HYPE - #Abhanga #poem #bookpromo #poetry #poetrycommunity #readingcommunity #YAbook #newadult #rapesurvivor @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! April is National Poetry Month, and I'm trying to write a poem a day. I participate in a lot of poetry challenges that are provided through the amazing online poetry community I've found, but I didn't have a prompt for today. Instead, I decided I would share one of my novels with you and write a poem about it.

The book I'm sharing with you today is actually the second book I ever wrote, but it sat on a shelf for over ten years because I wasn't ready to release it. I had decided I wanted to begin my journey as an author with my paranormal stories and focused on writing and releasing those. But at some point, HYPE began calling to me again, and I dusted it off and began the process of revising it. It was quite a process because technology had changed a lot in those ten years. Finally, in 2021, HYPE was release.

HYPE is a story about sexual assault. The main character, Cici, is a senior in high school and is enjoying her best year. Then, the unimaginable happens and she is raped by someone she had grown to trust. When he threatens to kill those she loves if she says anything, she finds herself trapped with no one to turn to. HYPE is about strength, courage, resilience, survival, and hope. 

I chose to write an Abhanga poem. This form consists of four lines with a 6-6-6-4 syllabic pattern, where lines two and three rhyme.

Drowning in Despair

her innocence destroyed

fear debilitates her

all days begin to blur

hope dissipates

For those of you interested, here is the information for HYPE:

Cici’s junior year in high school is going to be the best year ever. Popular co-captain of the varsity cheerleading team, she’s dating the starting quarterback. Even her jealous co-captain’s attempts to steal her boyfriend can’t curb her enthusiasm.

When her mom moves in with her fiancé, a handsome, wealthy man, only one small detail threatens Cici’s perfect life. The school’s social pariah is about to become her stepsister, and Cici wants nothing to do with her.

Everything changes when someone Cici cares about throws her life into a tailspin, and the one person Cici couldn’t stand becomes her only ally.

Warning: This story contains scenes of sexual assault.

HYPE is available on Amazon and Smashwords.