Reap: The Bible Belt Series by Tiffani Quarles Sanders

Reap: The Bible Belt Series by Tiffani Quarles Sanders
https://www.amazon.com/Reap-Bible-Tiffani-Quarles-Sanders-ebook/dp/B0CJLT4HGF

ALABAMA 1931:

Annie Lawson thanked the Lord everyday for the life she and her husband, Sam, had made for themselves as sharecroppers on the Moore plantation. They were even more blessed to raise their granddaughter Liz, a bright, observant, book-loving girl who longed to continue her education past the primary grades. But when Mary Moore decides she wants Liz to drop out of school and become her private maid, Annie calls on her friends, the Miller siblings, to save Liz without risking eviction for her family.

As they work out a plan to free Liz from Mary Moore’s clutches and secret her off the plantation, the Millers reach deep into the pain of their past, harkening back to the 1870s and confronting the moment when Bill Moore altered their lives forever. As an influential and powerful white man in the Deep South, Bill was never charged with his crimes, leaving the Millers devastated and forever caught in the shadow of his vile act.

Discover how decades of simmering evil come to a boil in Reap, Tiffani Quarles-Sanders’ latest book. For Bill Moore, the lesson is clear: A man will reap what he has sown.

About Tiffani Quarles-Sanders
A native of Montgomery, Alabama, Tiffani Quarles-Sanders is an author of historical and modern African-American fiction, and the owner of Hollow Bridge Publishing. Quarles-Sanders holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from Alabama State University and has been teaching as an elementary school teacher for 25 years.

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Chapter Excerpt from Reap: The Bible Belt Series

“Liz, baby, come on over here and sit down. You’re getting older now.” Sam nodded toward his granddaughter. “You need to know this, too.”

Liz filled the fourth chair, her back straight and her eyes trained on her grandmother.

“Go ahead, Sally,” Annie prompted after turning her head away from Liz for a brief second to gather up her emotions. She didn’t want the child to know how worried she was. “Tell us what we need to do.”

Sally looked at Liz and smiled. “Many of the children around here don’t know it, but this here is my brother Joe and my sister Claire,” Sally explained. “We ain’t as close as we should be, but hopefully, that will all change tonight.”

Liz nodded gravely. She was about to be told something important by the adults, and for once she was more interested in listening than asking questions.

“When we were little, our parents were well-to-do,” Sally continued. “It was the Moores who took that. And now they’re trying to take something from you that’s far more valuable.”

“What is that?” Liz asked, perplexed. She didn’t own anything valuable as far as she knew.

“Your freedom and education!” Sally burst out. “And we ain’t gonna let them take that.”

“I don’t understand,” said Liz. Bewildered, she looked at her grandmother. “Those ain’t things you can take from a person. Not anymore, not since slave time.”

Pushing down her own emotions and hauling up bravery for Liz’s sake, Annie explained Mrs. Moore’s intentions to her granddaughter, who listened quietly, horror in her eyes.

“But Grandma, I’m too little to clean that big house.” Liz spoke matter-of-factly, without a trace of a whine in her voice.

“Of course you are, baby, you just turned ten but two months ago. That’s why we’re all here tonight. The Moores ain’t getting what they want, not this time.”

Sally stood and took Liz by the shoulder. “And we’re going to help you. I’ve known your grandma for many, many years.” She smiled at Liz.

“And we want a good life for you,” Joe added quickly, his eyes glistening.

“But Mr. Moore—he’s vile,” said Claire, taking over for her sister. “Evil and sin come hand in hand. The Moores live a life of vice, and it touches everyone they know.” Her words flowed with unrestrained emotion, and her voice trembled with an angry sorrow. “Some people try to buy their way out of it, and others try to pray their way out of it, but after so many years of such wickedness, it only gets harder to control. We’re here tonight to control it, but it ain’t gonna be easy.”

Liz blinked and respectfully waited for Miss Cherry to continue. When she didn’t, Liz sat up even straighter and said, “Everyone says the Moores are the devil’s kin, but I don’t know why. They just two old white folks with lots of money.”

“They weren’t always so old, baby, and they use that money to control everyone on their land—you, me, Papa, Sally, everyone,” said Annie. “That money is power, and the Moores abuse that power something awful. It’s why Mr. Moore can do things like wake us all in the dead of night and demand that we sing to him.”

“He cost the entire plantation a night’s sleep, but that’s nowhere close to the worst he done, Lizzy,” said Joe, explaining gently. “And what he done to my family is only one great sin in a long life of sin. Maybe if we tell you about that, you’ll understand why we got to keep you from them.” He looked Sam in the eye for confirmation, and Sam nodded his consent. “We think it’s time you knew the kind of folk you’re dealing with.”

Reap: The Bible Belt Series by Tiffani Quarles Sanders
Genre: African American Historical Fiction
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJLT4HGF