We Interrupt These Proceedings….With My Book!

This past weekend, I did something I’ve been wanting to do for years. I released a book! It’s been my dream really, to be picked up a by a publisher, and in spite of the fact that this book won second place in the Women of Faith Writing Contest in 2012, no agent or publisher seemed interested in it. And honestly, I just felt like it was time. I’ve been sitting on this manuscript and I have three others waiting, but I wait no longer. And without further ado (cover designed by Roseanna M White!):

Set in a small Mississippi town during the heart of the Civil Rights era, The Eyes of the Heart is a story about forgiveness, love, fear and hate. It is also a story about Edith Holden, a young woman living in the deep south who finds herself unwillingly confronted with racism, social injustice and her love for a man she is unsure she will ever have.

Reviews

“Wonderful historical fiction!  It is very well written and the story flowed from page to page. It grabbed my attention from the first page and never let go. The story was so real that I felt like I was there in the midst of it.  It would make for a great Hallmark movie. Enjoyed reading this book more than anything I’ve read in quite a while.”

— Pat Adkins, Field Support Specialist, Women of Faith

“Susberry’s compelling plot, engaging characters, and ear for dialogue combine to make this book a page-turner.”

— Meaghan Porter, Associate Editor for the Baugher Group

“Wonderful story of how love is truly colorblind. Enjoyed the well-researched, historical setting of the south during the civil rights era.”

— Mandy Mullinix, Marketing Specialist for Gift Books, Thomas Nelson

(from the Women of Faith contest)

So why this book? Why this story? Two things:

1) As a kid (and an adult), I loved American historical fiction. My parents are vets, my sister is in the Navy. I bleed red, white and blue. I read the Dear America series, American Girl series, and anything by Ann Rinaldi, but the first book that changed my thinking was Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. It was the first book I read about black Americans where we weren’t slaves. As a black girl, it really changed my thinking and I learned how empowering it is to see yourself on the written page where for once your whole life is not about taking care of someone else. And so I had this book in the back of my head when I sat down and wrote this book.

2) And, I had just taken a Civil Rights class in college and was inspired by the sacrifices that those people made. Could I have done it, had I lived then? I don’t know. I like to think I would, but I know my personality…and that is how Edith Holden was born.

And so, if you have time, I ask that you read the book and share your thoughts on Amazon. I didn’t write this book to get rich, I wrote it to entertain and to be a blessing and it is my hope that it does so.