Why I write: "Hearing" the wind through Deaf eyes.
...and the new release of Resilient Silence, 2nd edition novel
The release of Book 1 within the Resilient Silence Series
Resilient Silence; A Deaf-Experience Suspense novel, 2nd edition.
After months of working with the QDP publishing team, I am excited to announce that the second edition of my first novel is published and live. It is available for readers in paperback and eBook versions. Please click this button to obtain your copy:
What is new about the second edition of Resilient Silence?
Improved dialogue tags which explain how the Deaf characters use American Sign Language.
Bolded words accompanied by QR codes which link to video demonstrations of how these Deaf characters sign key concepts and terms.
Stunning thematic illustrations of the main characters and key events in the story. These illustrations have been created by Rebekah Covington. Please click this link to see what she offers as a Deaf artist: Rebekah Covington, Deaf artist
Book 2 in the Resilient Silence Series
Resilient Surrender, Book 2 in the series is slated to be released Winter/Spring of 2025-2026. I will keep you updated about this exciting development.
Why I write: “Hearing” the wind through Deaf eyes.
My newly designed author logo has the sign “Listen with the eyes” with my eyes looking toward the adjacent image representing the wind.
This sign demonstrates an aspect of my “brand” as a Deaf author. One definition of the word “brand” is a set of distinctive characteristics that establish a recognizable image or identity for a person or thing.
As an author, my distinctive characteristics are that I write fiction novels with Deaf characters in stories that are infused with Deaf culture and suspense themes. My books offer the general public accessible English language stories where they can become deeply familiar and identify with these Deaf characters in ways that are often not accessible in life. In other words, readers become immersed in the Deaf world of the characters.
The brand statement in my logo, “Hearing” the wind through Deaf eyes, communicates one of the core reasons why I write. I want to show the world how some Deaf people access, experience and respond to complex themes such as the feelings and impacts of relationships. I wish to touch upon layers of non-hearing, Deaf understandings of spirit, God and the need for a power beyond what we see in life. In one of my favorite Bible verses, John 3:8(NLT) Jesus says “The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” In this verse, the word “hearing” connotes the understanding of where something originates or where it is going. We Deaf people often cannot “hear” the wind. However, we do feel it as it passes by as a gentle breeze or a gale in a storm. We see the effect through the fluttering of leaves in a tree during a breeze or the downed fences and lost roof shingles after a high velocity straight-line wind. As Deaf people, it is what we feel and see that often helps determine our understanding of these complex themes in life and how we respond.
As an author, I present one lense and perspective within a very diverse, nuanced and intersectional cultural experience. It is a culture as rich and complex as any in the world. Like many communities that are not of the majority or dominant culture, access to Deaf people and their culture is often limited to those who can understand and use their language and have an ability to open themselves to an experience which doesn’t include “hearing”. That is why I write novels about Deaf characters and invite readers to experience a taste of the Deaf world through the eyes of these characters.
Through Julius McLellan, readers experience what it is like for a very young child to suddenly be faced with a hearing loss and navigate through the changed, often challenging relationships that ensue. Through Amy Mattson, readers journey through the rejection and abandonment she experienced as a young child and the effect it has on the rest of her life. Navigating the actions and choices alongside these characters, readers are able to experience that “taste” of the Deaf world to hopefully enable an ability and interest that opens up accessibility to this important part of our society.
I invite you to dive into this journey by ordering Resilient Silence; A Deaf-Experience Suspense Novel, 2ndedition and watch for its soon to be released sequel, Resilient Surrender.
Keep on the lookout for future QDP Heartlight newsletters where I update you about the launch of the Resilient Silence Series. Contact me if you have any questions and/or wish to collaborate with me.