eBook price: $4.99
Paperback price: $13.95
204 pages
Publisher: Vox Dei Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-5137-0228-5
Available on Amazon.com in Kindle format.
Available on BarnesandNoble.com in Nook format.
Freedom’s Secret is available internationally – please contact us directly if you do not see it on your preferred book purchase website.
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Synopsis: Port Royal, Jamaica. Caribbean.
The Year of our Lord, 1708.
Seven years ago, ten-year-old Keegan O’Malley hid under a bush like a coward. Having run away from his duties on the sugar plantation and leaving his loved ones at the mercy of the cruel Driver, his younger brother Amos and childhood friend Karis are badly burned as punishment for not reporting to work.
Now seventeen, Keegan O’Malley has long since escaped the Jamaican sugar plantation and found freedom in St. Augustine, Florida, though he was separated from Amos and Karis on their voyage to the New World. Ever haunted by memories of being a childhood coward, he vows to find them. His journey leads him through secret tunnels, over rushing rivers, and inside smelly, pirate-filled taverns.
In this riveting historical fiction adventure by Amy McCoy Dees, Keegan faces his greatest fears, challenges his own beliefs, and discovers all is not lost in the New World.
BOOK EXCERPT
It would be dark soon. Amos fought the images plaguing his mind. The Gullah enjoyed sharing their stories of evil creatures and wandering spirits, but right now, Amos wished he hadn’t heard them. He rode toward the dark, dense marsh at dusk, a path he must take to reach Master Woodward’s.
His own Irish mother read Bible stories to him as a child and often spoke of the devil. Araminta warned him of evil. He needed no convincing. He had come face to face with evil during his childhood inside the boiler house.
He led his horse through the thick, mossy curtain of mystery leading into the marsh. The air was weighted with heat and humidity.
He tried to stay on solid ground. He watched each step his horse took. Everything cast a shadow in here. Tree branches swayed. Spanish moss clung to them like a thick, tangled spider web. A few birds screeched overhead. He noticed every single movement around him.
Cold chills crept up his arm. He didn’t want to meet up with any evil today. The indigo cowrie shell around his neck comforted him. If somehow it warded off evil, he should be protected. He lifted it from under his shirt. He wanted it to be visible.
A strong gust of wind swept through the marsh. It ripped white cherry blooms from their branches and tossed them about in a springtime blizzard. A squirrel darted from limb to limb overhead. The horse whinnied and flared its nostrils at the uncertainty of the swamp.
Yellow daffodils spun in circles as if they were trying to escape from something. Rabbits scurried about, seeking solace inside the dark green bushes.
Most days he found comfort in this marsh. Not today.
Something unsettled him today.
He could smell rain coming. He slapped at an incessant mosquito attempting to bite his neck. The evening air ushered in the unwelcome insects.
“Stad!” Amos swatted once again, his Irish blood cursing the pest, while his African blood fought them.
“Stop!” Perhaps the pest understood English.
He led his horse to the river for refreshment. He grabbed a handful of the wet, brown sand near the river bank. He welcomed the familiar, irritant. He rubbed it across the mosquito bites on his arms and neck. He glanced around keeping a keen eye on his surroundings.
Smack!
He wiped the bug’s blood on his dirty breeches. He stretched his long, bulging arm muscles up over his head, clasping his hands together. It felt good to stretch.
Night was coming, the moon already visible in the sky. His large brown eyes squinted to see through the thickness. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something felt wrong. He mounted his horse.
He needed to hurry and alert Master Woodward of the Indians.
He navigated through shallow water. The fetid odor of the stale water made him gag. He knew the long, leathery creatures lurked below the surface. They could remove a man’s hand with their razor sharp teeth in one bite. The swamp emanated evil.
“Gafa” meant “evil spirit,” he learned from one of the Gullahs’ stories. One day, a young, African boy near four years old came running out of the woods, screaming and tearing at his clothes. The Gullah women gathered, brushing the air around him with palm fronds. The boy muttered two words, “Mende ngafa,” causing an old, white-haired woman to faint.
He loved the Gullahs and their sweet, generous spirit. They were the kindest people he had ever known.
“Cawww! Cawww!” A blackbird startled Amos right out of his skin and thoughts.
Review: Most reviews I've seen for this book have been extremely positive, so I feel as though I missed something. I wasn't even able to finish reading it. There was nothing about it that grabbed my interest and drew me in, and it seemed to drag on for page after page.
From what I did read, I found the author to be very careful about her historical accuracy, which is always a plus.
If you have any interest in this book, don't let my experience change your mind. Read it for yourself and decide!
Rating: One star (unfinished)
About the author
Amy grew up in the Deep South with her parents and older sister, surrounded by a large, close extended family. Today, she lives in Senoia, Georgia with her husband and four incredibly fantastic kids. She often travels to Savannah, Georgia and the South Carolina Coast to walk among the cobblestones and stroll beneath the majestic magnolias where the past is alive and stories drift freely among the breeze.
She loves to talk, chat, lecture, speak, utter, or spiel about anything concerning writing and reading, especially for children. She considers herself a ‘literary time traveler’ as her passion is historical fiction.
To learn more please visit her at: amydees.com or follow her on Twitter @amy_mdees.
Connect with Amy online:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amydeesauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_mdees
Website: http://amydees.com/
CONTACT INFORMATION
Publishing/Marketing Contact
Becki Brannen, Book Marketing Manager, Booktrope Publishing, Vox Dei Imprint
478.318.5810
Author Contact
Amy Dees
angelaadees1@hughes.net
Amy is available for personal appearances and interviews; contact Becki Brannen (info above) to schedule.
