Today we have the excerpt reveal for
To Find You by Cerece Rennie Murphy! Check it out and grab
your copy November 29th!
Two Souls
One Desire
To Find Each Other...Again
The journey begins with Ama and Ekow ~ Two lovers betrothed,
then torn apart by an enemy disguised as a friend. And in the midst of an
unthinkable bargain, their freedom is sold for a bag of gold.
But what their enemies thought would break them only
unleashed a power greater than life itself.
From the ancient shores of Ghana to the streets of
pre-colonial India,
From the burning embers of Oahu to the heart of a nation’s
capitol,
Their souls risked war, death, and betrayal to bend destiny
to their will.
Will they survive?
Will they succeed?
Join them on this timeless journey and see…
Coming Soon!!!
Read an excerpt from To Find You and sign-up for Release Day
notifications at
Getting here early is easier than slipping away late,
especially now when life in my village is bustling with the preparations for
our wedding in just three days.
But as the reeds lick the backs of my calves, I know that
this is only one part of the reason I wait.
The truth is that I like to feel him coming. At this
hour, when my imagination reigns over every shape and whisper, I can almost see
him walking on limbs taller and stronger than mine will ever be. He cuts
through the night that hides his slightly lighter shade and stalks his
prey. I cannot hear his approach, but I feel him drawing near, compelled
by the same force that holds me where I stand—the scent of my desire in the
air.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply, imagining I can taste
him, too. The flavor is salt, sweet grass, and home. It fills my
senses and makes me thirsty.
On the outside, my knees shake and my heart pounds,
impatient for its mate, while the deepest part of me grows calm and
still—stretching towards the peace that only his presence brings.
And he’s close now, so close.
***
When we were children, Ekow was such a scrawny thing.
I used to like to wrestle him just to beat him, just to prove that I
could. I was young, determined and more than a little jealous of the
physical prowess of my older brothers. Secretly, I wanted to be like
them, but my youngest brother, Kofi, was already 10 years my senior by the time
I could walk. With Ekow, I knew I’d finally found a way to prove that no
boy could match me.
My laughter rumbles in the stillness as I think of it.
Oh, how angry he would be every time I beat him! And in the beginning,
there were many, many times when I did. He would get so upset that his
ears would twitch. He would stomp away from his defeat with his hands
balled up in knobby little fists—eyes glaring, ears twitching, while one of our
elders cackled nearby with me sticking out my tongue. We didn’t see each other
often enough for me to beat him every day, but I looked forward to it whenever
I could. I was always stronger than I looked, and even when he grew a
little taller than me, his limbs seemed to flail awkwardly about him so that he
was never quite coordinated. And in my delicious reign as his tormentor,
time seemed to stretch on forever, until one day, it stopped.
I remember the sun burned low in the sky that day as the
dust and amber light conspired against me in swirling fits that stung my
eyes. Rolling around on the ground, I was shocked to find myself panting
for air. Suddenly, his legs overpowered me. I couldn’t throw him
the way I had been able to before. His grip was a vice that I had to
sweat to free myself from, and even then, he could catch me again, quickly—too
quickly for my liking.
Unable to break free, I grunted and cursed as he pinned me
down on my back. At first, I refused to meet his gaze. Beneath my
eyelashes, I could swear I saw my own taunting smirk, the same one I had given
him year after year, curling the corners of his lips. Enraged, I shut my
eyes and kicked my legs furiously, all to no avail. I could feel the
muscles of his powerful thighs holding me in place without the slightest
indication of strain, and I couldn’t stand it.
As if sensing the scream that would send my brothers flying
to my aid, he suddenly lifted his body from mine, then leaned over to adjust
his grip so that our hands were stretched out above my head, palm to palm,
fingers intertwined in the grass and the dirt beneath us.
How did I not know, even then . . . ?
Something about the gesture was so strange that it
distracted me from my fury. The feel of his hands pressed firmly into
mine made my stomach flutter and clench in a way that was startling, but not
unpleasant.
“Ama,” he called. “Ama, don’t scream. Ama,
please, surrender.”
It must have been the “surrender” that made my eyes fly open
to meet his in absolute indignation.
Sometimes I like to think that if I’d never opened my eyes,
it never would have happened, but this is, of course, foolish. I was
meant to see.
I looked up to find him staring down at me. The smirk
I’d feared was nowhere in sight.
Instead, his eyes held the same wariness I felt as I looked
back at him, then quickly dissolved into something I’d never seen in him
before.
He eyed my mouth with what I understand now as a mixture of
surprise and captivation. Back then, I still had no idea what was
happening, but as his gaze lingered, I began to feel that someone was seeing me
truly for the first time in my life. I remember fighting the nameless
emotion that closed my throat and pricked my eyes.
“Ama, surrender,” he whispered, “Please.”
And that’s when I understood that I held him in place as
much as he held me.
“Please,” he said again, and I finally realized what I
needed to do all along.
Seeing the answer there in my eyes, he released my hands and
rose to his feet. I remember averting my eyes against the sudden rush of
loneliness that came as he left. But at the corner of my vision, I saw
it, his hand extended out to help me up. He’d done it before, even as I
beat him and he’d risen in defeat while I remained holding my belly in
victorious laughter on the ground. I’d always ignored the gesture until
that moment, when suddenly it felt like the most natural thing in the world to
accept his help.
When I finally stood, I noticed for the first time that he’d
grown at least 10 inches since the last time I saw him.
Despite my daze, I frowned. “You’re taller than me,” I
said in dismay.
“No, Ama,” he replied. Ekow’s voice was deep, yet
gentle as he stepped forward to take my other hand in his. “Now, we are
exactly the same height.”
I was 11 years old; Ekow was 13, and after that, nothing
between us was ever the same.
Cerece Rennie Murphy fell in love with writing and science
fiction at an early age. It’s a love affair that has grown ever since.
In addition to working on the release of the 2nd book in the
Ellis and The Magic Mirror children’s book series with her son, Mrs. Murphy is
developing a 2-part science fiction thriller set in outer space. Mrs.
Murphy lives and writes in her hometown of Washington, DC with her husband, two
children and the family dog, Yoda. To learn more about the author and her
upcoming projects, please visit her website at www.cerecerenniemurphy.com.
Website: www.cerecerenniemurphy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment