tHE IMPORTANCE OF USING YOUR VOICE BY LYDIA GOLDMAN 

I didn’t realise how important using my voice was until I was in a situation where words were shunned. My first novel, Red Moons and Silent Truths, is set in Myanmar – a country I hadn’t even heard of until I visited my friends in 2019. Life was simple (mostly), and I had just graduated from the University of Bristol. I was never supposed to go. However, an unexpected stopover at Yangon International Airport transpired into me taking a job at an International school in the country the following year.

I would like to say that my time there was wonderful, beautiful, everything I’d imagined. But weeks after we arrived, the country was thrust into coronavirus lockdown after lockdown. The children I was due to teach? I never met them. Then, finally, in January 2021, the lockdown eased, and I finally explored a country so beautiful that it took my breath away. Not only was the country beautiful, but so were the people. Resilient, kind, and incredibly warm.

And then, in February 2021, the military coup happened. Like the country name, I’d never heard of a coup before. Naïve? Maybe. Privileged? Definitely. The country was plunged into chaos, and the people I had grown to love and care for were suddenly facing unimaginable danger and uncertainty. Everything was controlled – what we listened to, when we could access the internet, when we could leave our homes. While I lost a few friends, the Burmese lost many. In March, I was forced to leave the country, but my heart remained with the people of Myanmar.

That’s when I started writing Red Moons and Silent Truths. I wanted the book to be as raw and real as possible, to give voice to those who had been silenced and still are.

Writing the book was a cathartic experience for me. It allowed me to process what I witnessed and made me realise the importance of using my voice to speak out against injustice. Living in the United Kingdom, I had always taken my freedom of speech for granted. But being in a situation where words were shunned made me appreciate the power of language and the impact it can have.

Storytelling has the power to change the world. It has the power to educate, to inspire, and to motivate. It has the power to bring people together and create empathy.

To those who feel their voice doesn’t matter – it does. Every story counts. And, as my mother always says, everybody has at least one book in them!

Make sure to check out Lydia’s book, available worldwide through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, Booktopia, Blackwell’s and many more retailers. Also available in your local library and store, just ask. Finally, if you have enjoyed this article and wish to see more, than make sure to keep updated through our social media page and on this website for more content! Additionally, make sure to check out our Books page! Also, we are also always on the lookout for interested beta readers and reviewers, so if you are interested, do make sure to get in contact at enquiries@sleepylionpublishing.com 

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