Tag Archives: Literary Fiction

NR Bates, Author of AT the Sharp End of Lightning: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on June 26th, 2015

NR BatesAt The Sharp End of Lightning by NR Bates:

Publisher:  NR Bates (January 30, 2015)
Category: Epic Fantasy, Magic Realism, Literary Fiction, Celtic Mythology,  History
Tour Date: May/June, 2015
Available in: Print & ebook, 239 Pages

AT THE SHARP END OF LIGHTNING is the  tale of family, of loss and sacrifice, of unexpected gifts and coping with disability and new abilities set against the backdrop of climate change occurring across parallel worlds.

The intertwined worlds of Oceanlight and Earth are no longer hidden from view of each other. In one realm, Yalara Narika, a winged Sea Sprite, searches for her family and she encounters a deadly blue haze at sea. Escaping the poison makes her realize that her world, Oceanlight, is experiencing sudden and catastrophic environmental change.

Meanwhile, in the safe suburban normality of North Wales, Einion Morgan Alban, a restless youth with haemophilia, is nearly murdered by a man in a white suit who intentionally shoves him off a cliff. If Yalara and Einion don’t uncover the connections between their worlds and near-deaths, it will have dire consequences for the worlds they live in. Book one of the OCEANLIGHT series.

Praise for ‘At The Sharp End of Lightning’ by NR Bates:

“What a fantastic book, the author takes you into another realm. I couldn’t put the book down, a real page turner. Seeing as this is book 1 I can’t wait for the next one to be written.”-Scotialassie, Amazon.UK Reviewer

“British author NR Bates makes his novel writing debut with AT THE SHARP END OF LIGHTNING, Book 1 of the OCEANLIGHT series. He has indeed written extensively which explains why his command of the medium is so secure: he has published more than one hundred and twenty scientific papers on ocean chemistry, climate change and ocean acidification as a Senior Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and Professor of Ocean Biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton, UK. Bates’ passion for the ocean and environmental sciences has proven a successful driving force in both his scientific mind and his fantasy creative mind. The result, as we read it here, is `true’ Science Fiction fantasy!

Bates opens his book with a map/diagram called The Interfaces – the meaning of which will be explained throughout the novel, but whose information offers hints and suggestions of codes to be solved. And at the end of his book he discusses Welsh history that informed this story as well as the biology and biogeochemistry of the Sargasso Sea, further influences. The author provides an outline of the story that assists the reader immensely: `The interwoven fantastical tale of family, of loss and sacrifice, of unexpected gifts and coping with disability and new abilities set against the backdrop of climate change occurring across parallel worlds.

Bates’ writing style can only be called `elegant’ – he is unafraid to challenge the reader with a rich vocabulary that somehow enhances the characters we encounter. This is obvious form the opening paragraph:

`As the streamer of lightning harmlessly discharged through her body into the palm of her hand, Yalara Narika noticed many things at once. There was fright and surprise as adrenaline raced through her body. The words “I’m alive” came to mind, accompanied by an overwhelming relief when the forked sharpness passed out of her. Then came the reflex response– her call to Calymene, Mother Earth– that she had despite her doubt. A hurried glance brought the reassuring thought “I’m still in the sky.” Simultaneously, she returned to her search– for the “lost”– which was set against the immensity of the seas. And interwoven amongst these reactions were thoughts of that moment in the distant future, at the end of her life, when she’d fly up into the tumult, clad in a cuprous woven fabric, and upon the flash of electrica, her constituent parts would disassemble in an instantaneous coruscation of energy.’

This is our first encounter with being struck by lightning.

As with most fantasy/sci-fi books it takes a while to adjust to the strange names and the references to places of origin, but Bates’ language makes that journey of discovery a rewarding one. He does offer a helpful Sprite Glossary and Human Glossary at books end. This is a strong debut, well worth the investment of mental energy.”- Grady Harp, Amazon Hall of Fame & top 100 reviewer.

Ambitious and enchanting, At The Sharp End Of Lightning by author N R Bates proves a rich and original foray into the realms of fantasy fiction. Compelled by a commanding narrative that readily enthrals the imagination, the magical intrigue simmers throughout as Bates renders his fantasy world in rich hues. A world parallel to our own yet retaining a time worn familiarity that makes it feel immediately authentic. It’s an intricate, intrigue-laden telling, which plays to the best in this popular genre and it’s clear from the start that Bates is in his element.

“There’s certainly much to enjoy here. From cleverly contrived and vibrant scenes to a captivating blend of magical mysticism, he ably manages to avoid prescriptive tropes whilst a certain descriptive economy and a tight word count brings a penetrating levity to his dialogue. Both timely and well observed, he notably avoids the trite mutterings of mediocre characterisation to create genuine depth and emotive resonance, which in turn ensures the reader becomes fully invested in the trials and tribulations of his characters.

Beautifully written and undoubtedly the start of an exciting new series, At The Sharp End Of Lightning proves a fine example of fantasy fiction. Definitely deserving of a place on your bookshelf, it is recommended without reservation!”-Book Viral

About NR Bates:NR Bates

NR Bates was born in London, grew up in Wales, and lived in Canada and Bermuda. He shares his life with his wife,seven cats, one dog and the tropical wildlife of lizards, wolf spiders and ant colonies that seek out a better life indoors. He is an oceanographer and scientist, and has published more than one hundred and twenty scientific papers on ocean chemistry, climate change and ocean acidification.

He is a Senior Scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences and Professor of Ocean Biogeochemistry at the University of Southampton, UK. His novels focus on epic fantasy and magic realism, and inspired by his deep love of the ocean and environmental sciences.

Website: nrbates.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NR-Bates/1536689869946441
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NRBatesAuthor

Buy At the Sharp End of Lightning by NR Bates:

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Follow the At the Sharp End of Lightning by NR Bates Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus May 1 Excerpt & Giveaway

Ordinary Girlz Book Reviews May 4 Review

What Jenna Thought May 6 Interview

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Confessions of a Reader May 15 Interview

Mary’s Cup of Tea May 20 Review

Lightning Chronicles May 21 Review &  Guest Post

100 Pages a Day May 22 Review

Romance That’s ‘Out Of this World’ May 27 Guest Post

Room With Books May 28 Excerpt

What U Talking Bout Willis? May 29 Guest Post

Indie Review Behind the Scenes May 29 Live Interview  6 PM cst

Rockin’ Book Reviews June 1 Interview & Giveaway

The Cosy Dragon June 5 Review

Deal Sharing Aunt June 9 Review & Giveaway

Joy’s Book Blog June 24 Interview

Bound 4 Escape June 25 Spotlight

Create With Joy June 26 Review

NR Bates

 

Vince Lane, Author of Jonah: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on June 8th, 2015

Vince LaneCategory: Supernatural, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
Release Date: January 2015
Tour: April/May, 2015
Available In: ebook, 280 Pages

“Jonah” by Vince Lane is a work of literary fiction, a period piece written in accented vernacular.  The story is staged in small town Louisiana in the 1930’s during the great depression.

An elderly black hobo “Jonah” shows up begging at the door of two ladies humble shotgun shack.  Though they are poor, they feed him.  So he returns the kindness doing a couple of odd jobs to repay them.  They take a somewhat mystical trusting, and immediate liking to Jonah and offer him a job.

Throughout their time together many amazingly good outcomes happen for the ladies and their families as they are touched by turmoil after turmoil.  The story unfolds a murder and cover up involving a prominent Judge who turns out to be responsible for the hit and run death of one of the ladies husbands.

There is tragedy and death involved, but in the end, the human spirit is triumphant when they realize, only after Jonah has left their midst, that he had been an angel sent to help them through some otherwise horrible times.

About Vince Lane:Vince Lane

Vince Lane has been writing most of his life, he first began seriously writing literary material around 1980.  At the time he was a musician, singer/songwriter, poet, and professional entertainer living and working in Los Angeles, California.

As a writer Vince Lane has always maintained an unabashed style, paying little if any attention to convention. Unlike many writers, he has never settled down into any particular genre having written sci-fi, horror, supernatural, literary, mystery, action adventure, justice, and experimental fiction in iambic pentameter.

“I have enjoyed writing what I like, what I want, the way I want, and I stay true to that artistic freedom to this day.”- Vince Lane

Twitter: https://twitter.com/VinceLaneBooks
FB: https://www.facebook.com/VinceLaneBooks
Google +: https://plus.google.com/115586990110647359289/about

Buy ‘Jonah’ by Vince Lane:

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Indie Review Behind the Scenes Mar 13 Live I 6 pm cst

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Ajoobacats Blog  Apr 2 Review &  Excerpt

The Book Diva’s Reads Apr 7 Excerpt

Victoria Simcox’s Blog Apr 9 Excerpt

Pinky’s Favorite Reads Apr 15 Review, Ex, & Giveaway

Cassandra M’s Place Apr 21 Excerpt & Giveaway

Unshelfish May 4 Review

Second Book to the Right May 11 Review

StoreyBook Reviews May 12 Review

Deal Sharing Aunt May 15 Interview & Giveaway

Lisa’s Writopia May 20 Review

Room Without Books Is Empty May 28 Review

What U Talking Bout Willis? May 29 Review

What U Talking Bout Willis? May 29 Giveaway

 

Yannick Thoraval, Author of ‘The Current’: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on November 26th, 2014

Current_Cover_EditPublisher: Ingram Spark (September, 2014)
Category: Literary Fiction, Climate Fiction
ISBN: 978-0-9925916-0-1 
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: ebook, 312 Pages

Peter Van Dooren’s wealth and prestige mean that his family wants for nothing – except a husband and a father.

When the president of a sinking tropical island in the south pacific calls on the world’s most ingenious entrepreneurs to help save his people, Van Dooren reckons his plan can save the island and its people’s way of life.

If it works, Van Dooren’s plan will not only make him richer, it could also change the very idea of nations and borders. After all, changing the world is what Peter really wants to accomplish.

The thing is, not all of the islanders share Van Dooren’s vision for their homeland. That won’t stop Peter from risking everything to prove that nature can be tamed. Playing God may cost Van Dooren his fortune and his own family.

While Peter plots a world away, his wife, son and daughter sink deeper into their own personal abyss of retail therapy, amateur pornography and Christian fundamentalism.

Everyone is adrift on the same tide of greed, lust and fear. This is the current that shapes the world. It always has; it always will.

‘The Current’ is a novel about the difference between having a house and losing a home. The style of writing is literary (thoughtful but humorous), and will appeal to readers of Jonathan Franzen (particularly Freedom), Ian McEwan (particularly Solar) and Michel Houellebecq (particularly Platform). Stylistically, The Current offers readers a back and forth split storyline and portent of danger comparable to Paul Thomas Anderson’s film, Magnolia (1999).

Praise for ‘The Current’:

“Ironic and slyly, bleakly humorous. The Current is a story peopled by men and women of the Renaissance who jog and contemplate their plane food and visit websites and shopping malls, who seem both exhausted by and untiringly connected to their technologies. Gently vexing and hauntingly memorable.”- Clare Allan, Writers Victoria

“The Current has all the elements of a literary mainstream novel that demands the reader think about home, traditions, family, refugees and political and commercial intervention. This is a story of belonging, of finding your fit within family and your fit within the world.”–Amanda J. Spedding, Phoenix Editing

About Yannick Thoraval:Yannick Headshot Cropped PS

Yannick Thoraval is a professional communications adviser and university lecturer.

Best known as an essayist, Thoraval has published widely for both academic and general audiences.

He formally studied film, philosophy and American political history, attaining a masters degree from the University of Melbourne before leaving academia to pursue commercial writing interests. He ended up working as a copywriter in marketing and communications.

Thoraval’s fiction has received critical acclaim. His first screenplay, Kleftiko, was a finalist in the International Showcase Screenwriting Awards. Judges of the prestigious Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards, Australia, highly commended his first novel, The Current.

The novel draws from Thoraval’s personal and professional experiences of working in the Victorian State Government, particularly his work in international development with the nation of Timor-Leste.

He is a career migrant and has lived in the Netherlands, France, Cyprus, Canada and Australia. Moving internationally from a young age has left him feeling culturally stateless, despite holding three passports.

Thoraval is a quiet advocate for refugees and asylum seekers. He is a founding member of the World Writings Group, which helps refugees write about their experiences of forced migration.

He has pledged to donate 10% of the proceeds of this book to assist the settlement of refugees.

He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia, where he teaches professional writing and editing.  He is working on his second novel.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YannickThoraval
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008295216884

Buy ‘The Current’:

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Books, Books, & More Books Nov 11 Review & Excerpt
Lady in Read Nov 14 Review
Housewife Blues & Chihuahua Nov 17 Excerpt
Deal Sharing Aunt Nov 18 Review & Excerpt
Inspire to Read Nov 19 Excerpt
100 Pages A Day Nov 20 Review & Excerpt
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What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov 25 Review
What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov 25 Review

Jamie Lisa Forbes, Author of ‘The Widow Smalls’: On Tour

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This post was most recently updated on April 2nd, 2020

Widow Smalls 2CoverPublisher: Pronghorn Press (October 20, 2014)
ISBN: 978-1-932636-97-0
Category: Short Stories, Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction
Tour Date: November, 2014
Available in: Print & ebook, 231 Pages

Thirty years of browbeating from rancher Bud Smalls has penned his wife, Leah, into emotional isolation.  Now Bud is gone and Leah owns the ranch, but there is no help forthcoming from Bud’s brothers who want to force her out and take the ranch for themselves.  When their attempt to humiliate her instead becomes her opportunity to succeed, Leah begins to find her way back to herself and learns how much she can gain by opening her heart.

The Widow Smalls is just one of the stories in this collection by the WILLA Award winning author of Unbroken, Jamie Lisa Forbes, who writes about the hardships of making a living from the land with an understanding that comes from first-hand experience.

Her deftly drawn characters include star-crossed lovers, a young rancher facing his first test of moral courage, an inscrutable ranch hand claiming an impressive relative, a father making one last grasp for his daughter’s love and a child’s struggle to make sense of the world around her.   Each will pull you into the middle of their stories and keep you turning the pages.

Praise for ‘Unbroken’:

“Throughout this beautifully written story, I pictured the scenes, the characters, and visualized it all as if I walked among them. Five stars.”-Laurel Rain-Snow, Rainy Days and Mondays

“Unbroken is a powerful, absorbing book from the first page to the last. Forbes’ Wyoming ranch background adds rich flavors to the story. The author draws realistic, complex characters. Unbroken is an unvarnished testimonial to a way of life that few of us know.”– Mary E. Trimble, author of ‘ TUBOB: Two Years in West Africa with the Peace Corps’

“The author brings to life the setting in this story. I could easily envision ranch life, and how being responsible for the land could consume someone. The harshness of the elements, or the struggles of managing livestock seemed so realistic. I found myself being drawn into this story right away. There was so much to this story, the author not only allowed a very realistic look at ranch life, but also paints a story of family drama and broken relationships. A story well worth reading.”– Brenda Casto, VW Stitcher

“The writing is realistic and true to the nature of life in rural Wyoming. Harsh winters, endless wind, and dependence on neighbors to survive form the backdrop of this novel. Ms. Forbes writes with a sparseness of prose to match the landscape. This book is one that opens a window onto a way of life few people experience.”- Suzanne Lilly the TeacherWriter

“Unbroken was a very satisfying read for me.  I found myself putting off eating so I could read “just one more chapter” because I was so involved in the lives of the characters.  Ms. Forbes has a way of drawing you into the lives of the characters and making you feel like you are there living and working beside them, being friends with them.  It’s wonderful and when the book is over you feel sad, because you want more of the story even though the story has come to its conclusion.  But you want more because you don’t want to leave the characters. 

To me that is the mark of a good book, when the characters and the storyline stay with me after finishing.  When I’m still thinking about something they said or did or wondering about a point the author was making or even applying something to my life.  Unbroken has something for everyone.  Descriptions of ranching life, romance, friendship, parenting, tough decisions and so much more.  There is never a lull in the plot and I found it to be an amazing read.”- Crystal Fulcher, My Reading Room

About Jamie Lisa Forbes:Jamie Forbes

Jamie Lisa Forbes was raised on a family ranch in southeastern Wyoming.  She graduated from the University of Colorado with honors in 1977 and then lived in Israel until 1979, when she returned to her family’s ranch and raised her own family over the next fifteen years.  Today, she writes and practices law in Greensboro, North Carolina.  She enjoys spending time with her grandsons and playing old time Appalachian fiddle.  With her Arabian horse, Cody, and her cattle dog, Reb, she still devotes part of her life to the outdoors.

Jamie Lisa Forbes won the WILLA Award for her novel ‘Unbroken’.

Buy Widow Smalls:

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Book Depository
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Follow the Tour:

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 3 Review & Giveaway
Pinky’s Favorite Reads Nov 4 Interview & Excerpt
Inspire to Read Nov. 5 Excerpt
Cassandra M’s Place Nov. 6 Review & Giveaway
Back to Books Nov. 7 Review
WV Stitcher Nov.10 Review
Dr Bill’s Book Bazaar Nov. 11 Review
Deal Sharing Aunt Nov. 12 Review & Giveaway
Unshelfish Nov 13 Review
Indie Re Behind the Scenes Nov 13 9 PM Eastern Live Interview
Bound 4 Escape Nov. 17 Review
What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov. 18 Guest Post
What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov. 18 Excerpt
Room With Books Nov 19 Interview & Excerpt
Lady in Read Nov. 20 Review
The Book Binder’s Daughter Nov. 26 Review
Manic Mama of 3 Nov 19 Review
What U Talking Bout Willis? Nov. 28 Review
Two Children and a Migraine Dec 3 Review