Title: Bluff
Author: Lenore Skomal
Genre: Dark, Literary Fiction
Publisher: Lenore Skomal Press
Pages: 288
Publication Date: October 1st 2012
Purchase: Amazon Buy Now
Book Description:
"To the medical world, I was a host body, surviving only to bring a new life into the world. And while I wanted to die more than anything in the world, I never wanted this. No, I never wanted to cease to exist. This was the worst death of all.”
Jude Black lives in that in-between, twilight place teetering on death but clinging to life in order to bring her baby into this world. Only she knows the circumstances surrounding her mysterious fall off the bluff that landed her in the hospital being kept alive by medical intervention. Only she knows who the father of her baby is. In this poignantly crafted literary novel, the mystery unfolds and the suspense builds as the consequences of Jude’s decisions threaten to reveal everyone's deceptions, even her own. Bluff offers a sensitive look at essential questions such as the value of human life, the consciousness of those in a coma and the morality of terminating life support. At the core is the story of a tragically misunderstood woman who finds peace, acceptance, understanding and even love on her deathbed.
"From the first few pages of Bluff, we were hooked. Lenore Skomal keeps you guessing and wanting more. The characters have stayed with us and we can't wait for a sequel!" -- Blue Stockings Literary Society
“Bluff raises vital questions about the nature of our human spirit. This compelling story is a must read. You won’t be able to put this book down. It will change you." -- Sylvia Browne, bestselling author and spiritual teacher
“Lenore Skomal is a powerful writer and a big talent. Her words will stir your heart.” -- Al Zuckerman, founder, Writer’s House Literary Agency, NYC
"Lenore Skomal is a highly acclaimed columnist and author, whose attention to detail, whose wit and pathos, have charmed readers for years. This, her first novel, is a breathtaking story of a life re-examined from the precipice of abyss. Heartbreaking and insightful.” -- Carlo DeVito, Ten Things My Dog Taught Me
Excerpt 1:
I was born a weakling. An infection set in after my mother’s water broke and somehow that translated into pneumonia, which settled into my hours-old lungs. It was touch-and-go for several days. As the story goes, my mother Gay found religion, went into hiding in the hospital chapel and prayed like a mad woman. She sought the help of St. Jude. She made a deal with the saint. If I lived, and oh she prayed and prayed I would, she would name me after this mighty and powerful patron saint, the court of spiritual last resort for those with hopeless causes.
Yes, Gay kept her word and named me after the saint who saved my life. I never thought of asking her what she would have named me if I had died. I think a birth name can predestine you for life. I am Jude, the hopeless cause.
Excerpt 2:
It was as if something died in Jude in order to make room for the new life to live. Like she was punishing herself, imprisoning herself in her own personal purgatory and keeping Frances out. Instead of the new life infusing her with a reason for living, it seemed to have become a death sentence. Jude rarely spoke of the pregnancy, took no joy in reporting the results of the doctor's visits when she actually went to them, and rebuffed Frances' attempt to create any happiness around the impending birth. It was as if it were happening to someone else, not Jude.
About the Author:
Lenore Skomal wants you to eat her books. She wants you to chew them in your teeth, savor them on your tongue, breathe them in, and feel her words in your skin. Her passionate desire is to touch your heart, inspire you, and luxuriate in the world of the written word. She finds ecstasy in constructing a perfect sentence and responds willingly to the nagging ache in her heart to create an authentic experience for the reader. Lenore is an award-winning author with the single goal of being heard.
Winner of multiple awards for blogging, literature, biography and humor, Lenore Skomal's catalogue spans many genres. With 30 years of writing experience, over 17 books published and a daily blog, the consistent themes in her work are the big issues the human experience and adding depth and voice to the intricacies involved in living a multi-dimensional existence. Skomal has won several Society of Professional Journalist Awards, Whidbey Island Writer's Conference honorable mention for best fiction, Writer's Digest 73rd Annual Fiction Contest, New York Public Library's Best Books for Teens 2003, and the Next Generation Indie Book Award for humor. From journalism, to literary fiction, to humor and biography, Skomal's writing is consistent, if not in genre, then in message.
As a member of the world community, Skomal is excited by the opportunities presented in today's publishing climate. Now, not only can she spend her time traveling internationally and experiencing cultural events like a Lakota Sweat Lodge, she shares these experiences directly with her readers in hopes of resonating with them and underscoring that no one is alone.
In addition to writing, Lenore is an engaging public speaker with over 1000 public engagements, book tours and writing seminars. She has taught college journalism, has one son, and when not off gallivanting from Egypt to Mongolia she resides with her husband in Erie, Pa.
Bluff by Lenore SkomalBlog Tour Stop Oct, 3
Review of The Bluff
Reviewed for Full Moon Bites Blog Tours Oct. 3 2012
An inescapable reader’s hook immediately yanks the reader into this fast-paced, engrossing novel, never letting go. While we ponder the unfolding story of Jude, from both within and without, we read with heart-in-mouth and pulse pounding, demanding answers to the questions: What happened? Why? Who was involved? What about her condition of pregnancy? Who will win the role of health advocate for Jude? Will she live? Will she die? What are the secrets other characters are concealing?
The story opens with a young woman, battered and broken, in the ER of St. Michael’s Medical Center. She has fallen, inexplicably, in a snowstorm, from a bluff near her lakeside cottage. No one knows how or why, and the identity of the individual who called 911 about her fall is unknown. Was it accident? Attempted suicide? Attempted manslaughter? Did the secretive Jude jump, or fall, or did someone decide to silence her permanently?
Wrapped within this mystery, tautly intertwined, are essential ponderings: where should life end? Is that decision in the hands of medical personnel, or family and friends, or a Deity? Who decides? Is it right to keep a brain-dead woman on life support to save the life of the fetus? Author Lenore Skomal examines bioethicism with a keen eye to detail, controversy, and divergent opinions, and draws in the reader to be part of the discussion. No one will walk away from this story and forget it easily, because it is not forgettable, and its questions will linger on long after the last page has been turned.
I received an e-book copy from Full Moon Bites Blog Tours in exchange for my fair, honest, and impartial review.
View all my reviews
http://fmbblogtours.blogspot.com/2012/09/tour-schedule-bluff-by-lenore-skomal.html
Tour Schedule:
Oct. 1st- A Bit of Dash (Excerpt/Giveaway)
Oct. 2nd- I am, Indeed (Review/Giveaway)
Oct. 3rd- Mallory Heart Reviews (Review/Giveaway)
Oct. 4th- Off the Page (Book Playlist Post/Giveaway)
Oct. 5th- Black Hippie Chick's Take on Books & The World(Guest Post/Giveaway)
Oct. 6th- Blood, Lust and Erotica (Interview/Giveaway)
Oct. 7th- Kaidans Seduction (Review/Giveaway)
Oct. 8th- Musings of a Writing Reader (Excerpt/Giveaway)
Oct. 9th- Juniper Grove (Interview/Giveaway)
Oct. 10th- Lizzy's Dark Fiction (Review/Giveaway)
Oct. 11th- Kharisma Rhayne (Excerpt/Giveaway)
Oct. 12th- The Avid Reader (Excerpt/Giveaway)
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