Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: You Will Have a Black Labrador by Nino Gugunishvili

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for You Will Have a Black Labrador by Nino Gugunishvili. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you as well as a lovely guest posts on Nino Gugunishvili's favorite vacation spot! There's also the giveaway for a chance to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for content. Enjoy!

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Title: You Will Have a Black Labrador
Author: Nino Gugunishvili
Publication Date: November 28th 2019
Print Length: 49 pages
Genres: Non-Fiction, Essays, Short Stories

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Love, memories, family, enduring friendships, cooking, movies, dogs, travels, hairstyles, and saying Yes to many No’s in a witty, yet often sentimental, journey of self-discovery…

You Will Have a Black Labrador is a collection of semiautobiographical essays forming a narrative about a modern Georgian woman. Her stories range from the search for a perfect romantic partner to exploring food as an integral part of the Georgian culture. Many of the vignettes center on childhood memories or weird family traditions, such as the way family members stay connected no matter if they’re deceased or alive. One essay reveals how making a simple omelette can change your life; and that No can be the most powerful word in any language. She shows us, too, that a haircut can be a tribute to the movies you love as well as a path to your freedom; and how owning a dog always brings unexpected experiences. In this poignantly humourous collection, reality mixes and interferes with an imaginative world in so many surprising ways.

Goodreads * Amazon

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EXCERPT:

‘That’s it,’ Annika, the vet, told me after the second injection. I bent over, burying my face into your fur, inhaling your smell, stroking your fluffy, velvety ears. I didn’t cry. ‘Bye, see you…’ I whispered, stood up, and left the room, still gripping your blue retractable leash. The other vet came in with a huge empty dog food bag and put your body inside, covered in a blanket, then zipped the bag up.

‘I’ll now call the burial service. It’s forty lari, and I won’t take anything for putting him down,’ she said. I paid and gave her your leash. ‘Give it to someone,’ I told her.

‘Yep, Figu was a happy dog, so let’s give it to someone who might need it,’ Annika agreed, and I left, into a sunny January afternoon.

My right hand still senses the grip of the leash, as if we’re going for a walk, and I hold the leash tight to avoid car bumpers and tires on which you regularly peed, as if we’re to avoid other dogs coming our way, because you, let’s be honest, were never properly socialized, and never really liked other dogs. You sure preferred humans, your squishy orange ball, and my slippers.

Before meeting you, I didn’t know what the hell ‘blue roan’ meant. All the cocker spaniels I’ve met or seen were either black or red coloured. But wait, no, that’s not true. Many years ago, there was one particular dog I adored....

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

"You Will Have a Black Labrador" is Nino Gugunishvili’s recently released collection of short essays. She is also the author of a women’s fiction novel, Friday Evening, Eight O’Clock, published in English and Russian. She resides in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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Goodreads * Instagram * Twitter

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GUEST POST:

- What was your most favorite vacation moment and why?

I have to confess, I’m an absolute travel junkie. Whether it’s a trip abroad or a relatively short ride outside the city, travel always means that something interesting and exciting is about to happen, possibly ending up as a story.

It’s hard to focus on one particular favorite vacation moment as my mind races back to the different places I’ve been to, but as I’m trying to take a single one out, a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, several years ago sticks with me.

It was for the first time after a long pause that I and my friends managed to plan a trip together and suddenly it came so unexpectedly fast, wonderfully planned and unbelievably easy, it seemed almost untrue.

We had enough time to stroll through the beautiful streets of the city of Istanbul, nonchalantly, tasting delicious food and pastries, drinking local red wine in the evenings and laughing at each other’s silly jokes, simply enjoying being together.

Our lives were different, we all had our own worries and commitments back home, but here, at least for several days, we were just us, free. It felt like we were back into our childhood.

I love the photo from that trip we did to Büyükada Island. We’re seated on a bench, some of us not even looking into the camera; it’s windy and we all have our newly bought sun hats on, It’s not a perfectly staged photo, but the whole vibe of that one tiny moment, the color of the sea behind us, the summer heat and wind and us, captures it all.

I’ve been to Istanbul many more times, both with my friends again, alone, or with my family members, but it’s that very first trip that always comes back to me as an epitome of one treasured memory of the place I always want to return to.

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GIVEAWAY:

Nino Gugunishvili will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway