A little girl hides behind a frightened young woman's skirt. A distance away, two men talk. One of those men puts money, what would be the equivalent of $35.00, into the much younger man's hand. A woman who has been standing an even further distance away is motioned to come closer. She reluctantly puts out her cigarette and sidles up to the woman and child pair. The stranger man nods to the woman; the young people nod to each other. The no longer frightened young woman nudges the little girl from behind her skirt and then places the little girl's hand into the alien woman's hand. She will become the little girl's new friend. This friend coos and smiles to the little girl with an effort, promising sweet food and a shiny bicycle. The little girl only smells the foul cigarette odor on the breath of the other. And so, another child submits to the awful circumstances of hard and harsh labor in the cocoa fields. She is four years old. Her name is Yene. She will suffer for two years. Meet Professor Catherine Anne Campbell. Students at Basrouge University in Johnston, Pennsylvania have filled seats in her lecture hall for years to learn about Women's Rights. How does it come to be then, that a stubborn, willful woman from Johnston, Pennsylvania would meet a shy little girl from Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa? Once she becomes aware of the abominable conditions of a child as she toils over the cocoa pod, Cathy's passion to enter those cocoa farms to investigate and to save the children virtually imprisoned there causes her to make many a move. Cathy makes her move to rescue Yene. She takes her from Côte d'Ivoire into Mali. Anywhere in the world, taking a child without permission, even without malice aforethought, is damning. Capture might easily place Cathy in harm's way. Will she face a trial in the Cote d'Ivoire? Will she be caught by rogue others who might beat and brutalize both her and her newly found treasure, Yene? Can Cathy escape the country? If so, will Yene accompany her? Yene is held captive to cocoa. Can she truly find release? Trust me when I say, chocolate will never ever taste the same
About the Author: Jeffrey Underwood graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in psychology. Though he has practiced as a Registered Nurse for many years, he comes from a family of traditionally published authors. He currently resides in Mountlake Terrace, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Kate and Jeff's newly published "Captive To Cocoa" will reveal the sad fact of child slavery in the chocolate industry. Sting of the Golden Bee is in process of creation at this time. Kate Taylor is nationally certified as an Activities Director and has an award winning history working in Life Enhancement in long term care. She is a Licensed Nursing Assistant as well. A poet, also talented in the world of watercolor, Kate also enjoys playing the piano. They say that no one lives in New Hampshire, but Kate does. She resides in the small town of Jaffrey. She has much to share in the way of writing. Kate and Jeff are presently immersed in developing their own publishing and consulting business. Jeff and Kate met online and found that their collaborative interests meshed splendidly. This new novel is an example of that blending of gusto for writing that they both certainly have. "Many authors write only a few books in a lifetime. Kate and I have written nearly a dozen in a year. You might ask, does quantity sacrifice quality here? It doesn't happen to. That's why this occurrence is so exceptional. Kate and I love our characters. There is a reason for that. It's because it is truly a captivating world. Writing is a love affair. Until you have found it, you will never know the potential depth of it. Kate and I have found it." - Jeff Underwood By the by, despite a distance of three thousand miles, Kate and Jeff have accomplished the writing and self-publishing of their books via texts, email, or phone alone. They have yet to meet. But they will.