Please
join me in welcoming author Michael Hurley to Books & Benches. He comes to us today with his award-winning book, The Vineyard, and I must say it sounds fascinating. Having spent time in New England, and being a lover of a good mystery, I look forward to reading this book. Welcome, Michael!
“[A] spellbinding, beautifully
written creation. Michael Hurley is a superb storyteller.” —Long &
Short Reviews
“[A] tale both hopeful and tragic,
with an ending that will leave you lost in thought for days after you finished
it.” —The Book Wheel
“Beautifully crafted, flawlessly
written, and a resounding novel of friendship, pain, and ultimate forgiveness.”
—Literary R & R
Ten years after their college days together, three
wounded and very different women reunite for a summer on the island of Martha's
Vineyard. As they come to grips with the challenges and crises in their lives,
their encounter with a reclusive poacher known only as "the
fisherman" threatens to change everything they believe about their world--and
each other.
“Hurley writes beautifully,” says Kirkus Reviews,
“especially when describing island and nautical life.” Publishers Weekly
praises “his well-crafted prose.”
Genre:
Literary Fiction
Publisher: Ragbagger Press (November 25, 2014)
Pages: 384
Publisher: Ragbagger Press (November 25, 2014)
Pages: 384
Amazon | B&N | IndieBound
5 Questions for Michael Hurley
What
are three things people may not know about you?
I
played lacrosse in college for an NCAA Division III championship team.
I
got kicked out of Peabody Preparatory Music School at age 14 for playing jazz
instead of practicing classical music. I later played piano jazz at
clubs, but today, I have a real love of classical music and total admiration
for those who are accomplished at playing it.
I’ve
had a lot of different jobs in addition to a thirty-year career as an attorney.
I’ve been a sailboat charter captain, a hotel night auditor, a lifeguard, a
camp counselor, an archery instructor, a tennis coach, a lacrosse coach, a
busboy, a floral truck delivery driver, a short order cook, a CCD instructor, a
wilderness canoe guide, a car washer, a hay hauler, a piano player, a freelance
writer, a photographer, a portrait artist, a convenience store clerk, a
switchboard operator, a campus police officer, a night watchman, and a forest
ranger.
What
is your favorite scene in The Vineyard?
Most
of the action in literary fiction happens in the thoughts and emotions of the
characters, because these elements, rather than a series of events in the plot,
are what drive the story. However, there is a seduction scene in The Vineyard (Chapter
13) that I had a lot of fun writing, because it is so suspenseful. Usually
editors don’t allow themselves to get lost in your story, but when all three of
mine missed the same few small but obvious typographical errors in this
chapter, I knew it was because they were caught up in the story as readers, not
as editors. I knew I had them hooked and that I’d hit the mark.
Do
you have to be alone or have quiet to write?
Yes.
I can review edits while listening to classical music, or acoustic guitar, but
I prefer peace and quiet when I write.
What
type of hero do you like best?
I
think every hero needs a flaw, and the more tragic the hero, the bigger the
flaw must be. The central hero in a great story, however, needs a great
purpose. It can’t be making money or simply preserving his own life and
happiness. He or she needs something higher to strive toward. If there is a
hallmark to my writing, it is that many of my characters are flawed individuals
striving for something greater than themselves.
If
you could be any character from literature, who would it be?
That’s
easy. I would be Gandalf. Cool hat. Cool beard. You get to hang out
with elves and live for three thousand years. Kick-ass party tricks.
Official Book Trailer
_____________________________________________
Author Michael Hurley and his wife Susan live near Charleston, South
Carolina. Born and raised in Baltimore, Michael holds a degree in English
from the University of Maryland and law from St. Louis University.
The Prodigal,
Michael’s debut novel from Ragbagger Press, received the Somerset Prize for
mainstream fiction and numerous accolades in the trade press, including Publishers
Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, ForeWord Reviews, BookTrib, Chanticleer
Reviews, and IndieReader. It is currently in development for a
feature film by producer Diane Sillan Isaacs. Michael’s second novel, The
Vineyard, is due to be released by Ragbagger Press on November 25, 2014.
Michael’s first book, Letters from the
Woods, is a collection of wilderness-themed essays published by Ragbagger
Press in 2005. It was shortlisted for Book of the Year by ForeWord
magazine. In 2009, Michael embarked on a two-year, 2,200 mile solo
sailing voyage that ended with the loss of his 32-foot sloop, the Gypsy Moon,
in the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti in 2012. That voyage and the
experiences that inspired him to set sail became the subject of his memoir, Once
Upon A Gypsy Moon, published in 2013 by Hachette Book Group.
When he is not writing, Michael
enjoys reading and relaxing with Susan on the porch of
their rambling, one-hundred-year-old house. His fondest pastimes are
ocean sailing, playing piano and classical guitar, cooking, and keeping up with
an energetic Irish terrier, Frodo Baggins.
Where can readers discover more about you and you work?
Website: www.mchurley.com
Blog: http://www.mchurley.com/journal/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mchurleybooks
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Hurley/e/B001K8ZLFU
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5445584.Michael_C_Hurley
Blog: http://www.mchurley.com/journal/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mchurleybooks
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Michael-Hurley/e/B001K8ZLFU
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5445584.Michael_C_Hurley
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