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Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.
Today, we're shining the BOOK SPOTLIGHT on a title that gathers voices from across globe to cumulate into a seasonal collective ready and waiting for you to escape into. There's a variety of tales from a variety of authors, so there's bound to be something to peak your interest. Let's take a closer look between the epages of this special title, on tour now with Rachel's Random Resources...
Autumn Paths
Nine writers - Seasonal Collective - from both sides of the Atlantic, including best-selling and award-winning authors, have created this miscellany of stories.
These tales of family, mystery, intrigue, adventure, and suspense will take you across continents, through time and space in this world and others. With a linking theme of autumn, discover new landscapes, encounter new and intriguing characters, uncover secrets and lies, and witness the resolution of old enmities.
Take the first step on this roller-coaster of an emotional journey, and you won't be disappointed.
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~~~ SPECIAL EXCERPT ~~~
Autumn Paths is a selection of stories from 9 different authors. In the collection, the authors shared a common theme – Autumn Paths – yet, each story is different. All the Way Home, a slice of love, life, and family, is the opening tale in the book.
All the Way Home§
By Sandra Bunting
A FEW PEWS UP THE HAT BOUNCED, turned from side to side and ruffled slightly in the breeze that swept in from the open doors at the back. Aurèle couldn't take his eyes off it. Some niece or other from Montreal he thought. A face was not visible, only the wisps of feathers adorning the headpiece. Others were no doubt taking in the flowers, looking at relatives from out of town in their sophisticated dress, or glancing impatiently at the door where the wedding party would soon start up the aisle. But Aurèle, with a wistful smile on his face, was fixated on the hat. It was a stunning blend of natural tan and black, at times coloured a deep purple by the church's stained glass windows. It wasn't that Aurèle was a follower of fashion. Not at all! With the feathers he was transported back to the woods during partridge hunting.
And so he let himself daydream about one of his favourite activities. In partridge season, he would get up before dawn, the light of a few stars streaming through the shadowed forms of trees out the window, his old bird dog stirring, sensing adventure. The dog was named Monsignor, after this very old priest before him now who held court in the large village church. Aurèle had nothing really against the church. He would go to baptisms, weddings and funerals like all the rest of them. But when it came to Sundays, he preferred to be in the woods or down by the river. After a week of hard work, it was a balm to be out in nature, to breathe in fresh air, to absorb the wisdom of trees. This was more to his liking than listening to the pontificating of the 'sometimes meddling' Monsignor Aubain, or the assortment of young priests who came and went. His wife however, God bless her, had not allowed her husband to publicly call the dog by that name (what would the neighbours think?) and so it was shortened to Sig, sometimes Siggy. The dog didn't seem to mind the shorter form of its name and always responded eagerly to a call or a command.
Aurèle felt a pain in his ribs and found himself back again on the hard pew, his wife having given him a poke.
"It's your son that's getting married," whispered his wife. "It's not just any old sermon by Monsignor Aubain that you can tune out on. Pay attention."
Aurèle tried to focus on his son Omer and his beautiful bride Matilde but to tell the truth he wasn't interested in rituals and ceremonies. It would be his turn later when he would be asked to play the fiddle and entertain the guests. Some would dance wildly to his tunes after all the speeches had been made, the meal had been finished and alcohol began to flow. Everyone enjoyed the old style music then, even though they massacred the dancing.
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Monsignor Aubain liked this part of the ceremony. All eyes were on him for a moment with his white embroidered robes almost as spectacular as the bride's dress! And then the spotlight switched to the newlyweds.
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About the authors...
Sandra Bunting
Sandra Bunting's publications include two books of short fiction, a poetry collection, a non-fiction book besides articles, poems and stories in numerous literary magazines. Sandra is on the editorial board of the Irish-based literary magazine, Crannóg, and worked at NUI Galway where she set up the Academic Writing Centre and taught Creative Writing and TEFL teacher training. Now living in Atlantic Canada, she is a member of The Writers Union of Canada, New Brunswick Writers Federation, Words on Water Miramichi, the Grand Barachois group Women Who Write and the Galway Writers' Workshop.
Pierre C Arseneault
The youngest of eleven children, Pierre C. Arseneault grew up in the small town of Rogersville New Brunswick. As a cartoonist, Pierre was published in over a dozen newspapers. As an author, he has five titles published so far:
Dark Tales for Dark Nights (2013)
Sleepless Nights (2014)
Oakwood Island (2016) Poplar Falls – The Death of Charlie Baker (2019) Oakwood Island - The Awakening (2020)
Chuck Bowie
Chuck Bowie graduated from the University of New Brunswick in Canada with a Bachelor Degree in Science. His writing is influenced by the study of human nature and how people behave. Chuck loves food, wine, music and travel and all play a role in his work. His publisher has just launched his latest novel, set in Ireland and England, entitled Her Irish Boyfriend, fifth in the international suspense-thriller series: Donovan: Thief For Hire. He has just completed and published the second novel in a new cozy mystery series, set in a fictional town in New Brunswick, and is now finishing the follow-up in this series. - Chuck recently completed tenure on National Council of The Writers' Union of Canada; - Acted as Writer in Residence at Kingsbrae International Residence for the Arts, 2019; - Acknowledged as an author of note in the Miramichi Literary Trail installation, 2021.
Steve C Eston
Steve C. Eston always had a conflicting love for the fantastical and the scientific, which led him to write both fantasy and science-fiction. He has three published books: Deficiency (2020), The Conclave (2018) and The Burden of the Protector (2016). He also has several short stories available for free download on his website. He lives in Fredericton with his wife and children.
Angela Wren
Angela Wren is an actor and director at a theatre in Yorkshire, UK. An avid reader, she has always loved stories of any description. She writes the Jacques Forêt crime novels set in France and is a contributing author to the Miss Moonshine anthologies. Her short stories vary between romance, memoir, mystery and historical. Angela has had two one-act plays recorded for local radio.
Monique Thébeau
Monique Thébeau is retired and lives in Riverview, New Brunswick. She has published a murder mystery In the Dark of Winter (which she is currently translating) and a French historical novel of her hometown, Saint-Louis-de-Kent. She is as passionate about building suspense in her stories as she is about gardening and being a grand-parent.
Jeremy Thomas Gilmer
Jeremy Thomas Gilmer is a writer of short fiction and nonfiction. He has been longlisted for the CBC Canada Writes Short Story Prize, won the inaugural Short Story Day Africa Flash Fiction Prize and was selected as the writer-in-residence at the KiRA residency in 2018. Jeremy is the Art and Literature editor-at-large for The East magazine. Gilmer has spent over twenty-five years as an Engineering Consultant on environmental, energy, and mining projects. Born in New Brunswick, Gilmer grew up in Nigeria, Northern Ireland, and Canada and has lived and worked in over forty countries. He splits his time between Eastern Canada and Brazil.
Allan Hudson
Allan Hudson was born in Saint John, New Brunswick. Growing up in South Branch he was encouraged to read from an early age by his mother who was a school teacher. He lives in Cocagne with his wife Gloria. He has enjoyed a lifetime of adventure, travel and uses the many experiences as ideas for his writing. He is an author of action/adventure novels, historical fiction and a short story collection. His short stories – The Ship Breakers & In the Abyss – received Honourable Mention in the New Brunswick Writer's Federation competition. He has stories published on commuterlit.com, The Golden Ratio and his blog - South Branch Scribbler.
Angella Cormier
Angella Cormier grew up in Saint Antoine, a small town in south east New Brunswick, Canada. This is where her love of reading and writing was born. Her curious nature about everything mysterious and paranormal helped carve the inspiration for her passion of writing horror and mystery stories. She is also a published poet, balancing out her writing to express herself in these two very opposing genres. Previous titles include: Oakwood Island - The Awakening (2020), Oakwood Island (2016), A Maiden's Perception - A collection of thoughts, reflections and poetry (2015) and Dark Tales for Dark Nights (2013, written as Angella Jacob).
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Special thanks to
Rachel at
Rachel's Random Resources for the chance to bring this tour to you. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, this promotion, or those on the horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is available now, so click on over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today and be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more bookish fun!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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