Synopsis

Overview

The introduction.
In a time where heroes are far and few between or disappear as the credits fade from the screen, millions of young men and women from all walks of life long for something tangible to hold on to, a hero from within. In Awakenings: The Beginning (Book 1) ARISE! the reader will go on a journey of self discovery with the main character Deon Starr as he discovers something powerful and world changing within himself. My hope is that in this book the reader and the youth of the world would see something special inside of themselves and have the courage to bring about strong positive change to troubling times

The book hook.
What if Tyshawn Lee had the ability to stop the bullet that brought his young life to an end or Laquan McDonald had the power to control time and change that fatal day or a single mother in the inner city suddenly realized she had the power to heal, bringing her child back from the brink of death? In Awakenings: The Beginning (Book 1) ARISE! the author introduces you to powerful heroes that will arise from Chicago's inner cities. Heroes that will create a new future for a generation by changing the present and redeeming the past. They will arise from the heart of a city that cries for justice, peace and redemption. And one man, with the soul of a powerful Egyptian warrior king, will guide and lead them bringing about redemption to a nation on the verge of anarchy.

Chapter Outline

The book although broken into 10 parts is the first of a series of books. Book 1 (ARISE!) is introducing the heroes; who they are, where they came from and what abilities they have. It also introduces you to our heroes enemy, the Puppet Master head member of a shadow government named The Community, whose goal from pre-dynastic Egypt, is the destruction of a once powerful race of people.

Part 1 (Tree of Life), Introduces the reader to another time in another place in which a Tree of Life (not to be confused with the Tree of Life in the Bible) is dying and with it the dying of a race of people. And the only way to breath life into it is to awaken an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh King Narmer. As he did before 5000 years ago, he will unite a nation and a people.
Part 2 (The Picasso), takes us to a future event in which that the reincarnated king will be forced with a decision either to fight or to surrender. As the powerful ones stand by and await his actions, forces gather to destroy him, as he contemplate what he will do he looks back on how he got to be standing in front of the Picasso (Daley Plaza Chicago) about to engage in battle.
Part 3 (AWAKE!), begins with the awakening of special powers inside several young men and women. On the hills of gang violence and police shootings their powers will arise. And out of chaos will come order but first our heroes must discover who they are and gain knowledge and the wisdom to use what they have been given for the betterment of a people but along the way death and destruction will ensue.
Part 4  (The Mortals) Tells the story of two FBI agents who have been assigned to continue to track down the notorious drug warlord 'Stephan Lynch' and in the midst of their investigation they cross paths with these powerful individuals.
Part 5 In this section (R.I.P) key characters will meet their demise and will set the course for an eruption of the tension that has been building in the streets of Chicago for sometime. At this time our hero will began to fully understand his role and what his awakening really mean for the nation.
Part 6 (Revelations), will give a brief explanation of who King Narmer was as well as other names he was known for i.e. Scorpion King and King Narmer the Unifier. It will also show how our hero and the king will slowly become one. As their spirits become one our hero will understand the full extent of his powers but will the death of another derail his mission?
Part 7 (The Gathering), comes the gathering all our heroes, as they discover each other relationships will form some in friendships others will lead to betrayal and jealousy. Powers and alliances will be put to the test.
Part 8 (The Puppet Master), introduces the reader to the enemy of this piece. A crafty oppressor who wields his power like a master puppeteer. His one goal, along with others known as The Community, is the annihilation of a once powerful race, a goal which was forged thousands of years ago. With the help of a shadow government this goal will be complete, or will it?
Part 9 (Decisions, Decisions, Decisions), will take us back to the beginning, the show down at the Picasso and back to our hero. What decision will he make, total devastation and destruction or surrender and sacrifice himself for the common good? End of Book 1.
The book will be approximately 76,062 words, my dream is to eventually have it become a graphic novel. The manuscript will be completed in May.

For sometime movies and TV shows has been a plateau of stories that featured men and women of the same race and economic situation who for some reason have or will save the world and for so long other men and women have felt left out. The call to tell a different story has come and the glass ceiling has been broken and the time for other stories, other heroes of different economic situations and races has come. In the news images of African American men and women are grieving and frustrated with the powers that be and with their own communities, my goal is to create heroes and redemption stories that includes young men and women with superhuman abilities that could lead and redeem a people and a nation.

Outline

Forward

Set in 2026 Deon, the leader of a unified nation, stood looking out over a city that was once on the verge of destruction. As his eyes swept over the streets below he could sense the strength and the unity of its inhabitants. And this, he thought, was a long time coming. He could still feel the weight of the past and the near genocide of a people, a genocide that started from within and spread with relentless ferociousness. Until the rise of the Unifier all was lost but now that he had awaken peace reigned and so did unity.

The Tree of Life
Nitram saw the dying tree and knew what it meant for his people and a nation. With the withering of the branches and leaves came the death of knowledge, wisdom, self pride and self-worth. The tree was dying and with it the decline of a great people. The sleeper must awaken, for through him and under him two kingdoms was unifier. In the soul of a young man the king slept and for the sold of a nation he will awake.

The Picasso
Deon starred at the iconic 50 feet Picasso structure. Staring at the sculpture he felt a kinship to the piece and the steel is was made from. Weathered and able to increase resistance o anything that would try to destroy it, yes he felt the kinship and soon he would prove how true that was for behind him he heard the loading of the automatic weapons and the tactile units gather for battle. But little did they know should his kind resist there was no way in hell anyone could overcome him.

Yes, the sleeper has awaken and it was about damn time.

AWAKE!
Deon felt the sand underneath his feet and the breeze of the Nile river on his back. Deon felt the familiarity o the place and a word fell from his lips...home. From the desert sands to the River that flowed between the two kingdoms he was familiar. And that was when he knew this dream was once his reality, the sands and the kingdoms both upper and lower belonged to him. Touching the medallion on his chest Deon felt the power surge though of power, it begged to be released and as the anger inside of him rose so did the power within.

The Mortals

Sam felt the warm liquid slowly fall down her thigh, the bloods slow decent meant she had time enough to do what she needed to do before the darkness claimed her, if she did not faint yet due to blood loss. She needed to find shelter, good thing the clubs on the north side stayed open later than other clubs. Trying to conceal her limp Sam entered the club only to find it densely populated, which was not a good thing. Locating the bathroom Sam thanked the FBI for the never ending medical supplies they provided their people too bad they neglected to send back up, something she would need more than the bandages and the peroxide.

R.I.P
Darryl could not do anything but act, running out the door he had to get to Brian and Timothy. His mother was mistaken and whoever was on the phone didn't know shit, Brian was not dead, he couldn't be. As Darryl ran block after block past boarded-up, abandoned homes and row after row of makeshift side memorials consisting of stuffed animals and R.I.P signs he could not help but think these signs would soon be up for his friend. He could hear the screams coming from the home of his friend and a man on the grass screaming to the sky and in that instance h knew he would never see his friend again.

RISE OF THE SCORPION KING
Deon felt himself changing, growing strong in mind, body and wisdom. In a lot of ways he was still himself but he felt King Narmer take hold more and more of who he once was. The Scorpion King has arisen and he has arisen inside him. A young boy he maybe but inside now lived a warrior.

Audience

Audience

I grew up watching and loving the stories of superheroes and the battle between good and evil and as a lover of Marvel and DC Comic I found myself collecting them and spending most of my time reading them. In my mind I became Storm and Rogue. I fought Galacticus and Magneto with Professor X and the more I read the more I fantasied becoming a writer. As an African-American woman people that looked like me were far and few between. In the last few years I have seen a resurgence of the superhero genre and the heroes of all kinds and again people that looked like me were few and far between. And with the sudden discord between the authorities and the men and women in the inner city I thought a leader was more than needed so putting my love for superheroes, the recent resurgence of the superhero genre and the needed for a leader that could empower and lead a fragmented I began writing and 'Awakenings: The Beginnings' was born.

Books like; Twilight, Divergent, Hunger Games, The Mortal Instruments and Beautiful Creatures cater to one group and other races feel left out. It is true that Dystopian Literature is on the rise and has created blockbuster films that has made millions, they are intriguing to people and famous in todays society. Not only is the plot fiction but it can seem realistic and for people of color what these men and women in these books go through is what they are facing everyday, the heroes plot is relevant to the lives of the inner city youth. According to The Artifice Magazine, "young adults, with the drama and the hormones, are trying to figure out who they are and what they want to be in life. With dystopian novels, the character is perceived as someone with independence and ambition." That is why I believe Awakenings: The Beginnings (ARISE!) will do so well, not only is it time for it but it will open a door for youths of all nationalities to began to discover who they are and give them a voice.

According to the same article, "young adult dystopian novels are known for their metaphors such as comparing the issues within the book to the current affairs in our world. Dystopian themes touch many controversial issues we face today, from school shootings to Middle Eastern women challenging cultural gender norms. The most covered subject in this genre is the government and its corrupted ways." I believe books can help the audience see that they can make a difference somehow and I believe these books along with mine are some of the books that can make this happen.

Promotion

Marketing and promotion

The audience I am trying to reach is the men and women of the inner city and have it expand across multiple communities and nationality. I believe once the book is made available the targeted audience would be draw to it. I have a social media following and website that is specifically for the books I write. My marketing plan is to make available the book and to continue to market by word of mouth and networking.

One of the major consumers in the nation is the African-American audience from products to books to movie.

According to Ebony magazine, African-Americans are among the highest percentage users of smartphones and social media.  54% of Black people own a smartphone a 21% jump from just a year ago.  They are savvy about where they get their information and are more likely to get their news from television as opposed to print media. Younger Blacks are even more likely to use new technology and social media for their media sources.  The report recommends retailers, “promote new technology and lifestyle products to African-American Millennials and Generation Y consumers who tend to be early adopters and pop culture influencers. “  Blacks are more likely to use their smartphone, gaming device, or other technology to do everything from shopping to tweeting to reading books.