To Find You by Cerece Rennie Murphy
The journey begins with Ama and Ekow
To Find You by Cerece Rennie Murphy
How many times would you die to find your one true love?
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...
Review Written by J.D. Mason, national bestselling author of One Day I Saw A Black King and A Blink, Texas Story Series
Beautiful writing and one of the best love stories I've ever read. This book is captivating from the very first page. Highly recommended!Review Written by Christine
If love feels like this, I'd like to find it. The beauty of this story is the author's eloquent writing style. Even in tragic situations, it still flowed with the same power and love in spite of the sadness. The travel from one time to the next didn't interrupt the intense emotions or feelings the characters exuded in their effort to find each other. This is my first science fiction book. I never thought that I would get so much pleasure from reading this creative and well-written story. Bravo, Cerece! Bravo!
Review Written by Lynn Emery
I very much loved this book! The story of love enduring across time and space really lifted my heart, especially with all the bad news around. The author skillfully sweeps us from the past into the future. What a romance! I found myself wanting them to stay together in each era. The heroine and hero are larger than life, in each life! Wonderful romance. Great settings that made me feel like I was there. Another winner from Mrs. Murphy! I received an advance copy in return for an honest review. I honestly love it.Review Written by Reader's Paradise, VINE VOICE
We humans believe that with all of our education we understand it all, but there is one topic where we fall short; the power of love. Celine Dion sang a song that reminded me of To Find You. The verse goes something like this; Even though there may be times it seems I'm far away. Never wonder where I am cause I am always by your side. If we really understood the breadth of our emotions this line would blow us away; Cara, Anna and Ama understood this.Their romantic journey begins in Ghana and ends in DC in the year 2051, several different stories all about the power of love. To Find You reminds lovers and teaches others how. How to sacrifice for love, how loyalty plays a big role when it comes to matters of the heart and where there is hope there are possibilities. At times I found myself needing to stop and breathe then I would quickly pick the story right back up. It was definitely an emotional roller-coaster.
Murphy did an outstanding job developing the characters and giving them issues that matter to the readers. Like family values and tradition, race relations, government scare tactics, love and hope. For such a time as this To Find You is the elixir for our souls.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for my thoughtful and honest review.
Written by Zig Zag Claybourne, author of The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan
Being reminded that love is special and can bring about things that nothing else can is important, and being reminded that who we are matters well beyond the single lifetimes we perceive is a precious gift. Cerece Rennie Murphy has done both those things and more with this understated but lovely novel. Its message that life is never easy, never safe...but there is love, is a strong one. The love she presents isn't infatuated saccharine fare, it's honest and real, and is brought out through her deft handling of characters and plot. This is a love story that spans centuries and links souls. Is it sci-fi, fantasy, or romance? You won't care. It's a good book that actually cares about you. Big Amen to that.Order To Find You by Cerece Rennie Murphy. Historical Romance.
Excerpt from To Find You - Part I: In The Beginning
I wait for him here, at the place where the night sky and the earth become lovers. In the tall grass of our homeland, between two kingdoms, we meet. Getting here first is easier than slipping away late, especially now when life in my village is bustling with the preparations for our wedding ceremony in just three days. But as the reeds lick the backs of my calves, I know that this is only 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. Cutting through the blue-black night that hides his slightly lighter shade, he 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 her mate, while the deepest part of me grows still - stretching towards the peace that only his presence brings. And he's close now, so close.
***
When we were children, he 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 and determined and more than a little jealous of the prowess of my older brothers. Secretly, I wanted to be like them, but my youngest brother was already 10 years my senior by the time I could walk. In Ekow, I could finally prove that no boy could match me. My laughter rumbles in the stillness as I think of it. Oh, how mad he would be every time I beat him! And in the beginning, there were many, many times when I did.
He would get so angry 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 and me sticking out my tongue. We didn't see each other often enough for me to beat him everyday, 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 would 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 to avoid my fears 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 and gotten us both into a world of trouble, Ekow 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. When I opened my eyes, I found him staring down at me. The smirk I'd feared was nowhere in sight. Instead, his eyes wore 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 continued to linger over me, I became aware that I felt like 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. Neither one of us could leave without the other. "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 sense of loss 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 was a full foot taller than me. Despite my daze, I frowned. "You're taller than I am," I said in dismay.
"No, Ama," he replied. Ekow's voice was deep and heavy as he stepped forward to take my other hand in his. "We are now exactly the same height."
I was 13 years old; Ekow was 16 and, after that, nothing between us was ever the same.
( Continued... )
© 2016 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Cerece Rennie Murphy. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.
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Meet National Bestselling Author Cerece Rennie Murphy
As an ardent fan of John Donne, Alice Walker, Kurt Vonnegut and Alexander Pope from an early age, Cerece began exploring her own creative writing through poetry.
She earned her master's degrees in social work and international relations at Boston College and Johns Hopkins School for Advance International Studies, respectively, and built a rewarding 15-year career in program development, management and fundraising in the community and international development arenas - all while appreciating the stories of human connection told in science fiction through works like Octavia Butler's "Wild Seed," Frank Herbert's "Dune" and "The X-Files."
In 2011, Cerece experienced her own supernatural event - a vision of her first science fiction story. Shortly after, she began developing and writing what would become the bestselling Order of the Seers trilogy. Order of the Seers was selected as one of The Best Kindle Books of 2014 by Digital Book Today.
Ellis and The Magic Mirror, her first children's fantasy adventure, won the 2016 Children's Book of the Year Award from Black Pearls Magazine.
In addition to working on the Ellis and The Magic Mirror children's book series with her son and releasing her 4th adult novel titled, To Find You, Mrs. Murphy is currently launching NARAZU, an online platform designed to deliver the best in indie Sci-fi content and comic culture to the fans who love it most. You can visit the new site at www.narazu.com.
Her next writing project will be a 2-part science fiction thriller set in outer space. This space opera and a historical fantasy is called The Wolf Queen.
Cerece Rennie Murphy lives and writes in her hometown of Washington, DC with her husband, two children and the family dog, Yoda.
Order Books by Cerece Rennie Murphy
Ellis and The Magic Mirror, Paperback
Ellis and the Hidden Cave, Paperback
Order of the Seers Trilogy, Award-winning Sci-fi, Adult Novels
https://www.amazon.com/Cerece-Rennie-Murphy/e/B008G6XXBS
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