99¢ BOOK OF THE WEEK

 

FOREST – Love, Loss, Legend

‘til Aug. 31 at

 

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Matthew and Raminder are young, idealistic and in love.

As soon as they can they plan to leave behind the small town and small minds of Pitt Landing. They will embrace life and experience the world, maybe even change it.

Man plans, God laughs. Raminder’s father has a stroke and her commitment to her family means she must postpone her plans and stay in Pitt Lake. It’s just the opposite for Matt. A family tragedy leaves irreconcilable differences between him and his father and forces him to leave.

They promise to reunite, but life happens.

Twelve years later, Matt is an acclaimed war correspondent. He’s seen it all and it’s left him with post-traumatic stress, a gastric ulcer, and an enlarged liver. He’s never been back to Pitt Landing though the memory of Raminder and their love has more than once kept him sane.

He’s at his desk in the newsroom, recuperating from his last assignment and current hangover and reading a letter from his father, the first contact they’ve had in over a decade. It talks about a legendary lost gold mine, a map leading to it, and proof in a safety deposit box back in Pitt Lake. He’s sent it to Matt in case something happens to him and cautions his son to keep it a secret.

Matt is about to dismiss the letter when the telephone rings. It’s Raminder telling him his father has disappeared somewhere in the wilderness that surrounds Pitt Lake.

Lost gold, lost love and lost hope compels Matt to return home to a dying town on the edge of the wilderness.

The forest is waiting.

 

 

★★★★ FOREST...neatly encapsulates the battleground of humanity’s greed for natural resources versus the cost to the environment... a compelling story, studded with evocative detail and under laid by a very real question – definitely worth the read.

- Readers’ Favorite Book Reviews

 

 

★★★★ Definitely worth reading!

“Intriguing story about a man's quest. Searching for a father, gold, peace of mind, love”
- e.memelink, reader review

 

 

★★★★★ Wow! A very well written mystery, suspense book.

 Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great foreign film adventure movie, or mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.
- Tony Parsons, reader review

 

 

★★★★★ A search for true love and meaning in life

I truly enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it. If you are looking for something meaningful, you'll certainly get a lot of true love, trust, relationships, friendship, childhood memories, and a lot more in this excellent book.

 

 

★★★★★ A fantastic nature adventure. The author has a great writing style that is easy to read and very enjoyable.

- Jack Anderson

 

 

★★★★ A strong character driven novel

“… a snapshot into so many lives and somehow the author was able to create a believable story behind all this was spot on. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a deep character driven novel.”

 

 

★★★★ “The author did a wonderful job of pulling me in and caring about these people. This is the second book I have read of Rod Raglin. Both times I have been impressed with his work. I'm happy I came across this one.”

- Bryan Fagan, author of Dempsey’s Grill

 

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FREE E-BOOK - June 22 -26

FOREST - Love, Loss, Legend

Go to https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Lost gold, lost love and lost hope compels Matt to return home to a dying town on the edge of the wilderness.

 

 

Matthew and Raminder are young, idealistic and in love.

As soon as they can they plan to leave behind the small town and small minds of Pitt Landing. They will embrace life and experience the world, maybe even change it.

Man plans, God laughs. Raminder’s father has a stroke and her commitment to her family means she must postpone her plans and stay in Pitt Lake. It’s just the opposite for Matt. A family tragedy leaves irreconcilable differences between him and his father and forces him to leave.

They promise to reunite, but life happens.

Twelve years later, Matt is an acclaimed war correspondent. He’s seen it all and it’s left him with post-traumatic stress, a gastric ulcer, and an enlarged liver. He’s never been back to Pitt Landing though the memory of Raminder and their love has more than once kept him sane.

He’s at his desk in the newsroom, recuperating from his last assignment and current hangover and reading a letter from his father, the first contact they’ve had in over a decade. It talks about a legendary lost gold mine, a map leading to it, and proof in a safety deposit box back in Pitt Lake. He’s sent it to Matt in case something happens to him and cautions his son to keep it a secret.

Matt is about to dismiss the letter when the telephone rings. It’s Raminder telling him his father has disappeared somewhere in the wilderness that surrounds Pitt Lake.

Lost gold, lost love and lost hope compels Matt to return home to a dying town on the edge of the wilderness.

The forest is waiting.

 

 

"A compelling story...definitely worth the read"
"A compelling story layered over with a much stranger story of forest myths peering through from the shadows. FOREST...neatly encapsulates the battleground of humanity's greed for natural resources versus the cost to the environment...This is a compelling story, studded with evocative detail and underlaid by a very real question - definitely worth the read."
- 4 STARS, Reader's Favorites Book Reviews

"...pure reading delight."
"The plot is something Stephen King might think up if he wanted to write something only slightly scary for a change."
"...well balanced between the mysterious, the romantic, the scary and the reassuring."
"I hope you get a professional publisher to pick up this book and give it the attention it deserves."
- FIVE STARS, C. Widmann, Goodreads review

 

A strong character driven novel

“I would recommend it to anyone looking for a deep character driven novel.”

 

A fantastic nature adventure

“…a fantastic read. The author has a great writing style that is easy to read and very enjoyable.”

 

“If you are looking for something meaningful, you'll certainly get a lot of true love, trust, relationships, friendship, childhood memories, and a lot more in this excellent book.”

 

★★★★★ Wow, a very well written mystery, suspense book.

 “Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great foreign film adventure movie, or mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.”
- Tony Parsons, reader review

 

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FREE E-BOOK

The BIG PICTURE

A Young Woman, a Camera, an Uncompromising Ethic

June 13-17

Download your copy now at

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003DS6LEU

 

 

Young, talented, ambitious, Freyja Brynjarrson’s a photographer struggling to crash the art establishment, the challenges presented by her family, and keep true to her uncompromising ethic.

Fate places her on the front line of a political demonstration where soldiers open fire on civilians. She photographs death for the first time and the intensity makes everything she’s done previously in art and life seem inconsequential.

The current government is concerned these highly charged images could sway the voters against them. With a closely contested election only three days away, they’re doing whatever they can to attempt to suppress their publication. But someone far more unscrupulous than government spin-doctors also wants these images destroyed.

Gunnar Brynjarrson, Freyja’s eldest brother is the head of an illegal narcotics empire. He’s concerned about the opposition party’s platform to decriminalize drugs. His sister’s photographs could influence the outcome of a close election and put his business in jeopardy.

As events unfold, Freyja slowly becomes aware of the far-reaching impact the billions of narco dollars have on the government, the economy, friends, family and even herself. Something insidious has infected society and like a superbug, it’s resilient, opportunistic and appears as a mutation in the most unexpected places.

Freyja refuses to compromise and is intolerant and unforgiving of those who succumb to this evil or are complicit in their acceptance of it. If she stays at home, she’s afraid she’ll be infected and never attain success on her own terms. She takes an assignment with an international agency photographing the chaos and casualties of Mexico’s drug war. Freyja soon discovers she’s shot only one frame of ‘the big picture’.

The Big Picture focuses on dramatic action, zooms in on political intrigue, and takes a candid snapshot of modern romance. The plot also reveals how narco dollars, overtly and covertly, influence every level of our lives; the wars we fight, the governments we elect, the impact on healthcare, and most importantly and tragically, our personal relationships.

 

"The plot of The Big Picture, with its twists and reversals of fortune, ...is imaginative and fast moving...extremely compelling. ....characters are diverse, well developed, and real... ...imagery is powerful and fresh. The book is an excellent read and pausing to experience some of the imagery makes it even better."

 

"The Big Picture is ...a thought-provoking novel that is smartly written with genuine emotional, no holds barred dialogue, and events that will punch you in the heart. - This book was a gem to read and an interesting one at that."

"...a journey of self discovery... a coming-of-age, social thriller... focused on key ethical questions... a creative solution to expose the links of social problems."
Tom Pope - for Bookpleasures

"I like the plot and the plotters...Arni's sense of humor and the dynamics in the Brynjarsson family...Gunnar the druglord, BB the addict, Arni the hedonist, Giordana who rationalizes and Freyja who wants to fight. I like the love story, too. Freyja and Marty with their differences and similarities make a good couple.
... (there are) moral issues in The Big Picture. The drugs, corruption, the way people with beliefs and principles slowly drop them in the treadmill of politics and re-elections. What drug money does to each of the Brynjarssons. Freyja's ethics against Gunnar's power."
- C. Widmann, Goodreads Review

 

Imaginative and fast moving...extremely compelling...will punch you in the heart.
5 STARS - Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

 

This is a fascinating novel...adventure, excitement, drug cartels, family issues, romance...themes that are important and questions we sometimes need to ask ourselves.

Judge's commentary - 2nd Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published eBook Awards

 

 

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This was a hard book to rate. In many ways, it delivers on all of the promises any Alan Furst novel offers. The research appears to be top notch, with plenty of telling details to give it a powerful sense of place; the story puts the reader in the middle of the hidden side of the road to WWII. Yet, I got the the last 20 pages wondering where the novel was going? Alas, I don't mean an unexpected plot turn thrilled me with the unknown. Rather, the plot doesn't seem to suggest an ending. While Furst provides an ending, it felt more like a petering out that a climax. I suspect the problem is that the plot hinges on a secondary character who isn't well-enough developed to make the end feel crucial. Her fate never seems in question, so the reader (or at least I) doesn't invest in it as the novel progresses.I wouldn't suggest a dedicated Furst fan should skip this one. Enough of Furst's charms are on display to make it worthwhile. But if you are new to his oeuvre, he has many other novels that offer a vitality from beginning to end. Having read five of his novels, Dark Voyages is the one that haunts my memories.

This is the sort of book I loved as a little girl. I wonder why I never stumbled across it before. The story of Grace and the letter she wrote to Mr. Lincoln when he was running for President is delightful. Most of it made up out of whole cloth, of course, but believable and engaging. I got this in a Betsy-Tacy book exchange last summer and I'm glad I picked it up today.