The BIG Deal - Post by Lynnda Pollio, Author of Trusting the Current

Lynnda Pollio, author of the B.R.A.G Medallion winning novel Trusting the Current, has written a thought-provoking piece on what makes 2018 such a noteworthy year and how we can all best face the ups and downs it is likely to bring. You can read the piece on Medium HERE. To learn more about Trusting the Current and its author continue on below!

 

 

 

Publication Date: November 5th, 2013

Publisher: SageHeart Media

Pages: 288

 

Trusting the Currents is a multi-award winning visionary novel that guides readers into their own truth and transformation.

 

Author Lynnda Pollio's life as a busy New Yorker abruptly changes when she unexpectedly heard the mystical, elderly voice of Addie Mae Aubrey, a Southern, African American woman. Her first words, “It’s not what happened to me that matters,” begin a spirited remembering of her teenage years in the late 1930s rural South and the learned wisdom she asks Lynnda to share. As women from different times and different places, they embark on an uncommon journey together.

Narrated by Addie Mae Aubrey, Trusting the Currents is a spiritual story of self-discovery—of faith, courage, forgiveness, and the uneasy search for one’s place in life. Beginning at age eleven with the unexpected arrival of beautiful, mysterious cousin Jenny and her shadowy stepfather, Uncle Joe, Trusting the Currents explores Addie Mae’s reluctant awakening. As Jenny, the story’s mystical center, introduces Addie Mae to the spiritual world, a caring teacher, Miss Blanchard, guides with the power of reading. Romantic love enters her life for the first time with Rawley, and we experience how Addie Mae’s emerging sense of self compels her to a life-altering decision. Throughout the story, her mother remains an unwavering source of love, even when fear and evil shake their lives. Unfathomable loss and rising trust in the “Invisibles” not only transform Addie Mae’s budding life, but leads to the author's own spiritual awakening.

Addie Mae reveals how life blossoms when we have the courage to not only accept but also learn from mistakes and sorrow. Her story may belong to one woman, but the lessons it teaches belong to everyone willing to open their hearts and listen to the truth within their souls.

 

 

Praise for Trusting the Current

 

 

"While Pollio admirably asks "what right did I have to tell a black southern woman's story?" her saga holds surprising power, at times approaching the grandeur of The Color Purple and Beloved with the insights of a delightful wise-child narrator. Gorgeous imagining of a touching, memorable guiding spirit." - Kirkus Reviews

"The simple, affecting tale of Addie's life is engrossing. Religion, culture, and family blend together seamlessly in this haunting and refreshing story." - Publisher's Weekly

 

 

"Lynnda Pollio guides us gently but mindfully through the darkness and beyond the place where blood is born. Trusting the Currents slips through the skin, stains the eyeball. In a recurrent dream I am standing in the center of a circle with my maternal elders. My initiation assignment is to weave a basket tight enough to hold water. I run throughout the forest gathering sticks, bark, reeds, stalks. Of course from dream to dream, the basket is never tight enough. When I neared the closing chapter of Trusting the Currents, I knew I would dream that dream again facing myself in the eyes of wise women. The women of Trusting the Currents traveled with me and showed me that my ancestors were holding and offering everything I've ever needed to hold the water. This ethereal story narrative chants the wild instructions for weaving the collective refuge-building spiritual baskets that are needed in this time of now, in this space of here.
“The voices in Trusting the Currents refuse to be muted as they bring us face to face across the divides of race, class, religion. This is a powerful story that is an offering, a revival, benediction, altar, and a powerful calling for the return of all long-obscured matriarchs. All praises for Trusting the Currents....enlightening, and highly evolved."- Jaki Shelton Green, North Carolina Piedmont Poet Laureate, North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame

 

 

"This book is the most beautiful one I have read in a very long time. Not only is it exquisitely written but also there is a wealth of real wisdom in its pages. The very act of reading it is somewhat akin to a spiritual experience." - Amazon Reviewer

 

"It's rare that a book resonates so deeply, but this one did just that. It seems, too, that what the author says is true: Addie Mae draws readers to her. I discovered Addie Mae while in the midst of a current, and her wisdom and courage have inspired me to embrace it and look forward with happy anticipation to where it's carrying me. 'Trusting the Currents' is a beautifully written and timeless story, one that captivates from beginning to end and leaves you wanting more. A must read!! - Amazon Reviewer

 "The kind of fictional story you read, re-read, and re-read, and yet still discover something new every time. It is beautifully written and carries a delicate energy that made it hard for me to let go of the book until I was done reading. 5++" - Amazon Reviewer

 

 

"This is the first book in quite a few years that I couldn't put down after I started it. It is a journey of a beautiful adventure written in the most poetic words that speak to one's heart. I am immediately wanted to share this book with everyone I know who loves to read a good book. Trusting the Currents is a wonderful spiritual story that will stay with you for a long time. The title alone will encourage you through times of trouble or change, in your life or perhaps of loved one. Absolutely loved this book" - Amazon Reviewer

 

 

Buy the Book

 

Amazon

 

About the Author

Lynnda Pollio was born in New Jersey and lives in New York City. But she considers Sedona,

Arizona to be her soul home. An intuitive and empath by birth, Lynnda has always been deeply committed to elevating human consciousness. This life purpose guided her as an advertising executive, a consultant and thought leader in conscious business practices, and as the world’s first Chief Consciousness Officer for the foremost futurist marketing consultancy. Currently, she supports businesses and people who are committed to doing good in the world. She never expected to write a book until she started hearing the voice of an old, black, Southern woman asking her to tell her story. Trusting the Currents took 12 years to write and indie-publish. Since then, it has won 12 book awards and garners extraordinary and quite beautiful reviews. Lynnda feels it her life mission to bring Trusting the Currents into the world.

 

To learn more about Lynnda as well as her writing visit her blog and website. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

 

 





Interview with B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Katelyne Parker

Please join me in welcoming B.R.A.G Medallion Honoree Katelyne Parker to A Literary Vacation today! Award-winning author, Katelyne Parker, was born in 1972 in Brooklyn, New York, but came of age in South Florida. After she graduated from Barry University, she worked as an educator for over fifteen years. Her debut novel, Hosanna, is a captivating story that will confront the mind and inspire the soul. Today, she lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and son.

Hi Katelyne, and welcome to A Literary Vacation! To start off with, please tell us a little about your book, Hosanna.

Thank you so much, Colleen. 

Hosanna is a story of a young woman born illegally to a black man and a white woman during the reign of Jim Crow. To hide the truth of Hosanna’s birth story, her racist maternal grandmother forces her to be a maid in her own home. 

After years of rejection and pretense, Hosanna grows infuriatingly rebellious toward her tight-lipped family and insists the truth be told. But she learns soon enough, that sordid truths aren’t welcomed in this small Georgia town where social traditions and segregation laws are a bulwark standing between her and the family she desperately craves.

Hosanna sounds like such a fascinating, unique character that has faced, and continues to face, a myriad of difficulties and pain in her life. What drew you to tell her story? Do you think your readers will be able to relate to aspects of her story?

Hosanna first appeared to me in a dream in 1998 when I saw Miss Margret, Hosanna’s maternal grandmother, sitting on the porch railing of her stately antebellum home. It wasn’t strange to see her drinking out of a cup as gracefully as she was, but it was strange to see her unfazed as she witnessed a fire blazing from a distance. That’s when I awakened, confused but curious. The questions came suddenly: Who is this woman? Where is she from? And why isn’t she troubled? After all, a fire was blazing! That’s when I took pen to paper and began recording what I recalled from that vision and started my frequent visits to the local library to research Georgia segregation history. I’ve always been attracted to stories of the South like, To Kill a Mockingbird and Gone with the Wind, so Hosanna’s story was a natural evolution from those beloved classics. I knew in short order, that this unexpected dream would become one of many scenes I felt compelled to expand and build around. 

I can imagine many readers relating to Hosanna’s feelings of rejection and her relentless need to feel valued. And I’m almost certain that quite a few of us, out of all generations, have had to wrestle with our views on race at some point in our lives. Perhaps older generations would have raw recollections or experiences from that era and could relate to Hosanna in that way. Conceivably, individuals of all ages and ethnicities could draw parallels to the racial tensions we currently have in our country today. But I too, can imagine many of us wanting to find a semblance of hope on the other side of those tensions where we could see a way forward. I’d like to think Hosanna could be that launch point for such a discussion and that discussion would then lead to a newer way of seeing these issues, and that new way, I hope, could lead to a more profound healing that many well-intentioned people seek.

Being that Hosanna is historical fiction, did you have to do any research while writing? If so, was there anything you found particularly interesting during that process? Anything you wish you could have incorporated that didn’t make it into the story?

Yes, I researched Georgia and U.S. History from the pre-Civil War era to 1967, the year the Supreme Court ruled state bans on interracial marriage were unconstitutional. 

I found the first person accounts from blacks and whites during that time the most riveting. If any reader believes the characters in Hosanna ring authentic, they can credit the real life people who left accounts of their experiences during the era of Jim Crow. 

As for historical research that didn’t make the cut, I purposely and without regret excluded the events of southern history I felt would not move the story forward. If a historical event or fact did not relate significantly to the plot, then I had no desire to bring it in, especially if I felt it would detract from the reader’s understanding of the story.

Historical fiction happens to be my all-time favorite genre and I find myself going back and forth between what periods of history are my favorite to read about. Do you have a favorite time period to write and/or read about, or do you enjoy jumping around as I do?

I admire people like you who have broad historical interests. But I’m afraid I don’t ever jump around time periods. I am particularly fixed on reading and writing about southern history from the pre-Civil War era through the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

What does a typical day (if there is one) look like for you? How do you balance writing and the rest of your life?

Well, I’m a homeschool teacher, so my mornings are primarily dedicated to my son’s academic and athletic development. Since we have full control over our schedule, I teach in the mornings, then write and conduct research when necessary in the afternoons, evenings, and weekends. 

I balance my time by creating a schedule that we try to stick to in earnest. There are rare times that I wake up at two or three o’clock in the morning inspired to write pages and pages of scenes. So I don’t hinder that inspiration. I wake up and immerse myself in the world of my characters. There are times when I’m devoid of inspiration, so I read, research, or ask myself questions to provoke creativity. And that seems to work well for me. 

In the end, I go with the flow of life. If life tells me, my family needs more of my time, I follow that gut instinct. If life tells me that my inspiration is overflowing and a scene must be unveiled, I go with that. I don’t force what’s not there. I live in the present. And have learned through experience to exercise what I call extreme patience.

Are you working on anything now that you can share with us?

Years ago, Danelle McCafferty, a wonderful editor with amazing foresight and talent helped me in the very early stages of this project. From her insightful feedback, I decided there was more to Hosanna’s story, but it didn’t have to be all in one book. I learned to zoom in from the bird’s eye view I found myself perched on. Then I removed two extensive story-lines from Hosanna. One of which, I’ve now entitled, M’donia. For those who’ve read Hosanna, M’donia is a section of Midville where a group of black residents were living on land designated white-only. Sadly, these residents suffered persecution for refusing to vacate land that they strongly believed was rightfully theirs. Hosanna’s love interest, John Irvin, is the main character in M’donia and he tells his story of overcoming adversity and opposition with perseverance and grace. I am extremely excited about this project. I strongly believe M’donia will be just as engaging, powerful, and thought-provoking as Hosanna.

What drew you towards independent publishing as opposed to seeking out a traditional publisher?

It’s no secret that traditional publishers are inundated with author queries. I strongly believe it’s almost impossible to find all the quality first-time writers in that kind of environment. In the early years, I sought traditional representation, but that door did not open to me. However, independent publishing provided me the forum to express myself freely, to take my work directly to the readers, who I’m convinced are the ultimate arbiters of excellence. Those same readers are my unbiased reviewers. They provide me with invaluable feedback and that feedback encourages me and informs me that this work has brought inspiration and enjoyment to their lives. I’m profoundly humbled for the opportunity to reach my audience through independent publishing. But that doesn’t mean I am not open to traditional publishing, it only means independent publishing is the most viable avenue for me at this point in my career.

How did you discover indieBRAG and what does it mean to you to have Hosanna awarded the BRAG Medallion?

I began by learning more about the book industry. I soon discovered that if an independent author wanted to distinguish themselves from the innumerable books in the literary marketplace, they would first need to write a quality book and acquire recognition through reviews and awards. So I submitted Hosanna to one of the most prestigious literary groups available to independent authors today—indieBRAG. 

It means so much to be honored with the B.R.A.G. Medallion for literary fiction. For years, I had been seeking validation for the painstaking work I had put into Hosanna. And so to win this award fulfilled that desire. I will be forever honored and grateful to indieBRAG, the vanguard of the literary world, founded on the magnanimous mission of recognizing and promoting quality works of fiction to the reading public, who’d otherwise be unaware of emerging authors like me.

Thank you so much, Katelyne, for sharing your answers with me today!

You can learn more about Katelyne and her book on her website and well as the IndieBRAG site. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Goodreads, and Pinterest. 

You can purchase a copy of Hosanna on Amazon. 

A Message from indieBRAG:


We are delighted that Colleen has chosen to interview Katelyne Parker, who is the author of Hosanna, our medallion honoree at indieBRAG. To be awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion ® , a book must receive unanimous approval by a group of our readers. It is a daunting hurdle and it serves to reaffirm that a book such as Hosanna merits the investment of a reader’s time and money.

It's Time to #GetIndie with Litsy!

Back in May I shared an interview I did with one of the co-founders of Out of Print in which we discussed their newest adventure, the social media app Litsy (see the post HERE). Since then I've become somewhat obsessed with the app, checking it almost every day for new book recommendations, fun bookish pictures, and to share the new books I'm receiving and reading all the time. It truly is an amazing and inclusive community of book lovers, with more than 30,000 members in 125 countries. And all since April!

I wanted to share with everyone a new campaign going on over at Litsy, one that was described to me as " a fusion of social discovery and support within the book community and backed by a renowned author." Amy Stewart, author of the newly released Lady Cop Makes Trouble, is leading this social media campaign on her book tour, sharing with everyone all the books that Independent booksellers are recommending to their patrons as well as the booksellers, and their delightful stores, themselves. What isn't there to love about this?! Here's more information about the #GetIndie campaign:

Amy’s September 2016 book tour has been converted into a Litsy-based indie bookstore lovefest. At each bookstore, Amy will post about her book as well as other books supported by independent venues. The movement will build an alliance for indie bookstores, as the country boasts hundreds of venues with authors promoting their books at each location daily.

Social media is all about discoverability. Litsy displays how we interact with books and since each post is tied to a book, the #getindie campaign highlights what authors and readers are finding in specific stores.

Amy’s getting the community involved by requesting their support by visiting their favorite independent bookstore, giving a shout-out to a book through a blurb or post and include the #getindie hashtag. She’s also recruited many other authors, including Alexander Chee and Christina Baker Kline.

Look for it under the #getindie hashtag on Litsy.  

 

 

 

Inkwood Books in Tampa, FL



 

I recently shared my favorite local Indie Bookstore, Inkwood Books, on Litsy with the #getindie hashtag. I've gone to a number of different author events at Inkwood Books, as well as attended events that discussed upcoming books they are excited about and of course just gone in to shop. I'm looking forward to possibly joining one of their monthly book clubs as well...they have all sorts of exciting stuff going on over there!

 

 

Barbara Davis author event at Inkwood Books

 

Does anyone else have a favorite Independent Bookstore in their town? Is anyone else on Litsy? If so I would love to connect! You can find me on there as Colleen Turner or candc320, so come find me or leave your Litsy name in the comments!