My debut novel and the first book of the Egypt series, Coming Out of Egypt, is a timely tale. Although set in the 1980s, the subject matter is one that never goes away. In fact, it seems to be more relevant today than ever. This is why I am running a special promotion on Book Cave for the whole of this month to mark Sexual Awareness month. You can now get a copy of this gripping novel for just .99c.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the graphic above, the statistics are alarming. Many sexual abuse victims are either afraid or ashamed to tell anyone about their experience, especially when the perpetrator is someone known to the victim. Coming Out of Egypt shows the effects that sexual abuse can have on the lives of the victims and gives hope to the readers that life does not end because of sexual abuse.

You can read what others have said about the book in a post I wrote earlier.  

 

This third and last book of the Egypt trilogy is on tour with RABT tours from now until Apr. 13. You can follow the tour and enter to win one of three copies of this compelling book. But that’s not all. In the Promised Land is now discounted from $3.99 to $1.99 for the duration of the tour. So, if you have been waiting for the price to come down so you can pick up your copy, here’s your chance.

To give you a little insight into the story, here’s the blurb:

Based on a true event, In the Promised Land wraps up the lives of the characters in a neat and satisfying way, according to some readers. Like the rest of the series, the story is set in the beautiful twin – island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The two main characters, Marva and June, have come out of an abusive childhood (Egypt) and are now adults. Marva is a nun at a home for delinquent girls. Marva is known for being strict and well disciplined, but when her adoptive father is killed in a Muslim coup, the family relies on her levelheaded calm to help them get through their crisis. But little do they know that Marva has a crisis of her own, one that her discipline and her faith seem inadequate to handle.

You can follow the tour here.

In time for Sexual Awareness month, Coming Out of Egypt, the first book in the series will be featured in a Book Cave promotion all month long, beginning tomorrow April 1. at the low price of .99c. You can follow the tour here.

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A tribute to Harriet Jacobs

March is Women’s History Month. Sandwiched between Black History Month (February) and Sexual Assault Awareness Month (April), March is devoted to recognizing and paying tribute to women who, by their sacrifice and accomplishments, helped to shape our history. With this in mind, I searched for someone who would fit both profiles and came up with Harriet Jacobs, author of Incidents in the Life of A Slave Girl.

Introduction to slavery

Harriet Jacobs was born a slave in 1813, but as a young child she was unaware she was a slave because her masters treated her kindly and taught her to read and write. It was only when she was bequeathed to new owners, that Harriet experienced cruelty and sexual exploitation. Her new master Dr. Flint tried to force her into a sexual relationship, but she resisted him and instead consented to a relationship with a white neighbor in the hope of being protected from Dr. Flint. Harriet bore two children and, in order to escape Dr. Flint and protect her children, hid in her grandmother’s cabin. It would be seven years before she escaped to New York where she reunited with her daughter in Brooklyn.

Harriet’s writing journey

Harriet began publishing her book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in serial form in the New York Tribune, but her accounts of sexual abuse were considered too shocking for readers at that time and so the publication ended. Phillips and Samson, a Boston publishing house, offered to publish the manuscript in book form if Harriet could get either Nathaniel Parker Willis, writer and publisher, or Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist author, to write a preface. This didn’t work out and eventually abolitionist Lydia Maria Child agreed. Child also edited the book. In 1861, Harriet published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl under the pseudonym Linda Brent, using fictitious names in the book to protect herself and her family.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was a groundbreaking work at that time as it highlighted the cruelties of slavery and sexual assault against women. More than a century later, the contents of this book still resonate with women everywhere as we grapple with the increased incidents of sexual assault, separation of families and racial inequality in our society. I recommend this book as a gripping and sobering read for Women’s History Month.

Excerpt:

Sara Vevang, Freedoms’ Dance

Your Love

Your love is like a summer wave
A winter’s cool crisp breeze
It makes me laugh
It makes me cry
It brings me to my knees
Your love amazes me
Drives me to peace
Renews my mind again and again
My worship is extravagant when I look at You
No matter what my life brings
It’s all I live to do

You Take Pleasure in My Every Prayer

We are never separated
You vindicate me as I walk in all integrity
Redeeming me in Your gracious love
Purity is what You seek
Refining fire burns darkness out of me
Your blood You shed on Calvary
Paid the price
Now I’m forever
In communion with
My Jesus Christ

As any writer will tell you, writing can be a lonely business. Most of your days are spent typing away on your keyboard, researching material, editing or talking to clients. Of course, you have your family and the cashier at your neighborhood supermarket-and they are important-but if you are not careful, you will soon lose your social skills and become a hermit altogether. That is why when I received an invitation to a networking event for women business owners, I decided to come out of my shell and see what it was all about.

I was not disappointed. Although it was not a writers’ event, I did meet another blogger with whom I was able to exchange ideas and information. The other ladies came from diverse backgrounds, but were equally pleasant, upbeat and encouraging.

The organizers, Jacqueline Jimenez and Dr. Liana C. Saenz motivated and inspired us to see ourselves as entrepreneurs and to not be afraid to branch out of our circles-my interpretation, our comfort zones.

I was used to attending writers’ conferences- those are great if you only write books– but if you are a freelance writer like myself, business meetings like this one can open you up to a whole lot of possibilities. You can grow your list of contacts, learn about new opportunities and even gain new clients.

Networking opportunities abound, but be careful to select the right ones if you do decide to network. I returned from the meeting feeling uplifted, refreshed and eager to attend more of the same, with these organizers and others.

During a phone conversation with a friend yesterday, I asked as casually as I could, “Did I ever tell you I’m a writer?”

Now, this is a friend, mind you. Someone I’ve known for decades and I’m now telling her that I’m a writer. Better late than never, I guess. Anyway, just as I expected, my friend told me she’s not a reader, but she did ask a few questions, which I was hoping for.

After asking me what my book was about–I told her it was actually a series of three books–and gave her a brief synopsis of the books. Then she wanted to know how I was able to sit down and write three books.

I explained it was not difficult because the first book was based on a true situation I knew of when I was a teacher back in Trinidad. For those of you who never heard the background to Coming Out of Egypt, here it is in brief:

It was rumored that two sisters attending the elementary school where I taught were being abused by their father. Their mother had died, and the girls lived in a secluded home with their father. They appeared very shabby, were isolative and did not do well in school. We, the teachers, had no legal authority to do anything in that society during that time period, and I transferred from that school without knowing what became of those girls.

So much for the background. How did I write the book?

1. The idea. It was easy for me to get started because I had the basic idea – the above synopsis – but the ending would be different. Instead of transferring from that school to another, the teacher would stay there and try to help those girls out.

2. The characters. I already had the protagonist – the older sister. Her younger sister June would be the second most important character. Then I added another character– the teacher–and I gave her a name. If there’s a protagonist there would be an antagonist. Guess what? The teacher’s boyfriend, a detective,  became the antagonist.

3. The setting. I already had that too. A rural village in Trinidad.

4. The plot. That is what happens in the story. How do these characters act on this idea in this setting? The pieces began to fall into place. The girls would go to school, the teacher would teach, and the detective would … He would have to find something to detect. Right? More ideas.

In order to make the book interesting, I had to throw in a few more elements. So I threw in some romance–the teacher and the detective, Marva and her boyfriend and even June has a boyfriend or rather, boyfriends. Then I included some police work –our detective is a hard-working guy–so we give him a crime to solve.

By this time I had an idea what I wanted the title to be. The real village where the girls lived is called Egypt Village. Egypt in the Bible represents a place of bondage. Since the book was being written from a Christian perspective, I used the story of the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt as a metaphor for the story of these girls’ journey out of their bondage, and thus came the title Coming Out of Egypt.

This whole process may sound easy or complicated depending on how you look at it. However, if you are going to write a book, I would suggest you become familiar with the craft by doing the foll.:
1)Begin reading, if you are like my friend –not a reader.
2)Take a few courses–online or at a community college or some such place
3) Join a writer’s group and
4) Start writing

If you enjoyed this blog post, I will suggest two things:
1. Buy the Book
2. Sign up to join my mailing list. You will be the first to know about my giveaways, special offers from time to time and updates from other authors.

In the spotlight today is An Open Window, a debut novel by P. B. Harrison. Enjoy!

I do hope you are in some warm, cozy spot as you read this. It’s the perfect weekend for reading, isn’t it? I had no idea this kind of weather would coincide with my birthday, but I’m thankful it did. So, to add to your reading pleasure this weekend, I’ve discounted my latest release, In the Promised Land from $3.99 to $1.99. Now that’s a real gift. But regardless of how much you pay for this book, there are many benefits to be gained by reading it:

1. The characters are memorable
2. The plot is based on a true event
3. The message is timely and
4. The setting is exotic

Here’s the blurb:

This third book in the Egypt trilogy wraps up the lives of the characters in a neat and satisfying way, according to some readers. Like the rest of the series, the story is set in the beautiful twin- island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. The two main characters, Marva and June, have come out of an abusive childhood (Egypt) and are now adults. Marva is a nun at a home for delinquent girls. Marva is known for being strict and well disciplined, but when her adoptive father is killed in a Muslim coup, the family relies on her levelheaded calm to help them get through their crisis. But little do they know that Marva has a crisis of her own, one that her discipline and her faith seem inadequate to handle.

If that is not enough to whet your appetite, here’s an excerpt:

Excerpt

Coming Out of Egypt, my debut novel and the first book in the Egypt series is at 99c. Maybe you should read this and the second one before you read the third book to get a sense of the progression of the story.

For those of you who prefer paperback you can get it here

While I appreciate you buying my books, may I ask you to go a step further and leave an honest review on Amazon? Authors depend on reviews as they help to guide readers in making their buying choices. Thank you, and stay warm!

Do you sometimes feel your relationship with your spouse can use a nudge? If you answer yes to this question, you may benefit from the Love Nudge app. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, this fun, engaging tool will help you and your spouse experience love more deeply. It’s fast and easy to set up and completely free. All you do is download the app, create an account and follow the steps.

Love Nudge™ for Couples will help you put the concepts of The 5 Love Languages® into action in ways that are easy, obvious, and satisfying.

When you take the love languages quiz, you will discover the love language that speaks most to your heart. Is it gift-giving, quality time or acts of service? Mine is acts of service. Take the quiz and find out what yours or your spouse’s is.

Download the The LoveNudge app and enter to win a set of 3 books from The 5 Love languages.

Download the The LoveNudge app and enter to win a set of 3 books from The 5 Love languages.