Friday, August 9, 2019

Author Interview: Vernon Ennels, Author of There's Something Your Son Needs To Tell You


Vernon Ennels grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and now makes Arizona home for he and his family. After a long day at work in the business world…he found that writing his book was most productive in the evening hours sitting by his swimming pool. Vernon holds a BS and an MBA in Business Management.  “I was inspired to write my book thinking of my own six-year-old son,” he asserted.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Author website: www.vernonennels.com




Page six of Vernon Ennels, Jr. book, THERE’S SOMETHING YOUR SON NEEDS TO TELL YOU, reads, “I still remember his face, his breath, and hear his voice demand me to lie on my stomach. He would down my pants my mother so proudly dressed me in. And then my Superman underwear…
When he was done, he walked me to school and warned me, ‘If you tell anyone, I’ll kill your mother.’”
Author Vernon Ennels, Jr. lived with the horrible secret of being sexually abused and ashamed for some 40 years before he was able to recently summon the courage to tell his own family. “Studies show that one in six men have been sexually abused,” said Mr. Ennels. “Most are afraid to talk about it.” 
This book reflects the experiences of males, specifically black males, but encourages both men and women and those from various racial backgrounds to recognize the signs of sexual and mental abuse and to combat the epidemic. “My book,” emphasized Mr. Ennels, “is a mirror of my abuse to shed light on an on-going issue to inspire others to take immediate action when they suspect child sexual abuse. #Saveoursons is my mission to help spread awareness and spark change to save current and future victims of sexual child abuse.”
Forty-something Vernon Ennels, Jr. says his new book THERE’S SOMETHING YOUR SON NEEDS TO TELL YOU  is an “open letter” that prompts other men to step forward and share their very own experiences of child sexual abuse in order to save other young boys from the hands of an abuser.
My moniker ‘Save Our Sons’ encourages discourse and social activism to help boys and men who have been sexually abused,” said Mr. Ennels. “Many, many people believed these victims were lying, making up a story for attention. Since I am a certified ‘non-celebrity’ I wrote my book for every child abuse victim out there who is terrified of stepping forward.”

ORDER YOUR COPY:

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/30fPMzh
Xulon Press: https://bit.ly/2Ns26L6


Thank you for this interview!  I’d like to know more about you as a person first.  What do you do when you’re not writing?

I’m a father, a project manager, church administrator, and executive director of a non-profit youth leadership company.

When did you start writing?

I never thought I would every write a book. However, I begin writing my first book in the Fall of 2018.

As a published author, what would you say was the most pivotal point of your writing life?

My goal was to help others but I found out that writing this book was also very therapeutic.

If you could go anywhere in the world to start writing your next book, where would that be and why?

I would go back to Africa. I would like to be inspired to tap into my culture and write from a place of observation.

If you had 4 hours of extra time today, what would you do?

Volunteer for my non-profit organization to continue to help our youth.

Where would you like to set a story that you haven’t done yet?

I would love to share my story on a major media outlet so people can see a non-celebrity surviving their tragedy.

Back to your present book, There’s Something Your Son Need To Tell You, how did you publish it?

I self-published my first book through Xulon Press

In writing your book, did you travel anywhere for research?

No, I did not.

Where do you get your best ideas and why do you think that is? 

Through prayer and self-evaluation. I had to take a good look at myself and write based on the person I become not the person who was victimized.

Any final words?

I decided to self-publish my first book because I wanted to share my story to help others. Honest, raw, and completely vulnerable, There’s Something Your Son Needs to Tell You acts as an open letter that encourages other young men to step forward and share their stories about sexual abuse in hopes that we will save our little boys.

At least one and six men have been sexually abused.  And many of them are afraid and ashamed to talk about it. This fear is heightened in the black male community where a stigma persists around sexual abuse and sexual identity that reflects a homophobic and hypermasculine society.

While many victims turn to religion to cope with their trauma, many religious organizations have either perpetuated the abuse or swept it under the rug.

This book uses one experience to shed light on an ongoing issue and inspires others to take immediate action.

There’s Something Your Son Needs to Tell You is more than a book; it is a movement.

Inspired by #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, “Save Our Sons” encourages discourse and social activism to help boys and men who have been victims of sexual abuse.

This movement examines the intersectionality between race, class, gender, and religion. And acknowledges the silence around sexual abuse, specifically how it persists in traditional black households and how that puts black boys at higher risks of sexual abuse and/or from speaking out about it.

In addition to the book, There’s Something Your Son Needs to Tell You, being a vulnerable autobiography, it contains open letters from other young men who have similar traumatic experiences.

The goal is to encourage more boys and men to share their stories in hopes that we can shed light on this epidemic.

#Saveoursons will help spread awareness and spark change.


Read More »

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Book Trailer Feature: Love Never Quits by Gina Heumann









Title: LOVE NEVER QUITS: SURVIVING & THRIVING AFTER INFERTILITY, ADOPTION, AND REACTIVE ATTACHMENT DISORDER
Author: Gina Heumann
Publisher: MadLand Press
Pages: 246
Genre: Memoir

BOOK BLURB:

WHACK… At three in the morning Gina was sound asleep, yet somehow she was smacked in the head. She looked over at her husband, thinking perhaps he accidentally rolled over and flopped his arm on top of her, but he was sleeping soundly and facing the opposite direction. She turned to the other side and glaring back at her was her eight-year-old child.

“Did you just hit me?”

“Yes, and I’d do it again.”

“Whyyyy?”

“Because you took away my video games.”

“That was EIGHT HOURS AGO. And you’re still mad about it?”

“I wish I could kill you.”

This is the true story of the hell one family lived through parenting a child with reactive attachment disorder, a severe diagnosis related to children who experienced early-childhood trauma.

This inspirational story covers over a decade of daily struggles until they finally found resolution and made it to the other side. The family remained intact, and this once challenging son is now achieving things never thought possible.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER AT AMAZON

 




Gina Heumann is a true Renaissance woman: wife, mother, architect, designer, instructor, author, speaker, and sales rep for an award-winning Napa Valley winery. She and her husband, Aaron, adopted Landrey in 2001 from Guatemala and then went back for Maddox three years later. Gina’s love of learning and dedication as a mother inspired her research of different treatments and therapies that eventually led to this inspirational success story about conquering Reactive Attachment Disorder.
Her latest book is Love Never Quits: Surviving & Thriving After Infertility, Adoption, and Reactive Attachment Disorder.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website Link: www.ginaheumann.com
Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/loveneverquits

http://www.pumpupyourbook.com

 

Read More »