The Deliverer by Kathi Macias

In book three of the “Freedom” series, the main character, Mara, finds herself the object of her uncle's revenge. From a life sentence in prison, Uncle Jefe, who held her as a sex slave in his San Diego brothel, uses his underground connections to kidnap and drag Mara back into the dark shadows of human trafficking.
 
Now in the struggle for her life and her ultimate freedom, Mara finds herself kidnapped and experiencing something she never dreamed possible. She finally finds herself yielding to the One who can truly set her free—not only from her past life and all the fears and scars that go with it, but from herself and her own sin. This time her choice delivers her from the shadow of her name's meaning, "bitter" and into the light of true joy.
 
At New Hope Digital (newhopedigital.com) you can find study questions for each book in this series and an “ideas and resources” list to help educate readers and enable them to apply what they've learned and become actively involved in this massive and ongoing human tragedy—Trafficking in Persons.

I have been a Kathi fan for many years now.  I think she was one of my first authors I wrote blog review on.  She's an awesome writer and The Deliverer is no exception.  I hated to see this series come to an end, but I guess she has to move on to other things and if you read her interview below you'll get a glimpse of what she has in store for us in 2013.  I can't wait!  Though this book is in a series Kathi does a good job writing it that if you haven't read the first two books you won't be in the dark; however, I do recommend the first too books so you see how Maria (Mara)'s live progresses.  If you are interested in human trafficking and all this is an excellent series to read giving you some insight.  And if you aren't interested if you read this series you may get interested real quick like.  Kathi has done a wonderful job at portraying the evil of human trafficking in this series. You just fall in love with all her characters and feel for them and the situation that they have had forced on them, many at a very young age.  Human trafficking isn't always a pleasant topic but one that needs to be put in the forefront so people can become aware of the issue that is happening right here in the US.  The stories just break your heart for those that are forced into this immoral act.  

WIN a COPY of Kathi's BOOK.....
I have a guest post by Kathi "Let My People Go" and book giveaway for this book featured here.  Follow the link and enter in a chance to win Kathi's book The Deliverer.  

HURRY TODAY and TODAY ONLY

CSS is giving away a complete set of THE FREEDOM SERIES by Kathi Macias (all three books - Deliver Me From Evil, Special Delivery, & The Deliverer) on September 24. you must post a comment on their blog to enter at http://christianspeakerservices1.wordpress.com/.

While this is the third and final book in the Freedom Series, I’m sure there are people who are just learning about it. Would you please share what prompted you to write these books on such topic as relevant and difficult as human trafficking?

I was finishing up my previous fiction series for New Hope Publishers (the Extreme Devotion Series, dealing with the persecuted Church around the world) when Andrea Mullins (the publisher at New Hope) asked me what topic I wanted to tackle next. We discussed a few possibilities, and then she suggested human trafficking. I was aware of it and thought it was terrible but had no idea how widespread it was. I agreed to do some preliminary research and get back to her. When I discovered there are more than 27 million people held in various forms of human trafficking (sexual slavery, forced labor or military conscription, involuntary donation of body parts/organs) and that many of them are children (including an estimated 100,000—300,000 MINORS held in sexual slavery in the US today!), I was horrified. I was also convinced that I had to do everything possible to help educate others about this widespread horror and to call them to join the fight. Not only have I now written/released the Freedom Series on human trafficking, but I’m speaking on it everywhere/every chance I get.

What was your original objective in writing these books, Deliver Me From Evil, Special Delivery, and The Deliverer? And, what are you hearing back from people who have read the books? How are they taking action?

Originally my plan was to see the books alert readers to this horrific crime and, hopefully, challenge them to get involved in fighting it some way. That seems to be happening, but on such a larger scope than I had imagined. The response from readers is overwhelming! Pastors have written to say they are challenging their entire church to get involved on some level, and I’m being invited to speak all over the country on this topic. I am thrilled to see the Light being shined in this terrible darkness at last! As for specific actions, pastors and civic leaders are inviting me (or others in this ministry) to come and speak to their congregations/groups to help educate them on this massive tragedy. Readers tell me they are posting about my books all over the net to help snag people’s attention. I’m getting invitations to speak on radio and TV as well. I’ve also been contacted by readers who are getting involved in setting up safe houses for rescued victims, which is a huge need. I was even contacted by the Department of Homeland Security and invited to participate in group conference calls on the topic. Overall, I’m thrilled at the way God is using these books to help sound the alarm and to “rescue the perishing.”

It seems there is always someone in your books who is an intercessor. Why is that important for you to include?

This is vital to me, and as you said, I almost always include an intercessor in my novels. I know there were intercessors in my own life who prayed me through some incredibly dangerous and difficult times, and I appreciate those heroes of the faith more than I can express. Highlighting their importance in my books accomplishes two things: it enables me to honor those faithful intercessors who often get no recognition in this world, and it also calls others to get involved in intercession as well.

You write books as you often call them, parables with a purpose, on topics such as human trafficking, the persecuted church, illegal immigration, and your Christmas 2012 book is about homelessness. Some might call you an advocate. Why is it important for Christians, and the church as a whole, to discuss these issues?

You’re right that I call my novels “parables with purpose,” because I believe Jesus is our example and that’s what He told to His followers—parables with purpose. He didn’t just tell them “nice stories” to entertain them. He told stories that would grab them right where they lived, and then challenge them to change their hearts, their minds, and their lives. The Church has always been at the forefront of serious social change, leading the charge to abolish slavery for instance, and leading the charge on these other issues is right where the Church needs to be now. The first step is to discuss the issues, to make people aware of them, and then to call them to action. I believe gripping fiction is one of the most effective ways to do that.

Will you give us a glimpse, a taste of things to come -- without getting too far ahead -- of what’s in store for your next series and books on the horizon?

In addition to the 2012 Christmas novel, Unexpected Christmas Hero, dealing with homelessness in America, I will be releasing a new series starting in January. The first of the three novels is called The Moses Quilt, and it deals with a contemporary interracial romance, set against the background of a quilt that tells the story of the courageous, faith-filled woman known as Harriet Tubman. A contemporary novel dealing with the issue of abortion will follow, with the first woman doctor in America, Elizabeth Blackwell, as our backdrop heroine. The final book will be built around the much beloved Fanny Crosby, as we deal with the issue of people with disabilities. That series is from New Hope Publishers, but I also have a book releasing in the Spring of 2013 from B&H Publishers called Last Chance for Justice. It’s part of the multi-author Bloomfield Series, and I’m very excited about it.

You also write a devotional blog. Can you tell us what the focus is and where we can find it?

I started writing a weekly devotional several years ago, in response to a request from the then newly formed group CAN (Christian Authors Network). I sent it out as a group email and had about 40 recipients then. The devotional mailing quickly grew and expanded beyond the CAN group, with countless readers signing up to receive it. I also started posting it each week on my devotional blog (http://kathimacias.com/category/devotional-2/), which is part of my primary website (www.kathimacias.com), where you will also find my “Easy Writer” blog, which is more writing-related. (You can also sign up there to receive the weekly devotional in your inbox.) Over the years the devotional has been picked up by Crosswalk, Black Christian News, Latino Christian News (I offer it in Spanish as well as English), Believe.com, Christians in Recovery, etc., so the readership has mushroomed beyond anything I ever imagined. God is amazing, isn’t He?

Finally, we know you as an award-winning author, but you also enjoy speaking for women’s events, and other groups, as well. On what areas or topics do you focus your speaking presentations? How can a church or group find out more about having you speak for their event?

I speak on various topics, including the issues I address in my books, but on other topics too. One of my most requested topics is “When Passion and Purpose Collide.” That, along with several other popular topics, can be found in the speaking section of my website (http://kathimacias.com/speaking/). To see my current speaking schedule and/or to explore the possibility of having me come and speak, just go to http://kathimacias.com/speaking/speaking-schedule/ and click on the Christian Speakers Services button to make contact. You can also see some of my speaking endorsements at http://kathimacias.com/speaking/endorsements/.

For more opportunities for free copies of The Deliverer by Kathi Macias, please visit Facebook.com/CSSVBT.KathiMacias.

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and recently won the prestigious 2008 member of the year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) at the annual Golden Scrolls award banquet. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al.

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Let My People Go by Kathi Macias

“Let My People Go!” 

by Kathi Macias 

The term “human trafficking” or “trafficking in persons” (TIP) often draws raised eyebrows and skeptical expressions—until statistics are laid out to show that approximately 27 million people are enslaved today, whether for the purposes of slave labor, prostitution, or involuntary organ “donations.”

The Salvation Army has made the rescue of those enslaved around the world their number-one goal at this time, holding seminars and conferences to educate people and to garner support from various individuals and organizations.

The United Nations describes TIP in this way:

“The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.” 

In a nutshell, human trafficking is modern-day slavery, and it is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. It is currently tied with the illegal arms industry for the second largest criminal industry in existence, with the drug industry being the only one to edge it out.

Oh, I know. Most people naively believe that human trafficking happens only in faraway countries—Thailand or Cambodia, perhaps. True, it does occur there at a tragic rate. But it also takes place right here in the United States daily, to such an extent that some states are instituting task forces to try and stop it. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbot promises that their new task force “will take an aggressive stand against human traffickers, who have turned Texas into a hub for international and domestic forced labor and prostitution rings.”

Another myth about human trafficking is that it only involves adults. Millions of children around the world are crying out in pain and terror over the heartbreaking error of that statement. According to Wikipedia, trafficking in children may come about as an “exploitation of the parents’ extreme poverty. Parents may sell children to traffickers in order to pay off debts or gain income, or they may be deceived concerning the prospects of training and a better life for their children. They may sell their children for labor, sex trafficking, or illegal adoptions.”

Can there be anything that grieves the Father’s heart more than the forced enslaving of people made in His own image—by others bearing that same divine imprint? I believe each time anyone becomes aware of such evil and cries out against it, that cry is spurred by the Father’s own pain. If ever the Church needed to be involved in helping to right a human wrong, it’s now. Human trafficking must stop! And each of us who names the Name of Christ must ask the Father what He wants us to do to help make that happen.

In my case, that includes writing about it—every chance I get, including blogs, letters, articles, and a new fiction-based-on-real-life “Freedom” series: Deliver Me From Evil (Fall 2011); Special Delivery (March 2012); The Deliverer (Fall 2012). Will you pray for these books to be effective in reaching people and calling them to action? And will you also pray and ask God what you can do to answer His heart cry of “Let My people go”? Millions of enslaved human beings around the world are depending on you to respond.


[1] www.humantrafficking.org, “News and Updates,” April 5, 2010.

***Kathi Macias (www.kathimacias.com; www.boldfiction.com; www.thetitus2women.com) is the award-winning author of nearly forty books, including the Golden Scrolls 2011 Novel of the Year and Carol Award finalist, Red Ink. A popular speaker at writers’ and women’s conferences and retreats, Kathi lives in Southern California with her husband, Al.

The Deliverer picks up just months after Special Delivery leaves off, continuing with the stories of Mara, freed from slavery but still struggling with scars and memories from the past; Jonathan, attending Bible college but strongly drawn to Mara, despite her past; and Lawan, having escaped the brothel in Thailand and miraculously reunited with her younger sister in the US and adopted by the same family. Will Mara be able to move past the pain and hatred that bind her, even if it means traveling back to the place where her parents betrayed her and sold her into sexual slavery? Will she allow The Deliverer to set her free—once and for all?

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband. Her newest release is The Deliverer, the third and final book in her “Freedom” series.

You can find out more about Kathi or contact her via her website: www.kathimacias.com.
Follow Kathi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/alandkathi
Like Kathi on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kathi-Macias/75996188045

Pre-order a copy of The Deliverer from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1596693088

Pre-order a copy of The Deliverer from Christianbook.com: http://www.christianbook.com/3-the-deliverer-kathi-macias/9781596693081/pd/693081

Thanks to Pump up your Book Tours I have a copy of Kathi's book The Deliverer for giveaway.  I will be posting my review of Kathi's book in two weeks (9/24) I'm in middle of reading it right now.  Of course it is another good book you won't want to miss.  So for this giveaway I want you to leave me a comment telling me if you've ever read any of Kathi's books?  if so which one(s).  This is mandatory before bonuses go into effect.  Be sure to fill out the rafflecopter also because that is how I'll draw the winner.  Make sure you leave a way of contact too.  This giveaway is open to US residents only and you must be 18 years old or older.  I'll leave this giveaway open til the end of the month.  Draw a winner on Oct. 1st. 


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HURRY TODAY (9/24) 

and TODAY ONLY

CSS is giving away a complete set of THE FREEDOM SERIES by Kathi Macias (all three books - Deliver Me From Evil, Special Delivery, & The Deliverer) on September 24. you must post a comment on their blog to enter at http://christianspeakerservices1.wordpress.com/.

Special Delivery by Kathi Macias

Kathi has done it again.  She's written another superb book.  I would definitely say this is a book that will keep you on the edge.  It is a powerful story and not for the faint at heart.  You really see behind the scenes of what it looks like to be sold into sex trafficking.  I haven't met a Macias book that I haven't like yet.  I have been following Kathi close since the start of my reading books for reviews in 2008.  She was one of my first authors to become acquainted with (and it was through Pump Up Your Books even) up until that time I'd never heard of her.  Now, when a book title comes across my screen with her name I jump at it.  Is that a fan or what?  This second book in her freedom series is no exception.  It is WONDERFUL!   I would highly recommend reading the first book, Deliver me from Evil,  so you can see where the characters have come from; however, I don't think you 'd be lost if you don't.  I can't wait til book three comes out.  You may visit Kathi on her web site or at one of her blogs:  Easy Writer and  her devotional blog.

In book two of the “Freedom” series, readers find Mara fighting against her attraction to Bible college student Jonathan Flannery, even while wrestling with risking her own precarious safety to become involved in the rescue of another girl who is pregnant and desperately wants to escape her captors and save her own life, as well as her child’s.

Halfway around the world in a brothel in Thailand, a young girl named Lawan is rescued with the promise of being reunited with her little sister who was adopted by an interracial couple in the States, friends of Jonathan’s family. Special Delivery cover

Meanwhile, Jefe—Mara’s uncle, who held her as a sex slave in his brothel in San Diego for years—seeks revenge for Mara’s testimony that put him behind bars for life. Will his underworld connections be successful in kidnapping and killing the girl who believes she has finally won her freedom?

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al. Her most recent release is Special Delivery, the second book in her “Freedom” series. You can find Kathi at www.kathimacias.com or www.boldfiction.com.

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A copy of this book was provided for  this review by Pump up your Book tours

Deliver Me From Evil by Kathi Macias

Oh, my goodness.  Kathi had me on pins and needles with this novel.  This is definitely not a book for the faint at heart.  Wow!  I don't know how she can write any better.  I've been reading Kathi's books for years now and she hasn't disappointed me yet.  You actually feel as though you are right there with Mara and feel exactly what she is going through as she and others are forced into the being sex slaves.  You just want to slap the men silly as they treat these girls as though they are worthless and no good, but for one reason.  Oh, the research that Kathi had to do to really make these scenes come alive.  Now, I set and wait for Special Delivery, Book #2.  I can't wait to see how this will turn out for Mara and the other characters Kathi has chosen to use in her Freedom Series.  I'm glad I don't have to wait too long, but Jan. is long enough.  The holidays should make the time fly faster.  I don't have enough thumbs for this one.  Remember if you read this book it isn't a light-hearted read no humor in this subject at all.  I'm thinking that in jan I may have to do an interview with Kathi on this series.  Chalk me up, pencil me in or something for book 2, Kathi. 

Deliver Me from Evil introduces readers to Mara, an eighteen-year-old girl who has been enslaved for nearly ten years, having been sold by her parents in Mexico and then smuggled across the border into San Diego where she was forced into sexual slavery. Readers will also meet 18-year-old, Bible-college-bound Jonathan and his 16-year-old sister, Leah, whose paths cross Mara’s and who become involved in her dramatic rescue.

Interwoven between the stories of Mara, Jonathan, and Leah is the heartbreaking story of another young woman in captivity in the Golden Triangle of Thailand, whose past life mysteriously connects to the young people in San Diego.

Prologue
Mara fought to breathe against the thick darkness that pressed her down. The closet was so small…so dark and cramped. Impossible to stretch out, whether lying down or standing up. How long had it been now? Hours? Days? The blackness was too complete, the confines too cramped even to venture a guess.
She’d been in what they all termed “the hole” before, but not for a while now. In the beginning, before she’d learned to obey the rules without question or hesitation, she had often found herself confined in what felt like a tomb, wondering how long it would take before she crossed so far into insanity that there was no way back. And though the times in the hole were the worst, life outside the silent box wasn’t much better. To survive, Mara had quickly learned to remove herself from the horrifying reality that had become her life, to travel far away in her mind where the torture was only a distant terror, one she could endure if she disciplined herself to think of something else. Eventually she had become one of the most compliant of the twenty or more wretched creatures that dwelled in this nameless location, which she had come to understand was somewhere in the San Diego area of Southern California, not far from the Mexican border. As a result, her trips to the hole became only a vague yet obedience-motivating memory.
But this time she had dared to break a rule, not openly but secretly, praying to a god she didn’t really believe in to protect her. Unfortunately, the nonexistent god had apparently chosen not to answer her prayer, and she had been caught and severely punished—beaten mercilessly and thrown into the hole without food or water—because she had allowed the face of a young child to entice her to venture beyond the tentative bounds of safety.
And for what? Not only had she failed to help the girl escape, but she had probably caused her to be thrown into the hole as well, for there were several such confines within the compound. Nearly as bad as being in the claustrophobic enclosure herself was knowing that a captive no older than six or seven was being held in a similar prison nearby, terrified beyond imagining.
When would Mara learn? She herself hadn’t been much older than the tiny child when she was spirited away from her previous life, never again to see her home or family or anything else familiar. Thrust into a world of violence and perversion, Mara had learned to endure the most nightmarish and degrading of conditions. Though at first she had cried and begged to go home to her parents, even though they too had beaten and abused her, she finally came to understand that it was her father who had sold her into this new life from which there was no escape—and her very own uncle, her “tio” who had arranged the sale and was now her owner. And that was the worst part of it all—realizing that no one would ever come to rescue her, for those who should care enough to try were the ones who put her there—all for the price of a few weeks worth of drugs or alcohol, possibly even some food.
With that realization, Mara had chosen to harden her heart and do whatever she must to get through, one day at a time—sometimes one moment at a time. That was how she had gained the tiniest amount of freedom and privileges, being fed more regularly and even allowed to walk relatively unhindered around the small compound that had become her world—so long as she continued to obey her tio and his two henchmen without question.
But then the little girl with the terrified eyes had arrived, bound and gagged, bloody and bruised…and everything had changed.

Read the first two chapters here.  
Read my TT here

Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored more than 30 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences, and won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association). Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband, Al, where the two of them spend their free time buzzing around in their new ride: Al’s 2005 sunburst orange Corvette. Her latest releases are Deliver Me From Evil and A Christmas Journey Home.

You can find out more about Kathi’s writing and speaking at www.kathimacias.com


A copy of this book was provided for  this review by Pump up your Book tours