Special Delivery is book two in the Freedom (human trafficking
series), following Deliver Me From Evil
and preceding The Deliverer. As such,
I have to first give much of the credit to Andrea Mullins at New Hope
Publishers. Not only did she believe in and share my vision to launch a
first-ever fiction line at New Hope (“Fiction
with a Mission ”),
but she also suggested the topic of human trafficking for this second series in
the line. My agent, Tamela Hancock Murray, also championed my cause to write
issues-related fiction, and I so appreciate her support. In addition, several
ministries already engaged in rescuing victims of human trafficking and working
to abolish this horrific crime, jumped onboard to help
endorse/promote/distribute the books. The national headquarters of the
Salvation Army has been especially supportive, and I so appreciate it, as this
has been a dark topic to research. And yet I believe it had to be done, as the
crime is so widespread and the results so cruel and inhumane. As the Church, I
believe we are called to combat such evil any way we can.
If you teach or
speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?
Quite a bit actually, as people (both within/without the
Church) seem eager to learn more about this topic (and some of the others I
write about, including the persecuted Church, illegal immigration, and
homelessness) and how they can help. I will be speaking to the Women’s
Missionary Union in Dallas in March, doing a
national TV program in Toronto
in early April (Easter week), teaching at a half-dozen writers’ conferences
throughout the year and across the country, and continuing to do weekly radio
interviews. The calendar is filling up, but I am so grateful for the
opportunities!
If you had to
completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?
Oh my, that’s a tough one! I must admit to being a wimp when
it comes to cold weather, so unless God specifically spoke to me about moving
to ice-and-snow country, that probably wouldn’t be on my list of preferences. Going
strictly by location and weather, I’d probably want to stay somewhere in the
Southwest or possibly Florida .
But who knows where God has purposed us to be except the Father Himself? When
He calls, may I have a faithful and courageous heart to answer, “Here am I, Lord;
send me,” wherever that may be.
If you could only
tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?
Spend time seeking God’s heart to discover the plans He has
for you. Jeremiah 29:11 assures us that they are “for good and not for evil, to
give us a future and a hope.” In my almost 64 years of life (all but the first
26 knowing and walking with God), I can confirm that His plans are good, and He
has birthed a passion inside us that will motivate us towards the fulfillment
of those plans IF we are patient and obedient to listen and obey. When our
God-give passions and His perfect purpose for us collide, the possibilities are
limitless! So although you may need to learn about things like publishing
trends and building your platform, don’t let that be your focus. Discover God’s
unique calling for your life, and then pursue it with passion. You will never
regret it.
I would choose emcees, pastors, preachers, speakers, worship
leaders who are humble and prayerful, never self-seeking of cocky in their
words or demeanor. There are few things I like better than being around
Christian “celebrities” who don’t think of themselves as such. I would include
people from such ministries as Open Doors or Voice of the Martyrs, Samaritan’s
Purse or Breaking Chains. In fact, I’d love to have Christians from persecuted
countries (Li Ying, Asia Bibi, Pastor Yousef) speak to us, though their captors
would have to release them first. But oh, what we could learn from their
humble, dedicated hearts! These are my heroes, and they would be my first
choice.
Special Delivery is the second in the three-book Freedom
series, and it officially releases on March 6, though it is available for
pre-order on several sites, including http://www.amazon.com/Special-Delivery-Freedom-Kathi-Macias/dp/159669307X/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325604834&sr=1-11.
Here is a brief summary of the book:
In book two of the “Freedom” series, readers find Mara
fighting against her attraction to Bible college student Jonathan Flannery even
while wrestling with risking her own precarious safety to become involved in
the rescue of another girl who is pregnant and desperately wants to escape her
captors and save her own life, as well as her child’s. Halfway around the world
in a brothel in Thailand ,
a young girl is rescued with the promise of being reunited with her younger
sister who was adopted by an interracial couple in the States, friends of
Jonathan’s family. Meanwhile, Jefe—Mara’s uncle, who held her as a sex slave in
his brothel in San Diego
for years—seeks revenge for Mara’s testimony that put him behind bars for life.
Will his underworld connections be successful in kidnapping and killing the
girl who believes she has finally won her freedom?
Please give us the
first page of the book.
Prologue
It was good
to be back in San Diego ,
though Mara made it a point to avoid going anywhere near the area where she’d
once lived as a modern-day slave. The memories were too ugly, and she did
everything possible to block them out. When the topic came up—which it did all
too often these days, as the general public became more aware of its
prevalence—Mara immediately changed the subject or walked away. It was an evil best
left for others to combat.
The early
summer sun shone warm on her dark hair, cut short now in a modern style that
complimented her dainty features and accentuated her large hazel eyes. Her good
looks and trim figure often drew whistles and comments, but she ignored them
all. Having a man in her life didn’t even rate at the bottom of her priority
list.
Mara closed
her eyes and let the mild breeze toss her hair and caress her skin. There was
nothing she liked better than coming to the beach and finding a deserted spot
to sit and listen to the waves rush in and break on the packed, wet sand. It
was nearly impossible to find such a private place on the weekends, but this
was mid-morning on Monday, and the place wouldn’t start filling up until closer
to lunchtime. By then she’d be at work.
She smiled
at the thought of her new job. She was a waitress now, making enough in wages
and tips to rent a room and meet her basic needs. Though she’d taken advantage
of UI benefits, specifically designed to help people from other countries who
had been victims of crime while in the United States, it had still taken her
nearly two years to get all the necessary paperwork cleared so she could not
only come to the States legally but do so as a U.S. citizen. But she’d been persistent,
determined to leave her homeland of Mexico , with all its violence and
corruption and poverty, behind. Even with all that had happened to her here in
Southern California during her youth, she knew that America held more promise for her
than the country of her birth. And besides, what did she have to hold her
there? It was her parents who had sold her into slavery, and her own uncle, her
tío, who had stolen her innocence,
held her captive, and served as her pimp until at last he was captured and sent
to prison. So far as she was concerned, her family was dead to her. She had no
desire ever to see any of them again.
Mara opened
her eyes and watched a tanned, bathing-suit clad couple stroll along the sand
in front of her, the waves lapping at their bare feet. Arms wrapped around one
another’s waist, they seemed oblivious to anything or anyone else, talking and
laughing together as if they were the only human beings on earth. The thought
skittered through Mara’s mind that she might have a relationship like that one
day, but just as quickly she excised it from her realm of possibility. At
barely twenty years old, she’d already had enough of the male population to
last her for several lifetimes.
Affirming
that thought with a quick nod of her head, she grabbed the towel she’d been
sitting on and stood to her feet. She didn’t have a car yet, but it was only a
ten-minute walk to the seafood café where she was now employed.
Gainfully and respectably employed, she
reminded herself. Tío used to tell me I’d
never be anything but a prostitute, and that he’d kill me before he’d let me
leave. But look at me now—free as a bird while he rots in prison. Maybe there
really is a God after all….
Wow! I can’t wait to
read the rest of the book. Where can we find you on the Internet?
My primary website is www.kathimacias.com (or you can also get
there via www.boldfiction.com). I
also have an “Easy Writer” blog: http://kathieasywritermacias.blogspot.com
and am part of the Titus 2 Women Ministry, found at www.thetitus2women.comThank you, Kathi, for another wonderful interview.
Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.
Special Delivery (Freedom)
Leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of the book. Please tell us where you live, at least the state or territory. (Comments containing links may be subject to removal by blog owner.)
The only notification you’ll receive is the winner post on this blog. So be sure to check back a week from Saturday to see if you won. You will have 4 weeks from the posting of the winners to claim your book.
22 comments:
i would love to win.
angela from Ky
This sounds like a powerful book and it is important that more people are aware of human trafficing. Thanks for the opportunity to win the book.
Blessings,
Jo from Southern Arizona
Lena thanks for having Kathi on your blog today. i would love to read her first novel in the series, but it appears our local library does not have it, so will look for it elsewhere. However, in the meantime, would love to read Special Delivery (or maybe not meantime, but it would help to win one in a series) Kathi is actually one of my must have authors, as these would be books i would want to share with friends. Thanks Kathi and Lena for a great post and the opportunity to win
Thank you, Lena, for having me on your blog, and thanks to your wonderful readers for taking the time to read the interview and leave a comment. Multiplied blessings to all of you! (And a quick update: I just learned that Li Ying, whom I mentioned in the interview, has been released from prison in China. She served 12 years of a 15 year sentence for printing/distributing unapproved Christian literature. We are rejoicing with her and her family!)
I would love to win a copy of this book.
California
lkish77123 at gmail dot com
Great interview. I love Kathi's work and her approach to writing. She's not only promoting awareness of a very dark side of our society, she is reaching people with the Love of God and the gospel of Jesus.
I would love to win the book.
Blessings and good success to you both!
Terrie from Texas
Wow, I've never read any of your books, but I'd love to win this one if it's an eBook. It sounds like a great read. I did waitress work in my younger days and always figured I could go back to it if I ever had to :) Always enjoyed it. Blessings, BJ Robinson
I'm interested in reading more about the human trafficing.
Beth from Iowa
Kathi, thank you for writing on difficult subjects. I so appreciate your tender heart toward those who are hurting.
God bless you abundantly!
Lisa Bufaloe
I would love to win this book
Sandi from Texas
slc925@yahoo.com
Hi Kathi, I read "Deliver Me From Evil" and can't wait to read "Special Delivery". Your books will inform everyone that reads it what is going on here in America as well as other countries. Human trafficing is a horrible thing and leaves most of the victims dead. Thanks for bring this horrible crime to everyones attention.
Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway Lena.
Brenda from Georgia
misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com
SPECIAL DELIVERY sounds like such an amazing story. I did enjoy the first page thank you.
Mary P
QLD AUSTRALIA
Thanks, everyone, for the great comments. I so appreciate hearing from you, as I know Lena does. Blessings!
I thought the last book was a compelling read. I don't think most of us understand how pervasive the problem is. There are more slaves now than before the US fought the civil war to end slavery.
I'm glad to find an author who will tell difficult tales--but in a way that we can cope with.
Thanks for continuing to write.
Robyn
NE
Loved, loved, LOVED the first book in the series! Such an eye-opening read!
Katie from Florida
I would love to win! Kathi is a fabulous writer. Thanks!
Megan in Southern California
What an amazing topic. I loved the excerpt and would really like to see how you've handled this issue.
Thanks for the chance to win the book!
Rebecca from NC
Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of "Special Delivery".
Sharon from Eagan, MN
Please enter me! I really want to try one of Kathi Macias's books. Thanks for the chance to win.
I live in New York
Enter me I would love to win a copy of this book it sounds and looks like a great story!! Thanks and God bless.
Sharon Richmond
Blanch, NC.
thanks for the chance to read kathi's latest novel...
karenk
kmkuka at yahoo dot com
*from PA*
The beginning of this book makes me want to read more! I'd love to be entered to win Kathi's book :)
cbus.blogger at gmail dot com
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