Erika Rummel, Author of Head Games: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on March 22nd, 2016

Publisher: Guernica Editions; 1st edition (April 30, 2013)
Category: Literary Fiction, Adventure, Suspense
Tour Date: September, 2013
ISBN: 978-1550716870
Available in: Print & pdf,  200Pages

Argentina, 1979.  Life has gone stale on Jim, an expat working in Catamarca. Everything is predictable until he meets Lisa. She has the starry eyes, the sensuous lips, and the tango steps that make all rational assumptions go away.  Jim gives her top marks for animation but there is a flashing beacon at the end of his tip sheet: Danger. Lisa is a little too intense, a little too crazy, a woman with too many scenes playing in her head.

That doesn’t faze Santos, a curandero looking for a medium to channel the spirits of the dead and attract his lost sister. He lures Lisa to his compound in northern Argentina, where she becomes a pawn in a deadly family feud. Jim goes in search of Lisa. Tracking her down turns into a double mission — delivering Lisa from her captors and himself from the confining routine of his life.

It takes a fantastic journey through rugged back country for Jim to realize how much he loves Lisa.  The story unfolds against the background of a country in the grip of a military junta. It is a place where kidnapping, violence, and death no longer make headlines, a place where you learn survival skills.

Praise for Head Games:

“An author with a powerful imagination. A complex plot that takes us to Argentina in the late seventies with compelling characters even though you often feel like beating some common sense into the heroine. Many ironic remarks indirectly criticizing our modern time that make you smile. A good read, beautifully written.”-J. Ragache C.T., Amazon.com Reviewer

“Identity’s a big theme in this work, so if you’ve ever felt you were someone other than yourself, if you thought you might like to try living in someone else’s skin, if you’ve wondered whether your friends and loved ones were not exactly who they claimed to be, then this psychological labyrinth might just be your winding road to a good read”.- Carole Giangrande, Words to Go

Having read Rummel’s “Playing Naomi” I couldn’t wait to get hold of her next novel. And I wasn’t disappointed – as one often is with second works. What a fertile imagination she has to dream up.
As before, Rummel offers some quirky characters, lovingly sketched, and twists and turns in the plot that kept my interest throughout. I love her sense of humour, her wonderful irony. And the way she makes you enter the head (games) of the heroine. The three men are wacky and interesting too. The trip to Argentina you can take for free!
The novel is beautifully written. A joy to read. Can’t wait for the next one!! Keep writing.”- Katarina, Amazon.ca Reviewer

Praise for Playing Naomi:

“Suspenseful & riveting.  What a wonderful debut novel! Once I started reading, I simply couldn’t put it down. I want a sequel! This imaginative story about role playing is not just about the protagonist (Liz) impersonating an eccentric author (Naomi), but touches on broader issues about what can happen while we play roles.
What I found particularly fascinating and unique about Playing Naomi was how Rummel interrupts her narrative with excerpts from Naomi’s (fictive) novel.
This novel within the novel provides a suspenseful and compelling backdrop to Liz’s story.
Rummel’s psychological insights, fine sense of irony, quirky characters, fluid style, and ability to create and keep the suspense make this a riveting read.”- Carina, Amazon.com Reviewer

“Playing Naomi is a tightly woven novel with great descriptive passages and a gripping story. I really felt for Liz when she is confronted by one of Naomi’s old friends without warning, while impersonating Naomi. It explores the complexities of taking on someone else’s life while trying to live your own, against a back drop of reviving the past in order to make peace with it. It was a quick read, but the characters and story stayed with me.”- N. McIntosh, Amazon.com Reviewer

About Erika Rummel:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Erika Rummel was awarded a Random House Creative Writing Award in 2011. She is the author of more than a dozen non-fiction  books (social history, biography, translation) and two novels, Playing Naomi (2009) and Head Games (2013).

Erika came to Canada from Vienna and obtained a doctorate from the University of Toronto. She divides her time between Toronto and Los Angeles, but has also lived in small villages in Argentina, Romania, and Bulgaria.

Playing Naomi has been praised as a wry comedy “reminiscent of the corrosive but jovial cynicism of media satires like The Larry Saunders Show and The Newsroom” (Cynthia Sugars in University of Toronto Quarterly).

Erika Rummel’s Website:: www.erikarummel.com
Erika Rummel’s Blog: www.rummelsincrediblestories.blogspot.com

Buy Head Games:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Follow the Tour:

So Many Precious Books Nov 5 Review & Giveaway
Bookalicious Travel Addict Nov 12 Spotlight & Giveaway
Sweeps 4 Bloggers Nov 13 Review & Giveaway
Ordinary Girlz Nov 14 Spotlight
Carole Ramblings  Nov 15 Review
Ordinary Girlz  Nov 18 Review
Joy Story Nov 19 Review
Books, Books & More Books Nov 20 Review
Paperback Writer Nov 20 Guest Post
Buried Under Books Nov 21 Promo
From L.A. to LA Nov 22 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 25 Spotlight & Giveaway
Magdalena Ball Nov 26 Guest Post

 

Lloyd Lofthouse, Author of Running With the Enemy: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on February 18th, 2014

Publisher: Three Clover Press (February 1, 2013)
Category: Vietnam War, Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller
Tour Dates: May 2013
Available in: Print and ebook 384 Pages

Awarded Runner Up in General Fiction at the 2013 Beach Book Festival. Awarded honorable mention general fiction 2013 New York Book Festival!

In this suspense thriller set during the Vietnam War, Victor Ortega is a rogue CIA agent, and he needs someone to blame for his crimes. Recon Marine Ethan Card is the perfect patsy. As a teen, Ethan ran with a Chicago street gang, and he has a criminal record. He also has a secret lover, Tuyen, who is half Vietnamese and half French.

Tuyen is a stunning, beautiful Viet Cong resistance fighter.

Since she was a young child, Tuyen has lived under the control of her brutal, older, sexually abusive half-brother, Giap, a ruthless and powerful Viet Cong leader, who has forced her to kill Americans in battle or die if she refuses.

When Ethan discovers he is going to be court marshaled for weapons he did not sell to the Viet Cong and Tuyen will be arrested and end up in an infamous South Vietnamese prison, where she will be tortured and raped, he hijacks a U.S. Army helicopter and flees with Tuyen across Southeast Asia while struggling to prove his innocence.

Victor Ortega and Giap—working together with the support of an unwitting American general—will stop at nothing to catch the two, and the hunt is on.

The star-crossed lovers travel across Laos to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat; to Bangkok, Thailand, and then to Burma’s Golden Triangle where Ethan and Tuyen face a ruthless drug lord and his gang.

In the rainforests of Burma, Ethan also discovers Ortega and Giap have set in motion a massive assault on his Marine unit’s remote base in South Vietnam with the goal of killing the man he admires most, Colonel Edward Price, who is the only one who believes Ethan is innocent.

Ethan must risk everything to save Price and his fellow Marines. Will he succeed?

Read Chapter One.

Praise for The Concubine Saga Lloyd Lofthouse’s previous book):

“One of the best-researched books I have ever read–at least, in regard to historical fiction. I can guarantee you that the time you invest in reading this unbelievable book is worthwhile.  There was honestly never a dull moment in this book. 
The detail in this book is fascinating. I appreciated the non-judgmental attitude with which the author wrote. I would have struggled to remain objective, but it is clear that the author wrote with objectivity and with heart–a rare combination. This is a book I would recommend to lovers of historical fiction”– Ruth Hill, My Devotional Thoughts

“Told in descriptive detail and such beauty of the Chinese culture that I did not want it the story to end. A very well written and impeccably researched story that I highly recommend to the historical fiction fan. A lot of history but not written like a history book. This book does have a lot of sexual content in it but told in a very tasteful way. I really enjoyed this book.”- Kathleen Kelly, Celtic Lady

“I really enjoyed reading about the internal struggles Robert had with his new found life in China versus his upbringing in Ireland. The conflict of religion, customs and attitudes was so real and heartfelt that I completely understood his position and thinking throughout the book.
Robert’s concubine Ayaou is extremely well written. This book is a great read for anyone traveling to China, anyone studying Chinese and/or Chinese History or just loves Historical Novels”.– Alysia, My Little Pocketbook

“ This book is not just history. Intrigue, violence, and romance fill the pages of The Concubine Saga. It is difficult for a reader to be bored, even if there is not constant physical action, the book itself is fast-paced.
This book could be enjoyed by most people. Although historical, Lofthouse wrote The Concubine Saga for all readers. Anyone interested in history would love this book.  This book is more entertaining and informative than most any history lesson. Historically accurate and interesting, this book earns five out of five stars.”-Krystal, Live To Read 

“The Concubine Saga by Lloyd Lofthouse is the perfect blend of when fact meets fiction. When this novel first came to my attention, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to read it. I am glad that I did decide to give it a try or I would have missed out on a very entertaining book.
This book really has two story lines. The first is Robert’s political career and the second is the love story between Ayaou and Robert. Both story lines mesh together to create a captivating story.
The character development of both Robert and Ayaou is very strong. The Concubine is an epic saga about the trials and tribulations that took place during the Opium Wars. The characters are strong and inspirational and will move you. There is action, adventure, romance, heartache, and loss. This is definitely considered a To Read.”-Marcie Turner, To Read or Not To Read

“Mr. Lofthouse is a brilliant author who makes China come alive to the reader. I was simply swept away through the eyes of Robert Hart as he experienced all the nuances of China and its people and customs for the first time.
The romance of Robert and Ayaou is gorgeously written in all aspects. Just a beautiful rendering of an epic love story.
I found myself wanting to carry this book around with me to sneak another page of reading in wherever I could…it’s that engaging.
Lofthouse has a firm grasp on characterization. His studies of people, relationships and their actions and reactions are so in perfect pitch that there can be no question they existed. They feel alive. I fell in love with several of them. It was difficult when the novel ended.
This is a book for those who love reading about the Orient, but it’s also for those who simply love a good historical fiction novel. It’s lush in details of Chinese culture. It’s a wonderful read. Like the beautifully stitched quilt on the book’s cover, this novel is delicately woven and created using choice selections of all sorts. It will keep you wanting more from the author…not wanting the book to end.”- Deborah, The Bookish Dame

About Lloyd Lfthouse:

Lloyd Lofthouse, a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran, served in Vietnam as a field radio operator in 1966. Back home, Lloyd was a heavy drinker until 1981, never talked about the war and suffered from PTSD. In the early 1980s, he confronted his demons by writing about his war experiences in an MFA program.

Running with the Enemy started as a memoir and then evolved into fiction.

His short story, A Night at the “Well of Purity”, named a finalist of the 2007 Chicago Literary Awards, was based on an event Lloyd experienced in Vietnam.

His novel My Splendid Concubine has earned ten honorable mentions in general fiction—a few examples: the 2008 London Book Festival; 2009 San Francisco Book Festival; 2009 Los Angeles Book Festival, and the 2012 New York Book Festival, etc.

In 1999, his wife, Anchee Min, the author of the memoir Red Azalea, a book that was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year in 1994, introduced Lloyd to Robert Hart, the real-life character of My Splendid Concubine.

After an honorable discharge from the U.S. Marines in 1968, Lloyd went to college on the GI Bill to earn a BA in journalism, and then worked days as a public school teacher for thirty years (1975 – 2005) in addition to nights and weekends as a maître d’ in a Southern California nightclub called the Red Onion (1980-1982).

Loyd’s Website: http://lloydlofthouse.org/

Lloyd on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lflwriter
Lloyd of Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lloyd.lofthouse

Follow the Tour:
So Many Precious Books May 30 Review & Giveaway
Book Dilettante May 31 Review
M. Denise C. June 4 Review
M. Denise C. June 5 Interview
JoyStory June 6 Review
My Devotional Thoughts June 7 Interview
Sweeps4Bloggers June 10 Review & Giveaway
Dab of Darkness June 11 Review
Romance & Inspiration June 12 Review
A Booklover’s LibraryJune 17 Spotlight
A Booklover’s LibraryJune 18 Guest Post
DWED Blog June 20 Review
DWED Blog June 21 Interview
Tabula Rasa June 26 Review
A Book & Lattee June 27 Review
A Book & Lattee June 28 Interview

 

Bobbie Pyron, Author of The Dogs of Winter, On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on March 7th, 2013

Publisher : Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, October 1, 2012
Category:  Grades 5 & up/YA Crossover
Tour Dates: February, 2013
Available in: Print and Kindle, 320 pages

Like thousands of other children in post-Soviet Russian, five-year-old Mishka finds himself trying to survive on the streets of Moscow after his mother disappears and he has no home. Help comes from an unlikely source: a pack a feral street dogs! For two years, Mishka and the dogs protect and love each other, becoming a family in every sense of the word. When Mishka has the chance to rejoin the world of humans, will he want to? Inspired by a true story!

Praise for The Dogs of Winter:

“Packs plenty of punch.” The New York Times

Starred Review!: “[A] first-person narrative in beautifully composed writing enhanced by Ivan’s visual acuity and depth of emotion. Terrifying, life-affirming and memorable.” Kirkus

Starred Review!: “a compelling and highly original fiction. Loyalty in the dog pack, and the dog characters are as vivid as Mishka’s human acquaintances.  An absorbing account in its own right, this could also partner with Gerstein’s Victor (BCCB 12/98) for two very different looks at (purportedly) wild children.” DS, The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books

“Pyron delivers a reflective, hard-hitting story about the bond between child and dog… The book’s emotional impact is immense.” Publishers Weekly –This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

“It was riveting and full of nonstop excitement and action.”  Karen Yingling, Mrs. Yingling Reads

“This is a captivating, important story based on the life of Ivan Mishukov, a Russian boy who lived a similar adventure. The author’s note and extensive bibliography offer further insight into the underlying problems faced by Ivan and other children in Russia and around the world. Eva Hornung’s Dog Boy (Viking, 2010) was also inspired by Mishukov’s early life.”–Renee Steinberg, School Library Journal

“No one will be able to read this story of a five-year-old boy’s survival on the streets of Moscow by living with dogs without being moved. Bobbie Pyron again shines as an author of considerable talent.” Margie, GoodReads Reviewer

“Even though I knew the outcome of this story, I was still riveted. How could a four year old abandoned to live on the streets with a pack of dogs survive? For over two years Dog Boy aided by seven dogs he came to love like family struggled to find food and warmth. It is a story of almost daily despair and often very brutal events, but the child has an amazing will to live. He is a character I won’t soon forget.” Cathy Coronado, GoodReads Reviewer

“An amazing story, moving and poignant, packed with action and emotion.” Edward T., GoodReads Reviewer

“Bobbie is a wonderful writer and this story will stay with me forever.” Snb, GoodReads Reviewer

 About Bobbie Pyron:

Bobbie was born in Hollywood, Florida and spent her growing up years up in the panhandle, swimming in the Gulf of Mexico and dreaming of being a mermaid.  She has degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, and a Masters degree in Library Science, and has worked as a librarian for over twenty-five years.

Her first book, a novel for teens titled The Ring (WestSide Books), was published in October of 2009. Her second book, A Dog’s Way Home (HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books), was published to starred reviews in March of 2011. The Dog Writers Association of America recently awarded Bobbie the Maxwell Medal of Excellence and the Merial Human-Animal Bond Award.  It was also named a Banks Street Best Books of the Year.

Her new book, The Dogs of Winter (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic), came out October of 2012. The Dogs of Winter is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Kirkus Best 100 Children’s Books of the Year. Bobbie lives in Park City, Utah with her husband, three dogs, and two cats.

Bobbie’s Website.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BobbiePyron
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bobbie.pyron?fref=ts

Buy it:

Amazon.com: Hardcover or Kindle
Barnes & Noble: Hardcover or Nook
Book Depository

Follow the Tour:

Pages of Forbidden Love Jan 30 Review                                
So Many Precious Books Feb 7 Review
So Many Precious Books Feb 8 Interview & Giveaway
Sweeps 4 Bloggers Feb 11 Review & Giveaway
The Wormhole Feb 12  Review
The Wormhole Feb 13 Interview
My Devotional Thoughts Feb 13 Review
A Book Lover’s Library Feb 14 Review
A Book Lover’s Library Feb 15 Interview
As I Turn the Pages Feb 18 Review
Books a la mode  Feb 20 Interview & Giveaway
Geo Librarian Feb 22 Review
Geo Librarian Feb 25  Interview & Giveaway
Lovey Dovey Books Feb 25 Review
Book Journey Feb 26 Review & Giveaway
Bookhounds Feb 27 Review
Book Snatch Feb 28 Interview & Giveaway

Khanh Ha, author of Flesh, On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on April 1st, 2013

Publisher: Black Heron Press, June 15, 2012
Category: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Tour Dates: January, 2013
Available in: Print Only , 368 pages

Set in Tonkin (now northern Vietnam) at the turn of the 20th century, Flesh tells the story of a boy who witnesses the execution, by beheading, of his father, a notorious bandit, and sets out to recover his father’s head, and then find the man who betrayed his father to the authorities. A coming-of-age story of brutal self-awakening and also a tender love story, Flesh takes the reader into places, both dark and wonderful, in the human condition where allies are not always your friends, true love hurts, and your worst enemy can bring you the most solace.

Khanh Ha writes of the physical world with such sensuousness that he will make the reader’s heart ache. At the same time, though Flesh is his first novel, his knowledge of the human psyche is that of a fully mature writer. The title refers to temptation—the temptation of the flesh. But it refers equally to the obligations of kinship, the connections between us and those to whom we are related, even if we would choose not to be.

Praise for Flesh:

“In this dark, violent, and poetic saga, with cinematic vignettes that make it read like a screenplay, characters are not who they seem. While this makes for a thrilling finale, what lingers . . . is Ha’s descriptive prose.”- Publishers Weekly

“Readers who enjoy epic sagas set in faraway lands will find absorbing satisfaction here.”- Library Journal

“Read Flesh to lose yourself in a vividly-described colonial Vietnam, with its poverty and hopelessness, its people’s industrious nature at work to better their lives and the lives of those dear to them, all wrapped up in beautiful prose.” –Drey’s Library

“Flesh, Khanh Ha’s debut novel, is almost dreamlike. A dream in that early hours of a hot morning where you are still in between sleeping and waking up. Ha is a talented writer; he does a wonderful job setting the dark, yet poetic, mood and a fine job describing settings in vivid, smells, colorful imagery.”- Seattle Post Intelligencer

FLESH brings Vietnam – at around the turn of the last century – to life. Life was hard, and this book does not spare us. The book opens with a scene . . . an execution. Ha’s powers of description are good, and we are brought into the scene and witness this act. I would recommend this book. Part of what I (and many of you, I suspect) love about reading is being whisked off to an exotic place for an adventure. And Flesh fills the Bill!”- LibbyBooksBlog

“A lush, poetic tale, takes readers on a journey far beneath the surface of a land most have only glimpsed superficially in clichéd Hollywood films. . . .readers willing to venture off the beaten path to an unfamiliar land will find great pleasure exploring Flesh.”- Book Reviews by Elizabeth White

“The story is a sensual one. . . . The prose of Khanh Ha’s debut is laden with sensory details that pull readers into multi-dimensional scenes. . . . The outstanding element of this novel is the solid invitation extended to readers, to enter this world which Khanh Ha has created in Flesh.”- Buried in Print

“This book was really something to read!. . . Somewhere along the way, it broke my heart. . . . The author did not sugar coat this story one bit! It is so unlike anything I have ever read. . . . It blew my mind towards the end!” -Mary Bearden ,Mary’s Cup of Tea Blog

“Unique. The ending was amazing. . . . Ha has the writing skills to make the reader imagine every scene he sets, each mood, every setting. The prose felt poetic at times. Author Khanh Ha is truly a talented writer. I enjoyed the novel and it sits on my shelf as a DARN GOOD READ.”- Reading Rendezvous Reviewz

“The realism of the book certainly made an impression on me. . . . Ha is a master at detailed descriptions to the point that you can see it happening the way the author intended you to. The brutality in the book was descriptive but not to the point that I had to “look away.”—Ruth Hill, My Devotional Thoughts

About Khanh Ha:

Khanh Ha’s debut novel is FLESH (June 2012, Black Heron Press). He graduated from Ohio University with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism.  During his teen years he began writing short stories which won him several awards in the Vietnamese adolescent magazines.

He is at work on a new novel. A short story, reshaped from this novel, will be published by Red Savina Review  in its 2013 Spring inaugural edition. It was also nominated for the Winter Literary Award in the Tethered by Letters Journal but was withrawn because of conflict of interest. Another Ha’s short story will be published in the 2013 February Outside in Literary & Travel Magazine (http://outsideinmagazine.com/)  For further information on FLESH, please follow the links regarding author’s website, blog, professional as well as reader’s reviews (www.authorkhanhha.com).

Buy Flesh in Print at:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Follow the Tour:

So Many Precious Books   Jan 7 Review
So Many Precious Books Jan 7 Interview & Giveaway
Eclectic Books & Movies  Jan 8 Review
Eclectic Books & Movies  Jan 9 Interview
She Treads Softly  Jan 10 Review
Book Lover Stop  Jan 11 Guest Post
Broken Teepee Jan 14 Review
MK McClintock  Jan 15 Interview
Joy Story  Jan 16 Review
From L.A. to LA  Jan 17 Review
Books à la Mode Jan 17 Guest Post & Giveaway
A Book Lover’s Library Jan 22 Review
A Book Lover’s Library Jan 23 Interview & Giveaway
Relentless Reader  Jan 23 Review
Joy Story Jan 25 Guest Post
The Wormhole  Jan 25 Interview
Sweeps 4 Bloggers  Jan 25 Review & Giveaway
Ordinary Girlz Reviews  Jan 28 Review & Giveaway
Cuzinlogic Jan 29 Interview
Belle of the Literati Jan 30 Review
Overflowing Bookshelves  Feb 1  Review
Overflowing Bookshelves   Feb 4 Interview
Broken Teepee  Feb 5 Guest post & Giveaway
Book Dilettante  Feb 6 Guest Post