WELCOME TO THE HALLOWEEN BOOK BLAST!
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Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Virtual Book Tour: Gap-Toothed Girl by Ray Harvey #giveaway @RABTBookTours
Contemporary Fiction
Date Published: August 2018
Publisher: Pearl Button Press
“Tournament night in a sweltering Las Vegas stadium, and the girl with the gap-toothed smile stood bleeding in her ballet slippers.”
Thus begins Gap-Toothed Girl, the story of Dusty May, a Lakota orphan with an iron will, who runs away from the horrific circumstances of her foster home and her foster father — a man of beast-like brilliance and power — to pursue her dream of lightness and ballet, even as her foster father unleashes an army to bring her down.
Part literary fiction, part thriller, part dance story, Gap-Toothed Girl is at its core a tale of human joy and freedom of will — a “relentlessly paced novel” combining “the surreal imagery of Nabokov with the psychological complexity of Dostoevsky” (Fort Collins Forum) to investigate the depths of the human psyche and the indomitable will to succeed, ultimately plumbing the very nature of human happiness and the human soul.
About the Author
Ray A. Harvey, novelist, essayist, published poet, athlete, and editor, son of Firman Charles Harvey (RIP) and his wife Cecilia, youngest of thirteen half brothers and half sisters, was born and raised in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. He’s worked as a short-order cook, copyeditor, construction laborer, crab fisherman, janitor, pedi-cab driver, bartender, and more. He’s also written and ghostwritten a number of published books, poems, and essays, but no matter where he’s gone or what he’s done to earn a living, literature and learning have always existed at the core of his life.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Virtual Book Tour: Queen of Zazzau by @jemsmcbride #interview #giveaway #fantasy #historical @RABTBookTours
Historical Fantasy/Mythical Realism
Date Published: November 20, 2018
Publisher: Afrocentric Books | Mugwump Press
Amina is heir apparent to the throne of Zazzau and must prove she is worthy of the crown. As foreign invaders close in on them, she is all that stands between her people and destruction. Caught in a web of prophecies, she must defend Zazzau, but cannot do so if she wants to prevent the future that was foretold. She did not seek war yet it finds her. Unwilling to be the plaything of gods or men and determined to take control of her own destiny, she tracks down the god of war himself. But has her destiny already been written? Can she choose her own fate? And can she protect her kingdom, no matter what price she must ultimately pay? Because, gods always want something in return.
Queen of Zazzau is an Historical Fantasy that takes place in precolonial West Africa. It chronicles the life of one of the most famous W. African queens, Amina of Zazzau (or Zaria). At 139,000 words, the novel features several W. African historical figures and a pantheon of W. African gods. The story is told in first-person and gives the reader an intimate look at some of the lifestyles and cultures--many of which are still alive today--of medieval W. Africa.
Interview
What is the hardest part of writing your books?
The research is, by far,
the hardest part. Because the stories that I write take place (mostly) in precolonial
West Africa, much of the available information has been cobbled together from
oral stories and is frequently contradictory from one Historian to the next.
What songs are most played on your Ipod?
I have Android 😉. I mostly play classical music. I especially
love Vivaldi. My next favorite playlist is the African music. Followed by dance
music of various genres. My tastes are very eclectic.
Do you have critique partners or beta readers?
Not really. I have
friends who are willing to read and critique when necessary. I did join a
critique group (several, in fact) when writing Queen of Zazzau. I’m debating whether to do it again for my next
novel.
What book are you reading now?
I have been reading
French classics. I recently finished The
Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas) and am currently reading L’Etranger
(Camus) and Les Misérables (Hugo). I’m reading them
simultaneously, but I’m reading Camus in French, trying to up my language game.
How did you start your writing career?
My writing career is just beginning, so you get to watch it unfold.
I wrote Queen of Zazzau because I
felt a compulsion to do so. I am when I began channeling the spirit of Amina
herself. She wanted the world to know her story and picked me to tell it.
Tell us about your next release.
I’m currently working on
more African monarch novels. Because I write multiple books at a time, I can’t
say for certain which one will be next. But I’m also
getting organized for an AfroMyth Volume 2 anthology. So, it could be that.
You’ll have to wait and see!
About the Author
J.S. Emuakpor was born and raised in West Africa. She is a married mother of four, a scientist, and owner of Afrocentric Books. She currently lives in North Carolina and is very much allergic to it. Most of her writing draws upon the spiritual beliefs of the ancestors who frequently whisper in her ear and on the superstitions that she refuses to relinquish.
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Coming Soon... Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iBooks, or Play.
Virtual Book Tour: FIRSTS: Coming of Age Stories by People With Disabilities by @http://www.twitter.com/beloism #memoir #nonfiction #giveaway #interview @RABTBookTours
Memoir/Creative nonfiction/anthology
Date Published: October 1st, 2018
Publisher: Oleb Books
Take a step back in time with some of the best writers with disabilities as they recount their first adventure, their first heartbreak, and the first time the unexpected treaded into their life. From body transformations to social setbacks, to love affairs and family trauma, Firsts collects the most thought-provoking and exciting stories of our time by people with disabilities. Contributors include Nigel David Kelly, Kimberly Gerry-Tucker, Caitlin Hernandez, Andrew Gurza, and David-Elijah Nahmod
Interview With Belo Cipriani
What is the hardest part of writing
your books?
I use software for the blind to do my writing and sometimes I run into tech problems. While most issues are solved rather quickly, it takes time from reading and writing. Also, when it comes to book design, I rely heavily on the designer an a group of friends who vote on the book covers.
I use software for the blind to do my writing and sometimes I run into tech problems. While most issues are solved rather quickly, it takes time from reading and writing. Also, when it comes to book design, I rely heavily on the designer an a group of friends who vote on the book covers.
What songs are most played on your
Ipod?
I like nature sounds and find that I
spend a lot of time listening to the Bhudist Munk Radio on Pandora. Also, I
listen to jazz and classical. At the gym, though, I always listen to hip
hop.
Do you have critique partners or beta
readers?
I use both. I have a group of writer
friends who give me feedback. Once I am confident that the draft is done, I let
beta readers take a look.
What book are you reading now?
I am reading A Night at the Fiestas by
Kirstin Valdez Quade. It’s a wonderful collection of short stories. I first
read it a few years ago, but now revisiting it, as I am looking at content for
a creative writing class I’ll be teaching next spring.
How did you start your writing career?
A therapist asked me to journal, and
so began my relationship with writing. I realized how much I liked words and
then began to take classes. Eventually, I went to grad school for creative
nonfiction.
I have two projects, a book of esays,
and a novel. I am hoping to release the novel in early 2020.
About the Author
Belo Miguel Cipriani is a columnist with the Bay Area Reporter. In 2017, his column on disability issues was recognized by the National Center on Disability and Journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.
He is the author of Blind: A Memoir (2011), which received an Honorable Mention for Best Nonfiction Book by the 2011 Rainbow Awards, and an Honorable Mention for Best Culture Book by the 2012 Eric Hoffer Awards.
He has received fellowships from Lambda Literary and Yaddo, and was the first blind writer to attend the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. Cipriani has guest lectured at Yale University, University of San Francisco, and University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, and was the Writer-in-Residence at Holy Names University from 2012 to 2016.
His writing has appeared in several publications, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle, San Antonio Express-News, Business Insider, and HuffPost. He was a contributor to the Ed Baxter Morning Show on iHeart Radio, and was also a frequent commentator on San Francisco’s KGO Radio, as well as on several NPR shows.
Cipriani has received numerous awards for his disability advocacy work, including being named “Best Disability Advocate” by SF Weekly (2015), an “Agent of Change” by HuffPost (2015), and an “ABC7 Star” by KGO-TV (2016). He was also honored as the first blind Grand Marshal at San Francisco’s 45th Annual Gay Pride Parade.
He currently works at the Center for Academic Excellence at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN, where he helps students improve their writing skills.
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Monday, October 29, 2018
Virtual Book Tour: The Winter Riddle by @SamHooker #interview #giveaway #fantasy @RABTBookTours
Fantasy (Humorous)
Date Published: 1 November 2018
Publisher: Black Spot Books (https://blackspotbooks.com)
When destiny calls on the Winter Witch to save the North Pole, will she pretend she’s not in?
Once upon a time, the North Pole was a very noisy place. A kingdom cowered under the maniacal rule of the White Queen, The Vikings raided and pillaged as they were wont to do, and the Winter Witch avoided talking to any of them.
When her peace and quiet are obliterated by threats of war and Ragnarok, she’ll try anything to get them back. When casting spells to become nearly invisible and dealing with otherworldly powers fail, the Winter Witch needs to forge an alliance with Santa—a retired warrior who’s anything but jolly—to save the North Pole from calamity.
Will the Vikings take up arms against the frost giants? Will an evil necromancer keep the kingdom in the grip of fear? And for the love of Christmas, will everyone who isn’t the Winter Witch please stop meddling with dark forces beyond mortal comprehension for a bit?
Deck the halls and bar the doors! We’re in for a long winter’s night.
Interview
What is the
hardest part of writing your books?
Throwing out jokes. I write several
drafts before a book is finished, and part of each draft is making it just a
little bit funnier than the last one. More often than I like to admit, I’ll
read a joke that I wrote in the previous draft, and think “what did I think was
funny about that? It’s just stupid! I need to either salvage that right now, or
give up writing immediately!”
After I’ve cried about it for a
while, I’ll either figure out what was funny about the joke and fix it, or I’ll
throw it out and move on. In the latter case, I like to think that I’ll find
that spot on the next draft and think “oh, I know a really funny joke that can
go right here,” and get it right that time.
What songs
are most played on your Ipod?
I listen to a lot of movie scores
while I write. Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer are in heavy rotation. Also
instrumental music from artists like Phillip Glass and Zoe Keating. I wish I
could write to music that has lyrics, but I just can’t. I get sucked into the
words and lose my concentration.
Do you have
critique partners or beta readers?
My wife Shelly always reads a very
early draft and gives me excellent feedback. I also get a lot of great advice
from my editor and my publisher. Beyond that, while I see the potential
benefits of critique and review, I’ve never really sought it out. I’m
open-minded about the possibility in the future, though.
What book
are you reading now?
“Bury the Lead” by Cassondra Windwalker,
and “Inspector Hobbes and the Blood” by Wilkie Martin. There’s a never-ending
pile beneath them, mostly humorous fantasy, some grimdark, some horror, and at
least a couple of biographies.
How did you
start your writing career?
To quote just about every writer
who’s ever written about writing, “a writer writes.” It’s the greatest and most
terrible thing about the profession. All you have to do to be a writer is start
putting words on a page.
I probably started—and never
finished—a couple of dozen novels before I really found my stride. I’m glad for
each and every one of them. No one will ever read them, which is lucky for
everyone. They were terrible. But every time I tried, I failed by a little bit
less, and I eventually wrote something worth reading.
“The Winter Riddle” will be
available everywhere books are sold on November 1, 2018. It’s the tale of a
deeply introverted witch who lives at the North Pole. She’d rather not be
bothered to save the world from the ridiculous hijinks of her sister, the White
Queen, and her idiot friend Loki, but it doesn’t look like she’s going to get a
moment’s peace until she does. A retired warrior named Santa may be able to
help her get the Vikings to do their part, but he won’t be happy about the
gender-bending fashion faux pas that happen along the way.
I’m also nearly finished with the
second book of my “Terribly Serious Darkness” series. It should be on shelves
in mid-2019. The first book of the series, “Peril in the Old Country,” is
currently available everywhere.
Thanks for having me!
About the Author
Sam Hooker writes darkly humorous fantasy. He is an entirely serious person, regardless of what you may have heard. Originally from Texas, he now resides in southern California with his wife, son, and dog.
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