TOME TRAVEL - BOOK GIVEAWAY - BELIEVE LIKE A CHILD

BELIEVE LIKE A CHILD

by PAIGE DEARTH

ABOUT THE NOVEL:

 Alessa is just seven years old when her uncle rapes her for the first time.  As the years pass, his sexual appetite becomes more voracious and his perversion more twisted, until the abuse has become almost a daily ritual, with the unspoken involvement of the girl’s mother.

At the age of sixteen, after the death of her only friend, Alessa finds herself at the mercy of her real-life monster, with no relief in sight.  She flees her home to escape this hell, only to find herself descending into a more dangerous one. Alone and helpless in the streets of North Philadelphia, she encounters more human predators who want to take over her life and devour her.  About to hit rock bottom, Alessa manages to break away from her new tormentors and finds refuge in a shelter for homeless and abused women.

Wherever she goes, however, trouble keeps seeking her out, until she meets three people who change the course of her life forever.  Though Alessa’s bittersweet journey is perpetually fraught with challenges, she does, nevertheless, manage to find fleeting moments of joy along the way.  But as she begins to settle down, a ghost from the past comes to haunt her again, threatening to destroy the very foundation of her small world and plunging her back into an abyss of despair, until she makes her final bid for escape.

 

SOME DIRT ON THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in Plymouth Meeting, a small town west of Philadelphia, Paige Dearth was a victim of child rape and spent her early years yearning for a better life. To escape the unwanted attentions of her molester, a pedophile uncle who lived with the family, she married at the age of nineteen and moved with her new husband to Chula Vista, California. After two years of marriage during which she struggled to make ends meet, she became pregnant, only to discover that her husband was a heroin addict. Paige waited for the birth of her daughter and when the baby was just eight months old, moved back to Pennsylvania. With no formal education or money to fall back on, she courageously set out to pick up the pieces of her shattered life and make it whole once more.

Living through the fear and isolation of her youth, Paige developed the ability to create stories that would help her cope and finally put them to use by embarking on a series of novels. Believe Like A Child, the author’s debut offering, is the darkest version of who she could have become, had fate not intervened in the nick of time. It presents a fine balance between what lives on in her imagination and the evil that lurks in the real world.

www.paigedearth.com

www.facebook.com/paigedearth

INFORMATION ON THE NEW NOVEL

WHEN SMILES FADE by PAIGE DEARTH

COMING SUMMER 2012

Emma’s first childhood memory of being beaten by her father, Pepper, was when she was just five years-old.  Resentful that he had to sacrifice his life for a woman he barely knew and a child he never wanted, Pepper holds Emma responsible for his failure to achieve the life he once imagined for himself.  As time passes, his intolerance of Emma grows and his physical and verbal abuse escalates beyond the imaginable.

For years Emma questions why her mother Valerie doesn’t stop Pepper from tormenting her.  Instead, her mother sits by silently, secretly grateful that it is her daughter, and not herself, who is left to endure Pepper’s abuse.  At the height of Emma’s agony she begs her mother to intervene, but is left to deal with the unbearable situation on her own.

Pepper’s coldblooded beatings develop in Emma an overwhelming sense of revenge that comes to lay the foundation of the person that Emma becomes.  As Emma grows older and more resourceful, she reaches a breaking point with her father. No longer able to control the impulse to fight back, she finally takes matters into her own hands.

Having learned the art of hate from her father and the mastery of manipulation from her mother, Emma sets out to make a better life and leave the beaten child that she once was behind her.  Emma’s strong will to survive and uncanny ability to even the score with people who do her wrong, catapult her to the brink of isolation and back.

Emma becomes a strong woman who endures the heartless brutality of the people that she meets.  Her determination to have a normal life and her insurmountable courage to protect the people that she loves delivers her into dangerous situations where she is required to do whatever it takes to survive.  At last, she is able to find happiness in small doses as her instincts take over and lead her to better things.    Nevertheless, her most thrilling moments comes only when she finds retribution.

TOME TRAVEL – BOOK GIVEAWAY – BELIEVE LIKE A CHILD

• 4 bloggers, 1 author, 8 winners, 2 novels
• 2 winners of a paperback or Kindle copy of Believe Like A Child (US & UK only for e-book) from each blog site
• All 8 winners will automatically receive  a copy of Paige Dearth’s new novel, WHEN SMILES FADE, coming in Summer 2012

*HOW TO ENTER*

Leave a comment on this blog post! Don’t forget to include your e-mail address!!

Winners will have 24 hours to respond to the winner notification email. If winner(s) have not responded within the 24 hours, a new winner(s) will be drawn and the same provisions will apply.

April 21 – 27: Can’t Put It Down – A Book Review Blog

April 28 – May 4: Page Flipperz – Kat With Many Tales

 May 5 – May 11: Mary’s Cup of Tea

May 12 – May 18: Fade Into Fantasy

Interview With The Author Questions:

1.       Why did you write this novel?

Since I was young I made up stories in my mind.  It was my ultimate escape from my rough upbringing.  While most children make up stories that bring them joy, my stories were always dark.  These stories, darker than my real-life, helped me to cope.

Believe Like A Child is a graphic novel.  The reason I wrote it to be so sexually explicit is because I wanted readers to feel the horror of child abuse, sexual exploitation and rape.  There is nothing pretty or light about these subjects.  However, while the subject matter is harsh, the novel is written so that my readers can enjoy a fast paced suspenseful thriller with a sturdy narrative.

2.      Why did you title your book Believe Like A Child?

I am asked this question a lot by my readers.  Having lived a rough childhood, I was not carefree and I never experienced the freedom of thought that most kids do.  About a year ago, I was having a conversation with a close friend.  We were discussing the book and how I could make my book a reality.  He told me to just believe like a child.  I was confused and he explained that kids believe in their dreams and the people around them with an unwavering faith.  Even when things don’t go their way, their innocence allows them to continue to simply believe things will turn out okay.  I felt terrible that I couldn’t relate to what he was telling me.  I used this line in one of my chapters because it hits the very core of the psychological difference between abused children and those who are not.  So, when I look at my title and have any doubt that people will love my book, I remind myself to just believe like a child.

3.      What surprised you about the writing process?

The amount of time it takes to edit the novel.  I’ve read it at least nine times.  I had it professionally edited and a friend read it twice before publishing.  The process was very, very long.  I’ve learned a lot from publishing my first novel and found ways to expedite the editing process for the novel I just finished writing.