I receive far too many emails daily to reply to every one – and I’m old-fashioned enough to feel really guilty when I press “delete” rather than “reply” when the admin gets to be more than I can cope with. But I do read every one, and sometimes come across a book that I really like the look of and really wish I could add to my reading list. Full Circle by Regina Timothy was one book that really stood out for me – published on 24th December, and available from Amazon in the UK and US as an e-book or in paperback – the book’s premise looking like something refreshingly different.
Eight years after the 9/11 attacks, Samia-Al-Sayyid an Iraqi immigrant is living a quiet life in New York City after she fled her home to avoid imminent death.
She works hard for her cold, heartless, high-strung boss, loves her seventeen-years-old-son, and cherishes the close friendship she has formed with her best friend Susan.
Nothing can go wrong, or so she thinks – until the estranged brother she left back in Iraqi shows up on her door step. Then she finds herself in a cab, on her way to the hospital to identify her son, a terror suspect who has blown the city, and with it her boss’ husband, and her best friend’s son. With everything lost, she is forced to flee to Iraq where she confronts her past. Will she make peace with her past? Can she get forgiveness for all the damage she has caused?
Full Circle is a contemporary fiction tale of friendship, family, and hope. It explores the devastation of loss, the great capacity to forgive and the lengths our loved ones will go to protect us.
I’m delighted to welcome Regina to Being Anne to tell us more about the inspiration for writing Full Circle…
Thanks Anne for giving me an opportunity to talk about my debut novel Full Circle, a contemporary fiction tale of friendship, family, and hope.
My name is Regina and I live in Kenya. I write a variety of genres in both fiction and non fiction. I’ve always written most of my life. It’s always like a compulsion. I find myself with a lot of ideas and different scenarios I’d like to see incorporated in a novel setting. I don’t know if everyone has that.
Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always loved books and movies with a strong female leads, especially those that highlight that inspire and explore human connections. I wanted to be one of the million voices in the world that gives a voice to these remarkable characters.
One of my all time favorite movies is Not Without My Daughter a 1991 film based on the book of the same name by Betty Mahmoody which follows the escape of Betty Mahmoody from her abusive husband in Iran. The story was so poignant and made me want to write a story that touched on similar a subject.
This is why I started writing Full Circle and later came up with characters like Samia. Through their stories, I was able to explore a wide range of subjects like racial intolerance, religion, terrorism, gender and violence, culture, bullying and the infinite capacity of human beings to forgive.
The book follows the life of Samia-al-Sayyid an Iraqi immigrant living in the U.S with her son and the relationships she creates with two women – her employer and her best friend.
Samia-al-Sayyid is a thirty-three year old Iraqi immigrant living in the U.S with her son seventeen-year old son Aazim she got as a result of rape in her teens.
Samia works as Melisa’s housekeeper, a successful fashion designer whose character is aptly described by three words – cold, heartless, and high-strung. On the surface, she seems to have it all, but deep inside she is struggling with a failing marriage, and a brother who is stuck fighting in Afghanistan.
Susan is a single mom of two who works as Melisa’s assistant. She has a unique perspective on what Melisa is going though since her husband who served in Iraq committed suicide as a result of PTSD.
The book is about going full circle to reach new beginnings. It was important for Samia and the other women to resolve all the issues plaguing them by the time the book was ending to signify new beginning for all of them.
Thank you Regina – and wishing you every success with the book.
About the author
Regina lives in a picturesque village in Kenya where she enjoys amazing landscapes, exotic wildlife, and beautiful sunsets and sunrises. She always had an active imagination. By chance, she started blogging in 2010, which rekindled her love for writing and telling stories. When not writing she enjoys watching classic movies (she’s a movie buff), going to the theater and auto shows. You can join her on Twitter and visit her blog.