A few days ago I read and reviewed non-fiction book God Has Failed Me, A True Story, Part 1 by K.M. Lessing. In Part 1 of her true story, K.M. Lessing openly reveals her journey through religions and the book ends with her by distance romantic relationship with a holy cleric of Islam who resides in California, USA.
As in ‘God Has Failed Me’ it’s not revealed what happens next, I was anxious to read ‘The Land Of Dark Secrets’, Part 2 of K.M. Lessing’s true life book series.
This book starts with a quite shocking way. “Death to America”. That’s the title of the very first chapter! That gives you an idea of what’s next!
Of course it isn’t the author herself who wishes “Death to America”. On the contrary, she points out throughout the book what the mantra of Iran is and how Islam strategically advances in the United States.
‘The Land Of Dark Secrets’ the author describes in every detail her love affair with a married religious leader from Iran. She explains how she was deceived and emotionally manipulated by a sweet-tempered man. “I already miss you my beautiful love”, “You have the most beautiful eyes” were a few of the verbal weapons that man used to achieve his goal which was sex through a temporary marriage. Yes, you read it right.
All voicemails throughout this book are real and are transcribed verbatim. Voicemails have not been edited. That made me feel I was listening to a friend who was sharing with me her secrets over a cup of coffee. I felt the author had confided in me a piece of her heart and soul.
“I wanted to get things out of my system so I could move on from him. The most important task in life is to search for the truth. The truth is hidden. But the truth is always available to those who want it” writes K.M. Lessing.
Now I’m looking forward to reading Book 3 of the trilogy to find out if K.M. really managed to block out the horror of what Mahdi had done to her.
Jaqueline Kyle is a California girl, lover of cats, books and coffee. “If you think this is code for ‘introverted single cat lady,’ you’d be right,” she says laughing. Jaqueline has had a number of careers over the years, and whenever one was coming to a close, she would end up writing poetry, a book or a screenplay. Finally she figured out that writing was her true passion. Since then she has written three books under her own name and ghost written about 50 more.
“Writing this book has been enormously fun and I hope that you enjoy reading it, too” says Jaqueline. “I’ve decided to publish independently but need some help funding the last touches. The funds raised from this indiegogo campaign will be used to get the book properly illustrated and published (all writing is complete). Campaign ends May 6!”
– What genre is your book?
“It’s a new genre called Mashup. There are a few other famous out there like “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” or “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter.” It basically takes classic tales and introduces new supernatural elements into the story. My book is really based on Dickens “A Christmas Carol” and has about 50% new material. All of his main characters are there, just twisted slightly to make a new (more sinister) story.”
“Scrooge knew he was dead. Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don’t know how many years. While the darkness of ghouls and netherworld creatures had touched his life first, it had been Marley who was Scrooge’s most trusted comrade in combating these evil forces. The nature of their business set the two apart from the rest of the living world and as a result, the funeral was quite bereft of mourners, friends, or anyone not being paid in the execution of the death rites. Sometimes it did not seem fair to Scrooge that the apprenticed partner had fallen first, and he more often than not, on these sad occasions, found himself deep in his cups to forget.” ! ‘Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter’
– How did you come up with the mash-up idea?
“There are a number of really creative books in the mash-up genre. A few have been made into movies, like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and the upcoming film, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.”
– Why A Christmas Carol? What was inspiration?
“A few years ago I was wandering around the Dickens Fair that’s held at the Cow Palace in San Francisco every year. There’s a roaming play of A Christmas Carol through the streets of London with Marley’s ghost dragging chains and the Ghost of Christmas Future looking like Death. It’s creepy! It got my brain churning and now here we are!”
– Was getting published hard?
“The hardest thing about publishing is putting yourself out there. It’s really scary to open yourself up to that kind of rejection. (I did mention I’m an introvert, right?!)”
– Which of your books is your most favorite?
“My tastes are all over the place. For fiction I like sci-fi, fantasy, horror and mashups. Lately I’ve gotten into non-fiction and I really enjoyed “Creativity, Inc” by Edwin Catmull (CEO of Pixar). I drive Uber to make ends meet, so I always have a book to listen to in the car.“
– What authors influence your writing?
“Obviously, Charles Dickens is a huge influence in this book. I’d say that 50% of Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter is still comprised with his themes and prose. More recently, author Seth Grahame-Smith has really been the leader in the mash-up genre.”
– What are your current projects?
“I work with life coaches, speakers and personal development professionals to get their books ready for publication. It depends on the situation, but that might mean consulting, content editing or ghost writing.”
– If Scrooge read a personal development book, what would it be?
“Without a doubt, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. Scrooge is in a real emotional crisis at the beginning of Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter. He could use some motivational reading.”
“Marley was dead to begin with.”
“Scrooge had often said that Marley had more guts than brains, but now he had no bowels at all.” Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter
– Do you have a specific writing routine?
“Absolutely. I have a whole morning routine. Once I finish that, I grab my laptop and head to the coffee shop. There’s something about that environment that is so distracting, I have to completely concentrate and block everything out to get anything done. That forced laser-like focus works for me.”
-What’s next for you?
“I have a couple ideas, but once I get going, I will forget to eat, I will forget to take a shower. I will certainly forget to promote Ebenezer Scrooge: Ghost Hunter. I love writing, I will do it to the exclusion of all else, particularly things that make me uncomfortable – like self-promotion. (I’m so introverted it HURTS).”
Jaqueline Kyle might be introvert but she is such a talented author. And that was a fun interview, don’t you think?
The funds raised from this indiegogo campaign will be used to get the book properly illustrated and published (all writing is complete). Campaign ends May 6!
Willow Harris is a succubus who has to have sex with humans to survive. She’s been sleeping with a co-worker, Chase for weeks, but he doesn’t remember any of it. No one ever does. There’s only one true love for a succubus, and Willow hasn’t found hers yet.
Detective Greg Stewart arrives at an accident scene and everything seems routine. While investigating her friend’s suspicious car crash, he meets the young, breathtaking Willow, and now he can’t get her out of his mind. He takes a special interest in the case and the woman he is inexplicably drawn to.
Willow finds out her friend isn’t the only one being targeted and things get more complicated when she discovers there’s an entire organization devoted to destroying all sex demons. To make matters worse, Chase begins stalking her. Falling in love with Greg should be the last thing on her mind, but the magnetism is undeniable.
Greg has received unbelievable information about his investigation and goes straight to Willow for answers. She confides in him, though it’s useless because he’ll just forget in the morning. She didn’t expect him to pull an all-nighter, and he hasn’t forgotten a word she’s said.
Willow is kidnapped, lives are threatened, and Greg willingly puts his life on the line. Has Greg taken on a force too big? Can Willow escape with not only her life, but her heart, intact? Remember Me is the first installment of the Sex Demon series by author Nanea Knott.
First of all, I have to admit that I am a religious person. I believe in what most of us in Western World call God or other cultures and religions call Higher Power, Supreme Being etc. I’m always open to discussions on the topic and I’m interested in studying different views on the subject.
This is the true story of a young woman who faced several disappointments by people who claimed to be religious and pious. In this book it’s clear that calling yourself a Cristian, a Buddhist, or a Muslim isn’t enough. What you do to honor your faith is what that matters.
K.M.Lessing’s troubled life started since childhood. Although her parents weren’t abusive, they were unable to express any kind of affection to their daughter. You know, having a baby and being labeled as a parent is not enough. You need to work on being a good parent. Otherwise you’ll bring up children desperate for love and affection, ready to make all the wrong choices in life in order to fill the gap. Wrong choices that might include alcohol, abusive husbands, even men in their late 20’s that claim to be virgins when they’re… OK, no spoilers!
“My ex-husband had essentially told me everything was all my fault,” writes K.M.Lessing. That happened before she met the man who told her “I’m sure you will like me so much! I’m a good man! I’m a virgin!”
I’m sure this book will have a huge success and it will cause a debate. It will make you double check everything you’re told so you won’t take anything for granted. You see, some people aren’t who they claim to be.
To me this book isn’t only about God. It’s also about people who hide behind their religion, people who misinterpret religious scripts to their own benefit.
Most important this book is about how difficult is for a woman to live either in the modern Western world and or the not so modern Arabic one. As K.M.Lessing writes “because the world is operating in the unspoken Men’s Language, one thing I can guarantee you is: there is almost no justice in this world for women!”
God Has Failed Me, A True Story, Part 1
By K.M. Lessing
In Part 1 of her true story, K.M. Lessing openly reveals her imperfect life and candidly narrates her journey through the following: gothic club enchantment, her wish for love, marital misery, alcohol entanglement, spending the holidays alone, bad church experiences, loss of faith, disappointing people, the question of abortion, trying to find a boyfriend who isn’t into porn, nihilism, and exposing a crafty internet predator who turns out to be a married religious leader from Iran.
Throughout her book, K.M. Lessing provides her perspective and critique on the myth of romantic relationships, toxic American “culture,” Hollywood, American pseudo-Christianity, the myth of counselors and why it’s better to become independent, questionable religious leaders, men’s accountability for their errant sexual behavior, and her first-hand experience with Islam.
For a limited time, the eBook is available for 99 cents. Select EPUB or PDF format below:
A book and a cup of coffee 