Ni’il: The Awakening Virtual Book Tour May 2010

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Join James Boyle, author of the urban fantasy/horror novel, Ni’il the Awakening (iUniverse, December 2008), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in May on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About James Boyle

Like all of us, James is a product of his environment.

He was raised in a religious/spiritual family and that spirituality pervades most of his work. He even attended a Catholic Seminary for a year before deciding the priesthood was not for him.

James’ father worked for the phone company as he was growing up, which was much like growing up in a military family. The company transferred his family from town to town every couple of years. By the time he’d graduated high school, they’d moved twenty times. He attended nine different schools in five cities and three states.

He lived mainly in North Dakota until he was eight, since then he lived in Washington and Oregon, moving to Gold Beach when he was sixteen. He finds that the landscape of the Pacific Northwest has done more to influence him than nearly everything else. Its vast forests, rugged mountains, seascapes and sparse population inspire recollections of what the pioneers first fell in love with a century and a half ago. From his house, he can still hike fifteen minutes and spend the entire day without seeing another human being. And the possibility exists that he could see sasquatch.

One of his goals is to build a dark fiction landscape of the Pacific Northwest, much like Stephen King has done with Maine. A landscape of dark possibilities.

When he was a child living in Bismark, North Dakota, his parents took James to Fort Abraham Lincoln, the fort Gen. Custer left on his last, fateful campaign and the Knife River Village, the restored ruins of a Mandan village. Now forty years later, the memories have faded, but not the memory of the impression the visits made on a small boy. Years later, he read Dee Brown’s Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. After that he devoured everything he could find about Native American history and culture. He came to have a deep sympathy for the Native peoples’ doomed resistance to the white culture and admiration for their cultural connection to the natural world around them. The dominant culture seeks to change and subjugate a nature it sees as an enemy; the Natives sought to live within the natural world as one part of a dynamic whole.

When he was eighteen, James was diagnosed with a severe case of scoliosis. After graduating early from Gold Beach High Schoolin 1978, he underwent surgery that fused most of his lumber spine. Six months in a body cast later, he continued on to college at the University of Oregon, where he earned a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. Now, forty years after the surgery, his body is beginning to break down a bit. So if you see him and notice he seems to be bent and twisted, you know why.

When he’s not writing, James has worked in the restaurant industry as a cook and as a manager, mostly in the Eugene/Springfield area, but most lately at Gold Beach’s Port Hole Cafe. Looking back, he seems to have a lot of scenes set in restaurants. He enjoy reading, playing an occasional video game, taking his dog for exploratory hikes along the beach or river. He is happily single. (it’s so much less complicated.)

You can visit James’ website at www.jamesboylewrites.com.

About Ni’il the Awakening

When several people are brutally killed in the town of Placerton, on the isolated Oregon coast, most locals think a rogue bear or cougar is roaming the forested hills near town. Police Chief Dan Connor is not so sure. He has witnessed some very strange things lately, such as disembodied voices, muttering a strange foreign language and an old Indian man who seems to be near every crime scene, but disappears before he can be questioned.

Dan’s investigation takes him to the local Sihketunnai Indians and their legend of the Ni’il, magical shamans charged with maintaining the balance between humans and the natural world. According to the elders, one of the Ni’il is responsible for the murders and intends to kill everyone in the community. It is Dan’s job to stop it.

It sounds unbelievable, but is the only explanation that fit the facts.

As a violent Pacific storm crashes ashore, cutting the town off from the outside world, Dan finds himself entering a strange world of myth and magic that was not covered in his police training. He must use all his wits and new-found powers to save himself and his community from the Ni’il.

Read the Excerpt!

“Hi,” A young girl smiled at him through a mouthful of braces. “What

can I get for you?”

He ordered a soda and waited while the girl dispensed it from the

fountain.

“You’re the Chief of Police, aren’t you?”

Dan nodded. “Guilty.”

The girl giggled and waited for the foam to subside on his drink. Dan

watched her, smiling. The girl was probably sixteen, or seventeen. She could

have been quite beautiful, and probably would once she got used to her own

sexuality. Her hair was thick and curly, her body curved in all the right

places and with the firmness of youth. Right now though, she wore too much

make-up and her miniskirt and sweater were a touch too tight. With age

would come subtlety. Maybe.

“Should I know you?”

“You gave a speech to my class last year,” the girl said and set the paper

cup of soda on the counter. “On drugs.”

Dan gave her his money. “Was it any good?”

She shrugged and gave him his change. “It was okay. I already knew most

of the stuff you talked about.”

“Oh well,” he said. “At least I didn’t put you to sleep.”

She giggled again.

He thanked her and stepped outside to take a quick look around the

school. The night was calm and starless, absolutely quiet but for the muffled

cheers from the gymnasium and the distant rumble of surf. He could smell sea salt and popcorn.

The sidewalk led around the side of the gymnasium and he followed it,

walking casually, neither slow nor hurried. He sipped his cola and scanned

the parked cars and dark buildings for anything unusual. He’d found through

experience that the unusual was usually easiest to spot and unusual for a

reason.

He rounded the back of the building. Th e sidewalk ended and he found

himself walking across asphalt that was both the access road and parking lot

for the teaching staff when school was in session. School, however, was not in

session and the parking areas were empty.

The calm darkness was peaceful, if a little spooky. Even in adulthood,

he had not outgrown the feeling that the school was supposed to be full of

young voices. He had spent many hours among these buildings. Seeing it

dark and empty felt like a Twilight Zone episode where everyone else on the

planet had been killed.

As he passed between the main building and the dark mass of the shop

building on his left, a furtive movement caught his eye. It was unusual. Th ere

was no legitimate reason for anyone to be back here

His senses went on high alert, but he did not change his pace or

attitude.

He continued past the spot where he’d seen the motion and used his

peripheral vision to examine it more closely. Again, he saw motion, a shadowy

silhouette ducking behind the back of the building. Someone was trying to

hide from him.

He kept his pace even and nonchalant until the neighboring music

building hid him from the suspect’s sight. Then, as quickly and quietly as

possible, he slipped next to the wall of the music building and doubled back

until he was almost at its edge. A security fence ran along the back side of the

buildings. If the suspects wanted to escape, and they thought he had kept

going, they would emerge from between the buildings. They had nowhere

else to go.

He could probably reach out and grab them.

For a few moments, he heard and saw nothing. He waited. Then, came

soft footsteps from around the corner. Approaching.

He readied himself. It was probably just some kids sneaking a beer, or a

joint, but it could just as easily be a burglar or vandal.

The footsteps reached the edge of the music building and stopped just

around the corner. They must want to double check that Dan had really

kept going.

He stayed where he was, pressed flat against the wall. When in doubt, let

the other guy make the first move.

Laughter. Deep bass laughter sounded from around the corner. They, he,

was laughing! Something about it made his flesh crawl and the hairs stand

up on the back of his neck.

“Ni’ ilshanla,” A voice pronounced.

He knew he was there.

Dan fumbled for the small pistol he wore on his belt. With the pistol

gripped in tight in both hands, Dan leaped away from the wall and around

the corner. “Police! Hands where I can . . .”

No one was there.

He quickly scanned the area between the buildings, then carefully moved

up to check behind both the Shop and the Music building. No one was there

either. He was alone.

He lowered his pistol and leaned back against the wall of the music

building. His hands were shaking and his heart pounding. Had he imagined

the whole thing? Somehow, he found that hard to believe. He was not prone

to hallucinations, at least he hadn’t been in the past. But how else could he

explain what he’d seen and heard with what he’d found when he’d rounded

the corner?

He had no idea.

Read the Reviews:

“Ni’il is a solid blend of mystery, romance, dark horror, supernatural thriller, and survival with each element strongly enhancing the others. It will have appeal to a wide range of readers due to this effective mix of multiple genres; there is something there for everyone. The two main characters are likeable and within twenty pages, I felt a connection to them and their story and was engaged from beginning to end. The characters are further developed as the story unfolds through occasional backstories that serve to convey their depth. Many of the chapters end with cliffhangers that will make many a reader who is planning to stop, continue onward; it certainly was a difficult book to put down. The incorporation of Native American spiritualism was a nice touch.

This well written novel can be read as a stand-alone book, but I cannot imagine anyone not continuing on in the series, which I gather is to be a trilogy.

— Matthew Arnold-Amazon Review

You won’t be able to put this book by James Boyle down. I loved it, and can’t wait for the next one to come out. The characters are unique, likable and well defined. The description of the Oregon coast during the winter makes the reader feel a part of the town. I really enjoyed the main character, Dan Connor, who is the town’s police chief. He makes you want to keep reading. Murder, mystery, suspense, this book has it all. It is fiction but there are many elements that could really happen. I hope that you will give this book a try. You won’t be disappointed.

— Jennifer S.–Amazon.com Review

“Ni’il: The Awakening” is telling of a journey of the heart steeped in mystical roots and entwined with Mother Nature. Meet Dan Conner, Chief of Police for a town called Placerton on the Pacific coast. With his truth revealing hunches and his trusty secretary, Stephanie Amis, no case was beyond his crime solving capabilities. A recent rash of dog-knapping cases though is proving to be harder than your average murder as there are no clues left behind or “victims” found. Then it happens…murder. Mr. and Mrs. Lombardo had their customary routines, one of which included her walking their small Scottie dog in the early evenings. When it became later than normal for her return, Mr. Lombardo called the police. A grisly murder scene was discovered mere feet from their house….Glenda was dead, while their dog was missing. Seemingly unconnected acts now have a common denominator and Dan can’t shake the feeling that they are missing something regarding the cases. The body count starts to climb as he narrowly escapes an attempt on his own life…one that shakes him to the core. He is visited in his dream by an Indian man and woman with a message in the Sihketunnais native tongue…”Ni’ilaquo chetka tl’o ni’ilshanla”. He awakens startled and confused. What has happened to this sleepy town and what does the message given to him mean? With their own “storm of the century” baring down on them, Stephanie and Dan soon discover that there is more than meets to eye to these crimes as well as each other. How much more, they could only imagine…..

With a well-developed story line, each chapter will leave you wanting more. It has enough staked in reality to satisfy the hardcore “true” story lovers, but a dash of the natural and mystical to allow the reader to “fly” with his characters. I’d highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read the next installment!

— G. Reba—Amazon.com Review

James Boyle’s NI’IL THE AWAKENING VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘09 will officially begin on May 3 and end on May 28. You can visit Jame’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

If you are interested in participating in his tour, please contact Tracee Gleichner at reviewfromhere(at)aol(dot)com. Thanks!

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The Best Life Book Club by Sheila Roberts

Question of the Day

How do you make sales happen for you?

A lot of hard work! I sponsor a lot of on line parties, festivals and contests. Book sales don’t magically happen, believe me. An author has to work hard to earn her readers. And then she has to work hard to keep them by giving them something they’ll enjoy reading. I try hard to make my books worth a reader’s time.

-- Sheila Roberts, Author of Winter at the Beach