Sons of Cuba Series by Ellen W. Martin
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GENRE: Historical fiction
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BLURB: BLURB FOR BOOK I AND BOOK II – SONS OF CUBA Relentless political turmoil streams through the veins of Cuba like lava coursing down the side of a volcano holding the Cuban people hostage to tyranny since Christopher Columbus discovered the Caribbean Island. One wonders if the country’s destiny can ever change.
In BOOK I – SONS OF CUBA – PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION Felipe Cardena, the rebel, endures lost love, the exhilaration of victory, demoralizing disappoints, imprisonment, exile, and an assassination attempt. Nothing will stop Felipe Cardena until he achieves his ultimate goal — free Cuba from tyranny.
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Excerpt: BOOK II – SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING TANGI rushed over and picked up the now hysterical Andrés. Her eyes widened. Standing at the front door was that same disgusting soldier that had harassed her at the plaza; three others were behind him, rifles in hand. Once again, he leered at her. She looked down; her blouse was still open. She buttoned the top button and held Andrés close. Ramon Miguel stepped between Tangi, Fernando, and the soldier. “What can we do for you?” He asked. “I told you, I’m looking for Fernando Reyes. Are you he?” Ramon stared at the soldier; his eyes narrowed. “Maybe, but tell me first why you’re here.” The soldier waved a piece of paper in front of Ramon’s face. “This is about you turning your farm over to the government.” Fernando pushed Ramon aside and snapped, “I’ll do no such thing. That land has been in my family for generations. Besides, what would the government want with a few meager acres?” The soldier looked first at Ramon, and then at Fernando. “Okay, which one of you is Reyes? Fernando yanked the papers from the soldier’s hands. “I told you I am. What is this?” He asked, shaking the papers in the soldier’s face. “It’s the deed to your land. Sign it; sign it now without argument. If you don’t, we have a prison cell waiting for you.” Ramon Miguel took the papers from Fernando’s trembling hands, and glanced over the legal document. He turned his back on the soldiers and pulled the old man aside. “I’m afraid you have no choice,” he whispered. “You wouldn’t survive a week in jail, and I can’t go to prison for you. Who’d take care of Tangi and the baby?”
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From The Author:
Why did I decide to write a book — more specifically a two book series about Cuba?
I didn’t wake up one day and say, “I think I’ll write a book.” In fact in retrospect (and if I’m honest), my intentions throughout my entire life were never to write about things, but to experience life for myself, see the world with my own eyes.
Without going into details, I was very fortunate and lived my dreams. Perhaps it was because of the opportunity to live and visit multiple countries over a thirty-year stretch I gained a deeper appreciate for the freedoms we Americans often take for granted — the importance of our democracy.
What does this have to do with “Why I wrote a book about Cuba?”
One morning in late November 1999, I opened the morning newspaper and read about a small Cuban boy found floating in a tube off the coast of the United States. He had traveled in a seventeen-foot aluminum boat with thirteen other people. Since this child’s mother drowned before making it to shore, the governments of the United States and Cuba played tug of war with this child’s life for several months.
The story of this boy’s fate and the fate of all the other Cubans since 1959, who chanced the treacherous ninety-mile voyage between the two countries, latched its claws into me and would not let go. This was the moment in time I marked as my wakeup call how lucky I was to live in a democracy.
In the beginning my purpose was not to write a book, much less a two book series. I wanted to solve a puzzle, to try to understand their reasons. To do that, I needed to know more about Cuba’s history, the people, their leaders, and the culture. I read whatever I could get my hands on about Cuba.
As I put the puzzle pieces together, what I uncovered was a fascinating story about a young, ambitious, charismatic college student who like so many other Cubans tired of the tyranny that had gripped his beloved country for so many years. He along with a band of revolutionaries lived, loved, and died to free Cuba from its past mistakes. Sadly, the very man who Cuba had placed all their hopes and dreams for a brighter future, became the very thing he hated the most. Yes, that man was Fidel Castro.
What I also learned along the way was life in Cuba wasn’t easy living under tyranny. Farms, businesses that had belonged to the same family for centuries were confiscated by the government. People were imprisoned for the least little thing, faced firing squads and families were split ideologically.
As it turned out I spent hours and days, probably months engrossed in my research trying to find answers, but what I was left with were more questions. My heart went out to the Cuban people.
The next thing I knew my imagination kicked in and I had written a historical fiction based on actual events, but with fictional characters. My adaptation was written with a lot of creative liberty with details to enhance the reader’s experience and is purely for entertainment purposes.
My intention was not to offend history. I know history cannot be changed, but perhaps there are a handful of Cubans somewhere in the world who will enjoy my fictional twist of circumstances. Whether you live in a democracy or under the iron fist of a dictatorship, everyone has the freedom to dream “what if”.
AUTHOR Bio and Links: After a lifetime of personal adventures, travel and escapades (a lot of risky escapades), author Ellen Martin, is living her sunset years bouncing around a tennis court or clicking away on her keyboard. Outrage at social injustices, the thrill for suspense, and unraveling a good mystery are triggers that motivate Ellen to write memorable stories and colorful characters. Over 30 years as a military wife, she has resided both in the Orient and in Europe where she became no stranger to social injustice and poverty. She and her family have lived in the Philippines, Japan, Italy, and the Netherlands — not to mention both U.S. coasts and Kansas in the winter. She is fascinated by real-life, colorful personalities. On a more personal note Ellen was a flight attendant for the Charter Airline Saturn in the 1960’s. Her job was escorting United States troops in and out of Viet Nam. Her adventures in the war zone continued until she was swept away by her fighter pilot husband. After retirement the couple’s travels included Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungry, Spain, Scotland, and Ireland and topped off with a visit to Cuba. God gifted Ellen with one “perfect” son and three grandchildren. You wrap all this in a package and Ellen has been rewarded with an endless supply of fodder for her fiction.
In her historical fiction Book-I SONS OF CUBA–PRELUDE TO REVOLUTION she weaves an embellished tale of the most notorious and charismatic Cuban rebel in modern history. There’s a chance you might find him charming, intriguing and actually root for him in his early endeavors to free his beloved Cuba from tyranny.
However, in Book II - SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING, the story takes the reader from the rebel’s exile in Mexico to preparation for the revolution from the Mountains of the Sierra Maestra. This is where you will meet the fiery redheaded peasant girl, Tangi. The narrative shifts its focus from the revolution and centers around the fictional character, Tangi, and her family’s struggles, fears and disappointments in the new regime. How the story in real life ends is no secret.
But, in Book II – SONS OF CUBA – HOMECOMING, the characters and the author may just get the last word. In 2020 Ellen’s new book INTO THE DEVIL’S DEN turns from historical events to present day reality – Terrorism — terrorism in our own backyard.
Check out her website for excerpts from her books: https://www.booksbyellen.com Book Video: https://youtu.be/eBhRzVlegdg Embed code:
Amazon buy links:
Prelude to Revolution https://www.amazon.com/SONS-CUBA-BOOK-Prelude-Revolution-ebook/dp/B081LMXDHK/
Homecoming https://www.amazon.com/SONS-CUBA-BOOK-II-HOMECOMING-ebook/dp/B082WSVJT6/
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Ellen W. Martin will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
