Defying a Triple Tragedy: A Detour to Mexico is Published

After six years of setbacks and the death of one of its authors, "A Detour to Mexico" is finally released. The inspirational story was co-authored by the late Mrs. Sammy Davis, Jr. and Pamela Sherrod, and the story behind it is as compelling as the powerful plot within it. End Quote

New York, NY (1888PressRelease) July 06, 2011 - RisingStar31 is pleased to announce the release of "A Detour to Mexico," an inspirational story created by Pamela Sherrod and Mrs. Sammy Davis, Jr. Written as a screenplay, this musical adventure follows the escapades of the Langstons, a group of talented family members who're traveling to Acapulco for a music competition. The story's characters, however, weren't the only ones who'd experience some unexpected trials during their journey. After completing the first draft, the story's writers stumbled down their own difficult road. Following a number of daunting setbacks the story was nearly 'buried' with the death of Sherrod's co-author, Altovise Davis.

Sherrod says that she's very spiritual and never gave up on the story, but she faced a test of faith when it came to publishing it, and a book detailing the events that surrounded it. "A Detour to Mexico" offers readers a delightful tale about the miracle of love, especially in overcoming adversity to share a special message. Ironically, this would become Sherrod's own test, as she'd have to overcome a triple tragedy to finally complete their work. The first strike came when part of the story appeared to have been stolen by a major studio. Then, Altovise died shortly after they formed a company to resurrect the screenplay and produce it themselves. While trying to get over Altovise's death, Sherrod lost her fiancé, who died only thirty-five days later. She says that the cumulative effect was devastating, and these and other blows knocked her off her feet for a while. Sherrod, who's now researching the topic of 'miracles' for a documentary, says, "That's why this story inspires so many people. After traveling through such a stormy path, the fact that it prevailed is a miracle, in itself."

Sherrod was initially introduced to Altovise to help write her autobiography. Altovise was married for twenty years to the famous Rat Pack star, Sammy Davis, Jr. The women, however, put the autobiography on hold to write an inspirational story for youth. They were on a mission, says Sherrod, to fulfill a request made before Sammy died. He'd started performing when he was only four years old, and had never attended school. He couldn't read or write until he was an adult and he'd always regretted it. Sammy asked Altovise to reach out to kids and emphasize the importance of getting an education. Together, the two women set out to accomplish this goal. They decided to create stories (and films) that would broaden the horizons of young people and inspire them to reach for higher goals. Their first project, "A Detour to Mexico," was created to demystify Mexico and help young people appreciate the rich culture, history and language of the people. They wanted to share, not only educational lessons and spiritual notes, but the type of dazzling features offered in films that would bring their characters to life. Sherrod still feels excited about having established the framework for the project.

Publishing the screenplay was also important for another reason. Sherrod said, Altovise was once told she'd "never be anything but a famous man's wife," or overcome her battle with alcoholism to accomplish anything. There were unflattering rumors about her lifestyle which were largely based on her controversial marriage and struggles with addiction. Many of these stories found their way into books and articles. Altovise wanted to address these issues, and have people know who she was and what she'd actually achieved. Few knew that she loved children and helped create wonderful characters with which to entertain them. Until now, this part of her life was undocumented.

This year, Sherrod took steps to finally give Altovise the 'voice' that she wanted with the publishing of "A Detour to Mexico" and "The Last Chapter in the Life of Mrs. Sammy Davis, Jr.," a chronicle of the events leading up to Altovise's death. Both of these compelling stories are now available at Amazon.com, and can be ordered from other online sources and most local bookstores.

For more information, you can visit www.adetourtomexico.com, or visit www.mrssammydavisjr.com

CONTACT:
Pamela Sherrod
p.sherrod ( @ ) live dot com

http://www.risingstar31.com

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