Tag: mermaids

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BELIEVED by Michael James Emberger Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Title: BELIEVED

Author: Michael James Emberger

Pub. Date: October 4, 2021

Publisher: Michael James Emberger

Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook(FREE)

Pages: 429

Find it: Goodreads, books2read
(find all FREE audiobook links here and other purchase links), Free eBook download here! 

Kelsea Jones is like a lot of girls at the University of Northern Minnesota. She has a boyfriend, she works at a coffee shop, and she’s on the swim team. But she’s not a girl. She’s a mermaid. Trouble brews when star hockey player Chad Andersen takes an interest in her. She tries to avoid him, but he won’t leave her alone. A son of wealth and privilege, he takes what he wants, and he gets away with it. He wants Kelsea, she says no, and so he rapes her. Kelsea stands on a tail and two fins to fight the most painful trial of her life. Despite her trauma and a crisis of faith, she speaks the truth of what Chad did, but will she be believed?

A note from the author:
1 out of 4 college girls experiences rape or sexual assault. That breaks my heart. It’s a crime that has affected people I love, and it has to stop. This novel is my way of raising awareness and showing survivors that someone hears them.

Believed is a product of my friendship with a survivor who is an author and advocate. She opened my eyes to a world of trauma and PTSD that had been largely invisible to me before I met her, and it was life-changing. I needed to share that with others. The burden on my heart was too great to not say something, and fiction is the method I know best to convey the thoughts, truths, pains, and struggles that I see.

Sexual assault is not my story. I haven’t experienced it, I don’t live with the resulting trauma, and I do not wish to profit from the pain of survivors. This is a book for them. It’s a book for those who love them. It’s a book to encourage readers to think and to empathize and to consider the realities of so many whose lives have been affected by this crime. If you purchase a copy here, know that the prices are the minimum allowed. I make no royalty on print copies. If you would like to read for free, you can download the book at my website.

If you find value in this work, please consider donating to an organization that fights against sexual violence or offers support to survivors. Tell your family and friends about the book. Review it online. Let the survivors in your life know that you care, that you believe them, and that you are there for them.

Excerpt:

Mr. Johnson and his wife stop by our pew. “Merry Christmas,” he says. He exchanges greetings with my parents, but he doesn’t make an effort to extend his good will much beyond them. He doesn’t understand why I’ve shut him out. He doesn’t get how his words were hurtful. But that’s not my problem, and I shouldn’t have to explain it to him. It shouldn’t be my responsibility to educate him. That burden shouldn’t rest on my shoulders. Even if he has his doubts, would it kill him to show some compassion and kindness? Would it really be so hard to have some empathy?

Men like him must think this is just some minor annoyance that girls deal with. It’s something we blow out of proportion. We. Girls. Women. Mer. As much as we’re different, we’re also not. We all face this part of being a woman, and Mr. Johnson is not one, so it’s not something he has to think about. He didn’t rape anyone, so it’s not his concern. It wasn’t his daughter, so it’s not important. It’s a female issue that we should handle on our own without bothering anyone.

I watch as he greets one of the elders. They shake hands and laugh. But would they act differently if they realized how much I need them? Would they understand if they could truly see how it feels? I need them to believe me. I need them to care. I need them to make this their issue, not just mine. I’m sure other women and girls and Mer carrying similar wounds would agree. We need to know that we’re not alone. We need them by our side. We need them to talk to their friends—to other men—so that guys like Chad don’t think their actions are okay. We need them to say that it’s wrong, out loud, and not only after the fact. It’s the only way things will change.

About Michael James Emberger:

Michael James Emberger is an author of thrillers and suspense residing in Wilton, NH. He enjoys weaving narratives of conspiracy and misguided intentions around divisive topics. Where there is debate, there is always room for a villain with goals far out of alignment from either side. Michael is a graduate of Messiah College, where he studied Engineering and met his wife racing solar cars cross-country. When he’s not working on home renovations or writing, he enjoys visiting the ocean and exploring the majesty of God’s creation on the summits of New Hampshire’s mountains.

Michael wrote Believed, a heartbreaking and inspirational tale of a Mermaid in college in Minnesota. It was the most difficult book he’s ever written, but also the most important. He’s made it available for free in audiobook and e-book formats, and he hopes it will encourage and inform.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

There isn’t a giveaway for this tour. Instead Michael is giving away the audiobook and ebook! You can download a FREE copy of the audiobook here OR a FREE copy of the eBook HERE!  and if you love the book please help spread the word with a review or share the links with your friends!

Tour Schedule:

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Week Five: