Introduction

BookMovement is participating in a research project that offers readers a chance to review a work of fiction-before it is published. The independent research firm hopes to get objective opinions of the novel and learn if there might be an alternative to the traditional book acquisition process – that is see if consumers might like it first! If you are interested, look over the criteria below to see if you qualify. If you do, click on the enter to win button. The first 25 respondents who meet the criteria below will be study participants. Participants will be contacted by Brock Associates, an independent research firm, and asked to complete an opinion survey once they have read the manuscript. Criteria: --Have you read at least 10 works of fiction in the last two years? --Read at least five works of literary fiction in the last two years? --Do you like Southern fiction and/or Historical Fiction? --Do you have time to read a 350 page manuscript in one month? --Do you have an email address & regular access to the Internet? --Will you email back an opinion survey after reading the manuscript? --Can you CANDIDLY answer questions about the manuscript? --Based on survey questions, can you ensure the manuscript was read? Book Description: Jonah, whose mother disappeared mysteriously after his birth, is raised by his father on their plantation on the Alabama frontier during the early 1800's. To escape from his cold and overbearing father, Jonah seeks companionship and warmth in the community of slaves. Later in life, Jonah marries Eloise, the daughter of an abolitionist minister. When his father dies, he becomes the troubled and disturbed heir to the plantation. After discovering that his father purchased an island off the coast of Florida, Jonah, seeking renewal in his life and family, travels there with his wife, their two children, and five of what he believes are his most trustworthy slaves - some of whom are endeared to him from childhood. One of the slaves brought along is Shaka who, unbeknownst to Jonah, has developed into a sort of savior amongst his people. Through his preaching and rituals, Shaka inspires the other slaves to worship the plethora of strange and other-worldly birds that inhabit the island, although Eloise tries in vain to convert them back to Christianity. At dawn one day, the wings of a bird hung upon a staff appear mysteriously on the island. Jonah and Shaka instantly come into conflict, violently at first, before settling into a stalemate. Late one night in the midst of a storm, the bearer of the wings returns to reclaim the island, shattering the expectations of everyone, leading both Jonah and Shaka towards greater freedom and resolution.

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Excerpt

Months later, in the Autumn, Eloise was on the island with Jonah, strolling along the beach while their children were playing in the dunes. She watched anxiously as the last sign of civilization, the ship, vanished onto the horizon, obliterated from sight both by distance and the approaching darkness. ... view entire excerpt...

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