a larger-than-life TV faith healer named Sister Stryker, and you have a host of characters, rendered whole with both humor and love, who will take up residence in your heart for long after you've finished reading their story. Join winsome and wise Ryne O'Casey and his unlikely entourage as they search for a miracle, and find one.


"Stewart's writing is clear, provocative and believable, the true mark of craftsmanship.... The main character, Ryne O’Casey, is much like the kid next door. He has the same desires and dreams of most children, yet he lives with the knowledge that he probably will not live to adulthood, that he will never experience first love, high school sports, college, marriage and being a father to his own children. Ryne fights with valiant effort not to allow his disease to rob him of the simple pleasures of childhood. This brave young boy is far wiser than many of the adults which people this book. He sees straight through the hypocrisies of the self-righteous twits who clothe their prejudices in the robe of Christianity. He forgives them, for they do not know how cruel they really are being. The main force of this book is faith, pure and simple. Even in the face of the harshest of realities, Ryne’s faith carries the day. This book is too good not to write about. I highly recommend it for its laughter- and tear-invoking truths."

—Beth Alston
Americus Times-Recorder


"Scott Philip Stewart's first novel reminds me of books by Clyde Edgerton, with its quirky characters and dedication to getting not just to the roots of matters, but into the dirt that surrounds them. When Esther Jean O'Casey throttles the living daylights out of a mean fellow who desperately needs it, I found myself wanting to shout 'Amen, Sister.' As for Ryne, his is a tale of suffering told with a wit beyond his years and a depth that will break the most cynical heart. A soulful tale of faith lost and renewed through trials, this book is a gem."
— Linda Dorrell, author of
The Trees of Eden
and True Believers

Available from from Amazon,
Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and at booksellers
online and off everywhere.

 

Copyright © 2016 Scott Philip Stewart