"...In Aya's usual style, Run or Die is uncompromising in its subject matter. Threads of violence and racism interweave a stellar plot... If you like true-to-life dramas, you will love this." Brenda Nettleship, Sheffield, England Life had never been easy for Jaz Wheeler. When love touched her world only to be snatched away, emptiness settled around her heart. She barely cared enough to keep body and soul together until she landed on Hawk Hill and the Hopewell Farm. Somehow, the isolated farm caught her by the heart strings. Aretha Hopewell, a bitter black woman, loves her farm, but doesn't like whites in general and isn't pleased that her mother talked her into hiring Jaz. In spite of their differences, love for the land and the animals hold both women to Hopewell Farm. Six men are determined to run the women off Hopewell farm, or to kill them. The ultimatum to run or die only strengthens Jaz's resolve to fight. How will they survive the vicious assaults when the sheriff can't find a way to stop the men, and the town turns a blind eye?
About the Author: Aya's illiterate grandfather and nearly-illiterate grandmother conspired to teach her to read and write by age six. They succeeded with the help of a Carnegie librarian. Since then writing has been Aya's all-consuming passion. "Words give us wings to soar," Aya says. "I became a writer because I want to share the magic of words." Once a novel is published, she makes a commitment to her readers: "I have created women and men you will never forget; people you will laugh and cry with." Aya draws from a vast array of experiences. She has represented the people in committee hearings held by the House of Representatives of California; she has lived on the road and eaten at soup kitchens; she has farmed, been a mechanic, worked in construction, been a waitress; and she has been a personal guard for children under threats of violence. Aya graduated from the University of Washington's Writer's Course. For a number of years she worked as a counselor and studied human nature. Aya is passionate about changing the image of women in the media. "It is time for women to read about strong women who positively impact their worlds. This is why I write books with strong female characters, and strong, caring male characters." Aya's previous work includes Good Intentions, an award-winning coming-of-age novel; Sketch of a Murder, Book 1, Special Crimes Team. This is what Detective Suzanne Eviston says about Sketch of a Murder: "Loving the book! Especially the killer talking in first person...great!" Street Harvest, Book 2, Special Crimes Team, is a hard-hitting novel about street kids abducted by human traffickers. It hit Amazon's Top 100 Bestsellers List in the UK shortly after it's initial release. Aya currently lives in the shadows of the Pacific Northwest mountains. She and her wife, Deva, own a 12-acre wildlife/wild bird habitat. When she isn't writing, Aya loves to read, hike, work with her German Shepherd dogs, tend the land, ride her motorcycle, and spend time with family and friends.