Book Promo ~ Killing Karoline

What happens when the baby
they buried comes back?

Born Karoline King in 1980 in Johannesburg South Africa, Sara-Jayne (as she will later be called by her adoptive parents) is the result of an affair, illegal under apartheid’s Immorality Act, between a white British woman and a black South African man. Her story reveals the shocking lie created to cover up the forbidden relationship and the hurried overseas adoption of the illegitimate baby, born during one of history’s most inhumane and destructive regimes.

Killing Karoline follows the journey of the baby girl who is raised in a leafy, middle-class corner of the South of England by a white couple. Plagued by questions surrounding her own identity and unable to ‘fit in’ Sara-Jayne begins to turn on herself. She eventually returns to South Africa, after 26 years, to face her demons. There she is forced to face issues of identity, race, rejection and belonging beyond that which she could ever have imagined. She must also face her birth family, who in turn must confront what happens when the baby you kill off at a mere six weeks old returns from the dead.

Review

a 5-star review by Lorna:
A very real story that needs to be read by all who need to understand the life of adoptees! A gripping story of triumph over adversity. A journey of self-discovery and survival against ‘false death’, rejection, abandonment, failure and so many of life’s tests. 

About the Author

Sara-Jayne King is a mixed-race South African/British journalist and radio presenter whose career has taken her across the globe in search of remarkable stories and fascinating characters. Her career began as a junior journalist in local radio in London and since then has included roles in the Middle East and Africa, most recently as a senior editor for news channel eNCA and presenter for Primedia’s talk radio station Cape Talk.

KILLING KAROLINE

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0862F7KZQ
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1920601953
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1920601959

Available on Amazon
Paperback
Kindle

Book Promo ~ Rosa

A Gritty Twist on Classic Cinderella Fairytale

by Lyndon Haynes

An unrelenting heatwave has hit the streets of London; the city is a furnace, a sweatbox of people melting on their daily grind. Within the confines of one council estate lies a coldness, a sharp icy blast of harsh unforgiving and betrayal. For one young family in particular, a wind of change is on the horizon, in fact, a storm is brewing so fierce that the wreckage it leaves behind is injurious.

Rosa is a young woman struggling to find her own identity after coming to terms with the death of her parents. Her life has been turned upside down, leaving Mexico under a dark cloud in a crime protection programme with her two brothers Jesus and Dani.

Forced to move to a new city, learning a new language, culture and experiencing some harsh realities during her formative teenage years, life has been bleak and lonely. Under the rule of her brothers, she feels worthless, treated like a slave and stifled from normality. Rosa’s world is harsh, but when by chance she meets a smart businessman called Daniel Rosewood her life changes for the better, she finally sees a chink of light offering the chance of hope and freedom.

Rosa’s story is a compelling rollercoaster of emotional highs and lows as she enters a quest for love while questioning her loyalty to the same brothers who isolate her. Daniel offers her everything she’s been craving but she knows that every choice she makes will impact the world around her.

About the Author:

Author Lyndon Haynes hails from Tottenham, North London, worked as a child actor and spent nearly 25 years in the music industry as a songwriter, rapper and music video director. He has also been a playwright, film and TV director, and rapper for the hip-hop band The Sindecut, which was signed by Virgin Records. This fresh voice from Great Britain comes from a young, talented, Black writer who embraces classic literature, yet brings a modern twist with his own works.

His previously published books include This Functional Family, released by Book Guild Publishing in 2011, and The Life and Times of Stanley Spank, his first novel, which he published through Authorhouse.

For more information, please visit https://authorlyndonhaynes.com/, 
or connect with the author on Instagram (Mr_lyndonh),
Twitter (LyndonHaynes) or Facebook (Lyndon Haynes).

Rosa

Publisher: Publishing Push
Release Date: August 11, 2021
ISBN-10: ‎ 1802270574
ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1802270570

Available from Amazon.com

Protecting Your Identity

Hacking & ID Theft: Are You Next?
7 Tips for Protecting Your Identity & Money

At least 110 million consumers were affected by the hack involving Target and Neiman Marcus retailers. Whether or not millions more will have their identities manipulated and finances ruined within the coming months due to more breaches of security at other stores is anyone’s guess, says identity theft recovery expert Scott A. Merritt.

“By necessity, I became an expert on identity theft. My information was stolen in 2006, and in repairing the damage, I learned some not-so-obvious ways we can all protect against identity theft in the first place,” says Merritt, CEO of Merritt & Associates (scottamerritt.com) and author of  “Identity Theft Do’s and Don’ts.”

Merritt’s problems began quickly. While disputing financial charges and dealing with resulting business problems, in 2007 he was stopped for a traffic violation and arrested on a false outstanding felony warrant. He immediately knew why.

“I had to enlist my U.S. congressman and convince the state police, NCIC, FBI and Secret Service that I didn’t commit the felonies. For a few years, I had to prove that the prints did not match the false record in question. After legal action, however, I was able to have this corrected.”

Unfortunately, the millions affected by the recent hacks may be dealing with similar repercussions in the years ahead, he says.

Before you become a victim of identity theft, Merritt offers seven ways to guard against it.

• Understand how and where it happens. Identity theft is like being robbed when you are away from home; most thefts occur in places where you do business every day. Either a place of business is robbed, a bad employee acts improperly or a hacker breaches the office through the computer.

• Secure your wallet’s information. Photocopy everything in your wallet: photos, credit cards (front and back), membership cards – everything. Put the copies in the order the cards are arranged in your wallet, staple the pictures and place them in a strong box or safe.

• Make sure your information is consistent. For all of your identity and financial documents, make absolutely sure, to the smallest detail, that all of your personal information is accurate and consistent! Discrepancies such as using your middle initial on some documents, and not others, or having different addresses, can wreck havoc in proving your identity, and can compromise your credit score.

• Secure your digital habits and data. Change your passwords at least twice a year on a non-scheduled basis – don’t be predictable. Have a strong firewall if you shop online, and only access sites that are protected by a strong firewall and high industry standards. Access accounts of a financial nature only from your personal computer.

• Protect your banking information. While in the bank, keep account numbers and other data out of sight, and avoid stating account numbers, Social Security numbers and similar information out loud. When planning a bank visit, have items such as deposits and withdrawal slips prepared in advance.

• Account for your interactions with vendors. Every time you speak to someone with whom you do business, write down the time, date, name and the purpose or outcome of the call. If an identity theft occurs on the vendor’s end, you will be able to reference these prior conversations effectively. Be sure to note any animosity or reluctance from the vendor.

• Don’t carry around your birth certificate or Social Security card.Unless it’s necessary, keep those vital items in a safe, or at least a firebox. If you know someone is going to need a copy of your tax returns or your driver’s license, for example, make the copies ahead of time. This avoids the need for a firm’s employee to leave the room with such information.

“Of course, you can greatly reduce being a victim of such recent hacks that occurred at the major retailers by using cash more often,” he says. “But if you’re going to use credit, use a card from a national bank or a national credit union and never a debit card, no exceptions.”

About Scott A. Merritt

Scott A. Merritt is the CEO and sole stockholder of Merritt Ventures, Inc., doing business as Merritt & Associates and author of “Identity Theft Do’s and Don’ts.” He has more than a decade of experience in the real estate industry, financial planning, insurance, investment services, and has more than a decade in mortgage services, all under the umbrella of Merritt Ventures. Merritt holds a life, accident and health insurance license, and a principal associate real estate broker’s license. He has an associate degree in pre-law, a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a certificate in computer information systems. He has personally represented himself and won in court hundreds of times to, in part, clear his record from the ravages of identity theft.