Join us in wishing author Sarah Lampkin, a very happy book birthday! Today marks the release of To Wake the Dead, book #2 in her Dead Dreamer series! Read on for more details, and an exclusive excerpt from the book!
Psst!!! There’s also a giveaway bundle! Make sure you enter below!
Brenna Whit teeters the line between the living and the dead. Now that she’s back for her sophomore year at Nephesburg College, she’s determined to focus on the waking world. But when her own soul is trying to kill her and a new Dead Dreamer is fighting for power, Brenna is dragged back into the world of the dead.
The Gatekeepers are doing everything they can to restore the power they once held over the town of Nephesburg. With a mysterious set of twins arriving in town to help them prepare, Brenna must decide what’s important: continuing to hide her secret or reveal herself and fight for what she believes is right. The decision could end up leading to a permanent death for Brenna so she must choose wisely.
Classes have begun…
The battlefield is set…
Let the fight for the Fade begin.
“Who wrote the laws saying that doorways must be sealed? Who told you to create another one of you?”
“The church.”
“Why?” He was silent. For once, he had no answer. He merely stared at me not blinking or unwavering as his eyes locked on mine. I thought I had him; nowhere in the Bible did it say to interfere with the dead or the other side. In fact, the Scripture scorned it. If I remembered correctly, that would border on witchcraft and necromancy, which was forbidden. So, if Wilson were the type to follow the Bible no matter what, then these questions just pushed his logic out the window. Even if the church said he had to do those things, who was to say they were right?
Eighteen-year-old Brenna Whit is entering college as a freshman and starting to meet new people, but she hides a dark secret. Because of an accident that happened three years ago, her spirit wanders the Fade whenever she falls asleep. It’s something she wants to keep hidden from the world, but when she sees someone watching her in spirit form, she fears the secret’s out. With new friends, possibly new enemies, school, and a new crush, Brenna has too much to worry about for just her freshman year of college.
Perfect for those who enjoy Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural!
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Sarah Lampkin is a 2015 graduate from Lynchburg College [University of Lynchburg] with a master’s degree in English. Since graduation, Sarah now lives in Northern Virginia working in the IT field as a Technical Writer while continuing her research for her graduate school thesis. When she isn’t working, Sarah continues her Celtic mythology research and Gaelic studies, while working on the Dead Dreamer series.
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
Warriors Publishing Group
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Genre: Historical Fiction
#TheBattersBox #AndyKutler #HFVBTBlogTours
In 1946, a returning World War II veteran is determined to reclaim his place among professional baseball’s upper echelon and win back the woman he once fell for. Two months into the new season, at the top of his game, he abandons his team, casting aside his fame and riches and vanishing forever from the public eye. What drives a man to walk away from everything he cherishes, never to be heard from again?
The Batter’s Box follows the path of Will Jamison, a star player with the Washington Senators who enlists in the U.S. Army following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. When the war ends, Jamison returns to Washington, a decorated hero tormented by deep emotional scars. Burdened with a crushing guilt and harrowing memories he cannot escape, Jamison’s life is consumed by an explosive temper, sleepless nights, and a gradual descent into alcoholism. Will he continue, alone with his anguish and misery? Or will he level with those around him, including the woman he loves, and seek the professional care he desperately needs, even at the risk of exposing his most closely guarded secrets?
“We remember World War II as ‘the Good War, ‘ when right and wrong seemed so clear. We won, they lost, and our guys came home as heroes. But as gifted author Andy Kutler tells us in THE BATTER’S BOX, mortal combat is anything but good, heroism comes with a horrific price, and some of the most tragic wounds don’t bleed — and don’t go away. If you want to know what really happened at Bastogne in the terrible winter of 1944, read this powerful, haunting book.” — Daniel P. Bolger, Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret.), author of Our Year of War: Two Brothers, Vietnam, and a Nation Divided
“Andy Kutler has the eyes and ears of combat soldiers and the heart of those who love them. The horror, courage, and camaraderie of battle rivals the grit of Once an Eagle, while the poignant authenticity of Will Jamison’s struggles with his hidden wounds highlight that, for many, the impact of war lingers far past the last shots of battle. THE BATTER’S BOX is a superb work of historical fiction that carries important lessons for today.” — William E. Rapp, Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Commandant, U.S. Army War College, and Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Military Academy
The Batter’s Box is a riveting read. It is a love story and a war story and a novel with far more truth than fiction. I’m a psychiatrist specializing in treating men and women with post-traumatic stress disorder. If you love someone with that invisible wound, read this book. If you are curious and concerned about the condition, read this book. Most survivors of profound trauma lack a language to convey their life stories because those stories include the unspeakable. When the hero of this compelling novel speaks, we listen, we learn and we are transformed. If you are currently struggling with the impact of major trauma, reading passages here may be disturbing and ‘triggering.’ But I believe it is worth the risk because this book affirms your reality and your dignity.†–Frank M. Ochberg, MD, Former Associate Director, National Institute of Mental Health
“Historical fiction, if it reflects careful scholarship, is a powerful tool in the hands of a gifted writer, and can deepen our understanding of real events and people. Andy Kutler’s THE BATTER’S BOX offers an impressive addition to World War II literature, bringing fresh attention to the adjustment struggle faced by so many returning war veterans. Kutler’s depiction of one of the more heroic small-unit engagements in US Army history is both compelling and long overdue.” — Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, President & CEO Emeritus, The National WWII Museum
This book was received as an ARC from the Author and the Publisher, In exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the Author, Andy Kutler.
Andy Kutler’s THE BATTER’S BOX, is a unforgettable novel about a star baseball athlete, as he transition from All-Star baseball player to a soldier serving in the Us military. To a struggling veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, trying to adapt to to civilian life. A story of hopes hopes and dreams, sacrifice, and ultimately love. In Andy Kutler new novel, we meet the man protagonist, Will Jamison. A baseball player during the time that our men and women had put their dreams and aspirations aside, and serve our country. Through Jamison fictional narrative voice, you are taken from our countries national pastime, to front and center in his harrowing experience in the Second World War. The authors detailed descriptions of both pro baseball, and the Battle of the Bulge, kept me on the edge of my seat in fast moving storyline. The pace was brisk and vividly rendered, along with rich descriptive details with period details. The main characters voice and the depth of his challenges will give an insight to struggles of a soldiers struggle long after the war is over. The authors captures the human soul in this moving and compelling book. Kutler, provides us a glimpse of all that suffer through the aftermath of surviving combat, to returning home emotionally torn. I loved the overall premise of the novel, and the quick pace kept me engaged. What immediately grabbed my attention in this story was the complexity of the characters. All characters were raw, honest, and flawed. Andy Kutler, masterly gives the reader with an introspective view of how war changes those involved forever, and how their struggles continues for the veterans long after the war is over. Jamison is changed forever, he struggles through the emotional damages brought on by the lingering effects of the war. He finds love along the way, and most overcome his own demons and find redemption while putting back together his life.
The Batter’s Box is a heartbreaking, heartwarming hopeful story that explores love, loss, hardship, sacrifice and the relationships that bond people together. A powerful memorable novel absorbing novel, this is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.
Photo taken from authors website:
About the Author
Andy Kutler is a writer living in Arlington, Virginia. His debut novel, The Other Side of Life, was awarded a Bronze Medal from the Independent Publishers Book Awards, and Honorable Mention from Foreword Reviews’ INDIEFAB Awards. He has also authored a number of columns for the Huffington Post and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and spent more than a quarter century in public service, including with the United States Senate and the United States Secret Service, and as a consultant in the national security community.
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback copy of The Batter’s Box! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
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The Batter’s Box
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