Selena Robins, Author

Musings from a time traveler’s creator, Michael John Sullivan, author of the critically acclaimed, NECESSARY HEARTBREAK and EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER.

Michael is also giving away books and holding a contest (details below).

Women have come a long way, baby. How do I know this? I am a time traveler. I’ve seen the transformation of women, both physically and emotionally, over many centuries.

Don’t believe me? Then you’re probably right.

However, Michael Stewart is a time traveler. He’s neither a prophet nor an alien. Michael Stewart is the main character in my second novel, EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER. This character has inspired me to talk about how his incredible journey to first centuryJerusalemhas enlightened his view on how far women have evolved with regard to their rights and freedoms.

Stewart is trapped in the 21st century and unable to show his affection for the woman he loves. His desire to return back to the first century stems from his affection for Leah, a widow who is surviving physical torture from a Roman soldier.

Leah is in love with Michael, too. As their creator, I try to show how the differences in the way women were treated in first-centuryJerusalemversus 21st centuryLong Island affected some of the characters’ important reactions to drastic situations.

Did you know that in first-centuryJerusalem, women had only a few rights at home? The husband had complete domination over his wife. Does this sound a little like Fifty Shades of Grey?  Perhaps the author studied this time to come up with the theme to the best seller?

The father also determined the relationships of his daughters. The control usually went from father to husband and the woman was sold for a dowry. Women could not play any significant role in the synagogue – does this sound like some religions today? Well, maybe women haven’t come as far as I thought.

Interesting enough, Jesus was considered a radical during his time due to the women that played a big part in his life, including Mary Magdalene, His mother, Mary  and another Mary, the mother of Joseph and James. According to the apostle Mark, Jesus healed Peter’s mother, in one of His first miracles. In Luke’s writings, Jesus healed a woman who was critically ill. There are many references in the Bible depicting Jesus’ spiritual interactions with females.

Perhaps some denominations can truly understand the spiritual value of a woman by referencing the very holy book they say they follow. It’s clear as the centuries have melted away — women have become more assertive and demanding for their individual rights.

While Leah is a strong first-century woman in my story, she is taken aback by the courage and confidence of Elizabeth, the 21st century teenager.Elizabethasserts her rights as a normal female, sometimes shocking Leah.

What I wanted to present was strong female characters, no matter what century the women lived in. I have two daughters of my own and I want them to be strong and courageous in this world. We still live in a man’s world in many ways and there are facets of society looking to lean down on women, suppress them emotionally and sometimes physically. We have many generations of men conditioned to think the most attractive women are those in skimpy bikinis and waiting at a moment’s notice to satisfy beer-guzzling males.

I don’t want my daughters ever to think this is their role in the world. I want them to be independent, able to think on a high intellectual level for themselves and make their own important decisions on what they will do with their lives.

I hope my novel EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER captures this in every essence.

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Michael John Sullivan is an author, living in New York. His second novel, EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER, was published by Fiction Studio Books. Michael loves to hear from readers, you can email him at: michaeljohnsullivan.com or visit his WEBSITE.

The kindle version of EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER is FREE on July 7th and 8th on AMAZON

CONTEST:

Michael is also generously giving away TWO autographed paperback copies of his first novel, NECESSARY HEARTBREAK

To be eligible to win an autographed copy of NECESSARY HEARTBREAK:

• Comment on the blog or ask Michael a question.
• Double your chances of winning by signing up and following my blog: https://selenarobinsmusings.com/
• Triple your chances of winning by linking this blog post to your blog or putting the link up on your facebook page or Twitter.

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Dear Readers, 

I highly recommend EVERYBODY’S DAUGHTER, not only because I had the honor of critiquing this book, but because it’s a well written story that will take you through an emotional time travel journey, filled with suspense, adventure, heartbreak and love. Michael has spun a unique plot and his storytelling skills will transport you back back in time, filling your senses with the scenery, the scent of that time period, the feel and the taste of food that we have only witnessed through a movie. Reading about it, gives you a much richer experience.

This book will appeal to all book lovers, no matter what genre you usually read and you will fall in love with the characters, especially Elizabeth, and appreciate the quirkiness of the pastor and probably a lot of you will relate to the dysfunction of a family, still trying to find their way after tragedies, misunderstandings and challenges that many families face.

I hope you all stop by and pick up a copy of this fabulous book on Amazon and enter the contest to win the first book in the series.

Congratulations, Michael. Job well done!

Selena