{"product_id":"the-true-confessions-of-first-lady-freeman-by-deesha-philyaw","title":"The True Confessions of First Lady Freeman by Deesha Philyaw","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\" id=\"docs-internal-guid-afb6e007-7fff-134c-4403-9643e71f6cd6\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003ePublisher Synopsis:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 9pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\"Philyaw has created a heroine you can’t help but root for, and a book you can’t help but love.\" - Rufi Thorpe, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eMargo's Got Money Troubles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\"Smart and juicy and compulsively readable.\" - Jasmine Guillory, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e bestselling author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe Wedding Date\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe Proposal\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe wife of a popular and powerful megachurch pastor upends her charmed “rags-to-Rolex” life when her secret past comes roaring into the spotlight—in this \"funny and juicy and sexy and delicious peek behind the pulpit\" (Samantha Irby) from the acclaimed and beloved author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe Secret Lives of Church Ladies\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eFrom the moment Scharisse Freeman ditched her humble roots and married a megachurch pastor fifteen years her senior, she’s been labeled too brash and too “of the world” by church folks who grudgingly accepted her into their fold, and too holy by her estranged childhood bestie Petra. Schar doesn’t have many allies, but that hasn’t stopped her from building an enviable business empire spanning books to clothing to branded products, and living the comfortable life her husband's power affords her.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eOn the eve of her 40th birthday, Schar gets the final bit of validation she’s always dreamt of: a coveted invitation to participate in the First Lady USA pageant. This is her chance to be accepted by the other pastors’ wives—First Ladies—who are “like Jesus’ disciples if they had been a group of mean girls.” Finally, blissfully, the ice between Schar and the other First Ladies begins to thaw.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eBut as the pageant nears, a sensational scandal breaks with Schar at its center, and her carefully curated life implodes. Schar faces down shame and terrible secrets from her childhood and is reminded that in the eyes of the church, optics can matter more than the truth.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eUnflinchingly funny, frank, and splendidly unruly, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe True Confessions of First Lady Freeman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e exults in the luscious, messy pleasure of finally feeling free.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e\"Deesha Philyaw has already established herself as one of the greatest short story writers, but in \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe True Confessions of First Lady Freeman\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e she cements herself as the most soulfully entertaining writer of her era.\" - Kiese Laymon, author of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eHeavy\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eLong Division\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 9pt 0pt;\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eAuthor Info:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.2; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eDeesha Philyaw\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e’s debut short story collection, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003eThe Secret Lives of Church Ladies\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 9pt; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;\"\u003e, won the PEN\/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the Story Prize, the LA Times Book Prize: The Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction and was a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Deesha is a Kimbilio Fiction Fellow, a Baldwin for the Arts Fellow, a United States Artists Fellow, and co-host of two podcasts, Ursa Short Fiction (with Dawnie Walton) and Reckon True Stories (with Kiese Laymon). She is currently at work developing TV shows based on her short fiction.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"font-family: 'Segoe UI'; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; line-height: 20px;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_0587f07bc455df72 b08a942fb7634f0f\"\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 100%;\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 44.9731%;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 54.697%;\"\u003eMariner Books\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 44.9731%;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 54.697%;\"\u003eSeptember 29, 2026\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 44.9731%;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 54.697%;\"\u003eEnglish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 44.9731%;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 54.697%;\"\u003e432\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 44.9731%;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eItem Weight\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 54.697%;\"\u003e1.0–1.42 lb\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 44.9731%;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd style=\"width: 54.697%;\"\u003e6.0 × 1.19 × 9.0 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Loc'd and Lit","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45978392297525,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0695\/0489\/2981\/files\/TheTrueConfessionsofFirstLadyFreeman.jpg?v=1788717748","url":"https:\/\/locdandlit.com\/products\/the-true-confessions-of-first-lady-freeman-by-deesha-philyaw","provider":"Loc'd and Lit","version":"1.0","type":"link"}