Bullet wounds,
torture and oppression aren’t the only things that keep a man—or a woman—from
being whole.
Debt.
Honor. Pain. Solitude. These are things wounded war veteran Adam Wegener knows
all about. Love—now, that he is not
good at. Not when love equals a closed fist, burns, and suicide attempts. But
Adam is one who keeps his word. He owes the man who saved his life in Iraq. And
he doesn’t question the measure of the debt, even when it is in the form of an
emotionally distant, beautiful woman.
Yasmeen
agreed to become the wife of an American veteran so she could flee persecution
in war-torn Syria. She counted on being in the United States for a short stay
until she could return home. There was one thing she did not count on: wanting more.
Is
it too late for Adam and Yasmeen?
Shadows
of Damascus, by
author Lilas Taha, was released by Soul Mate Publishing mid
January, 2014. It is a book in the genre of soft temporay romance for new
adults.
The
author is doing a promo tour right now for her book, and for this occasions she
is giving away a $50 Amazon/BN gift card
to one randomly drawn commenter during the tour. So don’t hesitate to
leave a comment, using this Rafflecopter code : http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e43467/
Who is Lilas Taha?
Lilas
Taha is a writer at heart, an electrical engineer by training, and an advocate
for domestic abuse victims by choice. She was born in Kuwait to a Syrian mother
and a Palestinian father, and immigrated to the U.S. as a result of the Gulf
war in 1990. She earned a master’s degree in Human Factors Engineering from the
University of Wisconsin- Madison. There, Lilas met her beloved husband and true
friend, and moved with him to Sugar Land, Texas to establish a family. She is
the proud mother of a daughter and a son. Instead of working in an industrial
field, she applied herself to the field of social safety, working with victims
of domestic violence.
Pursuing
her true passion for creative writing, Lilas brings her professional interests,
and her Middle Eastern background together in her debut fictional novel,
Shadows of Damascus.
An excerpt from the novel…
PROLOGUE
YASMEEN
Damascus, Syria
Summer 2006
The seductive fragrance of Damascus
roses drifted through the open window and flirted with fifteen-year-old
Yasmeen’s olfactory senses. The potent flowers in her neighbor’s yard delivered
the best awakening. She loved beginnings, especially early, mid-summer mornings
like these. Stretching across the bed, her imagination raced with possibilities
for the promising day.
Thursday. The day her older
brother’s friends visited and stayed well into the evening. Yasmeen ticked off
potential visitors in her head, dashing young university students who loved to
talk politics with Fadi. Today, she would do her best to discover the name of
the quietest member in the group, the thin one with round-rimmed glasses. On her
nightstand, the sketch she worked on during the last visit waited for his name,
and more details around the eyes.
Peeling off the covers, she tip-toed
to the window. Lively noises matched her optimistic mood. Nightingales sang
greetings. Clanging dishes and pots resonated from surrounding houses beyond
high walls. Mothers called out for their daughters to get breakfast ready.
Men’s deep voices describing fresh fruits and vegetables with tempting
traditional phrases drifted above hidden alleys. One vendor claimed his
cucumbers were small as baby fingers, and likened his ripe apples to a virgin
bride’s cheeks. Another boasted his plum peaches shed their covers without
enticement, and his shy eggplants hid well in a moonless night.
Yasmeen succumbed to the enlivening
chaos spilling in from her bedroom window, her own special and personal opening
to the world. Tilting her head back, she exposed her face and neck to the sun,
allowing its invigorating rays to paint her cheeks.
Today, her mother told her she would
be allowed to take a coffee tray into Fadi’s room once all his friends arrived.
What would she wear? She should tell her best friend Zainab to stop by earlier
than usual to go through her wardrobe. She could help her decide. Perhaps one
of Fadi’s friends would notice her. More than one? Why not?
Draping her arms on the windowsill,
she looked at the neighbor’s yard, counting the blooming roses, a ritual she
performed each morning since the season started. In the north corner of the
largest flowerbed, two violet buds grabbed her attention, their delicate petals
about to unfold. Once they came to full bloom, their deep purple color would
dominate the landscape.
A knock sounded at her door.
“I am awake.”
Her father walked in. “Good. We have
work to do.” He held a hammer in one hand and a couple of boards in the other.
“Move aside, Yasmeen.” He approached the window.
She stepped away and pointed at the
boards. “What do you need those for?”
Her father closed the windowpanes,
locked them, placed one board across the frame, and hammered it in place.
“What are you doing?”
“This window is not to be opened
again, child.”
She could not believe her ears.
“Why?”
“Neighbors moved out last night.”
Her father nailed the second board in place. “Mukhabarat took over their
house.”
Glad to be hosted on your blog today, Nickie!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Lilas!
DeleteReally great excerpt.
ReplyDeleteA wonderful prologue thank you.
ReplyDeleteMary and MomJane, thank you for your interest, I hope you enjoy my book.
ReplyDelete