Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Straight Reading from the Library: The Last Ten Pounds by Lina Sage


This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Lina will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

READ THE BLURB


Shortly after I was born, my family left Vietnam’s strict Communist regime by escaping on a tiny fishing boat in the middle of the night.

Luckily, Canada accepted us as refugees and we were excited for a new beginning. However, any hopes of a brighter future vanished before an abusive alcoholic father who’s repeated physical violence against my mom left me screaming for any stability. Sexual, physical and emotional abuse clouded my childhood years leaving me so damaged that it changed who I was meant to grow up to be.

In my early twenties, I bought a house and converted it into a full blown marijuana grow op.

Soon after, I entered into the world of elite call girls and became one of the most sought after girls in my agency. By my late twenties, I was on top of the world and the proud owner of a multi-million-dollar luxury day spa.

Just when I thought I had it all, I made the ultimate mistake that ended in me losing everything and hitting rock bottom.

I was spiritually broken and in desperate need of healing. I had no choice but to reconcile with my past. This decision brought me down a miraculous journey that opened me up to consciousness and enabled me to exist in the space I do today; that of uninhibited peace.

The Last 10 Pounds: One Woman’s Journey to Love (by shedding Fear, Anger, Hatred…and Everything In-Between) is my personal journey and a testament that it is possible to heal and transform. To be the person you were born to be.

READ THE REVIEW


Bless her heart-- this woman went through things I can't even imagine. She made some bad choices along the way, but hers were exacerbated by the fact that she was abused in a horrible way by her uncle on a regular basis when she was a little girl. Her family was dysfunctional with a capital D. Her mom refused to believe her when Lina told her what her uncle had done; her father, when drunk, would physically abuse her mother; her mother, in frustration, would take out her anger on the kids; and so the cycle continued.

Lina shares with us her life-- shattered as it was and as horrifying as it can be. She's honest with us about the bad choices she made and the consequences.

It wasn't until she was at her absolute bottom that she was able to start looking up towards a more positive way of living--thanks to a friend.

This was a fascinating read and horrifying too in a way. I was blessed to grow up in a loving, safe home, and I'm not sure I would have had the strength to go through what Lina did. The first 2/3 of the book deals with her life as it was---from her childhood,to her rather successful monetarily career as an escort, to her decision that took everything away from her. The last shares her transformation--how she was able to make peace with her past.

This is, I think, a book that will stay with me for a long, long time--I ache for the little girl who learned at too early an age that the world is an unsafe place to be; I wanted to shake the young adult who I could see what making decisions that were sure to blow up in her face; and I was so very happy to see the woman that came out on the other side--strong and determined and willing to share her story with us. 4 stars.
READ AN EXCERPT


The frigid temperature and howling wind chill outside paralleled how I felt inside and I questioned how I even got here in the first place. Sure it was the considerable debt that made me feel like I had been thrust into a desperate corner but unknowingly it was so much more than that. The desperation came with the energy of wanting to release all the excruciating pain and anguish that had been building inside me my entire life. Instead of stopping to take a real look at myself, I opted to believe that the world was going to somehow release my pain. That the world was the very reason why I was so shattered. And the world would make amends and heal my wounds. Feeling empty inside impairs your ability to find any self-worth. So when it comes down to selling your body for money, it seemed hasty once the nerves settled.

You’ll be fine. It’s just a job. The oldest job in the world.

I walked up to the unassuming two story grey building that was located on a busy street. I had driven by this building plenty of times and had no idea what businesses it housed. There were no exterior signs nor were there numbers assigned to any of the offices. The only instructions I had was to walk up to the second floor and once at the top of the stairs to turn right and the office was the door to the right. I inhaled a deep breath and knocked gently on the door.

MEET THE AUTHOR


Lina Sage is a writer, speaker, producer and entrepreneur. She is the creator and founder of Chic Spirituality; a movement whose philosophy is to live your life with heightened awareness by surrounding yourself with things you deem beautiful. Lina believes balance of mind, body and soul, is the key to unlocking all things beautiful. Therefore, she enjoys physical activity to maintain a strong body and meditation to calm the mind. But she especially cherishes time spent with her beloved husband and dog because they are what brings her soul the greatest joy. Lina also likes to surround herself with great food and exotic travels around the world.

website: www.linasage.com
facebook: www.facebook.com/chicsage
instagram: www.instagram.com/chicsage/?hl=en
goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/linasage
amazon author bio link:amazon.com/author/linasage

ENTER THE GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

9 comments:

  1. Who are your favorite romantic couple and why?

    ReplyDelete
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    1. I had to think about this one and I'd have to say Oprah and Stedman. I'm a huge Oprah fan and knowing that she's been with Stedman for 30 years without having to be defined by a piece of paper is so uplifting and freeing.

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    2. I had to think about this one and I'd have to say Oprah and Stedman. I'm a huge Oprah fan and knowing that she's been with Stedman for 30 years without having to be defined by a piece of paper is so uplifting and freeing.

      Delete
  2. congrats on the tour and thanks for the chance to win :)

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  3. Good morning Straight from the Library. Thank you so much for the wonderful review and thank you for hosting!

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  4. Really great review, I'm looking forward to reading this one myself :)

    ReplyDelete