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.  

When I began writing Coming Out of Egypt sixteen years ago, I never dreamed that sexual assault, the book’s subject matter, would be so much in the news today. But it is, and women from all walks of life are coming forward to tell their stories and they are inspiring others to do so. Does that mean that sexual assault will go away completely? I don’t thinks so, but it may deter some would-be perpetrators from carrying out these vicious acts.

Coming Out of Egypt is set in the 1980s, a time when such things were only whispered about. The protagonist is seventeen-year-old Marva who, along with her younger sister June, was sexually abused by their father. As with most sexual assault victims, the girls were too ashamed to tell anyone what they were being subjected to. One night, unable to take it anymore, Marva killed her father. This is where the story begins.

I am still amazed at the timeliness of this story and I think you will be too. Also, the psychological traits displayed by sexual abuse victims are well portrayed in these characters. But despite the disturbing subject matter, there is much light-hearted content to balance those agonizing moments:

June and her penchant for attracting boys; the passionate romance between Cicely and David; the vivid descriptions of the exotic setting and most of all, the redemptive message that unfolds as a flower (according to one reviewer) throughout the book.

Here is what some reviewers are saying about Coming Out of Egypt:

Solid book. Well written. Important topic. Engaging characters – CM

Coming Out of Egypt is a story of survival that grips your attention from beginning to end.- Eunice Matchett

The story of abuse in any form is hard to read, but more, when it is incest by a trusted parent. Who do you turn to when there is no one to turn to when a relationship goes wrong? God! This story shows what it looks like when the trust in a relationship is gone and there is no one to whom you can turn. Through many different relationships and through many different eyes we see how this walk looks and possibly feels. We are never alone or forsaken. – Titagee

If you would like to judge for yourself if what these readers said is true, why don’t you get a copy for yourself? Just click on the image below.

As more and more women come forward to reveal their unfortunate sexual harassment experiences, the cliché the more things change, the more they seem the same comes to my mind.

Sexual harassment, sexual abuse, sexual assault, whatever name you choose to call it by has been around since the beginning of time, since men realized that they are physically stronger than their female gender, and mistakenly thought that gives them the right to exert their power over her. But despite all the hue and cry that is taking place over the airwaves these days, I don’t expect sexual abuse to go away any time soon.

When I began writing Coming Out of Egypt, which revolves around the theme of child sexual abuse, I thought it was a rare topic – at least here in America. Still, I felt moved to re-write the stories of two young girls who I knew many years ago as a teacher in Egypt Village, Trinidad. It was rumored that these children were being abused by their father, and the laws being what they were, or were not, nothing was done about it. I left that school not knowing what became of them.

So, here I am, years later, having written a series on sexual abuse survivors, seeing my stories played out before my eyes. Decades later, victims of sexual harassment still weep when they recall their harrowing experiences. In book 1, Coming Out of Egypt, Marva the protagonist and her younger sister June are victims of sexual abuse. One night, unable to bear the thought of her younger sister being molested by her father, Marva kills him.
This sets off a snowball effect of delinquent behavior by both girls. In the midst of all this, Marva’s former teacher, Cicely, intervenes and saves the girls from certain doom. In the end, they become Christians and begin to feel better about themselves. However, Marva knows that one day she will have to pay the price for her rash behavior. When will the axe fall? You will have to get the second book In The Wilderness to find out.

If you prefer to read about heiresses in dungeons, cowboys and cowgirls, aliens and devils, then look elsewhere. But if you enjoy women’s fiction that focuses on social issues and real life events that touch all of us, Coming Out of Egypt is the book for you. If you enjoy learning about exotic cultures, with an element of sweet, breathtaking romance, then Coming Out of Egypt is the book for you. If you want to learn more about the power of redemption to change lives, then this book is for you. Coming Out of Egypt received a five-star rating from Readers’ Favorite and 4.5 stars from other readers.

Right now, Coming Out of Egypt is just .99c on kindle, but if you prefer print, you can get it here. If you would like an autographed copy, just email me and I’ll tell you how you can get it. Until next time, remember, “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” –Albert Einstein

Sometimes when I browse Amazon or other book sites and read blurbs, I realize that there are other books whose subject matter is similar to mine. I have read some of those books, but in all honesty, I don’t like reading about child abuse, especially sexual abuse. Really? Then why did you write about it, I can hear you scream. The question is justified, and the answer is simple. I think it’s something that needs to be spoken about, exposed, denounced until the world ceases to turn a blind eye to this scourge in our midst. So, I’m not  knocking other novels that portray sexual abuse. They all have their place, although I cannot read graphic details about horrible things done to a child. In this series of articles, I will show you why I think you should read my Egypt series.

First, take a look at the short synopsis:

When Marva accidentally kills her father while trying to protect her younger sister June from him, she anticipates a new beginning far from “Egypt” where they once lived. But her new life is not what she envisioned. The strain of trying to elude the detective who suspects her, cope with her rebellious younger sister and hold down her job in a man’s domain drive her to drink. When Cicely, her former teacher, intervenes and leads the girls to Christ, Marva finds some measure of peace, but guilt over her crime and the desire to save June from disgrace force her to contemplate suicide. Fortunately, a serious accident derails her plans, and both Marva and June discover their true calling – to serve God, and others, with all their heart and with all their strength.

In the next post, one reason why you should read the Egypt series:

No graphic scenes of sexual abuse.

Book 2 In the Wilderness is now on preorder for 99c. until 8/17. Get your copy now by clicking https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072WB8N25

If you have not yet read the first book and would like to do so, you can click  here.

And don’t forget to sign up below for my monthly newsletter where you can get updates on my books, giveaways and more.

The statistics are overwhelming, the facts disturbing, the reality frightening. What am I talking about? I’m talking about child sexual abuse – a topic that is whispered about at best, shunned at worst.
Look at some of these statistics: provided by Darkness to Light

One in ten children will be sexually abused before the age of eighteen. Notice I said children – boys are as much at risk as girls are.

90% of child sexual abuse victims know their abuser.

Child sexual abuse increases the chances of a child dropping out of school.

Only 4 – 8% of reports of child sexual abuse are fabricated.

Use of alcohol and drugs can be indicators of child abuse

However, there is hope. Parents, teachers, pastors, everyone needs to be able to recognize the signs of sexual abuse in their charges and know what to do when they see these signs. That is why I wrote this novel Coming Out of Egypt: to create an awareness of what still remains hidden in too many instances and grows in the dark like a fungus until it has spread and poisoned the whole system.

Why a novel? Why not a self-help, non- fiction book? Because many victims may shun the idea of reading a book that puts them under a microscope and makes them feel like a statistic. A novel like Coming Out of Egypt presents fully- fleshed out characters with whom the reader can identify and who can help her understand why she feels and acts the way she does.

The story inspires hope. At the beginning of the story, the characters’ situation appears hopeless. Marva and her sister are orphans. Their mother died a year before the story began, and now their father is dead, and they are trying to cover their tracks and elude the police. They have little money and dare not tell the only relative they know that Marva just killed their father while trying to protect June from his abuse.

The journey out of Egypt is fraught with difficulties and trials, but by the end of the story, Marva has a job, June is in school and they are pretty well settled. But Marva’s crime still hangs like a noose over her head. Will she find the love and forgiveness she craves or the punishment she deserves?

Want to know more about the story? Sign up on the form below to receive a free preview and other updates. I know you will be blessed.

Now on preorder for just .99c until it is released: In The Wilderness, the second book in the Egypt trilogy. See what happens to Marva and June after they have “come out of Egypt.”

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072WB8N25

It took me many years to craft my first novel Coming Out of Egypt, the first book of the Egypt trilogy. I wanted characters who were well developed, who would take on the persona of real people and to whom my readers can relate. By the time I’d completed the first draft, I knew those characters as well as, or maybe better than, my family and friends. After all, I created them. Therefore, it came as no surprise to me when my characters expressed their feelings – in no uncertain terms – about the upcoming presidential elections and the media’s propensity to grab – pardon me – to feed on anything that smacks of sensationalism.

Here is a scene I walked in on recently where Marva, the protagonist, was close to a meltdown over something that was being shown on television.

Snatching the remote from her sister June: “We are not to watch this. This is so painful to me. Have you forgotten what Daddy used to do to us?” She bursts into tears and flings the remote into the corner.

June dives after it. “I want to see that poster …”

Marva goes after her and tries to take the remote. “Junie, women all over the world are weeping now. Whether they were abused or not. This election makes me want to …”

“To what, Sister?”

Marva holds her head and runs from the room.

Cicely, Marva’s former teacher enters. “Hi, girls.”

“Oh, hi, Miss Stewart.”  June doesn’t look up . She is busy trying to replace the batteries that fell out when Marva threw the remote.

“What are you doing? Where’s Marva?” Cicely asks.

June holds up the device, now intact. “She’s upset over what she’s seeing on TV. About the elections.”

“And she should be. As a woman who was abused by her father, I can’t stand to look at that filth either. It reeks of sexism, misogynism, and plain old male chauvinism. I am telling my class they are not to watch television – ever again. Women need to rise up in protest against this sort of thing.”

June stares open-mouthed. “What’s that word? I need my dictionary.” She drops the remote and runs from the room.

I try to sneak behind Cicely’s back to get the instrument, but David, Cicely’s husband and ace detective, enters. He kisses his wife then tilts her chin upward. “What’s the matter, sweetheart? Why so glum?”

She buries her face in his shirt. “It’s this election.  Look at what it’s doing to the girls, to women everywhere.”

He steps away from her, his face grim. “Don’t worry. I’ll catch the perpetrators. And throw them in jail.”

They leave the room, and I grab the remote. After all, I need to see what’s going on because tomorrow my characters will come and ask me to tell them what they missed.

To learn more about these characters go to:

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