Yesterday's Eyes by Catherine Flowers
Catherine Flowers brings readers the powerful story of three generations of women who must come to terms with the past and learn how to forgive one another if there is any hope of healing.
Tia McElroy is the youngest of the three generations and lives under the weight of poverty, lies, and betrayals. She is taken from her mother, Ida, when she is six years old, and finds herself at the hands of an abusive foster parent until the day her grandmother, Mavis, reluctantly takes her in.
Ida has never been close to her mother, Mavis, but she is a little too close to her mother's husband, the less-than-Godly preacher of First Presbyterian Church. She gives birth to a baby boy, who she claims belongs to the preacher. Shortly thereafter, she is convicted of negligent homicide and sent to prison.
Mavis is living a life of emotional distance. With Ida now in prison, she finds herself faced with the daily task of having to interact with Tia, a granddaughter she barely knows. To make matters worse, she continues to tolerate an unfaithful husband who has betrayed her in the worst way.
Yesterday's Eyes exposes the journey traveled by these three women. It reveals how a chain of events leads them to discover the healing power of Jesus Christ, and how through His power, the lost will be found, the broken healed, the guilty redeemed, and three generations of emotional bondage will finally be set free.
Christian Fiction Sequel: A Sad Soul Can Kill You, coming in May 2015!
Purchase copies of Yesterday's Eyes
http://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-Urban-Books-Catherine-Flowers/dp/1601627416
Praise for Yesterday's Eyes
Yesterday's Eyes is an inspirational story about three generations of women who must come to terms with the negative issues from their past and learn how to forgive one another.
This was my selection for my book club. Exceptional Christian fiction. Insightful into the generational curses in many families of color especially. Review written by MRS. MLC
WOW! While reading this book I frequently had tears in my eyes... The characters, the mother alone could have filled a thousand pages. I could identify with a certain individual within these pages. As a young adult this book took me to a place that I had pushed out of my mind. A place that was so real, when the mother was in her room with the kids showing them her box that was to NEVER be touched it sounded sooo familiar, I could picture them in that room, & if they were actual people they would never ever forget that moment.
Again WOW...
Review written by Tye Cooper
I bought this book because of all the positive reviews I read. This book captured my attention from the very beginning. The storyline and characters were realistic and the forgiveness that occurred between Tia, Ida and Mavis was really amazing. This book is definitely a great read, well worth five stars!!!
Review written by Lovely Lady
Having waited for months for her new book, Yesterday's Eyes, to be published, I was thrilled to get my hands on it and start reading! I really enjoyed this book. It was intriguing, exciting, breathtaking and thought-provoking from the very beginning. The author paints a vivid picture of the characters to help the reader identify with each character.
Yesterday's Eyes was more than I could have imagined. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I'm going to have such a hard time waiting to read your next book. In fact I honestly feel like I am going to explode from anticipation!!! Without reservation, I whole heartily recommend this book! In my humble opinion, this is a bestseller book!!!
Review written by Ms Spirituality
This book explores 3 generations of a very troubled family. It raises the question: Are we locked in to repeat our mistakes or can we change our destiny? Yesterday's Eyes is well-written and I look forward to reading Ms. Flower's next book.
Review written by Phyl
Excerpt: Yesterday's Eyes
Ida was on her way back home when she saw the ambulance and the squad cars parked in front of her house. Halfway down the block, she could see the white woman escorting Tia out to a car, and she began yelling out Tia’s name while running toward the house. By the time she made it to the steps, the police officers were waiting for her with their questions and handcuffs ready.
“Are you the mother?” one of the officers asked.
“Yes, I am,” she answered in between short and heavy breaths.
“Ma’am, are you aware that one of your children is dead?”
Ida thought about the hundred dollars she had accumulated that night. She thought about all the things she had done and tried not to remember what she’d felt while she was doing them in order to get what she’d needed. But the nausea in her stomach began to rise, and all the dollar bills in the world were not going to be able to settle it. She turned sideways and hunched over. If only he could have held on a little longer! The foul-smelling liquid spewed out of her mouth as the police officer jumped backward. She had the money now! She had enough to buy food and milk that would get all three of them through until the end of the month! She gasped for air before the next round found its way onto the ground. Exhausted from the liquid heaves and other activities no woman should have to engage in, she sat down on the curb next to the squad car.
She held her breath. “Where’s my daughter?”
“She’s being taken to a safe place for the night.”
“Where?” She stood up. “A shelter?” She could not keep her voice steady. “A foster home? Where?”
“Might be either one, ma’am. But I’m going to need you to calm down, turn around, and put your hands behind your back.”
“For what?” She was screaming now. “I just went to get some money so I could feed my kids! Do you know what I had to do to get this money?”
“Ma’am,” the officer raised his voice, “you left two kids alone in the house with no food, and one of them is dead.” He snapped the second handcuff around her slim wrist. “We’re going to have to take you downtown.” He led her, struggling, to the backseat of the squad car.
“Watch your head getting in,” he said.
Ida smirked at the irony of going back to the area that she’d just come from, and she couldn’t decide which was worse—going downtown to sell her body for money or going downtown to sit in a jail cell charged with the death of her baby. As the squad car drove away, she looked up at the window across the street, and just as she suspected, there stood her mother, a distant shadow, doing nothing as always.
( Continued... )
© 2013 All rights reserved. Book excerpt reprinted by permission of the author, Catherine Flowers. Do not reproduce, copy or use without the author's written permission. This excerpt is used for promotional purposes only.
Sequel: A Sad Soul Can Kill You, coming in May 2015!
Yesterday's Eyes by Catherine Flowers
Genre: Christian fiction. Purchase Link: http://amzn.com/B00AHHP69Q
Intimate Conversation with Catherine Flowers
Catherine Flowers is a former registered nurse who also majored in English/Professional Writing at Mount Mary University. She is the creator of www.freefrombondage.com, a Christian website, and is a contributing writer for www.lovettpublishing.com. In her spare time she enjoys writing on-line content for other websites as well as providing content editing for up-and-coming authors. Her second novel A Sad Soul Can Kill You is the sequel to Yesterday’s Eyes and will be released in May 2015.
BPM: How did you get to be where you are in your life today? Who or what motivated you?
I’ve always had a love for writing. I think I started writing poetry at the age of 10 or 13 years old. I always envisioned seeing my book in a bookstore one day. But life happens. Sometimes dreams get put on hold and I’m not so sure that’s a good thing. Anyway, after practicing nursing for 16 years, I began to wonder when I would pursue my life-long desire to become a published author.
It was a chain of events that motivated me to end my nursing career and pursue my dream. First, I came across a saying at the bottom of a magazine one day. I can’t remember the exact wording but it read something like this: “You will never swim the ocean, if you’re afraid to step away from the shore.” I remember tearing that piece of paper out of the magazine and taping it to the top of my alarm clock where it stayed for a long time.
Then an acquaintance announced she was leaving her office job to pursue her true passion which had nothing to do with the corporate world. I took that as a sign that I should be doing something else (writing). I began praying for direction, and after many months of praying, I stepped out on faith. I resigned from my nursing position, and began pursuing my dream of becoming a published author.
BPM: Who does your body of literary work speak to?
My work speaks to those who are imprisoned by the past and are unable or unwilling to forgive. Without forgiveness there can be no healing. Without healing there can be no moving forward, and without movement you can never be free.
BPM: What inspired you to sit down and actually start writing this book? Why now?
The book had actually been written years ago but the manuscript was just sitting in a drawer. When my youngest child graduated from high school, I felt like it was now or never. I began to notice so many people holding on to unnecessary grudges and the emotional pain it was causing. As a Christian, I know that Jesus is the answer. He is the deliverer. He sets the captives free. We just have to surrender our will and let His will be done. I wanted to inspire those people to turn to Jesus for deliverance.
BPM: Where do your book ideas come from? Are your books plot-driven or character-driven?
I get ideas for my books from everyday life, the people around me, and people on television. My books are mainly character-driven but it’s the plot that causes action or a reaction from the character. So I would say my books have a little bit of both – plot-driven and character-driven.
BPM: Could you tell us something about your most recent work?
My most recent novel A Sad Soul Can Kill You is due to be released in May 2015. It’s a sequel to my first novel, Yesterday’s Eyes. Although this second novel is also a work of fiction, the topics are taken from real-life issues. My characters are all connected in some way and each of them is dealing with issues that range from homelessness to addiction.
BPM: Give us some insight into your main characters or speakers. What makes each one so special?
One of the main characters in Yesterday’s Eyes is Tia, a six-year old girl. The story follows her through an abusive and neglectful childhood into young adulthood. She grows up fatherless, and with a lot of resentment towards her mother and grandmother. The other two main characters are Tia’s mother and grandmother. All three characters are dealing with unresolved issues that have kept them estranged from one another. All of them are special because underneath their pain is a desire to be set free, to love and be loved.
BPM: Are there under-represented groups or ideas featured in your book? If so, discuss them.
Yes, I touch on the plight of single mothers living in poverty, and a system that is not designed to help as much as it is to hinder.
BPM: How does your book relate to your present situation, education, spiritual practice or journey?
Yesterday’s Eyes relates to my belief in the power of Jesus Christ. No thing is impossible with Him.
BPM: What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
My goal was to let people know that Jesus is the answer. I wanted to inspire people to turn to Him for deliverance from whatever burdens or grudges they may be carrying. I feel that I have achieved that goal. I’ve had people tell me that the book really touched on some of their own personal issues. When people ask me how the book is doing, I tell them, “It’s doing exactly what God wants it to do!”
BPM: What projects are you working on at the present?
I’ve just completed the sequel A Sad Soul Can Kill You. It’s due for release in May 2015.
BPM: How can readers discover more about you and your work?
Readers can visit my website www.freefrombondage.com to learn more about me. I can also be reached on Facebook: Author Catherine Flowers, and Twitter @YesterdaysEyes.
Catherine Flowers, author of Yesterday's Eyes
Facebook: Author Catherine Flowers
Twitter: www.twitter.com/@YesterdaysEyes
Website: http://www.freefrombondage.com
Breaking the chains of bondage one link at a time!
Christian Fiction Sequel: A Sad Soul Can Kill You, coming in May 2015!
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