SPECIAL DELIVERY - Kathi Macias - Free Book

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?

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.

You’ve been asked to be in charge of a celebrity cruise. Who would you ask to take part, and why?

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.

Tell us about the featured book.

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.com

Thank 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.)

Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws.

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.

If you’re reading this on Feedblitz, Facebook, or Amazon, please come to the blog to leave your comment if you want to be included in the drawing. Here’s a link.

Http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com