New Southern Heroine Finds Love beyond the Color Line First-time Author Priscilla Lalisse Releases STOCKDALE

PARIS, December 12, 2005 — African American author, Priscilla Lalisse announced today the release of STOCKDALE, her first novel.

During the 1980s in the small southern town of Stockdale, Alabama, where almost every remnant of segregation has been erased, the barrier that matters most, freedom to love regardless of color, still remains. For a forward-thinking young woman named Cassie Taylor, Stockdale has one barrier too many, and she would like nothing more than to leave town for good.

Taught early that she’s not free to love whomever she pleases in Stockdale due to the color of her skin, Cassie embarks on a search for love that first will take her into and out of the arms of Blake, a biracial boy from a broken home, and then into the arms of white military serviceman John, who may be her ticket out of Stockdale. In this tale of self-discovery, adventure, forbidden love and courage, a young woman finds out what happens in a place where being black or white can mean absolutely nothing…or everything.

“When we think about segregation, we instantly think about the 1950s or 1960s,” says Priscilla Lalisse, a native of Heflin, Alabama who now writes from Paris, France. “Although I do write about "modern day" segregation, STOCKDALE is also an uplifting story. I hope readers, especially young women, will come away with a sense of encouragement in knowing that they can do anything if they so desire.”

Stockdale is a fictitious place, although it used to exist, Lalisse reveals. It is now part of the city of Talladega, Alabama. The area holds great significance for Lalisse because it is the birthplace of her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Beatrice Stockdale Heard. Lalisse can trace her family roots back to the Stockdale plantation, founded around 1843, where many of her slave ancestors are still buried.

“Priscilla Lalisse is a new voice from the South, says Lewis Tatham, Ph.D., Language Professor Emeritus at Austin Peay State University. “Hers is not the usual story of prejudice and discrimination, but rather one of inter-racial love and of the difficulties such love encounters in a society not yet ready to accept it.”

A true Southern belle, Alabama native Priscilla Lalisse, moved to Paris from Manhattan in 1999 where she worked as a magazine editor for C++ Magazine. Her articles now appear regularly in a variety of online publications such as Bonjour Paris, Café de la Soul and Paris Woman Journal for which she is a page editor. She lives in Paris with her young son and writes full time. To learn more about Priscilla Lalisse and her book STOCKDALE, visit her website at: www.priscillalalisse.com.

About STOCKDALE

Published in November 2005 by iUniverse, STOCKDALE is now available in paperback and as an eBook at all major online bookstores including iUnivserse.com, Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Powells.com. STOCKDALE is also available offline through distributors, Ingram Book Group and Baker & Taylor. The retail price is $17.95. The ISBN number is: 0-595-37244-9. Ms. Lalisse is available for appearances and interviews.

About iUniverse

iUniverse provides individuals a simple, fast and affordable way to publish, market, and sell fiction and nonfiction books. The company is one of the largest book publishing companies in the United States. iUniverse eliminates the necessity of massive print runs, dramatically shortens time-to-market, and gives authors control over when and how their works are published. iUniverse publishing programs are endorsed by industry leading author organizations, including the Authors Guild and the ASJA. iUniverse is a proud member of the Association of American Publishers, Publishers Marketing Association, and Small Publishers Association of North America. The company's major investors include Warburg Pincus and Barnes & Noble.

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