A Wasp in the Fig Tree - Softcover

Mary Bryan Stafford grew up in South Texas and was a niece in the infamous family of patrón George Parr, the Duke of Duval. She is seventh generation Texan and a member of The Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She graduated from The College of William and Mary in Virginia with degrees in English and Spanish but got back to Texas on the fast train. She taught school in Corpus Christi, Round Rock and Lake Travis High School and loved being an instructor in aerobic dance. She and her husband have traveled widely throughout Europe, South America and Africa, but now live the Hill Country where she spends her time writing and training her two horses. An award-winning author, she is published for “Blowout,” in the anthology Women Write about the Southwest, winner of the Willa Award, “Epiphany” in the anthology The Noble Generation III and many times in the Texas Poetry Calendar. In addition to being a quarterfinalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Contest, her fiction has been recognized as a first place winner multiple times in writing contests throughout the country. She has been a regular contributor of interesting and informative articles to County Life Magazine and Faces and Places Magazine for the Texas Hill Country

"Wasp in the Fig Tree, the compelling story of young Isabel and her Texas clan, is rich in literary flair. The characters, setting, and plot have incredible depth, resonance, and vibrancy in this tale of family and friendship that explores the complex cultures, prejudices, and history of South Texas."-- Erin Brown Former editor HarperCollins and St. Martin's Press "It reminded me of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES because although the protagonist is young, and although so much of the tone, nuance and movement of the story hinges on seeing the narrative through the lens of youth, the writing and underlying themes are sophisticated . Think about the opening line of TO KILLING A MOCKINGBIRD. Scout tells the reader, "This is a story about how my brother Jem broke his arm." But TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is so much more than that, I feel the same way about A WASP IN THE FIG TREE." --Victoria Marini, literary agent with Gelfman Schneider "The writing is incredibly vivid. The descriptions are a perfect blend of visual imagery--so beautiful that I felt acutely like I was in the story, The prose and setting are incredible." --Ana "Every so often, a great book comes along-one with an exciting story, full of twists and turns, one that pulls you into another world that you'd like to stay in for awhile, one with carefully polished writing and real world dialogue. A Wasp in the Fig Tree by Mary Bryan Stafford is such a book."-- Story Circle Reviewer Denise McAlister