Mr Wonderful took this photo of American Magic off the TV today.
American Magic is making it’s home here in Pensacola, Florida. It was so cool seeing Pensacola on the sail, garnering international attention for out city. Mr Wonderful and I have spent numerous days at the port watching them.
They will be located at Warehouse 10, with an $8.3 million dollar grant to beautify the place. They’ll add an addition to the warehouse, a dock and boat ramp and 170 jobs to the city.
The 37th America’s Cup Preliminary Regatta in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain started out with postponements because of weather and the conditions never cooperated. American Magic won the first even of the 2024 America’s Cup season today. Only two races were held because of light and unpredictable winds. I think that says a lot about American Magic and I look forward to good things coming their way.
That means we have our eye on the prize for next year’s America’s Cup.
Because of the information at the end of the book, after this story is finished, I felt a need to share William Blake’s “The Tyger.” Blake is having a discussion with Evil in the form of the tiger.
Blake, William. “The Tyger.” Songs of Experience. Facsimile reproduction of the 1794 illuminated manuscript, published by The William Blake Trust and the Tate Gallery, 2009, in William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books.
The title Red Queen made me curious, but it was not what I expected. The author is unfamiliar to me, but the cover made me curious, with #1 International bestseller. Then, I read the blurb, and thought this could be a winner for me. And boy was it. Antonia Scott was so much more than I expected and I love that her ‘partner’ is a disgraced police officer. I love when a characters can find redemption, and I feel he will.
Antonia Scott allows herself to think of suicide no more than three minutes a day.
Does that intrigue you? It sure did me. Why did she think of suicide at all? Isn’t she a gifted forensic investigator? A personal tragedy leaves her with a heavy sense of guilt that she cannot escape. I am not going to tell you why. You will have to discover that for yourself.
Inspector Jon Gutierrez is a disgraced police officer, suspended from work. He has always been harassed because of being gay in a male driven society. He loves to cook. He is not fat, just rock solid. I think a lot of cooks love to eat. For others, like me, it is more like fuel. He has been tasked with bringing Antonia out of her self imposed isolation and has no idea what he is coming his way.
“My brain…isn’t normal. I can do things others find impossible.”
When I found the reason for that, I had ambivalent feelings. I guess, if it was what she wanted, who am I to judge.
Red Queen started out slow for me, but I think that is Juan Gomez Jurado’s way of preparing me for what is to come. The only problem I had was when he went back and forth between Jon and Inspector Gutierrez. It was early in the book and took me a little while to go with it and quit questioning whether he was talking about two people instead of one.
‘You sacrifice a pawn for the sake of continuing the game. Because the only thing that matters is to keep on playing.’
As we delve into the mystery, the suspense slowly rises. The story deepens. The sacrifices are costly, the players out for themselves
When Jon brings a rubber plant to her place, trying to make the barren room feel like a home, I cracked up. And…well, I can’t say. I will say this, though, the story kept getting better, the characters more real, foibles and all.The last quarter or more of the book was unputdownable. My desire to know them better, to work another case with them, intrigued me.
After the story is over, Juan Gomez Jurado shared some information that had me going to the internet to find out more for myself. Now…that is the sign of a great writer.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Red Queen by Juan Gomez Jurado.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Introducing Antonia Scott – the most compelling and original detective since Lisbeth Salander – in the international bestselling thriller that has taken the world by storm.
Red Queen is the first book in a trilogy that has sold over 2 million copies in Spain, sold to seventeen countries, and is the basis of an Amazon streaming series to debut in 2023.
Antonia Scott—the daughter of a British diplomat and a Spanish mother—has a gifted forensic mind, whose ability to reconstruct crimes and solve baffling murders is legendary. But after a personal trauma, she’s refused to continue her work or even leave her apartment.
Jon Gutierrez, a police officer in Bilbao—disgraced, suspended, and about to face criminal charges—is offered a chance to salvage his career by a secretive organization that works in the shadows to direct criminal investigations of a highly sensitive nature. All he has to do is succeed where many others have failed: Convince a recalcitrant Antonia to come out of her self-imposed retirement, protecting her and helping her investigate a new, terrifying case.
The case is a macabre, ritualistic murder—a teen-aged boy from a wealthy family whose body was found without a drop of blood left in it. But the murder is just the start. A high-ranking executive and daughter of one of the richest men in Spain is kidnapped, a crime which is tied to the previous murder. Behind them both is a hidden mastermind with even more sinister plans. And the only person with a chance to see the connections, solve the crimes and successfully match wits with the killer before tragedy strikes again…is Antonia Scott.
ABOUT JUAN GOMEZ JURADO
Juan Gómez-Jurado (December 1977 Madrid, Spain) is an award winning journalist and bestselling author. He is one of the three most successful contemporary Spanish authors along with New York Times bestselling authors Javier Sierra and Carlos Ruiz Zafón. In 2016, Juan celebrated the mark of 6 million readers worldwide.
Juan is the author of nine international bestselling novels: GOD’S SPY, THE MOSES EXPEDITION, THE TRAITOR’S EMBLEM, THE LEGEND OF THE THIEF, SCAR, RED QUEEN, BLACK WOLF and WHITE KING. They have been translated into more than 40 languages. He is also the author of the young adult science-fiction series, ALEX COLT SPACE CADET.
Juan is an avid reader and traveller. He lives in Spain with Sam, his bad behaviored dog.
The Man Who Screams At Nightfall… and other stories
by Rush Leaming
January 16 – February 10, 2023 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
Thailand. The Congo. Greece. Spain. America…
Four continents and 40+ years in the making.
The Man Who Screams At Nightfall is a landmark collection of short stories depicting a young man on a classic voyage of self-discovery, scouring the earth in search of some purpose in life.
From childhood to parenthood and everything in between—these tales are at times raw and unflinching, at other times poignant and moving.
Get ready for a literary journey unlike any you’ve experienced before.
WARNING: Some of these stories contain strong language, depictions of graphic violence, and sexual situations.
Praise for The Man Who Screams At Nightfall…and other stories:
“A powerful, gritty, and exquisitely written anthology —not to be missed.”
“A short story collection that excels in its sense of literary psychological growth and discovery. Libraries looking for interconnected short stories that represent life journeys and revelations will find The Man Who Screams At Nightfall…and other stories an appealing acquisition that promises much fodder for discussion to book club readers interested in fictional blends of psychological and social revelation.”
Midwest Book Review, D. Donovan
“Sharply observed, nuanced, precise, and morally challenging…”
“Leaming’s light hand with dialogue and keen sense of human psychology create a book that highlights weighty issues by putting a compassionate human face on human struggles. Sharp, inventive, and deeply moving: a fine literary collection.”
Book View
“Without a lengthy description of the characters, just enough to provide the imagery necessary to identify them, he catches and holds the reader’s attention like no other I’ve experienced in the hundreds of books and stories I’ve read over the years.”
Reader’s Favorite, L. Allen
Book Details:
Genre: Literary Fiction Published by: Bridgewood Publishing Publication Date: November 2022 Number of Pages: 150 ISBN: 0999745670 (ISBN-13: 9780999745670) Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
…I could see the glow of a fire up ahead of us, and as we reached the mango tree, Pumbu motioned for me to stay low and follow him along a small wall of honeysuckle bushes. We crouched down, and from our hiding place, I saw Kachamba furiously pacing back and forth in his yard in front of a small bonfire. He swung his arms wildly in the air as if he was fighting off something that was falling on him. He dropped to his knees and then suddenly sprang three feet off the ground. Then he began to dance, swaying and spinning his body so close to the fire that I was certain he was going to fall in. All the while he screamed and shouted deep into the empty black night.
He spoke in a dialect that I couldn’t understand, so I had to ask Pumbu to tell me what he was saying. I asked him many questions: Why was he doing this? Who was he speaking to? Was he drunk? What was going on? Pumbu patiently explained to me that no, he was not drunk, and that he really didn’t know who he was speaking to, but that Kachamba’s wife had left him a few years ago, run off with another man and taken their children, and that ever since, he had not been right in the head. He was not from this village and had been kicked out of all the other places he had lived. He came here only because Kachamba’s father, the chief of Kitengo’s uncle, had once saved the life of the chief’s father (Kachamba’s uncle) and so the chief had to let him stay to repay that old favor. It was all very complicated, Pumbu said, and he didn’t fully understand it himself.
I was hardly listening, instead transfixed and horrified by what I saw. Spinning, swirling, shouting, and screaming—Kachamba’s face, so calm and happy as I had seen it earlier that day, was now knotted and twisted like a grotesque carnival mask, like some gargoyle sprung from the lowest depths of hell. The glow of the fire cut fierce shadows and gorges in his face, adding to the haunting vision that I saw.
For a long while, Pumbu and I hid behind the honeysuckle bushes and watched Kachamba shriek and wail and try to push back the night, until suddenly, all at once, he just stopped. Suddenly, he just stood still and quiet and stared at the sky. I followed his gaze and saw another shooting star. When I looked back, Kachamba had disappeared.
“Is that it?” I asked.
“That’s it,” said Pumbu. “He usually only does this for an hour or so.”
“And he does this every night?”
“Almost,” said Pumbu and yawned. “Mmm. I’m tired. I think I am going to go home.”
We left the bushes, went past the mango tree, and said good night. I walked home alone, both exhilarated and troubled by what I had seen.
I entered my room and prepared for bed, but long after I had extinguished my petrol lantern, I lay there staring into the darkness. I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned. It wasn’t that unusual—I noticed that it had been happening a lot lately, that I couldn’t sleep. I got up and found the bottle of Johnnie Walker and knocked back a tall glass until at last I was floating, and at last, my eyes did shut…
***
Excerpt from The Man Who Screams At Nightfall… and other stories by Rush Leaming. Copyright 2022 by Rush Leaming. Reproduced with permission from Rush Leaming. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
RUSH LEAMING has done many things including spending 15+ years in film/video production working on such projects as The Lord of the Rings films. His first novel, Don’t Go, Ramanya, a political thriller set in Thailand, was published in the fall of 2016. His second novel followed suit in the summer of 2018, entitled The Whole of the Moon, set in the Congo at the end of the Cold War. 2021 saw the 5-star reception of his crime thriller Dead Tree Tales. His short stories have appeared in Notations, 67 Press, Lightwave, 5k Fiction, and The Electric Eclectic.
He has lived in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Zaire, Thailand, Spain, Greece, South Carolina, England, and Kenya.
Charles wants you to know what he has been up to since writing his Award Winning novel Tiger Paw. I have been eagerly anticipating a peak into the new novel he has been working on so covertly.
It’s been quite awhile since I last posted. I apologize for that. The principal reason is that my new ‘Project-X’ has been extremely time consuming and blogging has taken a back seat. Last time, I said I was writing a new series but left you guessing on what its genre was. I said it wasn’t a mystery or a thriller like my Scott Forrester FBI novel, Tiger Paw. But other than that I was quite vague. So here is the first inkling of what Project-X is all about!
I’m calling it… DragonFly (and yes, the F is capitalized!)
I wouldn’t be a mystery writer if I gave out all the clues at once! This name is not the complete title of the series. If I added just one more word, it would give too much away. Yes, you’ve probably guessed that it will be a combination of science fiction and fantasy. But I can assure you there will be even more than that. Yes, it does have a dragon in it, but nothing like what you imagine a dragon to be! Yes, it has an evil wizard, but again like no other wizard I have heard of before in a fantasy work. If I’m saying that I’m trying to develop something VERY unique, in its own sci-fi & fantasy niche, then the answer is… yes, I am! (or else why do something that has been done before?)
It is a very ambitious project and because of that I’m going to need a lot of help.
DragonFly already has two very important collaborators… two artists whose talents are at the top of their respective fields. Coincidentally, they are both based in Europe. For the science fiction aspects of DragonFly, I have engaged a computer graphics artist from Spain whose code name is ‘Mr. C’. For the fantasy elements, including a very unique creature spawned from the evil mind of my wizard, I have commissioned work from a fantasy artist from Belgium who I will call ‘Mr. J’. In due time, their identities will be revealed and their work on DragonFly will be published here on my blog, on a new website I’m creating, and as illustrations in the first novel of the series.
Work on Lucifer’s Key, the sequel to Tiger Paw continues, but at a reduced pace. DragonFly is easier to write and I plan the first draft to be complete by the end of May. At that time I will go into revision mode and when ready I will be soliciting beta readers for DragonFly before it is published. Several of you have already volunteered, so I thank you in advance!
I expect the first novel in the DragonFly series to be published before Sept 1 and will have a website launch party this summer!
I’m very excited about DragonFly. As an author it has special writing challenges beyond the genre bending aspect of it, which in itself is a bit of a risk. I can also reveal that it will be written in first person from the perspective of a heroine whose quest will define the destiny of her country and will change the course of history. Be patient, you will meet her shortly!
Isabel Cruz was fifteen years old when she met Tom Stevens. She was 15 when they started dating, and 16 when she lost her virginity to him. By the time she turned 18 and went to college, everything had fallen apart. This hadn’t been an ordinary love, though. Not a love between two dear friends, or even high school sweethearts. This had been the most taboo sort of love there was: a relationship between a student and her teacher. Isabel started her high school career as a normal student, but set her sights on Tom Stevens as soon as she met him, and pursued him with an intense – and sometimes reckless – fascination. When he finally approached her after swim practice and told her that he shared her feelings, it was the start of a forbidden and dangerous relationship.
TO PICK UP YOUR COPY OF THE BOOK, LOOK AT THE LINKS BELOW.
My story begins in the early 90s, when a young girl started her high school career. She may have been any girl – young, impressionable, and fresh into the wide world of older boys, harder classes, and more choices. She may have been quite beautiful, well developed for her age, and smarter than most of the other students in her class. She may have been destined for the same high school career as anyone else – honors courses, braces, a few high school crushes, photography classes, a first kiss, and then a straight shot into the college of her choice, and her future as a doctor, or teacher, or architect.
Instead, she fell in love with her swim coach, one of the most popular teachers in the school, and became romantically involved with him.
I don’t believe that I have to tell you how dangerous this would have been. She was a young girl of 15, 16, 17 and he an adult man in his late 30s, old enough to be her father. Although this type of relationship would have passed as acceptable and even normal in Medieval England, the modern world frowns on such dalliances, and prosecutes the men – and women – who take advantage of adolescent students in this way. The two of them, then, would have been facing the threat of discovery, tarnishing of reputation, and even time behind bars; throwing their relationship in the face of society, if you will, but doing so quietly, in order to avoid detection.
Have you guessed, yet, that the story I’m telling you is true? Have you guessed that it’s more than just a rhetorical question, more than an idea that developed in my head one day?
The girl in the story is my mother, Isabel Cruz. She never told her story to the world, though she could have, because she didn’t want her love and relationship to be tainted by society’s judgments. This was a story of an illicit – and illegal – love. It was a story of lying, cheating, and misleading the authorities. My mother’s love for this older man was forbidden, and would have been highly scandalous to the world at large. She might have lost privileges, opportunities, and even her family, had they found out. And for him … his future and very life would have been put in jeopardy if the nature of their relationship were revealed, regardless of whether my mother sought to prosecute him or not. Even when she was older, my mother feared that the truth about their relationship might bring a backlash to the man she had loved so dearly. She fought against that with all her might, with the ongoing wish to keep him from any risk or pain. She never lost her love for him, scandalous as it may have seemed to others.
She is older, now, and the man in the story is long gone. When I happened across her diary from that time and asked her permission to write the story, she acquiesced. It was time that the world knew, she said, so it could see that this type of love – though it may be frowned upon, and even prosecuted – isn’t always what it seems. Sometimes, regardless of the ages of the participants, it is just that. Love. True and pure as it can be between two people, and strong enough to last through the years. It was time, she said, for our family to know its past, and its future.
I have just closed her diary, having squeezed every word from it, and written my own last words, which means that the book is done and her story has been told. I must pass it to you now, Reader, and trust you to hold it dear and keep it safe. I must trust you to see the love that shines through, rather than the social mores of the situation. I must trust you to care for my mother and her past, as I have during the writing of this book.
This, then, is my mother’s story. It starts when she was very young, only 15 …
~ Claire Stevens
Giveaway per blog: (1) KindleGraphed eBook copy of SWEETEST TABOO. Open International. Books will be gifted from Amazon only.
To enter: leave your email address and answer the question:
Do you, or have you ever, kept a diary or a log?
GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Winners will be announced after 3/8/2013 by AToMR Tours.
Giveaway will run from 2/19 – 2/28/2012.
All winners will be sent to the author at one time after the March 3rd date.
*If a winner does not have an ereader, they can can download the Kindle app for FREE to their computer or iPad
