I would like to introduce you to Lisa W. Tetting, the author of her first novel, The Mistreatment of Zora Langston, which can be purchased on Amazon. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Lisa for at least the last six months, as our paths seemed to cross often in the WordPress blog world. I have read many of her poems, insightful blog posts, and reviewed her debut novel, The Mistreatment of Zora Langston, which you can find here.
I was deeply moved by the main character in Lisa’s book, Zora Langston. Through Lisa’s writing, Zora tells her story with all the wisdom a nine-year-old girl could share. The reader lives through her, and experiences what the child goes through on a daily basis. I was visually shaken after the confrontation with Zora’s, mother’s boyfriend.
There is sexual abuse and violence portrayed in the book. However, Lisa portrays this abuse realistically through the words of young Zora. This young child handles her circumstances with the grace and dignity of a true survivor. I was drawn into Zora’s world. I felt her pain and neglect, and her joy and sorrow. All I wanted to do, was grab this child, hug her, and never let her go!
I enjoyed this book immensely and wanted to find out more about Lisa and her inspiration for Zora Langston. Here is what Lisa had to say:
Colleen: Lisa, please tell me something about yourself, so your readers can get to know you better. Where do you currently live?
Lisa: I am the youngest of seven children. I grew up in Eastern North Carolina and love being from the South. An introvert at heart, I am working on being more social. It was my dream to be a writer and after 45 years of living, I finally decided to stop being scared and do something I wanted to do. I currently live in Tampa, FL with the love of my life, my husband.
Colleen: Are you a full time writer?
Lisa: Yes, I write full time. I currently author my blog, Rebirth of Lisa, as well as freelance as a guest blogger on another site called, Thoughtful Minds United. I am currently writing another novel and a self-help book with tentative release dates slated for later this year.
Colleen: Lisa, what inspired you to write your first book?
Lisa: I have wanted to write since I was a child, but never felt confident that I could actually do it. I finally decided I would try my hand at living my dream.
Colleen: What is the message you want your readers to get from The Mistreatment of Zora Langston?
Lisa: I want readers to know they can survive anything, as long as they have faith, and believe in themselves. They don’t have to end up doing the wrong things in life because something bad happened to them.
Colleen: Lisa, who is your favorite author, and explain what inspires you about their work?
Lisa: My favorite author is hard to pin down because there are a few that have influenced me, but if I must choose only one, I will say Maya Angelou. She was so uplifting and positive. She was not the classic beauty, but she was elegant and smart, and she made words sing. Maya Angelou was an amazing woman who was very open-minded, and in my opinion, the best writer to live during my lifetime.
Colleen: What was the hardest part about writing your book?
The most difficult part of writing my book was writing the sexual abuse scenes. I was never abused myself, but had to put myself in Zora’s place to see what it was like. It was emotional to say the least.
Lisa, thank you so much for spending some time with us all and letting us get to know you, and your inspiration for “The Mistreatment of Zora Langston.”
In addition, you can find Lisa on:
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13650235.Lisa_W_Tetting
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebirthoflisa
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rebirthoflisa/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/rebirthoflisa/
Email: rebirthoflisa@aol.com
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