Book Title: To Speak His Name
Author: Tara Johnson
Genre: Historical Romance
Release Date: March 4, 2024
Avalina is a woman trapped in silence. Stolen from her home in Ireland and sold as a slave to a Barbados plantation owner, the trauma of her past has left her mute, wrapped in a prison of loneliness and isolation amid an island of beauty. Though she longs to be free from the cruelty of her overseer, her heart yearns for a greater freedom…something just beyond her grasp.
Josiah Holland has been born into a South Carolina slave-holding family but all it takes is one trip to the island of Barbados to open his eyes to the ugly cruelty that abounds beyond the confines of his plantation. With the aid of fiery abolitionist Benjamin McGee, Josiah forges a new future, fighting the very ideals he was once a part of.
When Avalina and Josiah’s lives entwine, will their spark engulf them in destruction, or ignite a revolution?
Book Excerpt
Swallowing the dread settling like a noose around my throat, I hurried out the door, ignoring the bustle of servants and the scents of the midday meal preparations. I tossed the cold ashes onto the heap outside the pig pen, barely hearing their grunts as they rooted in the mud. Heat warmed my shoulders and danced across my cheeks. I raised my face to the sun, longing for … what? Something elusive. Something I had no words to describe.
“Ah, there she is. The Red Bird of Paradise.”
My smile grew at the mention of my old nickname. Dear Matias. His white teeth flashed and he stopped next to the sty, taking a moment to wipe his stained shirtsleeve against his sweaty forehead. Gray peppered his springy curls.
“It’ll be a hot one today, eh, Red Bird?”
I nodded and smiled at the old nickname. Matias had called me Red Bird of Paradise ever since I had been brought to the island, declaring that my red hair reminded him of the tropical bloom. Only Molly and Master Cyrene remembered my real name. To everyone else, I was that girl.
I didn’t mind being invisible. Invisible was safe.
“Ah, there she is. The Red Bird of Paradise.”
My smile grew at the mention of my old nickname. Dear Matias. His white teeth flashed and he stopped next to the sty, taking a moment to wipe his stained shirtsleeve against his sweaty forehead. Gray peppered his springy curls.
“It’ll be a hot one today, eh, Red Bird?”
I nodded and smiled at the old nickname. Matias had called me Red Bird of Paradise ever since I had been brought to the island, declaring that my red hair reminded him of the tropical bloom. Only Molly and Master Cyrene remembered my real name. To everyone else, I was that girl.
I didn’t mind being invisible. Invisible was safe.
revolution?
All Excerpts
All Excerpts
Excerpt One: https://lakesidelivingsite.wordpress.com/2024/04/04/to-speak-his-name-epic-book-launch/
Excerpt Two: https://musingsbymaureen.blogspot.com/2024/04/celebrate-lit-presents-epic-book-launch.html
Excerpt Six: https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2024/04/epic-book-launch-to-speak-his-name-by.html
Excerpt Seven: https://www.fictionbooklover.com/posts/to-speak-his-name-epic-book-launch/
About the Author
Tara’s debut novel Engraved on the Heart (Tyndale) earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and was a finalist in the Carol and Christy awards. Tara has been published by Tyndale House, Annie’s, and Guideposts. In addition to being published in a variety of digital and print magazines, she is a certified body language expert and has been on radio, television and podcasts. She is a history nerd, especially the Civil War, and adores making people laugh. She, her husband, and children live in Arkansas.
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