Talk of the Town

The first installment in the Daily, Texas series, the novel alternates between two narrators: Mandalay Florentino, an associate producer for the reality TV singing competition American Megastar, and Imagene Doll, a nearly seventy-year-old widow who works at the café in the small town of Daily, Texas.

Mandalay arrives in Daily on a secret advance mission to prepare for the hometown segment of Amber Anderson, a nineteen-year-old gospel singer who has made the show's Final Five. Disillusioned after six months under her tyrannical boss, Ursula Uberstach, Mandalay has grown uneasy with reality TV's exploitation of its contestants. Amber's innocent persona and tabloid notoriety have made her a ratings sensation, and her recent association with Justin Shay, a Hollywood bad boy, has intensified media interest. Ursula orders Mandalay to stay in Daily as Amber's handler, the staffer assigned to manage her during the visit. Mandalay is engaged to David, a man she met on a dating website, though she privately harbors doubts about the relationship.

Imagene narrates the town's reaction to news of a TV helicopter at the fairgrounds. The local postman, Harlan Hanson, and his brother, Baptist preacher Brother Ervin, have already hung a banner proclaiming Amber a finalist. Imagene, still grieving her husband Jack's death, dampens the excitement. Harlan chides her for losing her imagination, a remark that stings because her father named her one letter from "imagine" to inspire big dreams. Imagene's lifelong best friend, Donetta Bradford, owns the Daily Hair and Body salon on the ground floor of the old Daily Hotel building, connected to the café by a hidden swinging bookshelf door. Lucy, a Japanese war bride, has worked alongside Donetta at the salon since the 1950s.

Mandalay and Imagene meet when a rainstorm forces them to take shelter together. Donetta rents Mandalay the Beulah room upstairs, an elaborate Elvis Presley shrine belonging to Donetta's absent mother-in-law. Carter Woods, a handsome young man in a Hawaiian shirt from California, also rents a room. Donetta learns his brother has cancer and that Carter has moved to Austin to run his brother's business and care for his three young nieces. Without telling Mandalay, Donetta locks the door between the two halves of the suite.

That night, Deputy Buddy Ray Baldrige responds to Mandalay's 911 call about an intruder and handcuffs both her and Carter before Imagene arrives and sorts things out. Carter then reveals the bookshelf door to the café, winking as if he already knew about it. The two raid the kitchen for nachos and pecan pie, watch Bonanza reruns, and discover an easy rapport, though Mandalay reminds herself she is engaged.

Scouting the area, Mandalay finds the Anderson property in dismal condition: a sagging trailer with foil-covered windows and animals roaming bare dirt. Nearby, she discovers the picturesque Caney Creek Church, officially Harves Chapel, where Amber learned gospel music, and spots Carter on the steps talking with the pastor. Meanwhile, Donetta hires Verl Anderson, Amber's elderly grandfather who has an alcohol addiction, to repair the hotel. Verl transforms under honest labor, and his grandsons Andy, Amos, and Avery beam with pride. Imagene takes the boys home for the night.

At the fairgrounds, Imagene conquers a lifelong fear by riding the roller coaster three times, an experience she connects to Jack's philosophy of living fully. That evening, Carter and Mandalay ride the Ferris wheel and roller coaster together; Mandalay lets go of the safety bar and feels exhilarated for the first time in years. Late that night, Mandalay's friend Paula directs her to a profile on MyDestiny.com, the dating website where she met David. She finds his active profile and, the next morning, confronts him. He admits he was unsure he was ready to commit, and Mandalay ends the engagement.

Saturday brings crisis. Overnight, Verl got drunk and bragged about Amber's status, causing reporters to descend on Daily. Imagene orchestrates a diversion: Bob Turner, the café owner and Chamber of Commerce president, feeds reporters misleading stories; Brother Ervin hints Amber might appear at the Baptist church; and Doyle Banes, a local resident, prepares to block the road with a gravel truck. Mandalay escapes the hotel by hiding in Harlan's mail truck alongside Carter, whom Donetta has recruited as the horse-trailer driver.

At Imagene's farmhouse, Andy tenderly bathes and dresses his hungover grandfather, revealing the children's daily reality. Imagene proposes a summer arrangement where Verl and the boys would work her garden in exchange for canned vegetables. Amber arrives after a chaotic overnight journey with Justin Shay. Butch, the handler Ursula rehired to find her, locates Amber at the Barlinger ranch, a childhood refuge. The cameras capture the emotional reunion between Amber and her brothers.

Imagene catches Mandalay and Carter kissing in the barn. In a separate conversation, Amber confides to Imagene that she has been considering quitting American Megastar to record with a small Texas company. She reveals that Justin is not her romantic interest; she brought him to Daily hoping to inspire him to use his wealth to create a haven for foster children separated from their siblings, just as she and her brothers were after their parents' deaths. Imagene insists Amber's voice is meant for the world.

The hometown reveal at the rodeo arena succeeds brilliantly. Amber performs the national anthem, "God Bless the U.S.A.," and two additional songs. When paparazzi swarm the gates, Justin strips to red satin boxers and runs through the arena, drawing all media attention and allowing the crew to spirit Amber away.

On the drive back, Butch delivers two revelations. Ursula has secretly arranged with the president of Dysterco, whose software tabulates viewer votes, to eliminate Amber in the first week of finals regardless of voting. Second, Carter is actually J. C. Woods, former host of Mason County Line on the Country Network and founder of Higher Ground, an independent record label specializing in folk and gospel music, the very company Amber has been trying to contact. Mandalay realizes she has been deceived by both her boss and the man she was falling for.

Back at the farm, Amber unknowingly greets Carter as "Mr. Woods." Mandalay accuses him of using her and drives away. At the hotel, she confronts Ursula with everything she knows: the voter manipulation and the plans to sabotage Amber's segment and force her to quit. She issues an ultimatum: She will finish the segment her way, and if she detects tampering, she and Butch will go public. Ursula, shaken for the first time, cannot counter the threat. Mandalay locks her in the Beulah room and instructs Donetta not to let her out.

Because Justin's arena stunt led to his arrest, drawing every reporter to the jail, Mandalay relocates the concert to Caney Creek Church. Residents smuggle supplies out of town while Forrest, a local lawman, and Buddy Ray keep reporters occupied with a fake announcement. Amber performs with the church gospel choir, and Verl joins her onstage for "Danny Boy," revealing a singing voice no one knew he possessed. The audience gives him a standing ovation.

After the concert, Carter returns and explains that he came to Daily curious about Amber but stopped pursuing the matter after meeting Mandalay, which is why Amber could never reach him. He mentions that Higher Ground could use someone with production experience, extending a tentative invitation toward a new path. He asks Mandalay to dinner the following week in LA, and she agrees. They kiss on the church steps.

The celebration continues on the lawn. Amber dances with Butch, confirming their budding romance. Lucy surprises everyone by swing dancing with Doyle Banes. Imagene sits on the pastor's swing, imagining a last dance with Jack to "Sentimental Journey," their song, and feels a deep peace. She tells Donetta she wants to take the Galveston cruise Jack once planned. Under the live oak trees, Mandalay and Carter dance as if no one else exists. Imagene reflects that Daily, like herself, had only been dozing and is now awake, and that the blessings of the evening "shower down like falling stars, and the cup overflows with light" (363).