A Truly Educational Experience

https://www.knopnews2.com/video/2024/01/21/author-speaks-north-platte-public-library-teach-about-human-trafficking/

At the beginning of the presentation last Saturday in North Platte an audience member, a female the age of a great-grandmother asked, “What is Human Trafficking?” That was a question that took an hour and half to answer. She walked away late into the afternoon with a Paradigm Shift (A paradigm shift is a major change in the modality or process by which something is understood or accomplished). She was no longer talking about a prostitute she was thinking about how a child is wounded/abused, enslaved in sex for money, and how those children age in shame and fraud.

My first Author Read-Aloud!

Thank you!

Tiffany Quicke’s Review of Traffic Stop: Human Division a Novel

“I have been awaiting the arrival of this book for sometime. In my head, I had imagined what the book might be like. It was completely opposite of my expectations.  When I heard the book was on human trafficking I was expecting story after story of those involved with trafficking. Instead, this book is written like a story and surprisingly involves the entanglement of mostly one family. The thing is, you know this family, or someone like them, you may not know it yet.   While some of the parts are difficult to read, it is a story everyone needs to hear.  We can’t stop this horrible epidemic without everyone being aware.  My favorite parts about this book is that all throughout the book faith and counseling are weaved on these pages. It makes me feel hope that there is healing for those surviving and fighting through the dark world of trafficking. Stacey, thank you for being brave enough to jump in with both feet to tackle a very difficult topic that is silently taking over.”

Tiffany Quicke

Lisa Molina’s review of Traffic Stop: Human Division

I needed to understand the family structure:

  Jonathon ‘Otis’ Kennedy – Grandfather

  Momma Jane – Otis’ enslaved wife 

  Layne Kennedy – Otis and Jane’s Son

  Marley – Layne’s daughter

  Seth – The Chimera

Then, I was able to absorb the dynamics, I was introduced gradually to generational trauma. And, through the murky relationships, guided into an understanding of how isolated kids get ‘groomed’ into the Sex Slave Market aka Human Trafficking. There are many raw chapters but know that in the end, “A Change is Going to Come” (part two in the book). There may or may not be redemption; it’s up to the reader to decipher. In closing, having a Chimera as a main character is brilliant!

If you need help Text* 233733 or MMIP

If you ever see a person flashing this  Hand Gesture signaling that a person is in trouble call 911

Lisa Molina

Vastness of Tokyo

35 million people in Tokyo: 40 million trafficked in the USA 

Wow! My mind is blown.

Photo by Kyle Kroeger on Pexels.com

Tokyo’s metropolis has a population of 35 million people. A mere 5 million fewer people than that which is known to be trafficked in the United States of America. The pictures attached to this show the vastness of the area and the compacture of the populous. The numbers add up to a ton of humans in the U.S. of A that are enslaved, my friends. The severity of this number hit home as I wandered the streets of Ginza or Harajuku, and in the shopping centers of Tokyo.  We felt as tho we were a part of a sardine-like movement down the sidewalks. The space afforded to us in America is a luxury Japan does not have. This was felt most when my family from Nebraska’s vastness attempted to squeeze onto the subway full of businessmen and women flocking to the government epicenter. The Japanese civilians were packed in a small space and their large numbers were easy to view.  As claustrophobia kicked in (none of us faired well) I couldn’t help but feel their vibrant lives in contrast to the lost souls of our lost Americans.

to get help in Japan or to speak to some on in the Japanese language https://trafficking.help/jp/  or https://lhj.jp/english/index.php

And yet very few of us in the United States are aware of the devastation.  Sexual abuse and being sold for someone else’s profit can erode one’s soul.

Marley’s rescued in my fictional story of human trafficking. In reality, only 1% of people who are entangled are freed. And I’m not entirely sold that any soul is ever freed from the kind of nightmare trafficking entails. Shame and secrecy continue the legacy which keeps this crime the most underreported and difficult to prosecute. Perpetrators bank on this. We are fighting back with awareness and encouraging all to keep your children close.

Prevention is key
888-373-7888 https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en

On a lighter note I am enjoying this adventure completely and finding peaceful energy in Japan.

8,000 Miles Away

Happy Holidays,

I will be with my Son by the time this post reaches you and I hope you are all with your loved ones.

He’s completing a semester 8,000 miles abroad for his major. His travels have caused the longest period I have had to go without seeing him in person and wrapping him in a hug. He was knitted together inside my body to be so far away and unattainable is something my brain and heart don’t compute well. 

I can only imagine what it would be like if I didn’t know where my child was or if I didn’t know my child was safe. I won’t allow my relationships with my children to become physically present but emotionally unattainable or vice versa. Other loving mothers are forced to grieve the loss of a child physically and emotionally at the same time for their pain, I am sorry.

There are 40 million known human trafficked victims at this time in the United States, so there are at least 40 million mothers or other loved ones aching to have their children safe and sound. It doesn’t matter if the trafficked person is in elementary school or a grown adult, the bond between mother and child is unprecedented. I pray that all families reunite as I will be with my Son.

We speak out against human trafficking, to prevent human suffering. Period. For all humans involved.

I will reunite with my child soon. I anticipate that more than I let on. I am a blessed mother wishing you all only the best.

Your Friend,

Stacey

Traffic Stop: Human Division’s Playlist

Not Every Book Has a Playlist, but NOW Mine Does

Traffic Stop: Human Division’s Playlist

Just incase any of you missed my first post regarding the playlist I have reposted it below. Enjoy the listening!!!!

I wanted to be creative with the chapter titles for Traffic Stop: Human Division (Cahill, 2023), so I decided to use song titles in honor of Musicians who died before their time. Two of the song titles belong to artists who are still with us as of 2022. This bibliography didn’t make it into print, but I spent a lot of time and brain power on generating the list so I wanted to offer it to my readers.

 Like Layne’s character, I was obsessed in my younger years with famous people who ended their lives by suicide. Until I became a mental health therapist, I couldn’t wrap my mind around why someone who appeared to have everything would make that choice. Some of these artists did not commit suicide but rather made choices in their lives to die slowly (or rapidly, depending on the substance) with drug and alcohol dependence. Some mentioned here died young due to accidents or disease. The fact of the matter is, our culture was influenced by some of these big-name players and their art will be forever missed. 

Here is the bibliography in order of chapter titles, explaining the artist who is no longer with us and if known, the cause of death. I also attached a link to the video so you can create your own soundtrack if you wish.

Part 1:

JOYRIDE Song by Roxette (lead singer Gun-Marie Fredriksson; born May 30, 1958 and died December 9, 2019 at age 61 from cancer). 

HEART SHAPED BOX song by Nirvana (lead singer Kurt Cobain; born February 20, 1967 and died April 5, 1994 from suicide gunshot to the head). 

I’m Sorry song by John Denver (born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. on December 31, 1943 and died October 12, 1997 at age 53 from a plane crash in Monterey Bay, California).

TURN, TURN, TURN  Song by The Byrds (singer/songwriter Gene Clark; born November 17, 1944 and died May 24, 1991 at age 46 of throat cancer) and The Byrds (drummer Michael Clarke; born June 3, 1946 and died December 19, 1993 at age 47 from liver failure due to heavy alcohol consumption).

IS THIS LOVE song by Bob Marley (born February 6, 1945 and died May 11, 1981 at age 36 from Melanoma).  

ONE LOVE song by Bob Marley (born February 6, 1945 and died May 11, 1981 at age 36 from Melanoma). 

LOVE WILL TEAR US APART song by Joy Division (lead singer Ian Kevin Curtis; born July 15, 1956 and died May 18, 1980 at age 23 by suicide).  

BEHIND BLUE EYES song by The Who (drummer Keith Moon; born August 23, 1946 and died September 7, 1978 at age 32 due to alcoholism). 

AMERICAN GHOST DANCE  song by Red Hot Chili Peppers (guitarist Hillel Slovak; born April 13, 1962 and died June 25, 1988 at age 26 from a heroin overdose). 

ADDICTED TO LOVE    song by Robert Palmer (singer/songwriter; born January 19, 1949 and died September 26, 2003 at age 54 from heart attack).  

UNDER PRESSURE  song by Singers/Songwriters David Bowie (born David Robert Jones on January 8, 1947 and died January 10, 2016 at age 69 from liver cancer) and Freddy Mercury (born September 5, 1946 and died November 24, 1991 at age 45 from bronchopneumonia as a complication of AIDS). 

MAN IN THE MIRROR song by Michael Jackson (born August 29, 1958 and died June 25, 2009 at age 50 of an accidental fentanyl overdose). 

STEPPING STONE song by the Sex Pistols (singer Simon John Richie AKA Sid Vicious; born May 10, 1957 and died February 2, 1979 at age 21 from a heroin overdose and had several suicide attempts prior and was accused of murdering his girlfriend by stabbing her in the stomach).

Part 2:

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME song by Otis Redding (born September 9, 1941 and died December 10, 1967 at age 26 from a plane crash).  

OVERKILL  song by Men at Work (saxophone/flute/organ/piano/synthesizer and songwriter Greg Ham; born September 27, 1953 to April 19, 2012 at age 59 from alcoholism and heart attack). 

WATERFALLS song by TLC; (artist Lisa Nicole Lopes, AKA “Left Eye”; born May 27, 1971 and died April 25, 2002 at age 30 from a car accident). 

ZOMBIE   song by The Cranberries; (singer/songwriter Delores Mary O’Riordan; born September 6, 1971 to January 15, 2018 at age 46 by drowning after excessive alcoholism intake). 

RIDERS ON THE STORM song by The Doors (Jim Douglas Morrison; born December 8, 1943 and died July 3, 1971 at age 27 from a heroin overdose). 

CASTLES MADE OF SAND  song by Jimi Hendrix (born November 27, 1942 and died September 18, 1970 at age 27 from an accidental overdose).

I HAVE NOTHING song by Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963 and died February 11, 2012 at age 48 from drowning due to coronary artery disease and cocaine intoxication).

TEARS IN HEAVEN song by Eric Clapton (written about his 4-year-old son who fell from a New York apartment building in 1991). 

ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME song by Tupac Amaru Shakur (born Lesane Parish Crooks; on June 16, 1971 and died September 13, 1996 at age 25 from a drive-by shooting). 

DEVIL INSIDE  song by INXS (lead singer Michael Hutchence; born January 22, 1960 and died November 22, 1997 at age 37 by a hanging suicide).REHAB song by Amy Winehouse (born September 14, 1983 and died July 23, 2011 at age 27 from alcohol poisoning). 

PART 3:

ALL I NEED IS A MIRACLE song by Mike + the Mechanics (singer/songwriter Paul Young; born June 17, 1947 and died July 15, 2000 at age 53 from a heart attack). 

SEARCH IS OVER song by Survivor (lead singer Jimi Jamison born Jimmy Wayne Jamison on August 23, 1951 and died September 1, 2014 at age 63 from a hemorrhagic stroke from an acute methamphetamine intoxication).

WHEN DOVES CRY song by the artist formerly known as Prince (singer/songwriter Prince Rogers Nelson; born June 7, 1958 and died April 21, 2016 at age 58 from an accidental fentanyl overdose). 

AIN’T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH song by singers Tammi Terrell (born Thomasina Winifred Montgomery on April 29, 1945 and died March 16, 1970 at age 24 from a brain tumor) and Marvin Gaye (born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. on April 2, 1939 and died April 1, 1984 at age 44 from gunshot wound to the heart by his father Marvin Gay Sr.). 

LISTEN TO ME song by Buddy Holly (born Charles Hardin Holley on September 7, 1936 and died February 3, 1959 at age 22 from a plane crash). 

PUT YOUR DREAMS WHERE YOUR HEART IS song by The Pointer Sisters (June Antoinette Pointer on November 30, 1953 and died April 11, 2006 at age 52 from cancer).  

POWER OF LOVE song by Laura Branigan (born September 3, 1952 and died August 26, 2004 at age 52 from a cerebral aneurysm). 

FOREVER YOUNG song by Laura Branigan (born September 3, 1952 and died August 26, 2004 at age 52 from a cerebral aneurysm).  

YOU MIGHT THINK song by the Cars (singer/songwriter Ric Ocasek; born Richard Theodore Otcasek on March 23, 1944 and died September 15, 2019 at age75 from natural causes).

BABY LOVE song by The Supremes (singer Florence Glenda Chapman Ballard; born June 30, 1943 and died February 22, 1976 at age 32 from alcoholism, depression, poverty, and heart attack). 

MAYBE song by Janis Lyn Joplin (born January 19, 1943 and died October 4, 1970 at age 27 from a heroin overdose). 

HOW SOON IS NOW? song by the Smiths (songwriters Johnny Marr born October 31, 1963 and Steven Patrick Morrisey born May 22, 1959).  

Part 4:

IT’S THE END OF THE WORLD (I FEEL FINE) song by R.E.M  (lead singer Bill Rieflinborn; born William Frederick Rieflin on September 30, 1960 and died March 24, 2020 at age 59 from cancer).

CARRY ON WAYWARD SON song by Kansas (violinist and vocalist Robby Steinhardt; born May 25, 1950 and died July 17, 2021 at age 71 from complications of acute pancreatitis). 

WITH YOU I’M BORN AGAIN song by Billy Preston (born September 2, 1946 and died June 6, 2006 at age 59 from kidney disease, hypertension, and drug and alcohol abuse.  

CARELESS WHISPER song by George Michael (born June 25, 1963 and died December 25, 2016 from dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and a fatty liver). 

KILL YOUR IDOLS song by Static-X (born Wayne R. Wells on November 4, 1965 and died November 1, 2014 from multiple prescription drug toxicity) 

OUT OF THE DARK song by Falco (born Johann “Hans” Holzel on February 19, 1957 and died February 6, 1998 at age 40 from a car accident). 

ONCE IN A LIFETIME song by Talking Heads (keyboardist Bernie Worrell; born George Bernard Worrell, Jr. April 19, 1944 and died June 24, 2016 at age 72 of cancer)

I hope you have hope and if you need a new playlist enjoy!

Locals Support a Cause No-ONE Wants to See

Yesterday’s book signing of  “Traffic Stop: Human Division”  in Lexington, NE was a day to remember.  I watched people from all backgrounds wanting to help something bigger than themselves and I was overwhelmed with gratefulness. 

In today’s world, we all know it can be difficult to find the ‘good’, but yesterday I witnessed my community come together for a common cause which was to gain awareness about Human Trafficking. Visiting with the people of my small community who were interested in learning more about protecting their loved ones warmed my heart.  

Others wanted to know more about what they could do to help. And, they took action by donating with generosity to Central NE Human Trafficking & Immigration Outreach.  Leticia and Stevie Bonifas will receive the full amount collected on 12-7-23. As well as monetary donations my community gave new clothing and toiletries for their clients.  Leticia will share more with us next Monday when we meet but I wanted to share here that she has assisted 55 people this year right here in Dawson County, NE.

Thank you to all who purchased a book(s).  I want you all to know that your purchases will help us to move forward to spread awareness of Human Trafficking and help in the search for and rescue of MMIP. 

Last but not least I want to give a big thank you to Jennifer Norton the Director of the Lexington Public Library. Thank you to Jennifer for playing a dual role of hosting and photographing, as most of the pictures in this post came from her effort. I also want to compliment her on her ability to work with and offer at risk children from our community a safe environment to escape into the world of books. I wondered yesterday how many of their watchful eyes and listening ears were observing and absorbing the activity and discussion related to Human Trafficking. Again, thank you Jennifer.

Thank you all for sharing some really good memories!

Erin Hanna’s review of Traffic Stop: Human Division

You won’t fall in love with the characters in this book, but they will probably keep you up at night. After meeting some of them, you might feel like you need to take a scalding shower, to listen to some of the counsel they’re given, and to feel grateful if your life story doesn’t match up with Marley’s.
It honestly took me a minute to wrap my head around Seth’s character as his is not one I’ve encountered in any other book I’ve read. The story is developed partly through Seth’s sometimes limited and sometimes insightful perspective that propels the story. His character has limitations, but don’t we all only see our side of the story?
Debut author Stacey Cahill has managed to weave together many different perspectives in addition to Seth’s. She presents a disturbing reality check into how trauma has written versions of itself, unbidden, into the lives of these characters. The simple thought that “hurt people hurt people” barely scratches the surface here. She does not sidestep the uncomfortable, or even unbearable, showing readers a more complex rendering of the issues – pride, substance abuse, grief, lust, dishonesty – that culminates with human trafficking. Cahill has built characters who aren’t lovable, but they certainly feel authentic.
After a few weeks, I still can clearly picture Otis’s car ride with Rob. I can imagine Marley noticing for the first time a lock on her bedroom door. I hear echoes of Linda Lynn’s poignant conversations with Layne Kennedy.
While this book shows how damaging one’s choices can be, it also presents the opportunity for healing. Though some of the characters have caused irreparable damage to others, no one is beyond redemption.

Erin Hanna, Media Specialist