Broken by Jessica Freely

What happens when the closeted younger brother of a mob boss falls for the boss's latest acquisition, a rent-boy from Hong Kong? Well that's what Broken, my new m/m romantic suspense is all about. Broken is available from Loose Id now: http://www.loose-id.com/Broken.aspx

Thank you for stopping by and helping me celebrate its release!

I'm very excited about this book and about the special events and activities I have going on in connection with it. I'm doing a virtual book tour , offering a behind the scenes peek at the making of Broken <http://www.friskbiskit.com/2011/08/behind-broken-podcast-1.html>, and I've got a special treat for my newsletter members <http://www.friskbiskit.com/2011/09/giving-ear.html>.

Please leave a comment to this post and you'll be entered to win a free copy of Broken. The winner will be announced at the end of the day.

Right now, though, I want to talk about something serious that's very close to my heart and to Belinda's: human trafficking. It's a tragic fact that slavery still exists. Human trafficking is considered to be a low-risk, high-profit crime and according to the United Nations, over twelve million people worldwide are bought and sold for forced labor and sexual exploitation. That's what's happened to Xiu, one of my main characters in Broken.

Fortunately, there's help available for those who, like Xiu, are caught up in the web of commerce and coercion that keeps human trafficking thriving. I want to introduce you to a wonderful organization called Polaris Project <http://www.polarisproject.org/index.php.> Founded in 2002 by two students at Brown University, it is now a leading nonprofit fighting human trafficking and modern-day slavery in the U.S. and around the world. Charity Navigator has awarded Polaris Project with its highest ranking of four stars for three years in a row, acknowledging the organization's commitment to effectively utilizing donations.

Polaris Project takes a comprehensive approach to the problem of human trafficking by providing direct assistance to those in need and helping create systemic changes to combat the crime. They operate a national human trafficking hotline and work to pass federal and state legislation to protect trafficking victims and bring traffickers to justice. Here's a link to just one example of the many ways in which Polaris Project helps people get out of trafficking situations: http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/national-human-trafficking-hotline/the-nhtrc/call-vignettes/476-sex-trafficking-street-prostitution

In recognition of all of the real-life "Xiu's" still struggling for freedom, it feels appropriate to me to donate a portion of my proceeds from Broken's sales to Polaris Project. So, for the first four months of sales, half of what I earn on Broken will be donated to this worthwhile organization.

Please spread the word about Polaris Project and its cause.