There is a popular saying, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and many children are taught the value of practicing kindness, especially to those who are weaker than they are.
Ronald Haynie explores the darkness of elderly abuse, facing karma, and a spiritual realm including duppy in his first published fiction novel, “DUPPY: Ya Reap What’cha Sow.”
“It is a story about a young man that is being haunted by his grandfather because he used to beat him at the height of the crack era in Harlem,” Haynie explained.
Turning to writing following a tragic family experience, Haynie has generated two other versions of his story; a stage play and a screenplay performed as a radio drama.
His spinoffs kept him busy as he ventured through the complex world of publishing. Manifesting his motivation to achieve his goal of publishing, Haynie pushed himself to continue contacting literary agents despite the mounting “no” letters.
“It took me 21 years to publish. Everything — the screenplay and stage play — was loosely based on the novel which sat, and sat, and sat,” he said.
Haynie found a renewed sense of faith and gumption following his successful rendition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s speech recited from memory in Spanish.
“At the time, self-publishing became really hot and I decided I wanted to bring the book out and have each product compliment each other,” he explained.
After 21 long years, Haynie is excited to celebrate his triumph by unveiling a story he hopes will shed light on an uncommon topic: abuse of the elderly.
“You hear stories about what goes on in the nursing homes sometimes but what happens behind close doors with the elderly in their homes is another form of domestic abuse that no one ever speaks about,” he said.
“DUPPY: Ya Reap What’cha Sow” is available on Amazon.
