#BlogTour The Passing Tribute by Simon Marshall

Today it’s my turn on the BlogTour The Passing Tribute by Simon Marshall. Imagine if historical fiction met war fiction and mystery, and then had a Hemingwayesque lunch with a slice of Clockwork Orange vibe.

About the Author

This is Simon’s second novel. In 2015 he self-published The Long Drawn Aisle, then immediately started work researching and writing The Passing Tribute.

A political historian at heart, Simon read modern history at UCL before gaining an MA distinction in Imperial and Commonwealth History at King’s College London. It was during these studies that his profound and ongoing fascination with the pre and post WW1 European settlement was stirred, and it has inspired both of his novels to date.

Simon was born and raised in London, but has lived and worked for most of the past decade in France. With youthful pretensions to screenwriting and poetry, prose has taken over and he has worked variously as a private tutor, English language teacher, assistant bar manager, gig economy dromedary, and Real Tennis professional. As The Long Drawn Aisle took him over ten years to write (and rewrite, and rewrite), he has therefore had plenty of time to immerse himself in all of these glorious postings. And long – says the man in short trousers – may it continue!

Follow @LongDrawnAisle on Twitter, Visit thelongdrawnaisle.com

Buy The Passing Tribute

About the book

In the tumultuous aftermath of the First World War the Wilson brothers head in opposite directions: Richard, interned in Austria throughout the conflict, returns to England; Edward, a junior officer, is dispatched from Italy to Vienna as part of the British Army s relief mission.

For Edward, it will be a return to the city and to love. But it will not be the same city: Vienna is no longer the administrative heart of an Empire, merely a provincial capital ravaged by starvation, and paralysed by the winter snows. Will it be the same love?

In London, Richard is employed in the ministerial heart of government, and soon dazzled by the Under Secretary s vision for a new, federal Europe. But for the new to exist the old must be replaced; and the Habsburg Emperor, on his estate near the Czech border, revolution all around, refuses to go. One man is sent to make sure that he does.

With the brothers estranged by distance and time, their lives become unknowingly entwined in a shadowy plot and it seems the end of the war is only the beginning of their struggle.

Review

As time goes by and the survivors pass away it’s only the history books and historical fiction that remind us of certain events, and I can imagine not many know that not everyone went home just because the war ended. This is the story of two brothers in the aftermath and chaos of World War 1. In countries where everyone is now really becoming aware of the devastation of war. There is more death, pain and sorrow to come.

Here’s the thing, Marshall has a very unique way of writing and telling a story. Have you ever had a friend who tells story, but has to tell ten smaller ones to finally get to the point of the first one. The path of this story is paved with a particular brand of dialogue and prose, which makes it all the more elusive and seem a wee bit ostentatious.

In the first chapters the style lends a hand to the authenticity of the situation. It makes the surroundings, the interactions and dialogue seem more vivid. Think of a real time movie taking place and you are thrust in the middle of the fracas, as everyone moves, talks and interacts around you at the same time. If you don’t catch the flow it can cause a sense of confusion.

Imagine if historical fiction met war fiction and mystery, and then had a Hemingwayesque lunch with a slice of Clockwork Orange vibe. Readers are going to think this is a marmite kind of read. You will either enjoy it or you won’t. I think it is the kind of read you have to digest, envisage and enjoy. It’s not a fast beach read, but rather a complex plot of love and loyalty mixed with the prose of a writer channelling the laissez-faire attitude of 1940s/50s artists and writers.

Buy The Passing Tribute at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Unbound Digital; pub date 7 Mar. 2019. Buy at Amazon com.

#BlogTour Time School by Nikki Young

Today it’s my turn on the BlogTour Time School by Nikki Young. It’s a pleasant introduction into the history of WW 1 and the concept of time travel. It’s a short read suitable for all age groups.

About the Author

Nikki Young is a writer and lover of stories and ‘The Mystery of the Disappearing Underpants’ is her first book. Nikki credits her lively imagination to an amazing childhood, growing up in Yorkshire and living in a cul-de-sac in the days when children were allowed to run free and left to make their own fun! Now a mum of three, she says that in her head, she hasn’t really grown up and those memories of her childhood days remain strong and active.

Follow @nikki_cyoung @matadorbooks

Visit nikkiyoung.co.uk

Buy Time School

About the book

A power cut and a series of mini disasters means friends, Jess, Nadia, Tomma and Ash barely make it to the station to catch their train to school. What they find is a far cry from the usual packed commuter train they’re expecting…

When they arrive at Hickley School, the children are surprised to find some of the buildings missing and they don’t recognise any of the other pupils, who are all dressed in a different style of uniform. The only person who takes the time to help them is Martha, despite being preoccupied by her own worries about her family being hungry and not hearing from brother, Henry whom she says is away fighting. The children soon realise this is no normal day and it’s not until they return home that they’re able to figure out what happened. What they don’t know is whether it was a one-off day, or if they will get to see Martha and the other pupils again. Jess hopes so. She has something she needs to tell Martha. Not knowing how or why, she feels a connection and an obligation to this girl she can’t explain.

Review

Imagine getting on a train you get on every morning only to be whisked away through a gap in time to the past. To a time of great upheaval, struggle and sorrow, with the only option to return being the same train. Just you and a few of your friends thrust into one of the most traumatic periods in the 20th century. How, why and for what purpose?

I think it is a gentle and non-abrasive way of introducing young readers to the World Wars, specifically the Great War. Having bought and read similar books with a historical context for children, and for my own children, it is fair to say that young readers of our era are capable of dealing with a lot more reality and facts. The premise offered up a lot of potential and Young shouldn’t be cautious when plotting and delving into that potential. Children and younger readers are capable of embracing and enjoying more complex and realistic storylines.

This premise also allows for further ventures into the past, regardless of whether the fictional story collides with an important historical event or not. Books like these can be great teaching tools, because readers learn historical facts in a fictional setting.

What I really liked about it was the fact I could read this to a child of any age or give it to them to read, without having any concerns they might be overwhelmed by the subject matter. At the very least readers will come away with a basic understanding of how the war had impact on everyone regardless of age or status. Rationing, clothing, war orphans and refugees, and having to deal with the death of a loved one.

More advanced readers could discuss the butterfly effect of the time travel. Did the event the children were there to change or stop only occur because they were there in the first place?

Given a little more depth I can see this becoming an interesting series (hint, hint) and a scholastic possibility. I would like to see Young spread her wings a little more and allow for the creative ideas to flourish instead of curbing them. Saying that, I would buy this book for a reluctant reader or as an introduction to the topics of history, war and time travel.

Buy Time School at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.

Publisher: Troubador Publishing ( pub date: 28 Jun. 2018)

Kathleen McGurl

Kathleen McGurl is a writer of short stories, novels and how-to-write books. She lives by the sea in Bournemouth with her husband and teen son 2. Teen son 1 is away at university. When not writing she is either working at the day-job (IT for a large retail organisation) or running along the Bournemouth prom, slowly.

She has sold dozens of stories to women’s magazines in the UK and Australia. Her how-to-write books and a romantic novella are available as ebooks from Amazon. Her first full-length novel, The Emerald Comb, was published by Carina UK on 22nd September 2014, and her second, The Pearl Locket, is available for pre-order, to be released on 27th February 2015.

(bio provided by the author)

To connect with Kathleen on Twitter: @KathMcGurl

Or to find out more about Kathleen McGurl and her books, go visit kathleenmcgurl.com

Read more about The Emerald Comb, The Pearl Locket and The Daughters of Red Hill Hall:

The Emerald Comb is a story of betrayal, murder and the hidden mysteries of genealogy. Katie finds out more than she wants to know, but once opened the content of Pandora’s box can never be unseen. Read more here

 

 

 

 

 

Ali inherits both a house and the family secrets. The type of secrets that destroy families, and in this case even threaten to break up her own. Read more here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Daughters of Red Hill Hall is about history repeating itself. The echoes of betrayal, jealousy and envy are transported through time. Imprinted on two duelling pistols. Will they cause another tragedy in the present? Read more here.