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Book Review

Legend of the Black Roses (Black Rose, #1)Legend of the Black Roses by D. C. Cowan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I bear the same name as the author, but I'm actually not the real author of the Legend of the Black Roses. It was written over thirty years ago, but was never published by the author. The story is very unique in many ways. It's hard to find a book that's similar to it, at least within the books written by and about African Americans. I compare it to the book Kindred, not because the stories are similar, but by what they portray. Kindred tells the world what would happen if a modern African American female was taken from her life and sent into the past. But what if an African princess was ripped from her homeland, forced into slavery, and is somehow lost in time as well. This is the real mystery of the story. How does the spirit of an African princess become a disembodied spirit? Don't worry; I haven't spoiled anything with this review. This answer isn't revealed in the first novel anyway. There are many twists and turns in the first novel and hopefully the series to come that keeps the story interesting.

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Showing posts with label D. C. Cowan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label D. C. Cowan. Show all posts

Thursday, January 16, 2014

DC's Poetry Corner

  I've Found My Love

I've loved and been loved, many a time,
       And many a time before.
I've lost that love with the passing of time,
       Never to love anymore.
I've always seem to find someone else's
       Heart beating just for me.
I've lost that someone, because of someone,
      Needing it to be.
I've never grieved upon the lost, 
        Because it was not too real.
I've searched and found, found and lost,
      Heartbreak never to feel.
I've seen the light, I'll find my love,
      And he'll be mine forever more.

 

Text Copyright © 1962-2014 by D. C. Cowan

Friday, January 10, 2014

DC's Poetry Corner

 What times are these?


What times are these
When evil prevails
When righteousness leaves
And good fails
When men must die
For doing right
And you and I
Must fear the night

These, these are times of woe
Of man against man, forever more
Stop, stop for dignity
And become a complete humanity


Text Copyright © 1962-2014 by D. C. Cowan

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Press Release to major newspapers





Mother & Daughter Literary Team Fuse Psychology, Science Fiction & African American Identity in Compelling New Series.

Collaborating under the name D. C. Cowan, ‘The Legend of the Black Rose’ sees the authors depict a cruel reality where racism rules society. While fictional, their gripping narrative is poised to provide plenty of real-world food for thought. How far could society go to separate its citizens by color?
For Immediate Release


Asheville, NC – While it has been fifty years since Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, the world still remains largely divided by race. In a powerful new literary series written by mother and daughter D.C. Cowan, society’s continued ignorance of Civil Rights results in a world few want to live in.

‘The Legend of the Black Rose’ is the first in a powerful new series, with each volume showcasing the further consequences of allowing racism to shape society.  One unique and startling aspect about this fictional series is the protagonist of the first novel is the Black Rose, the spirit of an African woman who has witnessed every imaginable event of racism since the time slavery was legal in America. 

Synopsis:

All women are like roses.  Each variety of rose has its beauty, but also each has its thorns – the more hatred that taints the bush the greater the thorns.  Watch the red roses turn black as the love of the hearts turns cold and the black flowers wither and die.  The black roses carry the sorrow and pain of the spirits lost from their homeland and lost in time.  During this time in an alternate world history, the black roses are being severed and slowly they are disappearing from the garden.  

One act of hatred will tear one family apart, but will bring together age old lovers in the most unusual way.  The Legend of the Black Rose follows the descendants of an African Princess stolen from her homeland.  Before you make assumptions, this is more than a story of a slave.  Never before has an interesting mix of history and fantasy been spliced together in such an intricate and delicate manner.   It's a story of a forbidden love divided by ages.  A great love story of ancestral beings driven from their homeland and doomed to wander as restless spirits.

Should the Black Rose choose to be labeled in history as a slave who was stolen from her homeland or should she claim her destiny as a wise and comforting spirit destined to protect her lost and fading lineage?  Is she the slave of the Americans or the princess of the Africans?  These questions are for you, the reader, to discern.  Follow the ancestral spirits lost and outcast from time as they determine their proper place and identity.  As you read, ask yourself who is the Black Rose?


As one of the author’s explains, their upcoming series is important on both a personal and international level.

“It has been a dream of mine to publish a book for over thirty years. I started developing this narrative in the 1980s, but life’s demands took over and it remained untouched. Now is the time to get this series out to society, to allow readers to explore its core themes of passionate love, hereditary pride, a fading race and the borderline of sanity,” says Cowan Senior.

Continuing, “It’s also one of the few Science Fiction and Fantasy books to contain African American protagonists. Later books in the series will incorporate some true stories of hatred against African Americans and women with the fictional backdrop established in the first novel. African Americans will exhibit racism towards their own people and African American females will suffer both racism and sexism. Each of these topics is hugely pertinent to society, making this a true melding of fact and fiction.”

Information about further volumes will be available at the authors’ official website: http://www.dccowanauthors.com.

In the meantime, ‘The Legend of the Black Rose’ is due for release on December 31st.




About the Author:
D. C. Cowan is a collaborative mother-daughter team who is pleased to present several book series exploring minorities and spirituality.  Sharing the same first and middle initial, they use D. C. Cowan as their pen name for the books they will release. 

The Legend of the Black Rose series was written by Cowan, Sr. over thirty years ago. She is a graduate of the prestigious Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. With quiet tenacity, Cowan has been writing her books for over thirty years.  A pillar to her community, she was a director for many years at a local recreation center and she taught Sunday school at her local church where she received recognition from the members for her contributions.

As a youth, Cowan, Jr. performed for six years as a pre-professional ballerina with the Asheville Civic Ballet.  She is a graduate of Wake Forest University known to some as the "Ivy League of the South" with a degree in Psychology.  For the 2008 commencement, she was awarded as Best Senior Orator for her speech.  For two years, she attended a graduate program for Psychology where she joined the Psi Chi Honor Society and received Graduate Student Awards for Research and Travel.   Her most recent position was at the Johns Hopkins Health System.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Book Cover design




Back Cover Description



The Legend of the Black Rose follows the descendants of an African Princess stolen from her homeland.  Before you make assumptions, this is more than a story of a slave.  Never before has an interesting mix of history and fantasy been spliced together in such an intricate and delicate manner.   It's a story of a forbidden love divided by ages.  A great love story of two ancestral beings driven from their homeland and doomed to wander as restless spirits.

All women are roses.  Each woman is a different kind of rose – some white, yellow, red and even black.  Each variety of rose has its beauty, but also each has its thorns – the more hatred and racism that taints the bush the greater the thorns.  During this time in an alternate world history, the black roses are being severed and slowly they are disappearing from the garden.   One act of hatred will tear one family apart, but will bring together age old lovers in the most unusual way. 

Should the Black Rose choose to be labeled in history as a slave who was stolen from her homeland or should she claim her destiny as a wise and comforting spirit destined to protect her lost and fading lineage?  Is she the slave of the Americans or the princess of the Africans?  These questions are for you, the reader, to discern.  The Black Rose series is about passionate love, hereditary pride, a fading race, and the borderline of sanity.  Follow the ancestral spirits lost and outcast from time as they determine their proper place and identity.  As you read, ask yourself who is the Black Rose?

Black Rose Promo Video


Author's Bio: New Author D. C. Cowan



D. C. Cowan is a collaborative mother-daughter team who is pleased to present several book series exploring minorities and spirituality.  The Black Rose series was written by the mother over thirty years ago.  Cowan, is a graduate of the prestigious Spellman College in Atlanta, GA where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree.  A pillar to her community, she was a director for many years at a local recreation center and with the Sycamore Temple Church she taught Sunday School and received recognition from the members for her contributions.  With quiet tenacity, Cowan has been writing her books for over thirty years only sharing her ideas with close relatives.  While a dedicated housewife, she spent hours researching and writing self-help books and hundreds of poems, novels, and short stories.  Finding courage in a hard time, Cowan worked for a number of years helping her children through school.  Encouraged by her family, she now shares her stories with the world as another African American novelist.  A dedicated and loving mother and wife, she is the mother of two and currently resides with her retired husband.

The daughter is a graduate of the world renowned Wake Forest University with a degree in Psychology.  She attended graduate school for two years pursuing a Master’s degree in Psychology.  She plans to help her mother continue to publish the Black Rose series.  With a personal love of studying the spiritual world, she has written several books that delve into the relation of God, angels and humans.  She has written three books about minorities chosen to fulfill a prophecy and destined to become angels of life, love and truth in a dark world.  The trilogy is called Angelic Heroes which includes the following: Book of Omni, Child of Light and Mount of Truth.  The books depict strong female minorities as the lead characters.  Though suitable for all ages, the trilogy is intended for teenagers and young adults who are interested in spirituality and fantasy. 


The Legend of the Black Rose Press Release: Coming this January 2014!



The Debut Novel by D. C. Cowan
D. C. Cowan consists of two authors.  It’s a collaborative mother-daughter team who is pleased to present several book series exploring minorities and spirituality.  The Black Rose series was written over thirty years ago.  Cowan attended the prestigious Spelman College and graduated some years before Alice Walker, the author of The Color Purple.  The Legend of the Black Rose follows the family of descendants of an African Princess stolen from her homeland.  One act of hatred will tear the family apart, but will bring back together age old lovers in the most unusual way.   It’s a story of a forbidden love divided by ages.  A great love story of two ancestral beings driven from their homeland and doomed to wander as restless spirits.  The Black Rose is known as a wise and comforting spirit destined to protect her lost and fading lineage.  The identity of the Black Rose adds an element of mystery to the book.  She has the potential to be anyone at any time.  There is also an element of racial pride and religion that would appeal to mature African American audiences, but anyone interested in a unique paranormal romance will find the story fascinating.

The Fading Race of African Americans
The Legend of the Black Rose series centers on African Americans especially women of color.  The setting is in America during the mid-19th century, but in an alternate reality where the sons of Shem and Japheth are on the war path to eradicate the sons of Ham – the three sons of Noah.  The African race is believed to be descendants of Ham and thus they are under a curse to be enslaved.  During this time in an alternate world history, there is worldwide genocide on the people with African descent.  The main character is an African American female who could pass for Caucasian.  She was left an orphan because of the genocide and her whole life she has struggled with her identity and her longing to be accepted as Black American. 

The Black Rose Book Series
The Legend of the Black Rose is the first book in the series.  The Black Rose series is about passionate love, about hereditary pride, a fading race, and about the borderline of sanity.  The impact of this genocide is more prevalent in the later books of the series when segregation is enforced, contemporary slavery is accepted, and interracial lovers must fight the laws of segregation.  However, the series focuses less on the war of the races and more on the price the war has had on the black identity, mentality and romance. Shoved off in communities categorized by race, the stories venture into the lives and love affairs among people who want to find love in a world that is not accepting of interracial couples.