Glow Power: Unlocking Healing and Transformation is now available for e-book purchase and paperback! After years of birthing this award-winning story to life, this awaited book has finally dropped!
About the Book
9-year-old Jake gets on an eye-bulging out-of-control elevator, makes a wish that turns him into a Cardinal Avatar, and goes through an icky and gooey jelly thruway, to a time-traveling tunnel that flies him more than one hundred years in the past, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921!
As a Cardinal Avatar, Jake experiences how amazing Black Wall Street really is and loves the people he meets at the Dunbar school, such as his friend Teyanna. He can live at the prosperous Greenwood forever just as he is. But when Teyanna falls due to the Tulsa Race Massacre that occurs on May 31, can his new-found powers really heal her, or is it he who needs her to heal him?
Love may not be able to cure historical violence, but Teyanna is The Glow that makes Jake and his world more beautiful in ways he never dreamed about, but was ready for all along. Jake and Teyanna join forces with Abuelita, peers, and millions of others back at his hometown to spread the seeds of love and peace as Empowered Guardians of a Transforming World, Super Powering Glows full of hope that care to remember and fulfill dreams.
Glow Power follows a boy who travels back in time after being trapped in an elevator and witnesses Greenwood before the Tulsa Race Massacre and then the terror of its destruction. What inspired you to blend fantasy and historical fiction?
I have always had a wild imagination and loved storytelling since I was a little girl. Combining fantasy with history brings new possibilities and original thinking into community stories. It allows for creativity in ways that “go there” to raise awareness through world-building narration. Blending fantasy with historical fiction allows authors to create realities about history that center the people most affected. The point is to understand what could have been, how it could be better, and use this strategy to layer in hope and promise into stories; specifically in Glow Power, Jake and Teyanna build a robust friendship that becomes lifelong and that takes their witnessing Greenwood before the massacre and afterward, into an action led movement that’s anti racist and that transforms global crisis into healthier realities.
How did you develop Jake’s emotional responses so that they would feel authentic and relatable to young readers?
My son is a similar age to Jake, and he was my sounding board. I tried my best to get into a child’s mind. Originally, Jake was too idealistic and not as relatable, but working with my son, several children, and my critique group, I worked to make Jake’s emotional responses feel authentic and relatable. Thus, Jake transitions from who he used to be and the high expectations others had of him to eventually become the relatable Guardian Jake. Readers see how he got to this stage, starting with his authentic self morphing into a Cardinal Avatar and enjoying being able to fly and heal others. Once he gets back to the elevator and loses his superpowers, young readers relate to not having superpowers they wish they had and realizing that who they are is plenty.
What does the cardinal symbolize within the story?
This is a good question. The cardinal is Jake’s favorite bird, and it symbolizes possibility. Cardinals are believed to deliver messages from departed loved ones. In Glow Power, it is never directly relayed that Teyanna is the only one from all of the Dunbar kids Jake met who passes away. Teyanna is the only one that comes back to life, first through glows that tap into Jake’s peaceful and caring potential, activating his Cardinal Avatar and superpower features. In turn, he seeps life back into her as a cardinal known for being courageous, passionate, spiritual, committed, harmonious, and of course loving.
The cardinal in this story symbolizes a new beginning for Teyanna, Jake, Abuelita, and all those who will work to ensure peace. The cardinal also symbolizes the spiritual confirmation that they are on the right path as Guardians of a Transforming World.
What do you hope young readers understand about history after finishing the book?
Glow Power confronts the covered-up history of the Tulsa Race Massacre in 1921 so that young readers are led by values and are informed of better, peaceful ways to live. This book is a loving account that shows possibility and an actionable roadmap toward a better world. That is, readers will understand the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre that could have been prevented and tap into these lessons so that the future can become a more peace-loving world, connecting to Black, Red, and Bronze Excellence and Achievement. After finishing the book, the history of a strong and prosperous Black Wall Street will have been exposed so that people of color are valued and their contributions recognized. (Interviewed by Literary Titan, link above).
What to Expect: Friendship, family, superpowers, time travel, problem-solving, kindness, healing, activism.
In this inspirational story, readers will learn about the history of the Tulsa Race Massacre, as well as the continuing problems that racial hatred causes in our communities and lives in the present day.
Today, race and equality are topics that impact everyone’s lives. But did you know that they’ve been the center of controversy throughout American history? Jake has discovered he has superpowers—in his avatar form of Jake the Cardinal Bird, he can travel back in time! Journey back in time with Jake, as he visits Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921—the year that a violent White mob, aided by police, massacred people of color in the area known as Black Wall Street.
Horrified by the violence, he uses his powers to bring his new friend Teyanna back to life and realizes he can do more—he can go even further back in time, to before the massacre, to spread love and understanding in the hearts of the shooters! But will it be enough to stop the violence?
Jake is a warm-hearted role model, and readers will love his combination of superhero powers, like his cardinal avatar suit, and good old-fashioned values, like love and acceptance. Vibrant digital artwork throughout the story illustrates the diversity and beauty of people of color and helps readers imagine themselves in the events of 1921 alongside Jake.
In addition to historical facts, readers will learn an important message, eloquently captured in the final page’s call to action—that continuing to spread hope and love is the only way to combat hatred and violence. Best for ages 9+; younger readers may enjoy it with adult guidance.
Buy the Book
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