Let me introduce the world to Lucia Mann, author of the recently released novel: Beside an Ocean of Sorrow. The book, which is based on real people and events, is the first installment of a three-part series, and takes the reader on a journey into the past to post Second World War South Africa. The narrative follows the fate of an illegitimate child, Shiya, who is discovered by an enslaved domestic worker. Being of mixed blood, Shiya finds herself categorised as 'coloured' under the bizarre new apartheid ruling. You will be shocked at the racial hatred she endures and the unsurmountable odds she must overcome in order to exact her revenge on those responsible. Without wishing to reveal too much, I will conclude by saying that this is a story that needs to be heard. Who knows? It could be one of the classics of tomorrow.
Here's the difficult part. Luckless Lucia Mann's exceptional novel is in danger of total annihalation due to the deceitful publishing company who have been handling her work: Eloquent Books/Strategic Publishing. They are part of an umbrella corporation called AEG publishing group. The manager of the company, one Robert M. Fletcher, who allegedly has a staggering seventy different aliases, has cheated literally thousands of new authors out of their earnings. The scam employs the use of bogus agents and fraudulent editing companies who work together with Fletcher in securing the writing of unsuspecting novelists, like Mann, and then pay no royalties whatsoever. They are under investigation by the US government and have about a hundred affidavits filed against them. This deception cannot be allowed to continue and, hopefully, Fletcher will be getting his just desserts some time soon.
In the meantime, you can offer your support to Lucia Mann by purchasing a copy of the book, Beside an Ocean of Sorrow, which is available from Amazon and other online literary retailers, and help to generate some public interest in her work, which her publisher has so far failed to do. The book is well worth a read and you will not be disappointed.
