Biography

Jeffrey Dale Lofton hails from Warm Springs, Georgia, but calls the nation’s capital home now. Early on, he acted on the stages of Washington, DC’s theaters and performing arts centers, even scoring some television appearances, including a Super Bowl halftime commercial. Ultimately he stepped away from acting to help clients hone their communications skills. Today, he is a senior advisor at the Library of Congress, surrounded by books and people who love books—in short, paradise.

Schedule

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm
State Library, Fourth Floor
Autofiction: Life Meets Fiction
with Christee Gabour Atwood, Teresa Tuminello Brader, Jeffrey Dale Lofton, and moderator Gary Richards

2:00 pm to 2:45 pm
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

Red Clay Suzie

A novel inspired by true events

The coming-of-age story of Philbet, a gay, physically-misshapen boy in rural Georgia, who battles bullying, ignorance, and disdain as he makes his way in life as an outsider—before finding acceptance in unlikely places.

Fueled by tomato sandwiches and green milkshakes, and obsessed with cars, Philbet struggles with life and love as a gay boy in rural Georgia. He’s happiest when helping Grandaddy dig potatoes from the vegetable garden that connects their houses. But Philbet’s world is shattered and his resilience shaken by events that crush his innocence and sense of security; expose his misshapen chest skillfully hidden behind shirts Mama makes at home; and convince him that he’s not fit to be loved by Knox, the older boy he idolizes to distraction. Over time, Philbet finds refuge in unexpected places and inner strength in unexpected ways, leading to a resolution in the form of a letter from beyond the grave.