Hello! This is one of my tour stops during my two week book
tour for Burnt Orange by Meiah Shaun. This virtual book tour is organized by
Write Now Literary Book Tours. This tour runs December 18-29, 2017. Follow the tour here. Book your own tour here WNL.
ASIN: B076DF8KR2
ISBN-10: 1683143728
ISBN-13: 1683143727
Genre: African American Christian Fiction
About The
Author
Meiah Shaun pens
fiction, non-fiction and plays with faith-based messages linking her personal
life experiences with spiritual life lessons. She launched A Crown of Beauty
Ministries. She's a native of Orange, Texas and currently resides in the
Dallas, Texas area. She is a graduate of LeTourneau University. Her anticipated
new release "Burnt Orange" is an inspirational coming-of-age story.
In addition to writing, she's an avid reader, a foodie, loves flowers and shoe
shopping.
About The
Book
A coming-of-age story of Erin and Erika, Texas twins in an
abusive home in a town segregated by white and black color lines, who are
wounded by the revealing of a shocking family secret and long to escape their
circumstances and erase what they have been labeled. Follow their journey in
this compelling novel filled with inspiration and triumph.
Excerpt
I enjoy viewing maps and the globes at school as it makes me
dream. I live in the largest state of Texas, along the muggy and swampy Gulf
coast. The summers are really hot and humid here. Folks call this area of
southeast Texas the Golden Triangle, where there’s a large Cajun Texan population.
In our Lapland, we have gumbo cook-offs, Cajun festivals, crawfish boils, and
zydeco radio. The part of the Golden Triangle that my family lives in is
Orange, Texas.
The year is 1991, and majority of our small town is
segregated. We have pecan and moss trees canopying the paved streets. But
somehow, the town was named Orange, like the fruit. You’ll hear some black
folks call our town the Fruit.
Occasionally, I see prints of burnt orange and yellow tints
in the late-evening hazy skyline far above me. Black birds fly high above,
embracing the sunset, while crickets chirped throughout the night. Traffic
parades through our neighborhood street every evening, with homeboys blasting
the latest rap music rumbling in their dashboards and trunks. Some of our
neighbors are to blame for most of the congested traffic. Our neighbors keep a
lot of company over at their house, but their folks never block our driveway. I
think that’s ’cause most people around here think my momma is the police ’cause
she works at the county jailhouse.
Around here, blacks and white folks work and go to school
together, but they hardly play together outside of that. There’s racial
tension, and the railroad tracks divide our town along class status and color
lines. We live on the east side of the tracks.
I’ve heard black folks complaining about how mean the white
people are here in Orange especially in nearby Vidor, which has a history of
the Klan. My folks believe some whites are mean too. They talk about how whites
work hard to keep black folks down. Daddy complains about not finding a good
job ’cause of the white man.
To me, if it’s that bad, then we all need to move away from
here! There are a million places on this earth where we can live. It’s just
that simple to me. I see myself living a new life away from here. I dream of
living in a big city with crowded streets packed with all walks of life, tall
skyscrapers, and the everyday hustle and bustle. But it’s just a dream I see
every day in my head.
“Erin and Erika, get up and do yo’ chores! Da dishes are
dirty, and fold up my clothes!” Daddy yells at the top of his lungs.
“In a minute, I wanna finish watching my show.”
Daddy stumbles over me and then steps over Erika, who is
sitting Indian style on the living room floor. He turns the television off
during the last five minutes of our program. It’s our Saturday off, and we love
to watch Teen Summit on
BET. He never wants us to enjoy ourselves at anything.
Erika jumps up and runs to the TV. As I’m standing up to my
feet, Daddy pushes Erika, and she falls into my chest.
For Information...
Trailer: https://youtu.be/WHtNd8jrxt8
Purchase Links
Barnes & Noble:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burnt-orange-meiah-shaun/1127186718?ean=9781683143727
Amazon ebook: http://a.co/9y57n76
Amazon Paperback: http://a.co/3OcxrDz
Connect Socially
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeiahShaun
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meiahshaun/
Website: https://www.meiahshaun.com
Meiah Shaun
12/15/2017
meiahshaun@gmail.com
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Thank you Arlena for featuring me today with WNL Book Tours!
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