For more information or a photo of Bernice McFadden, contact: Kathleen Matthews Schmidt
Associate Director of Publicity
212/366-2212
kschmidt@penguinputnam.com
OR:
Seta Bedrossian
Publicist
212/366-2221
sbedrossian@penguinputnam.com

Bestselling author BERNICE L. MCFADDEN returns with a novel that continues the story of SUGAR LACEY, the unforgettable heroine of McFadden's critically acclaimed debut novel.

Bernice McFadden is the Brooklyn-based author of SUGAR and THE WARMEST DECEMBER (availablein paperback by Plume). Acclaim for McFadden has reached far and wide as she has been proclaimed as "…one of those rare talents who can keep a reader enthralled regardless of the topic" by The Dallas Morning News. Toni Morrison praised McFadden by simply stating that THE WARMEST DECEMBER was "riveting…searing and expertly imagined." And after the response received by her first novel, McFadden chose to revisit the story of her heroine Sugar Lacey since, as she puts it, "… a lot of the first story was edited out and I don't think the characters were happy about that because they kept coming back to me!" Fortunately for readers, McFadden decided to listen to the voices of her vivid characters, as well as her loyal fans, who were all anxious to read more about Sugar Lacey. And now just in time for the cold, winter months ahead, THIS BITTER EARTH is here for readers to add it to their winter reading list.

Bernice McFadden, who says that she has wanted to be a writer "for as long as I can remember" began her journey as an author as an outgrowth of her disenchantment and frustration with her day jobs. As a former member of corporate America, McFadden eventually turned to writing after taking creative writing along with Afro-American history and literature courses at Fordham University. The next few years were spent writing and getting lost in the worlds of her favorite authors. Constantly reading and writing, a determined McFadden crafted her art and set out to get the attention of agents and publishers with her short stories and novel. After sending out hundreds of query letters, rewriting the novel that was to become SUGAR, and returning to corporate America one last time after depleting her savings, McFadden's hard work and dedication was finally rewarded when an agent read her work and answered her query letter. SUGAR was published shortly thereafter.

THIS BITTER EARTH picks up where Bernice McFadden's first book SUGAR left off: on the dirt road leading to Sugar's childhood home in Short Junction, Arkansas-right to the house where the Lacey women still live. Sugar's tale continues as she learns of a shocking revelation concerning her family's past and, as the years go on, realizes that the bonds of an old friendship will test the limits of her courage and compassion-and the sacrifices she will make for another young woman in desperate need of a caring friend.

Once again McFadden's writing is filled with the lyrical language, haunting imagery, and compelling voice that imbued SUGAR with its power and grace. Eagerly anticipated by all, THIS BITTER EARTH is a novel about the inexorable power the past exerts over us and about our ability to triumph over adversity and sorrow. Earthy and richly evocative, it is a testament to the ultimate triumph of the human spirit as well as to Bernice McFadden's own talent and determination as a writer.

This winter Bernice McFadden will be visiting bookstores across the country. To track the highlights of her tour, log-on to www.bernicemcfadden.com.

Bernice McFadden's previous novels SUGAR and THE WARMEST DECEMBER are available in paperback by Plume.