The spirit is willing, the flesh is weak, but Gods love is omnipotent."

Powerful debut novel by new author, Xenia Ruiz, who describes herself as an American Latina of the African Diaspora, promises to reach out to untapped market of readers who are involved in interracial relationships and interested in quality Christian fiction.

CHICAGO, IL (PRWEB) July 30, 2004 -- Xenia Ruíz recently signed a two-book deal with Walk Worthy Press, a Christian imprint of Warner Books. Her debut novel, CHOOSE ME, will be published in June 2005.

Synopsis: An Afro-Latina and an African-American man meet -- Eva Clemente struggles with her vow of celibacy while Adam Black wonders if he can remain in an unconsummated relationship. Told in the alternating voices of a modern-day Adam and Eve," CHOOSE ME is a novel about interracial/cultural relationships and age-old sexual beliefs set against a backdrop of contemporary issues such as racial profiling and gun violence; topics rarely explored in Christian fiction. It is a story about what happens when two people in a relationship choose God.

As a Latina of the African Diaspora who was once married to an African-American man, I found relationships such as mine missing from contemporary fiction, not to mention inspirational fiction," Xenia says. When asked what inspired her to write about the taboo topic of Christians and fornication, she said, After my divorce, I struggled with sex outside of marriage and abstinence. Basically, my spirit and flesh were battling it out, so I decided to put that energy to creative use and at the same time send a positive message to women and men of faith wrestling with the same issues. Many Christian fiction books dont deal with sexual feelings realistically, giving their characters superhuman" restraint -- even the Bible confronts sexuality with more realism. I wanted to show that Christians arent perfect; sometimes even when theyve experienced all that can go wrong with premarital sex, they still fall prey."

Xenia Ruíz was born and raised in Chicago, where she still lives. A graduate of Northwestern University, she received the First Prize Golden Pen Award in Northwestern Universitys 59th Annual Iota Sigma Epsilon Fiction Contest in 1997. Her second novel, IN THE PICTURE I HAVE OF YOU, is scheduled to be released in 2006.

# # #