Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. To play along, just do the following:- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.
My teaser this week is from Nook page 129 of Courtney Milan's Unraveled:
"Do you... you don't want to talk, do you?" He made no effort to hide the unsubtle horror in his voice.
Haha what a brilliant teaser! Here is mine http://cleopatralovesbooks.wordpress.com/2014/10/28/teaser-tuesday-october-28/
ReplyDeleteDear Sheery,
ReplyDeleteWill you please consider reviewing my new novel DON’T FORGET ME, BRO (Stephen F. Austin State University Press and Texas Book Consortium, Dec. 2014-Jan.2015).
My novel tackles themes of childhood abuse, mental illness, and alienated families--and leaves the reader uplifted!
Kirkus Reviews says: "Read this book for the vivid imagery and sharp dialogue. Read it for the spot-on characterizations..."
The subject matter is never treated frivolously or over-handled in details. The writing is taut and compelling throughout. The pace leans forward tirelessly.
Those accomplishments alone took years.
In all, five of my thirty years of writing were dedicated to this novel. I like to joke: I had to pull my soul sideways through a keyhole for those five years to get the right words down.
My debut novel, THE NIGHT I FREED JOHN BROWN (Penguin Group, 2008), won The Paterson Prize for Books for Young Readers (Grades 7-12) and was one of ten books recommended by USA TODAY for Black History Month. For more info:
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/john-michael-cummings/the-night-i-freed-john-brown/
My 2011 short story collection, UGLY TO START WITH (West Virginia
University Press), was hailed by The Philadelphia Inquirer as a work of “sharp observation and surpassing grace.” Here’s a link to some information about my collection:
http://www.amazon.com/Ugly-Start-With-Michael-Cummings/dp/193597808X
My short stories have appeared in more than seventy-five literary
journals, including The Iowa Review, North American Review, The Kenyon Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, and The Chattahoochee Review. Twice I have been nominated for The Pushcart Prize. My short story "The Scratchboard Project" received an honorable mention in The Best American Short Stories 2007.
But DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is my best!
The novel is a fictionalized story of my brother. Joe died at 47 of system-wide neglect and indifference for the so-called mentally ill in my, until recently, extremely backward home state of West Virginia.
I know thousands of lives are lost every day around the world. True, Joe was just one. But in this novel, you will see him live and die not once, but a thousand times in the minutes of his life.
If you email me at johnmcummings@aol.com, I'll send you the cover graphic for my novel. Then, please take a look at the image. You will see in Joe's innocent, dead-on eyes at 19.
I'll also email you a new digital .pdf of my novel from the publisher. It's a clear, bold text.
I promise you that DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is not too grim. I am
sensitive to the reader's well-being and tolerance.
Cleanly written and briskly plotted, DON'T FORGET ME, BRO is a quick, fabulous read, a literary page-turner. Never before in my career could I say this about my work. So I say so now with a truth I can all but guarantee.
I hope I don't sound arrogant. I am just very happy and confident.
To give you a bigger picture of my novel, I'll even email you a full advance review by Pauline Finch of Bookreporter.com, along with a list of authors who've blurbed my novel so far and what they have said.
I would very grateful and honored if you were to review my new novel.
Again, my email is johnmcummings@aol.com
My phone number is (304) 620-8747.
In respect and gratitude for your work,
and warmly,
John Michael Cummings
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