Celebrate Lit Presents: Epic Book Launch To Speak His Name Author Name: Tara Johnson

 

 

About the Book

Book Title: To Speak His Name

Author Name: 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

And there were ruins of a splintered ship, bobbing like flotsam on the wild ocean.

And then there was Master Cyrene. Big. So big, his form eclipsed the sun.

Just like he has ever since.

The fuzzy shards of my mind recall the shuffle into the large house that lorded over rich fields of sugar cane. Each morning, I pressed my face against the glass windows, studying the rows of men and women, their backs hunched over green, fluffy tops of cane as they gathered stalks into large bags. Others swung machetes through the lush growth. I was not allowed to be with them.

I did not belong. My pale skin was strange compared to the rest of those who inhabited this new land. A few with the sun-burned peach skin worked the fields. And then there was Molly, with her large bosom, freckled face, and lilting voice, as she stirred pots of stewed chicken in the kitchen and snuck me pinches of sweet confections such as sugar cakes or tamarind balls. Something about her reminded me of home, though I could not remember where home was.

 

 

Missed Any Excerpts, Go Here

 

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 Three: https://coverloverbookreview.blogspot.com/2024/04/to-speak-his-name.html
Excerpt Four: https://www.artistwriterandstudentohmy.com/posts/to-speak-his-name-epic-book-launch/
Excerpt Five: https://www.guildmaster97.com/posts/to-speak-his-name-epic-book-launch/
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 Johnson is an author and speaker, and loves to write stories that help people break free from the lies they believe about themselves.

 

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.