About the Book

Book: The Past Ever Present

Author: Debra Coleman Jeter

Genre: Memoir

Release Date: August, 2020

A fly-on-the-wall account of making a television show, and a great examination of country living in the first half of the twentieth century, The Past Ever Present revolves around the relationship between a boy and his grandfather. When Clay is cast as a regular in the TV series Christy, his grandfather Clifton serves as his on-set guardian. The series is set in a poor farm community, which is eerily similar to the one where Clifton grew up. Being on the set of the show provides a dramatic transformation for both, as Clay comes of age and Clifton comes to terms with his past.

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About the Author

Debra Coleman Jeter has published in popular magazines, including Working Woman, New Woman, Self, Home Life, Savvy, Christian Woman, and American Baby. Her first novel, The Ticket, was a finalist for a Selah Award, and her most recent, Song of Sugar Sands, a finalist for a 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award. Her short story, “Recovery,” won first prize in a competition sponsored by Christian Woman; and her book The Past Ever Present (originally published as Pshaw, It’s Me Grandson) was a finalist in the USA Book News Awards. She is a co-writer of the screenplay for Jess + Moss, a feature film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, screened at nearly forty film festivals around the world, and captured several international awards.

As the mother of Clay Jeter and the daughter of Clifton Coleman, Debra Coleman Jeter is uniquely qualified to tell their story.

More from Debra

For those of you familiar with Catherine Marshall’s novel Christy or with the two-season CBS television series based on that novel, The Past Ever Present should feel like an old friend. For those of you not familiar with Christy, consider The Past Ever Present an introduction to something you are bound to love.

I remember the day my son Clay was invited to audition for a television show called Christy. I did not make the connection, though I had read Christy years earlier. Then he was invited for a call-back in Townsend, Tennessee. It was there we first realized Kellie Martin (star of Life Goes On) had been cast as Christy; she was there that day, and Clay recognized her. Then I had a chance to read a section of the script, and I recognized the story, to my delight.

If you haven’t read Christy, you should. It is simply wonderful. If you love it, or if you are interested in true tales about child actors (my son Clay), or about growing up during the Great Depression (my dad Cliff Coleman), I hope you’ll love The Past Ever Present. The book was a finalist in the USA Book News Awards.

Clay is cast as a regular in the series Christy, filmed in the hills of eastern Tennessee, at the age of nine. Much of the usual struggle for recognition and approval associated with the Hollywood industry finds its way to this isolated mountain community. Because both Clay’s parents are working full time, his grandfather Clifton serves as Clay’s guardian. The television series being filmed is set in a poor farm community, much like the one where Clifton grew up. The show brings back memories for Clifton and, while Clay is working, he watches and remembers. The book highlights parallels between Clay’s antics and Clifton’s memories of his own, in addition to the parallels between the characters and their adventures in Christy and those in Clifton’s past.

My Thoughts

The Past Ever Present by Debra Jeter is a memoir written by the mother of Clay and the daughter of Clifton. I read the book Christy a few years ago you can see my review: HERE. I never got a chance to watch the TV show - but after reading this book I felt like I got to know Clay. I have read a few other books by this author - she has a gift of pen. Her writing always flows so nicely. I love how it switched back and forth between Clay and Clifton. Two different time periods but all woven together beautifully. Clifton is sharing his experiences of his childhood. Which was such a different time then what Clay grew up in. I love when our older generation talks about how they grew up and the things they experienced. My grandmother was born in 1920. She was a wealth of knowledge. She remembers the Great Depression, the Holocaust and so much more. She passed in March of this year and this book brought up so many memories of us comparing the worlds we grew up in. I enjoyed hearing the difference between Clay and Clifton stories. Clifton grew up before television and Clay's experience as a cast member of the 1990s TV show Christy.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit blogging program -- all thoughts are my own.