Slow Burn
Ebony Farashuu
Kobalt Books
ISBN-10: 0976911744
ISBN-10: 9780976911746
Reviewed By Carey Jefferson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
Slow Burn: n. Slang; A gradually increasing sense or show of passion or emotion.
Ayzha
is trapped in a loveless marriage, barren of children (due to numerous
miscarried pregnancies), and resentful of a husband who has no concern
for her personal needs. In search of her own happiness, she succumbs to
the lure of infidelity, only to finally get pregnant - by her lover -
and lose both him and her husband in the process…
Jeremy is
the Player your mama always warned you about, but he's only doing what
his father taught him to do; when it costs him the love of a very
special woman, though, he begins to wonder about the logic of his
actions - and when she suffers a sudden tragedy, he doesn't miss a beat
for the chance to get back in her good graces…
Serafina never
knew about love at first sight - until she meets Khalil; suddenly,
things in her life couldn't be better - until things just as suddenly
change for the worst, and she's torn between a re-emerging past and an
uncertain future, stuck in an emotional vacuum from which she may never
escape…
If you've ever wondered about the effects that love really has on the heart, let Slow Burn
be your guide. Through page-turning drama and suspense, Ebony Farashuu
takes you on an emotional roller coaster of joy, dejection, heartache,
redemption - and even some feelings that you can't quite put into
words. Her narrative bravely broaches such subjects as domestic abuse,
the tenuous bonds of family, and infidelity in the name of love - and
she interweaves the themes with the grace and ease of a poetic
soliloquy.
For its engaging appeal and true heart, Slow Burn
is a pleasurable reading experience. The storyline is compelling, and
the characters breathe new life to the age-old quandary of love's true
nature: it may sound real, it may smell real, and it may even feel real
- but you just never really know for sure until you taste and see...
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Ebony Farashuu (Slow Burn)
Apex Reviews: Ebony, thanks for joining us for this interview. We greatly appreciate having this opportunity to learn more about your book.
Ebony Farashuu: Thank you so much for having me! This is all very exciting!
AR: The story incorporates various aspects of love, not just the good and romantic sides. As such, the real consequences of some of the decisions we make in the heat of the moment come through loud and clear. What inspired you to take such a balanced approach in your storytelling?
EF: I was inspired by life and the idea of cause and effect. I think that the worst mistakes in life are those that you don't learn from. Serafina, Ayzha, Khalil, and Jeremy had to own their mistakes in order to learn from them and move forward. I wanted to show that life is not over just because thing are not going your way. Everything happens as it should…it is up to us to accept that and make the most of the hand we've been dealt, no matter how good or bad.
AR: Much has been made lately about the surplus of love stories currently in the market. What do you think distinguishes Slow Burn from the rest?
EF: I admit to being slightly biased… (smile)…but SLOW BURN does so much more than TELL you a story. This book places moving pictures inside of your head and taps into your emotions in a way that allows you to see and feel all of the joy, pain, pleasure, and laughter hidden between the pages. I truly believe that the poetic flow of the story sets it apart from any other novel on the shelves.
AR: Has your writing drawn comparisons to other authors, past and present? If so, which ones and why?
EF: I've been blessed that my writing has not been compared to another author's. I'm very happy about that because it allows me to express my unique voice without having the added pressure of trying to step out from behind another author's shadow.
AR: Who have been some of your chief writing influences?
EF: I love Beverly Jenkins because she proved to me that a black woman could write a story about black love and make it beautiful. When I was a teen, there were no adolescent books about kids that looked like my friends and me. There were no bestsellers with primarily African-American characters. One day my mother handed me a book called "The Truth About Me and Bobby V." Oh My God… I was so excited! Here was a book about black teenagers! I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Unfortunately, once I'd finished that book, I was back to reading about those "Cheerleaders" and those "Sweet Valley High" twins! So when I saw Beverly Jenkins book on the shelf…and found that she was in the process of writing more…I was overjoyed! I made my mother buy me that book and I STILL have it to this day! The book was called "Night Song"
AR: The poetry that some of the characters recite is very compelling. Did you write those pieces yourself?
EF: Thank you so much! I wrote all of the poetry. Poetry is my first love!
AR: What made you include the story arc about Jacob and his father's wife?
EF: You know, THAT is a great question. Jacob was originally NOT in the story. When Jacob entered, I had no idea what his purpose would be aside from him being Jeremy's brother. The moment I typed his name, his character took on a life of its own. Jacob literally wrote himself and it helped to define his and Jeremy's relationship with their father. I believe that his connection to Michelle stemmed from his inability to protect his mother from his father's hand. He had been a helpless child. When he witnessed another woman being broken down by his father, he was in a position to stop it. Was it right? No, not the situation that arose from his intervention. But was he really wrong? I don't know.
AR: The "divine intervention" that confronts Sera in the end is very stark, and especially difficult for her to handle. Why does the revelation hit her so sharply?
EF: Wow did I struggle with THAT! (smile). I know it sounds strange, but Serafina and I both came to that revelation AT THE SAME TIME! I had no idea that things would get that deep until my fingers typed the words. The more I wrote the more sense it made to me. Sometimes, we think that we are helping the ones we love by putting on a brave front and not allowing them to see what we are going through. Sometimes we can mistakenly lead them to believe that we don't need them… that can do nothing but push them away from us. We have to be able to communicate our pain to the ones who actually need to hear it. The messenger was just the icing on the cake and I was so happy when I realized who she really was.
AR: What's next on the horizon for you?
EF: Right now I am focusing on promoting SLOW BURN and working on my next novel.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
EF: I would like to stress the importance of Literacy in the African- American community. Place a book in the hand of a child! Read out loud to your child! Let them know that ALL success begins with the written word!
AR: Thanks again, Ebony, and best of continued success to you in all yourendeavors!
EF: Thank you so much! I look forward to reading more reviews and interviews from Apex! You guys are doing a wonderful job!