Breakthrough U.S. Author, Toni Hawkins, Storms Scene with Dark, Contrasting Debut Novels. Like Blistering Fiction with Added Grit & Edge? Read On!
The ‘Gifted’ series and ‘State of Despondency’ have allowed the world to become boldly introduced to Toni Hawkins, a maverick writer not afraid to bring two starkly-different yet similarly brave titles to market. From ‘Gifted’ and its head-first dive into the supernatural to ‘State of Despondency’ and its chilling resemblance to the author’s own life experiences, Hawkins has her sights firmly set on literary success.
Silver Spring, Maryland – While most authors use their first releases to do nothing but simply test the literary waters, Toni Hawkins has proven with gusto that debut novels are also an opportunity to rival the bestsellers. There’s no way to pigeon-hole Hawkins and her work into a single genre. Her work spans from classic-style supernatural fiction to narratives that are not afraid to explore the touchy subjects of abuse, mental health and women’s rights.
Her first two books are the ‘Gifted’ series and ‘State of Despondency’. Suspect nothing and expect everything, as Hawkins threw the literary rulebook out of the window long ago.
Synopses:
‘Gifted’ – Serenity didn’t understand what was happening when she started experiencing hallucinations about her fate, and she had no friends to turn to for help. Until she met Kendrick. Yet Kendrick brought with him a secret about Serenity: She is the youngest descendant of the Salem witch bloodline. As Serenity tried to deal with the side effects of her gift, with the help and guidance of Kendrick, she was forced to face a dangerous liaison that only affects her.
Can she find the answers about who she really is and discover what fate holds for her?
‘State of Despondency’ – All her life, Felinda has suffered from PTSD, Borderline Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder due to the traumatic events that took place when she was twelve years old. She was physically, mentally and sexually abused by her stepfather and was bullied incessantly by her peers. One year later, Felinda finds a safe haven with a different family in Chicago. As she adjusts to her new lifestyle, she still doesn’t feel safe and turns to inflicting self-harm on herself as she continues to be bullied by her adopted sister and her friends. Even her adopted father sees her as a lack of purpose. Just as she thinks that her life is better than it used to be, everything goes from worse to HORRID.
“I wanted to start with a novel in the supernatural realm, as that’s a true passion of mine,” explains Hawkins. “Yet, at the same time, I wanted to retain the hallmarks of the genre that readers have grown to love while giving them something totally new and fresh. I’ll admit it was a challenge, but I’m immensely proud of the new series I have created.”
Continuing, “’State of Despondency’ also holds a very special place in my heart as it is a reflection of me and my own life. I’ll admit that I’ve lived through crippling depression and traumatic experiences that I now count myself lucky to have survived. This book proves that hope always prevails, even when someone is in the darkest depths of their despair.”
Readers have come out in force with rave reviews. For example, in reference to the ‘Gifted’ trilogy, City of Books comments, “The plot is intriguing, the characters are great, and the ending will leave you left begging for more!”
YA Book Season adds, “The plot is intriguing, the characters are great, and the ending will leave you left begging for more!”
Steve writes, “This was a fun and compelling read. A nice book for “Tweens” to high school readers. I’m really enjoying this book and highly recommend it. If you like Twilight, Hunger Games or Divergent…, then you will most likely love this as well. Support your local economy, starving artists, hopeless romantics, poets and pirates. Give this indy book a shot. It’s not your mass produced, McNovel with cheese.”
Both books are available now:
‘Gifted’ – http://amzn.to/25LGIQU
‘State of Despondency’ – http://amzn.to/1MeWD3I
About the Author:
Toni Hawkins was born in Washington DC, but was raised in Montgomery County. At age 12, Hawkins developed a love interest in writing by writing short stories and poetry.
She is currently working on two books.
