Spotlight: Three Ways to Disappear by Katy Yocom

Three Ways to Disappear

by

Katy Yocom

HUNTING FOR CONNECTION, HAUNTED BY LOSS: IN DEBUT NOVEL, HUMANS—AND TIGERS—STRIVE TO CONNECT AND STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE IN A CONFLICTED NATURAL WORLD 

Publisher: Ashland Creek Press 
Publication date: 16th July 2019
Sub genre: EcoFiction 
Pages: 300
RRP: $18.95 USD

Leaving behind a nomadic and dangerous career as a journalist, Sarah DeVaughan returns to India, the country of her childhood and a place of unspeakable family tragedy, to help preserve the endangered Bengal tigers. Meanwhile, at home in Kentucky, her sister, Quinn--also deeply scarred by the past and herself a keeper of secrets--tries to support her sister, even as she fears that India will be Sarah's undoing.

As Sarah faces challenges in her new job--made complicated by complex local politics and a forbidden love--Quinn copes with their mother's refusal to talk about the past, her son's life-threatening illness, and her own increasingly troubled marriage. When Sarah asks Quinn to join her in India, Quinn realizes that the only way to overcome the past is to return to it, and it is in this place of stunning natural beauty and hidden danger that the sisters can finally understand the ways in which their family has disappeared--from their shared history, from one another--and recognize that they may need to risk everything to find themselves again.

With dramatic urgency, a powerful sense of place, and a beautifully rendered cast of characters revealing a deep understanding of human nature in all its flawed glory, Katy Yocom has created an unforgettable novel about saving all that is precious, from endangered species to the indelible bonds among family.

Praise for Three Ways to Disappear: 

“Sensual and sensory, lush with longing, Three Ways to Disappear is an assured and lovely debut novel.  You'll find yourself luxuriating in its language and carried away by its complex and endearing characters.  There isn't one wasted word, and I loved them all”  -- Silas House, author of Southernmost  

What is Ecofiction?

Ecofiction is fiction with a conscience.
Also known as eco-literature, these books range from mysteries to thrillers, yet they all share strong environmental themes.

As a child, I was fascinated with big cats of all types. I thought I outgrew that fascination, but when a tigress at the Louisville Zoo gave birth to a litter of cubs, I instantly fell in love, visited frequently, and watched them grow up,” Yocom says of her inspiration for the novel. “I knew that in the wild, tigers face long odds, and the complexity of the human-tiger relationship captured my imagination. I’ve always been drawn to stories confronting the big questions: life, death, how we carry on in the face of loss, what it means to be truly connected to someone, and what it takes to heal broken relationships.



 


 

Spotlight: Trails in the Dust by Joy Dettman

Trails in the Dust

by

Joy Dettman

Publisher: Pan Macmillan 
Publication date: 25th June 2019
Series: A Woody Creek Novel #7
Pages: 368
RRP: $32.99AUD

After many tumultuous years spent grappling with the past, Jenny Hooper might have expected her latter years to be the best of her life, and they are - until tragedy strikes. Left floundering in a house full of memories, not all of them good, Jenny knows a reckoning is in order.

But it won't be easy. History is beginning to repeat itself for Jenny's adopted daughter, Trudy, who finds herself trapped in an abusive relationship. Jenny and her older daughter, Georgie, can only stand by and watch as Trudy's life implodes.

Meanwhile, half a world away in the UK, Cara and her husband Morrie nurture a devastating secret that keeps them at arm's length from Jenny.

But most of all, Jenny wants to renew contact with the beloved son she lost decades before when she was at her lowest ebb. Only that, and having the chance to tell him the truth about what happened, will give her peace. But is it too late?

 

Joy Dettman was born in country Victoria and spent her early years in towns on either side of the Murray River. 
She is an award-winning writer of short stories, the complete collection of which, Diamonds in the Mud, was published in 2007, as well as the highly acclaimed novels Mallawindy, Jacaranda Blue, Goose Girl, Yesterday's Dust, The Seventh Day, Henry's Daughter, One Sunday, Pearl in a Cage, Thorn on the Rose, Moth to the Flame, Wind in the Wires, Ripples on a Pond, The Tying of Threads, and The Silent Inheritance.

Giveaway:
Tracey@CarpeLibrum currently has a giveaway running for a copy of Trails in the Dust. You can enter on her blog 
 Giveaway closes 14th July 2019. 

 

Spotlight & Giveaway - The Monster Catchers by George Brewington

The Monster Catchers

by 

George Brewington

The Monster Catchers: A Bailey Buckleby Story

By George Brewington

A Father-Son Monster Hunter Duo Must Save California From An Evil Villain…

THE FRESH, DYNAMIC, NOT-TO-BE-MISSED MG FANTASY DEBUT

"A fast-paced, action-packed adventure with an interesting premise" ―Booklist on The Monster Catchers

"The monsters are appealing, the parallels between monster and human history are discussable, and the end is wildly unsubtle but still gratifying, allowing Bailey to look forward to a more tolerant and altruistic exploration of the world of monsters." ―The Bulletin on The Monster Catchers

            If there’s something strange in the neighborhood, who you gonna call? Buckleby and Son!

When we think of monster catchers or even ghost busters, we don’t often think of a father-son duo saving California from goblins, seas monsters, fairies and trolls.

Behind a purple curtain in the back of a little store of eccentricities, trinkets and souvenirs lies a series of adventures. In this middle-grade fantasy debut, The Monster Catchers: A Bailey Buckleby Story by George Brewington [MacMillan, 2019], Bailey Buckleby and his dad Dougie can rid your home of whatever monster is troubling you—for the right price. Dougie offers Bailey a unique education in the lessons of monster catching and the importance of these creatures to their history. But when Bailey discovers that his dad has been lying—their pet troll Henry is actually a kidnapped baby sea giant—he begins to question the family business. Then, when a criminal mastermind puts everyone and everything Bailey loves in peril, it’s up to him to save his family and set things right.

            In The Monster Catchers, Brewington weaves in lessons of friendship and morality with fun and quirky storylines to keep readers on their toes with cliffhangers at the end of each fast-paced chapter. Although a story about a boy who fights monsters with a Frisbee, Brewington dives into Bailey’s journey discovering who and what he believes in to ultimately find his true identity.

“I want my readers to love the characters and find them funny, but also discover that every monster and human has their own perspective,” says Brewington. “Monsters - or humans - shouldn’t immediately be assumed to be evil because they are different than us.”

The Monster Catchers is the best kind of middle-grade faery tale — it encourages readers to enjoy the story, and yet think beyond its pages. Fans of Dianna Wynne Jones, Douglas Adams and Lemony Snicket will gravitate toward this series, and will be so glad that they discovered George Brewington, a debut author we’ll certainly be hearing more from. 

 

About the author

George Brewington writes fantasy stories for both children and adults four days a week. The other three days a week he is a respiratory therapist at a hospital in Charleston, South Carolina. His short stories have been included in anthologies like Dark Magic: Witches, Hackers & Robots and Pick Your Poison. His first novel for young readers – The Monster Catchers - debuted on March 9th, 2019. The sequel – The Revenge of the Whiffles - arrives on July 14th, 2020. He is also working on a mysterious third novel, which is so secret and so strange and so scary, details cannot be revealed at this time. He lives in the marshes of Folly Beach, South Carolina with his family, surrounded on all sides by egrets, owls, alligators, and boo hags.

 

Giveaway:

I have one eCopy of The Monster Catchers to giveaway courtesy of Smith Publicity (open internationally)

This giveaway is now closed and the winner was - Renee