Guest Post:
Hi Amanda. Thanks for the opportunity to talk about books
that I like and some of my favorite books.
Of Great Appeal – Books, Books, Books
Like a roller coaster ride, a beach vacation, or, well, use
your own imagination here, the enjoyment of some books ends once the last page
has been read. Other stories, like a lasting love, linger on for days, weeks,
maybe for years, consciously or subliminally adding to our enjoyment or
understanding of life itself in a much deeper way. Depending on my mood, that’s
the books that I like the best, the stories that linger and resurface
unexpectedly – books of any genre that have a literary element.
Are you looking for short-term thrills or true love in
literature?
Life can be tough, that’s for sure. Most of us need to
escape reality at least every now and then, in one way or another, and to some
degree. Some people get totally blitzed on drugs or alcohol…. Of course, all of
life’s problems are still there, maybe worse, when these folks sober up. Other
people will binge on food, video games…. Of all addictions, reading is the
least harmful, and often healthful or beneficial during our individualized pursuits
of happiness.
Sometimes, depending on my mood, I will pick a quick
escapist novel, stay up all night reading, feel awful the next day, and forget
about the experience the next day afterward. I read books in all genres,
including romance. I don’t finish them all, however. If it’s a cookie-cutter
novel with only the names of the characters changed from other similar stories,
I’m sorry but life is too short to relive the same fantasies over and over
again. Even if I’m in the mood for a short-term escape from reality, I try to
pick something that at least sounds different based on book reviews.
Rarity from the
Hollow, my debut novel, was likely the result of my interest in most
genres. It is adult literary science fiction, sort of, but, mostly, this novel
is genre bending and reflective of my broad reading interests and disinterests.
One found: “…soon I found myself immersed in the bizarre world… weeping for the
victim and standing up to the oppressor…solace and healing in the power of
love, laughing at the often comical thoughts… marveling at ancient alien
encounters… As a rape survivor… found myself relating easily to Lacy Dawn… style
of writing which I would describe as beautifully honest. Rarity from the Hollow is different from anything I have ever read,
and in today’s world of cookie-cutter cloned books, that’s pretty refreshing… whimsical
and endearing world of Appalachia n Science Fiction, taking you on a wild ride
you won’t soon forget….” http://kyliejude.com/2015/11/book-review-rarity-from-the-hollow/
I
like books that include real-life issues, like racism or poverty, or metaphors
and allegories of such in fantastical setting, and that are character-driven.
Like I said before, I’ll read simple escapist novels with fast action plots
sometimes, but mostly as filler between my major investments of time in more
literary reads. After all, even Harry Potter addressed racism when he gave a
sock to Dobby, the House Elf, to free him from slavery.
I’ve
read so many books in my lifetime, representing every genre that I know about,
it would be impossible to pick the ones of greatest appeal. I’m looking forward
to reading more in the relatively new genre, “CliFy” – science fiction with
climate change as a predominate theme. Daniel Bloom, a journalist living in Taiwan and who
also posted a glowing review of Rarity from the Hollow on Amazon, has been
credited with coining the term for that genre, similar to how Wikipedia also
credited Ursula K. Le Guinn with coining the term “Social Science Fiction.”
With so much political debate about climate science after the 2016 presidential
election, I bet that Clify takes off with readers.
Okay,
I’ve stalled long enough. I’ll give you one title of a favorite book: The
Color Purple.
I especially loved the genuine sounding colloquial dialogue of this story. Other
than that book, don’t ask me about why I picked this book a minute from now
because I would likely give you a different title as the most appealing novel
that I’ve ever read, and another title, and another title, and …………………….
Take
care and I hope that you appreciate Rarity from the Hollow.
Blurb:
Lacy Dawn's father
relives the Gulf War, her mother's teeth are rotting out, and her best friend
is murdered by the meanest daddy on Earth. Life in the hollow is hard. She has
one advantage -- an android was inserted into her life and is working with her
to cure her parents. But, he wants something in exchange. It's up to her to
save the Universe. Lacy Dawn doesn't mind saving the universe, but her family
and friends come first.
Rarity
from the Hollow is adult literary science fiction filled with
tragedy, comedy and satire.
“The most enjoyable science fiction novel I have read in
years.”
—Temple Emmet Williams,
Author, former editor for Reader’s
Digest
“Quirky, profane, disturbing… In the space between a
few lines we go from hardscrabble realism to pure sci-fi/fantasy. It’s
quite a trip.”
—
Evelyn Somers, The Missouri
Review
.
"…a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s
Guide to the Galaxy…what I would have thought impossible;
taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse…tongue-in-cheek
humor without trivializing them…profound…a funny book that most
sci-fi fans will thoroughly enjoy." -- Awesome Indies (Gold
Medal)
“…sneaks up you and, before
you know it, you are either laughing like crazy or crying in despair, but the
one thing you won’t be is unmoved…a brilliant writer.” --Readers’ Favorite (Gold
Medal)
“Rarity from the Hollow is an original and interesting story
of a backwoods girl who saves the Universe in her fashion. Not for the
prudish.” —Piers Anthony,
New York Times bestselling author
“…Good satire is hard to find and science
fiction satire is even harder to find.” -- The Baryon Review
Comfort Zones: Please note that there is a
mention of a child having been murdered in this novel, by the meanest daddy on
Earth. However, there is no scene and she plays a comical and annoying ghost
most of the story. Here's a finding by Awesome
Indies about the first edition to help you decide if this novel is
too far outside of your comfort zone: “a hillbilly version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,
only instead of the earth being destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass,
Lacy Dawn must…The author has managed to do what I would have thought
impossible; taken serious subjects like poverty, ignorance, abuse, and written
about them with tongue-in-cheek humor without trivializing them…Eggleton
sucks you into the Hollow, dunks you in the creek, rolls you in the mud, and
splays you in the sun to dry off. Tucked between the folds of humor are some
profound observations on human nature and modern society that you have to read
to appreciate…it’s a funny book that most sci-fi fans will
thoroughly enjoy.” http://awesomeindies.net/ai-
Please also note that the character mentioned above (Faith) is a victim
of sexual abuse. Sexual content in the novel:
- While the protagonist occupies the body of an eleven year old, she is the product of genetic manipulation by Universal Management for millennia;
- Lacy Dawn began her trainings via direct download into her brain five years before the beginning of this story, so she has been fed information about every known human subject, including biology, reproduction, economics…for years before readers are introduced to her (ET involvement is an opening chapter reveal);
- Her best friend, Faith, as a sexual abuse victim, has a sad and unhealthy awareness of sexuality;
- The android has no private parts, "not even a little bump," and is much less mature emotionally than Lacy Dawn throughout the story;
- There are no sex scenes in the novel and only references, including the disclosure about Faith's victimization by a reference and as a flashback with no scenes;
- As the android pursues humanity and starts going through an accelerated human development stage, he never develops any actual sexual interests but does try to kiss Lacy Dawn on the cheek once;
- Lacy Dawn vows not to have sex for the first time until after she is married -- a traditional and now unusual family value;
- She is fourteen years old when the novel ends and has typical teenage interests but remains untouched, not even a first real kiss;
- There are normalized sexual references and innuendos between Lacy Dawn parents after their romance was rekindled -- the father was cured of PTSD and the mother's self-esteem improved, in part, because she got new teeth as part of the deal to save the universe;
- But, the above sexual references are presented as puns, nothing on screen, and are milder than most romance novels that I've read, such as by Nora Roberts.
Piers Anthony,
best selling fantasy author during the '80s and '90s, found that my novel was
“…not for the prudish.” Kevin Patrick Mahoney, editor of the
once noteworthy site, Authortrek,
found that my story was, “…not for the faint hearted or easily
offended….” An early voice in the first chapter speaks
about things that no child should know. It is that of a traumatized child
– a voice most of us never listen to, or want to hear, but in real life
is screaming. I'm a retired children's psychotherapist. The language and
concepts in this story are mild in comparison to some of the stuff that kids
have said during actual group therapy sessions that I have facilitated over the
years. By child developmental stage, it is similar to the infamous early
adolescent insult in E.T.:
“penis breath.” It is tame in comparison to the content of the
popular television series, South Park,
which has been devoured by millions of teens. My story does include marijuana
smoking, but that subject has been frequently broadcast in the news as state
move toward legalization, when legislation is introduced, or debates emerge.
Except for a scene involving domestic violence in the third chapter, there is
no violence or horror -- no blood, guts, gore, vampires, or werewolves. The
“F word” is used twice, but the all other profanity is mild
colloquialism. Rarity from the Hollow is
a children's story for adults with a HEA ending like a romance novel.
Political Allegory: You may be interested in this press
release: http://www.pr4us.com/pr-2618-
Positive Reviews of the first edition: The first edition of this
novel had a formatting error that has been corrected. The second reads much
smoother. Despite the formatting problem, the
first edition was awarded two Gold Medals by major book review organizations,
was named one of the best releases of 2015 by a Bulgaria book critic, and received
twenty-six five star reviews and forty-three four star reviews by independent
book review bloggers. An unsolicited Top 100 Amazon Reviewer found:
"Rarity from
the Hollow written by Robert Eggleton, to be fully honest, was much
more than expected and a great read – semi-autobiographical literary work
full of beautiful and ugly things, adventure, romance, pain and
humor…."
About the Author: I
recently retired after 52 years of contributions into the U.S. Social Security
fund so that I could write and promote my fiction. I’m a former mental
health psychotherapist in West
Virginia. But, after coming home drained from working
with child abuse victims, I didn't have the energy left to begin its
self-promotion. Author proceeds have been donated
to a child abuse prevention program in my home state. http://www.childhswv.org/ A listing of services that are supported can be found here:
http://mountainrhinestones.
BUY LINKS:
Find Robert Online:
LinkedIn
Happy Reading!
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~
~!~ Amanda, Novel Addiction ~!~
