Most translators are the worthiest of people: gifted, erudite, hardworking, and modest in their material needs. People who crave money and fame choose other jobs. Babysitting would pay better, though that’s true of many intellectual and creative professions these days. And even when the work you’ve translated succeeds brilliantly, few readers even notice that it’s […]
A groundbreaking new book demonstrates that even during the days of slavery, African Americans knew a lot more about legal principles than has been imagined.
“I never thought I was great,” Barbra Streisand writes in her capacious memoir, but the truth seems to be that for a large part of her life she flirted with the possibility that she was.
In 1983, when Argentina held its first presidential election after seven years of military dictatorship, Raúl Alfonsín won with an optimistic slogan: “With democracy one eats, one is educated, one is cured.” He campaigned on moving past the junta’s reign of terror and restoring a welfare state. As the historian Jennifer Adair has argued, “the triple promise […]
Descending Angels, How to Escape Abuse: The Many Types of Abuse, The Angels of My Story, Tricks Learned for Escape is beautifully written and a unique approach that addresses a subject that is often overlooked or talked about by people who have not lived it. What inspired you to share your story?
It was a simple passing request believe it or not. Matilda (now grown) for whom I was a tutor, asked me to write one scene about what we were all going through. I did so, but then just couldn’t stop writing.
It was as if “the code of silence” that keeps many in the hands of abusers, broke. I became flooded not simply with emotion, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw how I might help others with what I’d learned, having escaped my abuser.
Everything poured out, and when organized became a guide, not just to escape, but to the beauty of the freedom afterwards.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Probably the most important would be that the victim knew how to survive long before they met the abuser. That being so, the victim will also survive after the abuser is gone. Survival need not be taught. Survival is a basic drive we are born with.
The second being; most victims are brainwashed into thinking they are less, undeserving, useless. That is just a power play that abusers use to minimize partners. If we were truly unworthy, would it have to be told to us repeatedly? No.
The problem I see most of the time is that people mistake confidence and or self-love for pride. These are not synonyms. Yet somehow, we grow-up believing that feeling good about ourselves is conceit.
What is a common misconception you feel people have about people in abusive relationships?
The biggest problem I’m aware of is that mainstream belief is that the abused are weak. Absolutely laughable if you take into account every horrible thing they put up with and still manage to get out of bed in the morning.
The worst bit is that the abused believe that lie too. This keeps them in the nightmare. I truly wish that society would stop reinforcing this mindset.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
We really are capable of anything we put our minds to. ALL of us. Don’t sell yourself short and bar yourself from overcoming obstacles. You are the main character of your story, if you don’t like what your story says, you have the power to rewrite it.
If this book helps even one woman get free, I’ve succeeded.
In Surf n Turf, a woman is left reeling following an unexpected marriage proposal, and her search for clarity leads her down a difficult path and into the arms of a man who may have all the answers. Where did the idea for this story come from?
I first came up with the idea of Luan, after reading an article on a man they refer to as the “salty shepherd,” a sheep farmer who does big wave surfing. My family lives in the Klein-Karoo (small Karoo), and my husband was a surfer in his youth. So I decided to make the story between Cape Town – Surf and the Karoo – Turf. Sarah was learning to surf, and she wants to open a bakery – I was playing on the classic Surf n Turf meal as well. Then I ran into a street sign…and concussed myself, giving me the idea for the amnesia.
What was the inspiration for Sarah’s traits and dialogue?
A young colleague.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The desire to understand one’s past in order to make sense of unexplained emotive reactions. The need to connect with family. The need to close one chapter in order to move on in life. The need for a soulmate who accepts you as you are.
Can fans expect to see more from you soon? What are you currently working on?
A medical romance Fire & Ice. A workaholic sports physician clashes with a misogynist anesthetist and metaphorical claws fly. This hot single dad’s engaging daughter keeps drawing them back together, until what they want (each other) clashes with their mutual mistrust of the opposite gender, and they need to redefine their beliefs and trust in the existence and healing power of forgiveness, love, and honesty.
And then there’s a time travel romance under construction.
Have you ever pondered upon the profound questions of why you are here, where you fit in, what you are born to do, what gift you are born to give? In other words, have you figured out your contribution to the world, the grand tapestry of life, and the symphony of human civilization?
This book was born out of a great sense of regret and guilt which the author felt after he had retired, when he came face to face with the reality that he –blessed by the Almighty with the great fortune of life in America, a safe and comfortable refuge from the clutches of a burgeoning dictatorship he fled decades ago– had failed to fulfill his life’s purpose, despite an environment of freedom and opportunity for immigrants in the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave! In moments of introspection during his retirement years, the author felt as if he had unwittingly ‘wandered in the desert’ for 40 years. Yet, In hindsight, his life’s purpose was, at some pivotal points in his career, already staring him in the face. He just failed to appreciate and recognize his life’s true purpose. The author failed to ‘bloom’ where God had already planted him!
If you are a teen or young adult, an immigrant, or a member of a minority group on a quest for your life’s purpose, this book was written for you. It’s a self-help guide outlining practical steps you can use to find and crystallize your life’s true purpose … sooner, rather than later.
Hopefully, this book can help the reader avoid the shame and ultimate embarrassment of a lifetime which befell the book’s author: ‘wandering in the desert for forty years’ without constancy to purpose, without definiteness of purpose, to the abject dismay of his humdrum biography.
This book is also a clarion call for all citizens, especially immigrants, and minorities, to say GOODBYE to apathy and indifference and, instead, to say HELLO to active participation and involvement in an ailing American democracy. Whatever suits you, in these extraordinary times, sitting on the sidelines is simply unacceptable. What does it mean for you –with your distinct set of skills, knowledge, passions, and talents– to be here in America at this particular moment in time?
The answers lie within you, waiting for you to bring them to light. May you embrace your uniqueness and align your actions with your deepest strengths, values, and aspirations … so you can experience a deep sense of fulfillment of your life’s purpose.
Take A Step With Him Companion Guidebook takes readers on a transformative journey to discover a path to spiritual renewal and illumination in Christ’s love. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Writing this series was something I cannot take full credit for. Every element of the guidebook was actually a moment when God spoke to me, encouraged me, and lifted me out of my pit season. Every verse, song, journal entry, every question, was given to me as a personal encouragement. And they still encourage me – how could I not share that with others who are feeling dry in their faith, are walking hard roads of life, or just want to connect with God in real ways?
Should readers use this guidebook in conjunction with Take A Step With Him or after finishing previous books?
Great question. Each book can be a stand-alone, or read in conjunction with its companion book. It doesn’t matter where you begin, but if the reader wants to track the health testimonies, the first book, Be Held by Him, is when I was most unwell, and each book set represents levels of healing, hope revelation, and freedom.
The testimony books were always designed to be like a soft pillow of encouragement, tending and ‘nothing required from you,’ kind of reading. The ideal readers for these books are those who are dealing with health/life challenges and diagnosis, are walking hard roads of life and need some hope, or those who want to read some miraculous things that God has done with and for someone who could do nothing.
The guidebook is the activation and applying the things that are shared in the testimony books. Readers have let me know that the guidebooks are wholly unique devotionals that can appeal to anyone on a spiritual journey.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
Honestly…to finish!
It has been a passion project spanning 12 years living it out, and around 9 years writing it.
I am not much of a goal-setter.
Personally, when I write with God, then the kind of driven, striving space, and goals and strict timelines aren’t conducive to creating with Him. Having said that, I guess a goal I have about the books is that they’d find their way into the hands of those who need it.
I always wanted to give one book away for every three others purchase – that has been a satisfying thing to see who God brings along my path and how the books impact their heart. That is the kind of goal I love.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Take A Step With Him Companion Guidebook?
God’s motivation is always love, and He wants to connect, be found, and begin/continue a life adventure that you never thought possible, in the BEST possible way!
Suddenly: A Widow’s Story of Unexpected Loss and Healing shares the process you went through when your husband died suddenly, and you had to reframe your life for yourself and your daughters and find a way to endure. Why was it important to share your story with the world?
Prior to losing my husband, I read the book Radical Survivor by Nancy Saltzman. Nancy lost her husband and two young sons in a plane crash, and I was amazed by her resilience. I reread her book after my husband died, and her story inspired me to move forward. I am hoping my story has the same impact on others who have been widowed or suffered another loss.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I feel it is really important to normalize grief. Death is a part of life, and it is easier to deal with if grief is acknowledged. I wanted to convey to my readers that grief does get easier over time. We are never going to forget our loved one, nor would we want to, but we can move forward.
Healing from a loss like yours is never easy. What is one piece of advice someone gave you that changed your life?
There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to grief. Don’t let others dictate what you can or can’t do. This is your journey, and you can grieve on your own timeline.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your story?
My greatest wish is to provide hope. You can be happy again. I like to say that good things have happened to me in spite of my loss.
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