In this wide world that we live in, the possibility of something unforeseen happening to a neighbor, a friend, a family member, a stranger, or even yourself is bound to cross your path. Not knowing the

person or people who have had a bad thing happen doesn't preclude you from feeling it or having the event affect your life and emotions. Have I lost you? Think about this- 911. You may have been in states away or even a country away, but you felt the raw emotion of it all. The event remolded lives and activity. Now think on a smaller scale- a heinous act that boils your blood. You may not know the people who were affected by the crime per se, but as you hear or read the details, the what-ifs creep up. What if it had happened to my child? What if I had been there? We feel empathy toward the victims. We want to do something. Anything to make it better.

GUILTY is the latest novel in the BMB Books collection. It's a novel that portrays the victim's view of events. How can a family and friends come together after such a heinous event? The rape of a teen by a role model. And as if things weren't unbelievable enough, he gets off. Not guilty. Doesn't that just boil you over?

After your introduction to the characters, GUILTY has twists and turns you would not expect. A reader summed the book up saying, "There are two running themes- injustice and unity. Honestly, I had not thought of the novel in those terms. But, he had a definite point.

So, when bad things happen, how do you handle them? Close your eyes and ears? Clamp your mouth? Unite? Plan? The young women of Marston are strong. They love life. Here's a poem that Linsey shares with anyone who needs the words. The words of this poem were written by a young lady in the GUILTY novel who was taken down to her lowest and today- she lives.

I am a girl, who will one day be a woman. I am your sister, your mother, your daughter, your aunt, your friend. I was raped. But it does not define me. Because I won’t let it. I take long walks along the path lined with colorful flowers. I stop to examine and appreciate each one. I sniff their fresh, outdoorsy fragrances. I take a moment to smile at each one. This I do because I can. It reminds me that I live yet another day. I won’t let the incident rob me of that. It had robbed me of many things in the beginning. Now I refuse to let it rule my being. I refuse to be enchained by this vicious act. I am comfortable in my clothes. I wear them for me. I am comfortable in my skin. We are friends. I am strong. Today I remove my chains. I am taking back my life. Today I live.

GUILTY is now available in ebook,

paperback, and as an audiobook.

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Available on iBooks as an Audiobook

GUILTY (A Marston Series Book 1)

A not guilty verdict. A kidnapping. A midnight trial. Six sitting in judgment and one empty chair. Revenge- is it sweet or just a bitter seed? Coach Terrence Jackson is the man who has divided the town of Marston. There are those who believe in the coach and his innocence and then there are the victims who despise him, his smile and his crime. He has a dark past- a previous life

no one knew about until the not guilty verdict.