We are thrilled to be hosting Karen Solomon and her Hearts Beneath the Badge Book Excerpt Tour today! I'm Shelf-ish kicks off excerpt #16 and if you follow her tour here, you could win a $50 Amazon Gift Card! All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below and leave comments on each of her stops for extra entries. Good luck!
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Title:
Hearts Beneath the Badge
Author: Karen Solomon
Publisher: Missing Niche Publishing
Pages: 247
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle/Nook
Author: Karen Solomon
Publisher: Missing Niche Publishing
Pages: 247
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle/Nook
Hearts
Beneath the Badge is a unique compilation of interviews with officers
across the country. It's not about the crimes they witness or the judgment they
face; it's about them - Damien, Danny, Frances,
Ken, Pamela, Brian, and more. Their thoughts, their fears, their proud moments
and their heartbreak. It's about the people we often don't see because we are
blinded by the uniform.
They are among the hundreds of thousands that are unseen each day, the men and women that go back for more no matter the personal cost. They provide meals, rides, lifesaving breaths and prosthetic legs. Yes, even prosthetic legs. There is much more to them than meets the eye-or the news camera. By reading this book, you will open yourself to a world of people you may have forgotten existed. You will see the names, families and some of the faces of the police officers that don't make the news.
Hearts Beneath the Badge is a book about the good deeds officers perform. There is a pressing need for people to see more than just the officer's hearts; they need to see their souls. Society as a whole needs to accept police officers for who they are - mere mortals. In order to do that, they must look through the layers of the officer's lives and see the heartache and joy, the same heartaches and joy we all experience. Society also needs to know that, whether we want to admit it or not, there is a price to be paid for pursing the love of the law.
They are among the hundreds of thousands that are unseen each day, the men and women that go back for more no matter the personal cost. They provide meals, rides, lifesaving breaths and prosthetic legs. Yes, even prosthetic legs. There is much more to them than meets the eye-or the news camera. By reading this book, you will open yourself to a world of people you may have forgotten existed. You will see the names, families and some of the faces of the police officers that don't make the news.
Hearts Beneath the Badge is a book about the good deeds officers perform. There is a pressing need for people to see more than just the officer's hearts; they need to see their souls. Society as a whole needs to accept police officers for who they are - mere mortals. In order to do that, they must look through the layers of the officer's lives and see the heartache and joy, the same heartaches and joy we all experience. Society also needs to know that, whether we want to admit it or not, there is a price to be paid for pursing the love of the law.
90% of all sales will be donated to National Law Enforcement
Memorial Fund, Safe Call Now, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and
PoliceWives.
For More Information
- Hearts Beneath the Badge is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
Excerpt
16:
Brian
knows he can’t learn everything about everyone, that he can’t save the world.
If someone is in need of assistance, Brian is the first one to make sure they
get to the right agency. But when it comes time to take down a drug dealer or
stop a burglary, Brian is the first one through the door. “I’m not the tooth
fairy, but I am able to separate the two. Today’s police officers have to be
everything, and that’s a hard thing to do.” He believes the police officer of
the future needs to be able to balance helping the good while taking down the
bad. It’s a fine line to walk with high expectations.
Brian also
knows that a little goodwill goes a long way. Cops can’t work alone. They need
the help and support of the community around them. If there comes a time when
Brian needs a little information, one of the people he has connected with will
be more likely to provide it. The next officer may find himself, or herself,
having an easier time because they see the people in uniform as people with
feelings. And, if a time ever comes when Brian is in mortal danger, away from
the mainstream crowds, he will be more likely to find an ally willing to get
help and offer him comfort. He won’t lie alone on the cold, hard ground because
he wouldn’t let someone else lie there either.
“Matthew
25:40 says, ‘The King will reply, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for
one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for Me.” That is how I try
to live my life, policeman or not,” said Brian.
As for his
family, they are proud of him. He and his wife have been together for 30 years,
and it hasn’t always been easy. “In this job there’s no sleep; you work at
night, are expected to be in court during the day, and sometimes you need to
find a second job to make ends meet. It’s incredibly stressful,” he said.
Although his
wife is very supportive, they’ve had some rough patches, in large part due to
the demands placed on him and his family because of his job. And Brian isn’t
the only one in the family who is in law enforcement. His wife and daughters
are as well, they aren’t employed by any law enforcement department; they are
in the business because they are Brian’s wife and daughters. Although they
haven’t chosen this life, they accept the risks, challenges, and stigmas that
come with Brian’s job. It’s just the way it is. One can’t just take off the
uniform; it becomes a second skin and it’s with you wherever you go. The people
closest to you will become partners in your job, or they will become victims of
the stress it causes. Brian’s wife and children have become his partners; they
stand with him wherever he goes.
About the Author
Karen
Solomon is interested in the feelings of law enforcement and whether or not
they have someone that will listen to them, most of them do not. Most books on
the market are written by the police officers themselves, in almost textbook
fashion relating protocol and situations with the orderliness of a police
report. Her books are different from every book out there because the officers
bare themselves to her; many of the interviews end in tears because they have opened
up something that is very difficult to close. Karen Solomon is a graduate of Eckerd
College and blogs as The Missing
Niche. Her writing has been featured on PoliceMag.com and To Write Love on Her
Arms. She lives in New England with her husband, 2 children
and 2 dogs. Proceeds of her latest book, Hearts
Beneath the Badge, will be donated to law enforcement charities.
For
More Information
Book Giveaway!
Giveaway Details:
Karen Solomon is giving
away a $50 Amazon Gift Card! Leave a
comment on all the book excerpt blog stops and win 5 extra entries each time!
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