Have No Shame

HOT NEW RELEASE: Historical Fiction, Coming of AgeREDUCED for a LIMITED TIMEBESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR, MELISSA FOSTER.The racially-charged prejudice of the deep South forces eighteen-year-old Alison Tillman to confront societal norms--and her own beliefs--when she discovers the body of a hate crime victim, and the specter of forbidden love turns her safe, comfortable world upside down. ."This book will resonate with readers who enjoyed Kathryn Stockett's, THE HELP, Julie Kibler's, CALLING ME HOME, John Grisham's, A TIME TO KILL, Sue Monk Kidd's, THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES, and Kathleen Grissom's, THE KITCHEN HOUSE."PLEASE NOTE: This ebook contains TWO versions of this novel. Readers have the option to read with or without the southern dialect in the narrative. Once downloaded, you will be presented with a choice of reading preferences. Both versions reflect the exact same story, with the only difference being the style of the narrative.Q&A with author Melissa Foster.Q: How is HAVE NO SHAME different from each of your other novels?.MF: I write across genres, and HAVE NO SHAME is my first historical fiction book. But SHAME is also a coming-of-age story, and so much more. HAVE NO SHAME is told in a very soft voice--the voice of the main character, Alison Tillman, and is reflective of her Southern voice. .Q: You've said that this story is your most important story to date. Why is that? .MF: HAVE NO SHAME was not an easy book to write. Researching and writing this story took me back to the civil rights era--unearthing all of the hate of those times, and it was an eye opener to how in some ways, prejudice is still as strong; it's just aimed at other types of society. Alison's realization of the prejudices of society--and even of those she loves--and the strength she shows in how she moves forward is a lesson for all of us. The heart is not color-blind, and although I know this type of prejudice still exists, I feel it's important to give the the truth of that era a voice. .Q: Is this a stand-alone novel?.MF: Yes, this is a stand-alone novel, however, I'm asked often to write a follow-up novel to explore what happens in the town and with the characters. That's something that might be coming..Q: You offer this book in two formats with one purchase--why is that? .MF: Alison's voice came to me as a southern voice in dialogue and in thought, and HAVE NO SHAME is told from Alison's point of view. I felt it was vital to keep her thoughts in her own voice. However, I also realize that readers are passionate about their reading preferences, and because most novels present dialect in only the dialogue, I decided to give readers a choice. Each ebook and each paperback offers both formats: Read With Southern dialect, and Read Without Southern Dialect. This has never been done before, but in this wonderful digital age, I decided to give readers exactly what they want.SUMMARY of HAVE NO SHAMEAlison Tillman has called Forrest Town, Arkansas home for the past eighteen years. Her mother's Blue Bonnet meetings, her father toiling night and day on the family farm, and the division of life between the whites and the blacks are all Alison knows. The winter of 1967, just a few months before marrying her high school sweetheart, Alison finds the body of a black man floating in the river, and she begins to view her existence with new perspective. The oppression and hate of the south, the ugliness she once was able to avert her eyes from, now demands her attention.When a secretive friendship with a young black man takes an unexpected romantic turn, Alison is forced to choose between her predetermined future, and the dangerous path that her heart yearns for.Review"A meaningful combination of romantic suspense and coming of age at its very best."."A gripping and poignant novel dealing with a subject once taboo in American society." Hagerstown Magazine."Should be up there with "To Kill a Mockingbird" she deals with something in our recent history with caring and compassion." Mary E. Moriarty"Have No Shame is a powerful testimony to love and the progressive, logical evolution of social consciousness, with an outcome that readers will find engrossing, unexpected, and ultimately eye-opening." Midwest Book Review."A historical novel of love and its triumph, told with a unique and compelling voice." Bestselling Author Kathleen Shoop ."...An amazing American classic yet to be recognized" Marbeth Skwarczynski."Have No Shame is a delightful eye opener and a rather poignant book that everyone everywhere should put on their must-read list." Readers' Favorite."A dynamic and heartwarming tale of young love, giving testament to those who struggled so we can live in an integrated society." Author Rachelle Ayala."...a stunningly impactful read." Rabid Reader Reviews."A book that brings the evilness of racial bigotry to light, through the eyes of one awakening to its reality." Cindy Smith, avid reader ."Romance fans will fall head over heels. Fans of five star fiction will fawn over it." Liz Tarek, avid reader ."Perfectly catches the South at the dawning of the Civil Rights Movement...an adventure that twists and turns unpredictably to a tense climax that renders this novel a true page-turner....undoubtedly the best novel I have read in a long time."  Roderick Craig Low, Author of 'Promises of Love and Good Behaviour'."This book is not just a story; it's an experience." Author G.E. JohnsonFrom the Author"Within moments of starting to read, you will be transported back to the Arkansas of 1967 - hot, dusty, utterly rural and edgy. Poor white farmers dependant upon cheap black labour who, due to their superior numbers, are constantly suppressed, living on the wrong side of town, ghettoised and terrified. You will remember scenes from In the Heat of the Night' andEasy Rider'; you will remember that, less than fifty years ago, if you were black, you could be beaten for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And if you died at the hands of a white youth, justice would almost certainly be denied you." Author Roderick Craig LowSome novels just beg to be written, and Alison and Jackson's story, Have No Shame, is one of those novels. I could not turn away from their voices if I had wanted to. I know there is ugliness in this beautiful world of ours, and for that reason, I feel that stories such as this one are so very important to be told. I was lucky enough to be brought up by a woman who believes that love knows no boundaries, and I try to raise my children with the same conviction. In this very short life we live, we are lucky to find true love, and my hope is that society will accept--and even strive for--happiness for all, regardless of color, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs. I hope you enjoy Have No Shame, and I thank you for picking it up.