Evelyn Lee , aka. E. B. Lee is on a blog tour for her new release. And she’s stopped by here to give us a peek. Welcome, Evelyn. Share with my readers what inspired you to write Clean Sweep: A novel?
No matter where you live, in a city or not, it is unusual to NOT see a person or people who are either homeless, street homeless, or in tough straights. Taking the next step of wondering why someone is living outside came to mind quite naturally.
After that, it was not a big jump to realize, “No one says, ‘When I grow up, I want to live in a box on a city sidewalk.’” No one says that. I know that everyone who is out started somewhere else. It bothered me to know this, and know that something had gone uncontrollably wrong in these people’s lives. I, like many people, know individuals who have suffered from mental health challenges, financial hardships and/or substance abuse issues. These challenges can be so debilitating. If they are not managed, there is a chance someone will lose a lot that is important in their life, and might wind up homeless or street homeless.
Clean Sweep is serious fiction that explores the personal side of street homelessness, mental health, and tough circumstances. It also explores the power of human connection and compassion as well as the vulnerabilities associated with making these connections and having compassion.
Why a fiction about homelessness?
One of my goals in writing Clean Sweep is to make readers stop and think about those who are living on the streets as individuals. Another is to prompt greater compassion. It is so easy to hustle past in our daily activities and turn a blind eye or feel a bit of disdain or, simply, to feel helpless to make any change.
This is not to say that everyone can stop and talk to every person who is homeless. This is not necessarily a good practice. But, we can each understand that no matter how a person looks or acts, that person is still another human being, and, as I said before, that person did not dream of moving into these life circumstances.
I hear your passion. We often forget the least of these.
We must each, individually, and as a society, figure out better steps for helping those in trouble. Instead of trying to come up with a grand, comprehensive plan, that takes years to create and then sits on a shelf, I believe we would be better off with one or two actionable steps, that can be undertaken on a local level and on an individualized basis because this situation, after all, is about individuals.
The large picture can often seem so overwhelming and unchangeable. On a smaller scale, we can usually feel more capable of change. We do, in cities and towns, have social services available and we have many soup kitchens and community organizations providing help. We can each donate time or resources to these causes, and we can support the services providing outreach to these vulnerable human beings.
Evelyn, these are significant challenges. Why should my readers check out your book?
There is no better time than now to read Clean Sweep and to take some personal actions toward helping others. During the past year, with coronavirus impacting our lives, so many people’s personal lives were turned upside down. For many, there was a huge financial loss. Some faced mental health concerns they might or might not have faced before. Accidental drug overdose numbers increased.
For people who were already homeless and living on the streets or in tents, the realities of the hardships that they face daily became more noticeable to the public in general through increased press coverage. This is why Clean Sweep carries particularly great power now. I have said to others, “Clean Sweep is a must read because it matters.”
By writing Clean Sweep: A Novel, I achieved my goals of creating an interesting and engaging story, and also touching readers’ emotions and intellect so that we might better help those who are vulnerable I want to thank all readers who put Clean Sweep on their reading lists, for putting their minds and hearts in my hands for a few hours and for trying to make a difference through your own personal reading and related personal growth. Books do open worlds and do empower readers in many, many ways.
Wow! You are a firebrand of passion about the subject of homelessness. Let me share the blurb about your book here.
A desperate need to help. A past that can’t be forgotten. Can one selfless woman save the lives of those unable to save their own?
Carli Morris is looking forward to a quiet retirement. Earning billions from the sale of her Madison Avenue ad agency, she dreams of spending her golden years painting and giving back to society. But the heartbreaking discovery of a homeless woman dead in her midtown-Manhattan neighborhood reopens the wounds of Carli’s own tragic loss.
Realizing her busy career turned her away from the vulnerable, she throws herself onto a mission to get the defenseless off the streets. But as she sacrifices her own needs to support others, her new colleague’s illness and her own unresolved grief collide in a staggering sequence of events that will alter her life forever.
Can Carli dig deep and make a powerful, personal impact?
Clean Sweep is a dynamic literary novel that exposes the strength and vulnerabilities of compassion and human connection. If you like moving revelations, gut-wrenching decisions, and life-affirming transformations, then you’ll love E. B. Lee’s enlightening tale.
More about E.B. Lee
E. B. Lee was raised in Weston, CT, where she enjoyed the best of a then-rural town and easy train access to the high-energy world of New York City. She brings together elements of both worlds in her debut work of literary fiction, Clean Sweep, a heartfelt story of human connection, tough choices, and compassion. E. B. Lee now writes in the North Carolina Sandhills and Connecticut. She is usually accompanied by her dog.
Follow her on her website.
Follow her on social media
https://www.facebook.com/EBLeeauthor
https://www.instagram.com/eblee.author/
Giveaway:
She’ll be giving away an e-book copy to one lucky commenter. I’ll draw a name on Monday, the 20th and E. B. will contact them.
Interesting topic. Thank you for the post!
Sorry, I got behind on drawing a name for E.B. I was out of town. You are the winner!! She will be contacting you.