I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Alicia and her fiction through her amazing blog Fantasy, Futuristic, and Paranormal Stories in Color and am thrilled to have her guest posting on Laurasmagicday today. Be sure to check out her blog this week for her upcoming giveaway!
This year, my son, Asante McCalla, turned 18-years old. It was a heart filled moment. As parents, we watch our young grow to maturity or adulthood in the blink of an eye. I admit that my child has helped me grow. There’s something about that connection, that bond between a mother and child that’s so important, powerful—magical.
When I wrote Breaking Free, it was a 700-paged manuscript about the journey of how a teen girl attempts to save her mother from an evil mind swiping procedure. As the story came to life, I realized that it was more than a dystopian science fiction story, it was about reuniting a broken family, healing familial pain, and a child bringing salvation to her parents.
Because I’ve worked with teens, I knew that I needed something to bring the magnitude of this out so that teen readers had an inroad into this powerful concept. Little did I know, that my child would bring salvation to me.
Asante and I have struggled over what I want him to be as a son and what he wants me to be as a mother. On some occasions, it has been difficult and others, I shed tears of joy and pride. Asante has become an independent thinker and has strong talent.
When Asante created, wrote, and produced the soundtrack for Breaking Free with his group, Newsity, the story came alive for me in a way that I didn’t expect. The song touched me and brought tears to my eyes. Keep Moving evoked the magic of the story with the subtle rap beat, theme connected lyrics, and sharply sung vocals. My baby boy and his friends brought XJ to life in 4 minutes. Asante made the story real for teens.
Today is a monumental occasion for me. Breaking Free is now available for immediate download but as a very proud parent, I am happy to say that my son’s soundtrack is awesome! I hope that readers will listen to Asante’s song and catch the magical heart and soul of Breaking Free.
Alicia McCalla writes for both young adults and adults with her brand of multicultural science fiction, urban fantasy, and futurism. Her debut novel, Breaking Free is available for immediate download. The Breaking Free theme song created by Asante McCalla is available for immediate download on itunes and Amazon. Visit Alicia at: http://www.aliciamccalla.com
Laura, thanks for inviting me to guest blog. You are marvelous! 🙂
Most welcome! I love Asante’s soundtrack:) One talented family! Congrats on the book, I LOVE the birthday pic:) Thanks for sharing.
Alicia, congratulations on the release of your novel, and on Asante’s amazing sound track.
Alicia, I can’t get the song to download, or even preview, but shall try again later. To be proud of our children is wonderful. To be proud of our own efforts coming to fruition thru publication: awesome. To have both come together–you are truly blessed.
Thanks Margaret and Sherry. I appreciate your kind words.
Sherry you couldn’t access it on iTunes or Amazon? Sadness. Try searching Twixx and Breaking Free in the search box. Maybe the links have a problem.
The links worked for me!