I’m thrilled to be a part of the tour for Hearts Beneath The Badge!
Each day, a blog share an excerpt and today is my turn.
Read on to learn about this wonderful book.
See where 90% of proceeds will be donated.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway
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About the Book:
Title: Hearts Beneath the Badge
Author: Karen Solomon
Publisher: Missing Niche Publishing
Pages: 247
Genre: Nonfiction
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Kindle/Nook
Hearts Beneath the Badge is a unique compilation of interviews with officers across the country. It’s not about the crimes they witness or the judgment they face; it’s about them – Damien, Danny, Frances, Ken, Pamela, Brian, and more. Their thoughts, their fears, their proud moments and their heartbreak. It’s about the people we often don’t see because we are blinded by the uniform.
They are among the hundreds of thousands that are unseen each day, the men and women that go back for more no matter the personal cost. They provide meals, rides, lifesaving breaths and prosthetic legs. Yes, even prosthetic legs. There is much more to them than meets the eye-or the news camera. By reading this book, you will open yourself to a world of people you may have forgotten existed. You will see the names, families and some of the faces of the police officers that don’t make the news.
Hearts Beneath the Badge is a book about the good deeds officers perform. There is a pressing need for people to see more than just the officer’s hearts; they need to see their souls. Society as a whole needs to accept police officers for who they are – mere mortals. In order to do that, they must look through the layers of the officer’s lives and see the heartache and joy, the same heartaches and joy we all experience. Society also needs to know that, whether we want to admit it or not, there is a price to be paid for pursing the love of the law.
90% of all sales will be donated to National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, Safe Call Now, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and PoliceWives.
For More Information
- Hearts Beneath the Badge is available at Amazon.
- Pick up your copy at Barnes & Noble.
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Book Excerpt:
A man named Jim was well known to the local police, he had called the police and people had called the police on him. Jim, the son of a Christian missionary, was a Sudanese refugee who lost his right leg, and his father, to violence in Sudan. After nine years in a refugee camp, he made his way to America. Unfortunately, immigrating to America was not as easy as he thought it would be.
Jim stood out in a crowd. At 6’6,” missing a leg and his face covered in tribal markings, he was hard to miss. He didn’t understand American culture and spoke broken English. People immediately began to take advantage of him, and he was a regular victim of assault and theft. When he wasn’t the victim, he was the perpetrator. Sometimes he drank too much and became disorderly in public.
In an area where crime is as high as it was in Over the Rhine in 2001, Jim was quickly becoming another face in the crowd. Officers didn’t always have time to talk to the people on their route. They were too busy moving from call to call. Luck was on its way to Jim in the form of Sergeant Brian Ibold. A chance meeting between Brian and Jim would change Jim’s life forever.
In addition to delivering pizza, whenever the opportunity arose Brian would spend time talking to the people on his route to find out what was going on. He offered them a sliver of humanity on a dark night during a dark time in their lives. One night, Jim approached Brian’s patrol car and Brian asked, “What can I do for you?”
Jim’s answer was simple, “I’m hungry, brother. Can you just give me some food?”
That night, Brian brought Jim some McDonald’s to get him through. The next day he brought Jim a feast of canned goods – tuna, vegetables, ramen noodles and other non-perishable delicacies. Brian and Jim sealed their friendship over dinner, and the two began an unlikely association which soon included two other men.
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Author Karen Solomon
Karen Solomon is interested in the feelings of law enforcement and whether or not they have someone that will listen to them, most of them do not. Most books on the market are written by the police officers themselves, in almost textbook fashion relating protocol and situations with the orderliness of a police report. Her books are different from every book out there because the officers bare themselves to her; many of the interviews end in tears because they have opened up something that is very difficult to close. Karen Solomon is a graduate of Eckerd College and blogs as The Missing Niche. Her writing has been featured on PoliceMag.com and To Write Love on Her Arms. She lives in New England with her husband, 2 children and 2 dogs. Proceeds of her latest book, Hearts Beneath the Badge, will be donated to law enforcement charities.
For More Information
- Visit Karen Solomon’s website.
- Connect with Karen on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Karen at Goodreads.
- Visit Karen’s blog.
- Listen to Karen on The Author Show.
- Contact Karen.
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Karen Solomon is giving away a $50 Amazon Gift Card!
Leave a comment on all the book excerpt blog stops and win 5 extra entries each time!
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!
To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!
Did you or did the designer come up with the idea for the cover? It looks fantastic!
Thank you! I came up with the idea, a friend had her son draw the heart for me and I had a designer pretty it up!
Ditto to Mai’s question. I am a ‘cover girl’ and love when the author is the designer, even though it is a bit rare. Congrats, Karen.
My cove was the badge over the heart. It was overly simplistic. The designer took the heart and the badge and turned it into something fantastic. I used 99Designs and went through tons of designers, this is the only designed that used the original art and concept. I really had my heart set on it, no pun intended, and she did a beautiful job!! The minute I saw it, I knew this was the one. Finding someone who understood what I was looking for almost took longer than writing the book!
That is a fascinating story about your cover art. It really is stunning!
How wonderful, love the color artwork on cover. Thank you!
That cover does grab you!
This book sounds great. I’d love to read it. =)
Thanks for the giveaway.
I know. I’d love to read it too!
What an exceptional post! The cover is perfect! I commend you for donating 90% of all sales to National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, Safe Call Now, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) and PoliceWives.