Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers Virtual Book Tour June 2011

The Redeemers

Join Michael Scott Miller, author of the contemporary fiction novel, Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers (Kindle Direct Publishing), as he virtually tours the blogosphere in June 2011 on his first virtual book tour with Pump Up Your Book!

About Michael Scott Miller

Michael Scott Miller Michael Scott Miller works with numbers by day in the business world and with words by night.  He began writing shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania and has had his work published in the Welcomat (now Philadelphia Weekly) and wrote music reviews for the Wharton Journal while his wife was getting her degree there.

Miller’s debut novel, Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers, has been downloaded more than ten thousand times and has received tremendously positive reader feedback, earning 4-star to 5-star ratings at Amazon, barnesandnoble.com, Smashwords, and Kobo.  The complete set of reader reviews and comments can be accessed at http://feeds.rapidfeeds.com/40309/ .

Miller grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and now lives in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania with his wife and three children.

You can visit Michael Scott Miller’s website at www.ladiesandgentlementheredeemers.com or connect with him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MichaelScMiller or Facebook at www.facebook.com/home.php#!/profile.php?id=1206880325.

About Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers

Ladies and Gentlemen The Redeemers

Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers tells the story of Bert Ingram, once a successful rep in the music industry, who has lost his way.  Desperate for redemption, the perpetual dreamer decides to put together a band, recruiting musicians who have only one thing in common:  the need to overcome a significant obstacle in their lives.  The volatile mix of the musicians’ personalities and backgrounds threatens to derail the band at every opportunity, but in time, the Redeemers begin to realize they have more to gain from one another than they ever could have imagined.

Read the Excerpt!

Chapter 1 – Abe and Bert

“Miss! Miss! Hi! You look like a patron of the arts. Could I trouble you for a small contribution for my friend Abe over there?” Bert matched a young woman stride for stride as she strode briskly across the subway concourse. He pointed toward Abe, who was standing along the white tiled wall, next to the Fresh Cut Flowers stand, singing Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” The woman forged ahead.
“Fully tax deductible!” Bert continued cheerfully, and with that, the woman turned to look at Bert with a skeptical glance. “Okay, okay. It’s not really tax deductible,” Bert said with a laugh.
The woman returned a brief smile, seemingly somewhat amused by Bert’s approach. She unzipped her handbag and pulled out a crumpled dollar bill. She gave Bert the bill along with a distinct look of finality.
“Thank you, miss. God bless,” said Bert with a tip of his hat, ending a routine that had been rehearsed over many years of strolling through the subway corridors beneath San Francisco. He carefully unfolded the bill and wrapped it around the other six dollar bills he had collected.
The 7:30 A.M. rush hour crowd swarmed through the Montgomery Street station of San Francisco’s BART, or Bay Area Rapid Transit, system. Bert headed back toward the spot where Abe stood, as he had for the last three years, every Monday through Friday except holidays, in the main corridor that led from the subway turnstiles to the stairs that led to street level.
A hulking, legally blind African-American, Abe Jackson towered over most of the subway crowd. He stood at 6’3” and weighed close to 250 pounds. His habitual costume — black shoes, black dress pants, a blue crew neck, long-sleeved shirt, and black wraparound sunglasses – perfectly complemented the classic 1960s Motown tunes he sang. In his left hand he held a plastic, gallon-sized milk jug, filled about a quarter of the way with coins and bills.
Bert Ingram had stepped into Abe’s life about a month earlier, pitching Abe on the idea of working the crowd in order to increase the donations. Abe had not been particularly interested, being satisfied with his routine and his low-pressure approach. Plus, he showed an obvious distrust of the stranger. So Bert simply appeared every few days at first to give the crowd his sales pitch.
More recently, Bert had started showing up every day. Today, he wore chocolate-brown polyester pants, a cream-colored shirt, brown paisley tie, and a brown and tan checked sport jacket. His ubiquitous gray fedora rested on his head, pushed slightly back so the brim tilted upward. Bert always wore his signature hat whether it matched his outfit or like today, did not.
As Bert crossed in front of him, Abe spoke in a booming voice that resonated through the subway concourse corridors. “I told you, Bert, I don’t need your help. You ain’t my manager, I don’t need an agent, and you’re just stealin’ my money.”
“Are you crazy, Abe? I’m a money machine!” Bert countered. “I’ve collected seven dollars in just the few minutes I’ve been here this morning. We’re a great team. You just keep singing, and I’ll handle the sales and marketing side of things. You should feel lucky to have a manager like me. Bands used to clamor to have me as their manager.”
“Do we have to play this out every morning, man? I told you this is my territory and I’m quite fine, just singing and taking in what I take in.”
“Don’t be foolish,” replied Bert, ignoring Abe’s frown. “Don’t you get how much we’re pulling in together? How much did you bring home every day before I showed up?”
Abe’s frown deepened. “I don’t know. Thirty dollars, maybe forty on a good day.”
“See, and just yesterday you took home sixty-two dollars, and that was after giving me my share.”
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t help but notice that it’s not me ‘giving’ you your share, but you collecting the proceeds, taking your piece of the action off the top, and giving me what’s left.”
“Fine. Split hairs if you like, but I’ve raised your income over fifty percent, so what’s the difference?”
“We’ll settle this after the crowd goes. We’re losing precious time here,” Abe muttered, and with that, he broke into Sam Cooke’s “Cupid,” hitting each note, the high and the low, with expert precision.
By 9:30 the crowd heading into San Francisco had dwindled, and Abe wrapped up his last song. Bert was seated on a bench a few feet away, tallying the bills and coins he had collected on Abe’s behalf. He got up and walked over to Abe. “Here you are, buddy, seventeen dollars and thirty-eight cents. Add that to what you’ve collected on your own in that jug which looks to be around, oh, I’d say, ten to twelve dollars and you’ve had a pretty good morning. And we’ve still got the afternoon shift.”
Of late, Bert had also started to show up for the outbound commuter rush in the late afternoons.
“I do have to admit, Bert, you’ve got a certain talent,” Abe responded with a grudging grin. “But you’re still a leech.”
“Glad you recognize my skills. I’m just a born talent scout,” replied Bert. “By the way, I’ve been meaning to run a proposition by you. Can I buy you a cup of coffee and we’ll talk?”
Abe shrugged. “It’s your money, man.”
The two walked toward the north stairs, Abe using his red-tipped white cane for guidance. Bert took Abe’s arm as they reached the stairs that led up to the street level.
Abe jerked his arm away. “I’ve been coming up and down these stairs for years without you. I don’t need your help.”
“My apologies, my friend,” responded Bert quickly, trying to recover from the unexpected scolding.
“Yeah, well, I don’t like being touched, and I’m not one for help or attention. I just do my own thing, my own way. That’s all.”
Bert followed Abe silently up the stairs and into the sunlight. The early morning haze that enshrouded San Francisco had lifted, and it had become a typical clear, comfortable, seventy-five-degree late summer day. The two men followed Market Street in the direction of the bay, stopping at a Donut World. Bert bought them each a large cup of coffee, which he paid for by dumping a pile of coins on the counter, sorting out the correct change, then gathering the remaining change off the counter.

Here’s what critics are saying about Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers!

“I’m glad I took the chance on this one.  I read the description of Ladies and Gentlemen… The Redeemers and it sounded promising.  A story about a group of has-been and wannabe musicians trying to make it big was something I could appreciate since I enjoy going to hear up-and-coming bands play live.  This book has heart.  It’s funny, it’s sad, but most of all, it’s real.  It’s a story of hope, a story about a leap of faith, and a story about letting nothing stop you from your dreams.  It’s a tale of redemption.”

— My Two Cents

“The surface plot of this story is worth the price of admission. But the real value comes from the well-crafted development of each of the major characters. Author, Michael Scott Miller, does an exceptional job of revealing their flaws, then subtly showing character growth as the band overcomes a succession of personal and professional obstacles. If you’re the type of reader who enjoys texture, depth, and an ending that strums all of the right chords on your heart strings, this novel is a must read.”

— RJ McDonnell

“This is a very fast read and is very enlightening. The characters all play a major part throughout the story and are very easy to connect with. The underlying theme of the story is, if you have a dream… pursue it; don’t let anyone destroy your chance at success. Excellent book with a wonderful ending.”

— ReadersFavorite.com

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Ladies and Gentlemen…The Redeemers Virtual Book Tour Schedule

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books kk Monday, June 6

Book spotlighted at As the Pages Turn

Tuesday, June 7

Guest blogging at Acting Balanced

“I hope that I was able to give those of you with life balance issues at least a few ideas that will help you follow your dreams.  I’m having a blast following mine…”

Interviewed at Let’s Talk Virtual Book Tours

“The virtual book tour is a fantastic way for authors and readers to connect and interact.  For authors, the virtual tour removes the burden of physically traveling from bookstore to bookstore across the country.  For readers, the virtual tour allows them to participate on their own schedule, popping onto the blog when they want, posting comments, and then checking back later.  They aren’t forced into a narrow time window at a specific location.”

Wednesday, June 8

MIchael Scott Miller - Actiing Balanced Book reviewed at Acting Balanced

“This is an inspirational summer read- it’s quick and fun and has all of the elements of a good beach read.”

Thursday, June 9

Profiled at Virginia Beach Publishing Examiner

“The combination of the Internet and e-readers has now made it possible for a completely unknown novelist like me to release his work into the wild,” he says.  “And that’s what I did.  For free.  The only people who knew I had even written a book were my immediate family and while their reviews were good, they were hardly objective.  I needed to know what detached readers thought.  Plus, I figured that if I could get enough reviews and momentum, I could get the attention of the agents.”

Friday, June 10

Book reviewed at Mad Moose Mama

“Quite truthfully, I would love to see this book made into a movie, it has a feel good attitude about it that makes you feel inspired to reach for your dreams, even as remote as they may seem in the beginning.  I’m thinking there is enough character insight and plot to give this a cinematic affect bringing to life the people upon the pages and the message they are trying to convey.”

Monday, June 13

Interviewed at Literarily Speaking

“This has been one of the top experiences of my life.  What’s funny to me, looking back, is that I was very secretive about the book when I was writing it, not telling anyone outside my immediate family.  It took some courage to finally tell my friends about it, but now I have the confidence to tell anyone and everyone about it.”

Tuesday, June 14

Guest blogging at Literal Exposure

“Since becoming an author, though, my view on social networking has been turned upside down.”

Wednesday, June 15

Interviewed at Blogcritics

“The knowledge that I’ve been able to make a contribution to the entertainment world is my favorite aspect of writing. As a consumer of entertainment (books, movies, music), there has always been a piece of me that wanted to give something back. It has been tremendously rewarding for me to see that people literally all over the world have enjoyed reading the novel.”

Thursday, June 16

Book reviewed at April’s Lifestyle Show

“This book has all the elements for a movie, whether it be the big screen or say HBO or TNT.”

Friday, June 17

Book reviewed at Reading Frenzy

Book spotlighted at Donna’s Blog Home

Monday, June 20

Guest blogging at Teresa’s Reading Corner

Interviewed at Pump Up Your Book

“The message is the same message that I live by — if you put your energy into what you are doing, you can accomplish what you want to.”

Tuesday, June 21

Guest blogging at The Book Bin

Wednesday, June 22

Guest blogging at The Book Faery Reviews

Thursday, June 23

Guest participant at Literarily Speaking Book Panel

Friday, June 24

Interviewed at The Writer’s Life

Monday, June 27

Interviewed at Beyond the Books

Tuesday, June 28

Book reviewed at Life in Review

Wednesday, June 29

Book reviewed at Book Reviews by Molly

Thursday, June 30

Book reviewed at Just Another Book Addict

Book reviewed at The Book Faery Reviews

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Michael Scott Miller’s  LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: THE REDEEMERS VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘10 will officially begin on June 6 and end on June 30 ’11. Please contact Dorothy Thompson at thewriterslife@yahoo.com if you are interested in hosting and/or reviewing his book or click here to use the form. Thank you!

If you would like to book your own virtual book tour with us, click here to find out how!

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