Welcome to Author Wednesday on Writing Whims. Today, Darlene Jones stops by to talk about her novels, Embattled, Embraced, and Empowered.

 

Darlene’s experiences during her time living Mali so touched her life, she decided to give voice to them in her novels. Book Review Friday will feature a review of Embattled, which I’ve just finished reading.

From Darlene Jones:

Many years ago a young girl left the safety of Canada for adventure in Africa. This was in a generation when young girls didn’t go anywhere on their own and certainly not to the “the dark continent.”

I was that young girl and going to Mali demanded I adapt to:

• A different climate. I exchanged the snowy cold of Alberta winters for the arid Harmattan winds of the Sahara. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the force of the heat that pressed on me as I stepped off the airplane. Over the days and weeks that followed, I learned how the heat saps your energy until you feel that you can barely drag yourself around. A person who shall remain nameless said that the Africans were lazy. This person lived in an air-conditioned house, drove an air-conditioned car, and worked in an air-conditioned office.
• A different culture. I very quickly packed away my mini-skirts and wore a pagne, the rectangle of cloth that women wrapped around themselves to be a skirt. I hired a houseboy – sounds degrading, but the $8 a month I paid him supported a family of seven. My salary was about $140 a month and that was ample to live on. I learned the proper greetings that came before any exchange whether buying a stamp or fruit at the market. I learned to bargain. The list goes on.
• A different language. I spoke French, but not fluently, so I had to work at perfecting that. I also tried to learn a little Bambara, the most common local language. My students put me to shame. They could speak four or five local languages, had learned French (the official language of the country), and were studying English (I was their teacher) and German in school.

But above all, I had to adapt to time travel for most Malians lived the way they always had. Modern conveniences consisted of basic items such as kerosene lanterns and little else.

I brought home with me a love for Mali, the Sahara, and Malians that burns as brightly now as it did then.

It was the plight of Malians that inspired my novel series. Since I couldn’t wave a magic wand to make life better in Mali, I chose to do that fictitiously. I wrote my books to entertain, but also with the hope that readers would see the world in a broader perspective. I hope that doesn’t make my books sound preachy, because they’re not intended to be, but I don’t think I could have written them in any other way given my experiences in Mali. The wide warm smiles of Malians stay with me always. I hope that warmth and positive outlook is conveyed in my stories.

Darlene on Darlene:  A long time ago, I lived in Mali. Every single day, I wished I could wave a magic wand to relieve the heart-wrenching poverty. The story line of my books reflects my desire to wave that wand and make the world a better place. If only wishes could come true. And of course, every novel needs its love story, so along with the sci-fi magic, I’ve added the requisite romance.

Initially, I intended to write “a” novel. The story and characters took over and the ending of the first demanded another. Two books became three and three became four.

I’ve always believed we can’t be the only beings existing in the vastness of the universe. There must be others “out there somewhere” and I brought some of them along for the ride. The setting stays, for the most part, within the realities of our world, but I’ve found that I love the magic the sci-fi element of other beings can bring to the story.

Book four, Em and Yves, will be released by the end of April or May at the latest.

Briefly: Em and Yves asks the question: What if you could go “up there?” Why does this obsession drive Emily’s life when she doesn’t believe in heaven? Even the wonderful Dr. David can’t help her find the answers she needs.

Learning that she has lived other lives shocks Emily. Then Yves takes her to his world. There she meets gods and Powers and people rescued from doomed planets – living the perfect heavenly life. She knows she belongs “up there” with Yves, but all is not as idyllic as it appears. Emily is the only one who sees the danger. Will she be able to save Yves’ world?

What if you could go “up there?” Why does this obsession drive Emily’s life when she doesn’t believe in heaven? Even the wonderful Dr. David can’t help her find the answers she needs.

Where to buy Darlene’s books:

Embattled

Amazon:          http://ow.ly/eAryx

Apple ibook:   http://ow.ly/gzn4Z

Smashwords:   http://ow.ly/gzn8j

Empowered

Amazon:          http://ow.ly/eArB2

Apple ibook:   http://ow.ly/gzns7

Smashwords:   http://ow.ly/gznit

Embraced

 Amazon:          http://ow.ly/eArE1

Apple ibook:   http://ow.ly/gznyT

Smashwords:   http://ow.ly/gznjL

Contact Darlene
Blog:  http://emandyves.wordpress.com
Website: www.emandyves.com

Amazon Author Central: https://www.amazon.com/author/darlenejones