About 250 students filled the ballroom at Florida State University for a first-hand preview of Eric Jerome Dickey’s new book “Genevieve,” Monday night.
The event was sponsored by the Iota Delta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. and co-sponsored by FSU’s Students Supporting Students Mentoring Organization, Student Government Association and the Progressive Student Assembly.
Dickey, a New York Times best-selling author, gave an introductory reading of the first four chapters of “Genevieve.”
The book will be available in bookstores on May 10.
The beginning of the book started out like an erotic novel.
So erotic, in fact, that Dickey had to skip to Chapter 2 after reading the first two paragraphs because of the “hoots” and “umms” from the audience.
“Genevieve” is a novel that displays qualities of love, betrayal and a wife’s need to leave her past behind.
The story is told from the viewpoint of the title character’s husband, who does not fully know about his wife’s upbringing.
Therefore, feeling “incomplete” he has an affair with his wife’s sister.
As Dickey read from the book, he explained that Genevieve Forbes is a stickler about the pronunciation of her name.
She answers with a smile to the French drawl of the tongue and slowly acknowledges the southern drawl.
The character keeps her last name, or what her husband thinks is her last name, and any woman that keeps her last name does not plan on keeping her man.
Waldenbooks of the Govenor’s Square Mall was present to sell all 11 of Dickey’s previous novels.
“His books are realistic and he is the first black male writer to capture women’s characteristics accurately,” said Michelle Anderson, 21, an English student at FSU.
Kemorine McNaught, 20, a biochemistry student at FSU from Fort Lauderdale, agreed.
“I have to re-buy all of them because I have read them so much that they have a tendency of falling apart.”
During the question-and-answer session at the end of Dickey’s reading, he was asked about some of his hallmark successes. He said that writing a novel is hard work that will pay off in the end.
“Just completing a novel with a great beginning, middle, and end. You can’t expect people to invest in you if you can’t invest in yourself,” Dickey answered.
Prior to the book signing, Dickey briefly spoke about the various adaptations of a few of his books.
His book “Sister Sister” is appearing as a television series on The Oxygen Channel.
A producer is making a movie out of his book “Cheaters,” and “Friends and Lovers” is an ongoing stage play now out on DVD.
Dickey was paid quite a significant amount of money to come to FSU.
“The FSU Alphas and other organizations have been raising funds for about a year,” said Larry Green, member of the Iota Delta chapter.
“Dickey cost us about $230,000 and his book signing was not even included in the contract.”
Contact Cecilia Brown at @hotmail.com