THE DELIVERER - Kathi Macias - One Free Book

Here's my friend, Kathi Macias. As an author, I know it takes a lot of people to birth each book. Who were the people involved in the birthing of this book, and what were their contributions?

You are so right! The Deliverer is the third (final) book in the Freedom Series on human trafficking. I honestly hadn’t even considered writing on that topic until my publisher challenged me to consider doing so. I told her I’d do some initial research and get back to her. After doing that research and discovering how prevalent and widespread—and hideous—this crime is, I called her back and said I’d do it. I now write/speak on the topic every chance I get. The Salvation Army was also extremely helpful in getting resources to me on the topic, and I can’t forget the handful of trafficking victims I met/spoke with who willingly opened their heart and shared their painful memories so I could better bring these books to life.

If you teach or speak. What’s coming up on your calendar?

I do a lot of both. I will be keynoting and teaching at the Maranatha Writers’ Conference in Muskegon, MI, the end of September. October is a stay-at-home-and-meet-my-next-deadline month. Then I’m gone the first two weekends in November—first to lead back-to-back women’s retreats in Lynchburg, VA, and then to keynote a missions conference on human trafficking in Rochester, MN. Sprinkled throughout that time are one-day local speaking engagements at Calvary Chapel Oceanside (CA) and Assembly of God in Hemet, CA. The first Saturday of December is an author event at The Bible Bookstore in Hemet, CA, where I’ll be signing books with several other CAN (Christian Authors Network) authors. I also have several speaking engagements already locked in for 2013, so life is busy but blessed!

If you had to completely start over in another place, where would you move, and why?

Wow, that’s a tough one. My husband and I were both born and raised in SoCal but have lived other places, including Texas (Amarillo and Houston), Colorado and Washington State. I love Colorado when it’s not snowing, but since it does that so often, I’d probably pick Washington State, which is green and beautiful, and where our youngest son and his family live.

If you could only tell aspiring novelists one thing, what would it be?

Be very, very patient—and tenacious! When I first broke into the Christian publishing world in the early ’80s, no one even wanted to talk about Christian fiction. I wrote nonfiction books galore, including a bestselling women’s devotional, but no one would even talk to me about my fiction. I was quite frustrated then, but I now know it just wasn’t the right season. Things began changing thanks to people like Frank Peretti and Jerry Jenkins, and now I have more fiction contracts than I can juggle. So patience was extremely important during that time, as well as not giving up. (Trust me. I was tempted more than once to chuck the whole thing and get a “real” job—you know, one with paychecks. Obviously I didn’t, as I’m still writing and still hoping for paychecks.) So again, patience and tenacity are they key—and using your waiting time to hone your craft. 

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why? (AS in what program, singers, etc. [it doesn’t have to be writing related])

EGADS, I’m so NOT celebrity-oriented! I don’t even know who’s popular these days and who’s not. But since you didn’t say these celebrities had to be Hollywood types, I would invite my own personal heroes: Li Ying, Pastor Youcef, Ranjah Masih, Sung Se Pao—those who suffer for their faith around the world. There are many, but the ones I named are on my regular prayer list. And after all, they’re the true “stars,” who shine for Jesus. Not sure how well they sing, but I imagine the Father loves their voices.

Tell us about the featured book.

The Deliverer picks up just months after Special Delivery leaves off, continuing with the stories of Mara, freed from slavery but still struggling with scars and memories from the past; Jonathan, attending Bible college but strongly drawn to Mara, despite her past; and Lawan, having escaped the brothel in Thailand and miraculously reunited with her younger sister in the US and adopted by the same family. Will Mara be able to move past the pain and hatred that bind her, even if it means traveling back to the place where her parents betrayed her and sold her into sexual slavery? Will she allow The Deliverer to set her free—once and for all?

Here’s the link for the video trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NobFUST7xlk

Please give us the first page of the book.

The sun set early in late November, and though a pleasant warm spell had kept San Diego’s daytime temperatures in the lower eighties for the past week or so, the air cooled quickly as darkness approached.

            Mara didn’t mind. She loved watching the sun go down over the Pacific at any time of year and in any sort of weather. Just being able to sit on the seawall and watch the colorful streaks in the broad expanse of sky, seeming to frame the dark and restless ocean, reminded her of how precious her freedom was and how much she’d endured before obtaining it.

            She zipped her windbreaker against the encroaching dampness and then gazed down at the envelope in her hand, postmarked Juarez, Mexico. She’d nearly memorized the words in the one-page letter, handwritten by the fifteen-year-old girl Mara had helped to rescue just months earlier. Mara had been working at her waitressing job when she spotted Francesca with her owner and immediately recognized the signs of a girl caught up in human trafficking. The situation had dredged up many of her own dark memories, but Mara was glad she’d been in the right place at the right time to assist the girl’s release and eventual return to her family.

            I’m just glad she had a family and a home to go back to, Mara thought, resisting the tears that bit her eyes as she compared Francesca’s situation to her own. At least Francesca had been kidnapped, not sold into slavery by her own parents.

            Mara shook her head. She had to stop this constant slipping back into self-pity about her past and just enjoy the present. She was free now, working and hoping to start classes at the local college after the first of the year. It was more than she had ever dreamed of during her ten years of captivity.

            She pulled the letter from the envelope and squinted to re-read portions of it in the fading light. The baby will come soon…not sure yet about adoption…praying for the right answer. Mara too had become pregnant during the years she lived as a sex slave—several times, actually—but she’d never even had the chance to choose to carry her babies to term. Always there was a forced abortion…and always she had to suppress her grief and go right back to the life she despised.

            Never again, she told herself. And never again for Francesca. But what about all the others…?

            The tears won over at that point, dripping onto her cheeks as she thought of Jasmine and others who had died at the hands of their abusers. She thought too of what she’d heard about a young Thai girl named Lawan, rescued from a brothel in the Golden Triangle and even now winging her way across the ocean to join her adoptive family right here in the San Diego area.

One more set free…so many left behind. No matter how hard she tried, Mara could not banish that truth from her thoughts. She’d often talked about that very thing to her friend Barbara Whiting, the lady involved with an outreach to human trafficking victims, and Barbara too had lamented the many who never escaped. “But that doesn’t mean we quit trying to help them,” she’d said. “We may save only a small percentage of them, but each life we save is precious and makes our efforts worthwhile.”

            Each life? Even mine? Mara wasn’t so sure, though she wanted desperately to believe it. The reminder that she had also discussed this topic with Jonathan, the handsome Bible college student who had helped rescue her more than two years earlier, brought a rush of heat to her cheeks, and she was glad for the near darkness that hid her emotions. She had tried to deny her feelings for Jonathan and to hide them from him, but he’d faithfully kept in touch with her through letters since going back to school this past fall. One of the things he said to her over and over again was that her life was precious to God and that He loved her and had a purpose for her. At times she dared to believe it, but most of the time…

            A taunting male voice from a passing car interrupted her thoughts as he called out a suggestive comment to her and then laughed as the vehicle sped away. Mara recoiled at the sound and shoved the letter back into the envelope. She stood up from the seawall, brushed the sand off the back of her jeans, and turned toward home. She had to work the breakfast shift in the morning, so she’d better get to bed early. Tomorrow was Saturday, and Mariner’s would be busy. She just hoped that meant some good tips because she could sure use the money.

Where can we find you on the Internet?

www.kathimacias.com

www.boldfiction.com

www.thetitus2women.com

Thank you, Kathi, for sharing your passion with us.

Readers, here’s a link to the book. By using it when you order, you help support this blog.

The Deliverer (Freedom) - paperback


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