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Tuesday, March 28, 2017

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & REVIEW: Full of Wonderment: a novel By Josh Greenfield



Full of Wonderment: a novel
By Josh Greenfield
Genre: Adventure, Young Adult

Jordan Fineman needs a break. His second year of college has almost done him in. His solution is to take off for a summer of work and adventure in Alaska. All the while mental illness is setting in. A summer to remember. A tale to grow on.

The story begins with Jordan alone in the great research library of Cornell University dreaming about traveling to far off places. Call it craziness, but that is exactly what he does. Without any guarantee of employment, he boards a plane for Anchorage, Alaska and spends the next eight weeks on his own, working hard, making money, meeting fellow travelers from all around the world, and seeing some of the country’s finest scenery.

Had this been all, it would have been a summer to remember. His adventures however, are undertaken with a shadow cast from far above. Jordan Fineman is both bi-polar and a severe obsessive compulsive. In two years’ time, he will become incapacitated. The story is written with that knowledge in mind.

As it stands however, Full of Wonderment: a novel, is an adventure story that lays out the possibility of spending a college summer without an eye on the professional resume - a summer for personal growth, alternative education and fun.


My Review:

Jordan Fineman creates an opportunity for himself that most only dream of – leaving his fast-paced life as a college student to travel cross-country to Alaska. Little did Jordan know that a mental illness was living inside of him and would slowly begin to show itself.

I was fascinated by the magnetic pull that rural Alaska had on people from all different walks of life. Many of the book’s characters traveled from other states, and even countries. They left their comforts to find something else – something that would improve their lives or so they hoped. 

This was a quick adventure story that I could have read more of. Perhaps we’ll meet Jordan again? Four stars.




About the Author

Josh Greenfield is a graduate of both Phillips Andover Academy and Cornell University's College of Arts and Sciences. He holds two masters degrees from the City University of New York, one in History and one in English Literature. He also completed the better part of a doctorate in English at Fordham University. His desire in writing is to tell an entertaining and engaging story, to look for laughs in dark places.

He is the author of a prior novella, “Homeward Bound: a novella of idle speculation,” also published by Lulu. His work has been featured in The Cornell Daily Sun, The Riverdale Press, Appalachia, and Word Catalyst Magazine. He appears regularly at comedy club open-mic’s.


Links:

On Facebook: http://bit.ly/2m0O6cF
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/jgreenfieldnyc
On Amazon: http://amzn.to/2mePpRs
On B&N: http://bit.ly/2lehI4y
On Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2leoUOo

Saturday, March 25, 2017

BOOK SPOTLIGHT & INTERVIEW: A Secret Lies Deep by Jake Hatmacher

A Secret Lies Deep
By Jake Hatmacher
Genre: Psychological Romance {female transgender main character and some paranormal undertones}



SECRETS… We attempt to conceal our own but are frustrated by those concealed from us. That is the crux of Eryn’s story as she seeks answers to the questions−the secrets−that have troubled her since her youth. Perhaps if she wasn’t so smart these questions wouldn’t bother her, but she is. Eryn’s new job is a further challenge to her own secret as she strives to protect it. Not only that, but when challenged concerning her sexuality she must ultimately decide whether that secret is worth withholding forever. It’s not that no one is aware of Eryn’s secret. She has entrusted it to close family members and a few childhood acquaintances. When confronted by her grandfather, unhappy with the cause of the secrecy, Eryn’s defenses and his words put a barrier between them that she feels helpless to resolve. She desires his acceptance again. But how will she regain it? Perhaps if she could only find the answers to her troubling questions. But where would she even begin? By coincidence−or is it by divine intervention−she and her co-worker are given the task to research genealogies for a new display at their museum. Unbeknownst to Eryn, the path to her answers begins on her flight to New York as she embarks on her new assignment. What she experiences next is a remarkable and shocking series of events which leads to the truth she seeks, and to the discovery of who she was truly meant to be and who she was truly meant to love.


BLOG TOUR SPECIAL: Pre-order A Secret Lies Deep by April 5th and receive a FREE copy of the author’s previous release: The Unintended: R u sure?? 



Interview:

What inspired you to write this book?

I like this question, and I like it because I did feel inspired to write it.  I felt that it was not just me that was writing it but that I had a major helpful source outside of myself that guided me through.  
Some people already know that I am a physician and that I have provided prenatal care, delivered babies, and treated all sorts of ailments related to women over more than thirty years.  
My desire to write this book sprung from my writing of an earlier book, called The Unintended: R u sure??  In that book I left something hanging.  It really wasn’t intentional of me to leave it hanging, but I had nothing more to write-the story was over.  But with the passing of some months, something drove me to follow one character further-a character that hopefully left the reader wondering about her at the end of that book.  And I had fun researching and carrying it through.  Part of the fun was making sure that I presented everything appropriately since the plot involves a topic that is still quite controversial for some people, while another part of the plot involves a bit of the paranormal and a bit of fantasy, although, who knows, the fantasy that I wrote about may turn out, in the future, to be reality.

Do you have a favorite character, or in what ways do any of the characters represent you?

I do have a favorite character and she is the main character.  I am not fond of monotony and neither is she.  Several of the other characters do reflect bits and pieces of me, and the story does as well.  I am very reluctant to say much about the main character, but since I have alluded to something in the first question as to being controversial, I guess I can tell you that this character embodies something that stirs emotions in many people.  But you have to find what it is about her on your own, and that is found out early in the book-you just have to be patient (No pun intended-you know I am a doctor).  Readers of The Unintended… should know what I’m talking about if they were careful to read the Epilogue closely.  But it is important to know that one does not need to read the prior book to read A Secret Lies Deep.  It’s story can stand by itself.
I can say, as you will see, that the main character is bright and is a thinker.  I, too, am a thinker.  I enjoy contemplating/meditating.  I am not one to blurt things out without thinking about what I write or speak.  I hope that I reflect this in the entire novel.  You will also find in the book what my favorite winter sport is.  And you wouldn’t know this unless I told you, but I attribute different expertises that the characters enjoy to knowledgeable friends that I have had the pleasure to have known over the years.

What surprises did you come across when writing the book?

Surprises, hmmm?  I can’t really say surprises, but since I did do quite a bit of research, and that means a lot, I did discover much that I did not know before.  I’ll list a few things.  You’ll just have to find out for yourself how they fit into the story.
  1. The extensiveness of voice training
  2. Shipping canals in the early eastern U.S.
  3. The number of minor leaks in oil pipelines throughout the U.S. and the extensiveness of the pipeline system
  4. How a city, named after its founder, lost its name due to a bet, and was renamed after the man who won the bet
  5. How some women enjoy really restrictive clothing-learned this while doing research and attending a local genealogic portrayal related to the 19th century
  6. Where IPA originated, its alcohol content and why it tends to be bitter
  7. Some burial places not moved before buildings were built over them
I certainly hope this potpourri of  tidbits wets your appetite for some of what you will find.  They all may seem disjointed, but I guarantee that the story is not.

If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead characters?

This is a fun question, but you’re intent on wanting me to give away something critical of  the main character.  Let me just say that the actress that would need to play Eryn would need to be talented.  She would need to portray a pretty, smart, conscientious and sociable person on the outside while hiding underneath some major anxiety and pain.  The actress would need to look as though she were in her mid twenties and have...readers will need to fill out the details in their own minds.  
But I’m avoiding the main question, aren’t I?  Since I don’t watch many movies and I’m not a “Spring-chicken” any longer, I’ll have to give you some actresses that I have been fond of and that would fit the molds(fit the mold is an important point here).  You can then replace them with similar talents that are younger.  First would probably be Julia Roberts-like for Eryn, the main character.  For Diana, Eryn’s sidekick and foil, I believe someone like Mindy Kaling or Kat Dennings would be good, although an African-Amer actress would probably work the best.  

Anything you would like to say about writing? Encouraging words for potential writers?

Definitely!  
I didn’t remotely see myself as a writer.  I mean, I did my share of writing opinion pieces and comments related to medical and political matters, but that’s not the same as writing a book.  Some of my medical pieces got published, but they were not of any great length.  The political ones probably found themselves in the circular files under some legislative aide’s desk.  Actually, several legislators did write back.
I attempted to hire a ghostwriter for my first book.  I eventually wrote it myself.  That ghostwriter failed because the writer was still in school and became too busy for the project.  So, my idea remained dormant in my mind until about 6 years later when I had more time on my hands, and I said to myself, What the hell, I’ll try it myself.  What do I have to lose?  It  turned out to be a great experience.  I don’t know if you will need to do this, but I needed to do research.  I’m not one to just throw works at a page.  I wanted to make it as accurate as I could, even though it was fiction.  I think I’ve been influenced by authors such as Fredrick Forsythe, who I admire for the detail he puts into his descriptions.  While I am not as detailed oriented, I like to get my facts straight.  So, what am I trying to say?  Don’t satisfy yourself with writing something superficial.  I don’t mean it has to be deeply spiritual or complicated, but do enough research to make yourself happy with what you want others to read.  If you are not satisfied, work on it until you satisfy yourself, and then have others read it.  Try not to get frustrated.  Maintain your own style but accept constructive criticism from others.  PS- This may not work for you, but I found long hot showers and drinks on the back porch in solitude helped me to further my stories.



About the Author

As you already know, I am a professional writer. But I'm also a physician. I spent many years practicing, and practicing means working, as an obstetrician and gynecologist. I still maintain three state licenses but I spend my time now writing. 

The fictional stories that I have written have sprung out of time spent treating patients. The stories are unique in that although they are fictional, they have much in the way of historical fact and medical fact. They also include humor, although mostly subtle and are flavored with a touch of fantasy.

I grew up in a city of near thirty-five thousand in the north-central part of Illinois. My higher education was at Loyola University of Chicago, followed by medical school at Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine. I treated patients for 25 years in Illinois before moving to Ohio, where I now reside.

Besides writing, my time is filled taking care of my home, gardening, hiking, and simply enjoying the fresh air outdoors and the beautiful plants and animals that nature provides. I am always trying to introduce new plants that are not invasive, conserve water and attract butterflies. The reason for wanting to attract butterflies has a story, but let me just say here, it mostly has to do with their variety of color and the way they appear to float on the air as they fly-they are calming.


Links:

On B&N: B&N



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