Reality of Human Trafficking Hits the Bookshelf with "Deliver Me From Evil"

As hard as we might try to ignore the reality that sexual human trafficking occurs...it is even harder to wrap our brains around the fact that it happens in our own US cities and hometowns.


In "Deliver Me from Evil", author Kathi Macias weaves a story of how the paths of those that have their lives stolen from them with those who are totally unaware that it has happened.  Many of the characters are caught unaware...off guard as fate delivers them to the lives of either being the abused or being tested in the face of an evil that rarely enters their quiet and clean-cut Christian lives. It is a wake up call even for the reader!


I do not want to give away any of the details of this gripping and timely novel.  Ms Macias has brought to life the ugliness and struggle that occurs in the world of sexual human trafficking, while delivering the message to the reader that this is no longer something that they can ignore, turn their backs on...in fact, it can happen even within our own families, in our own towns and cities...it no longer happens over seas in foreign countries!


The Christian perspective is subtle (yet powerful) enough that even the secular reader will not be put off by the urgency of the message that is given throughout the book.  As the mother of five children ( four girls and one boy), the story reached in to my brain and grabbed at my own fears of their safety, then broke my heart, while being shaken with the sharp reality of a child going out of sight for just a few minutes and how it could be the last time!!  It truly made me think and even speak to my children who are of the ages of the children and teens portrayed in this book.


Ms Macias has done a wonderful work with her first book in her Freedom Series.  I look forward to reading the next novel and hoping that the stories of the characters established in the first continue.


Deliver Me From Evil will shake and wake you up to a societal problem that is slowly but surely creeping in to our own neighborhoods, is no longer just in the news or happening to another family...sexual human trafficking can no longer be ignored.


If you would like to read this novel, I will be randomly selecting someone from those who comment on this article.  The drawing will occur on November 1st, 2011 and I will notify the winner via e-mail and here in the comment section.  


If you would like to read more about the Kathi Macias and watch the book trailer...Please click Read more below:

Author Kathi  Macias

How did you come up with the idea for Deliver Me From Evil and the Freedom series?

It actually came out of a phone conversation with Andrea Mullins, the publisher at New Hope. We were discussing the Extreme Devotion series (about the persecuted Church), which I was still working on at the time, and we began to consider topics for a second series. Andrea was the one who suggested human trafficking, and it really struck a chord with me. The more I researched it and worked on the proposal, the more excited I became about joining forces with others working to abolish modern-day slavery, which is exactly what human trafficking is.

What was your favorite scene to write in Deliver Me From Evil?

This book/series has been the most difficult I’ve ever written, simply because the subject matter is so dark and heavy. More than once I had to walk away and clear my thoughts before moving on from one scene to another. But interspersed between the heartache and tragedy are several lighter scenes (written and incorporated into the book out of necessity), dealing with a pastor’s family and their Bible college-bound son who inadvertently discovers the human trafficking ring and becomes involved in the heroic and dramatic rescue attempt. Any scenes revolving around the absolutely functional and loving life of the Flannery family are my favorites.

What was the most difficult scene, and why?

There were many difficult scenes in this book due to the subject matter, but the hardest had to be when the main character, 18-year-old Mara, realizes that one of the younger girls is being tortured and killed in an effort to extract information and punish her. Though the actual violence is done offstage, Mara experiences each blow and muffled scream, as does the reader.

Did you always know you wanted to be a writer? If not, how did you catch the writing bug?

Oh yes, I never wanted to be anything else. From the time I discovered the power and allure of words, I was hooked! I was an avid reader before I started kindergarten. A short story I wrote in the third grade was turned into a play for the entire PTA, and I won all sorts of awards for poetry in high school. I even told my then boyfriend (now husband) Al when we were in our early teens that I was going to be a writer one day.

How do you go about writing your fiction books? Which comes first for you, plot, characters, and/or theme?

I usually get what I call “a niggling in my soul,” which eventually emerges into the very basic theme of the book. I hate outlining and writing proposals because I do NOT develop plots or even characters ahead of time. I start with a couple of main characters, a starting and ending point for my story, and just let the rest unfold as I go. I know. We’re not supposed to do it that way, but it works for me, and I so enjoy the surprises as the story develops and my characters take over. So much fun! So long as they don’t try to lead me away from my pre-determined ending. Then I have to reign them back in a bit.

How do you get your ideas for your books?

I have ideas coming out of my ears! I am a seriously addictive idea person. You want ideas? You can have my overflow! My challenge is to figure out which ones are worth pursuing. Not every cute or fun or even meaningful idea that pops into our head is meant to be a book. I pray, think, study, bounce them off people, etc., before committing to moving ahead with one of them. For the most part, however, nearly all my book ideas are, to one degree or another, born out of some moral or social issue that I care about.

How can we find out more about you, The Freedom Series, and other books you are writing? 

Please visit my website at KathiMacias.com. 


I was given a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for posting the author’s interview on my blog. This blog tour is managed by Christian Speakers Services (ChristianSpeakersServices.com).