It appears we have a JULY DELIVERY DATE set.
The publishers of my new novel, BANGKOK BOOK HOUSE, have sent me the final edited copy of ECHO POOL. I've also been working on the final cover blurb so that we can attract a little attention to this story. Sadly, cover design and the 150 words we come up with for the back of the book will probably decide if we have a success or a failure. I couldn't be happier that this book is finally coming out. It is a very personal story and so in some ways it will be very difficult for me to share this one with the world. I do feel it is a story that needs to be told. My father was a great man and this piece, although much of the novel is fictional and crafted around Duke's escape to Thailand, details the lifelong teacher that my father was. It also deals with his agonizing battle with lung cancer and his final days. Is the book fiction? "Yes and no." It's a novel that pulls so closely to my life story that anyone who knows me or has been in my life will probably see themselves in parts of it, but it has been crafted -- formed to work around the narrative which I created. But the stories about Duke's father, come directly from my memories of my Dad.
I have written 3 possible back cover summaries. The one following this is top of the list so far:
ECHO POOL
Yearning for a better future while being tethered to his past, DUKE has escaped his chaotic life in the United States where he was a teacher by day and a professional gambler by night, hoping to start again. But spending money in Thailand is much easier than making it. His life savings is lost in a business venture gone bad and he finds himself living on the edge of financial ruin. This is further complicated by the fact that his Thai girlfriend ARRAYA, a beautiful and compassionate young lady, is harboring a desire for marriage. This realization sends Duke into an introspective journey deep within the echo pool – the place where past lives reside – in order to learn from his past and find direction for his future.
Memories are venom to a man running from himself. But if Duke wants to survive he must relive the lessons of his father – as painful as those recollections are – in order to find his roots and strength again.
Memories are venom to a man running from himself. But if Duke wants to survive he must relive the lessons of his father – as painful as those recollections are – in order to find his roots and strength again.