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Author: Douglas C. Solvie
Publication Date: March 29th 2020
Print Length: 264 pages
Genre: Psychological Suspense
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Spencer held on to the faintest of hope, but still he knew the trip to Ireland had almost no prospect of remedying his internal dilemma. Then again, he never imagined that a chance meeting with a lost and dying dog named Shandy would change his life forever.
Step into the small Irish village of Galbally, where the unwitting Spencer stumbles headfirst into a parallel world that will test his will, sanity, and even physical well-being.
Time and promise are running out. Will unnatural forces and events scare Spencer away before he can connect again with the mysterious dog? Will he find his way forward before Shandy meets her inevitable fate? Or will suspicious locals and a nefarious Dublin innkeeper force Spencer from the village before he completes his life-altering mission?
Follow Spencer as he races to save a little Irish dog named Shandy. If he only realized that it is Shandy who is trying to save him...
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EXCERPT:
“You should not be here,” said the old man.
“What? What do you mean?”
“You should not be here,” the man repeated without the slightest emotion.
“What are you talking about? The sign over there clearly says that public fishing is allowed here.” Spencer set his fishing rod on the ground and pointed in the direction of village, not remembering exactly where he had read the information.
He studied the odd fellow. The man wore an old woolen trench coat that hung to the top of his thighs, and underneath a tattered brown sweater. Rubber boots extended to his knees, the kind of boots a farmer trudging through the mud would wear. His beard was an unruly mess of gray whiskers that encompassed the lower half of his weather-beaten face, and on his head sat a tweed cap. Everything about him was dirty and unkempt.
His dog didn’t look much better.
The man spoke again. “Everything you say is nothing. Everything you think is nothing. Everything you believe is nothing. You are just a bystander; you are just a voyeur. You do not belong. You must leave.”
Spencer took a quick look around the area, thinking this crazy man’s caretaker surely would soon be coming to the rescue. “What are you talking about, old man? Do you know me? What do you mean I must leave? You mean I must leave this area, this village? Why?”
“Can’t you see that it resides around you? It is there around you and inside you. It is shallow, and ugly, and hollow. You must leave.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
My Irish Dog is the debut novel by Douglas Solvie and was motivated by a trip taken to Ireland and the chance discovery of a lost dog there. After spending most of his adult life living and working in Japan, Douglas is currently living in his home state of Montana. He hopes to make a new career out of writing and to travel the world, looking for inspiration for that next book, perhaps another set in beautiful Ireland. My Irish Dog is, after all, a story with a lot of unanswered questions.
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GUEST POST:
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GIVEAWAY:
For this blog I was asked to specify what animal I would come back as, if that were possible. I suppose it’s a question I have considered through the years, but not something I have given a lot of thought to because, you know, it’s not going to happen. Still, it’s interesting to contemplate.
My feeling is that nothing would be better than being a bird. After all, only a bird gets to be active on land, sometimes in water, and of course always in the air above us. The last aspect is the most intriguing. Sure, we’ve all been in airplanes and maybe even helicopters, but we can’t compare those to the feeling of soaring through the atmosphere at our own pace and going wherever we like. And there is a lot to be said for that bird’s-eye-view. The possibilities of what can be seen from high above terra firma must be endless, not to discount the ability to go from Point A to Point B in a unbelievably short amount of time.
If I had to pinpoint a specific bird, it would have to be the osprey, which you may or may not know. It’s a sleek bird of prey that is an extremely efficient and successful hunter. Its geographic distribution is worldwide, meaning it gets to take in everything this beautiful world has to offer, if it has the energy and makes its travel plans accordingly.
The osprey feasts almost exclusively on fish, spotting its prey from high above and then dive-bombing at record speed into the water to catch and retrieve its supper (or lunch or breakfast). Somewhere I read that fish is a healthy meal, so by being an osprey I could rest assured that my cholesterol levels would be kept in check. And fresh fish is the best, so that’s a plus.
Another endearing quality of the osprey is that it is said to be monogamous, mating for life. My reputation of not being a philanderer would put me in good social standing with the other birds, and life would be good – just me and my partner, making chicks and holding down a solid family life.
Finally, can you imagine not having any natural enemies to deal with? The osprey is at the top of the food chain: no one to bother you, no one to give you any grief, completely able to take care of yourself and yours without the concern of being attacked or even eaten by something bigger and stronger. How many animals have that going for them? On the other end of the spectrum would be the osprey’s prey – the hapless fish comfortably swimming around and enjoying the day, looking for a bug or another fish to eat, only to be ambushed from above by me, the osprey.
Yes, life as an osprey would be grand, but personally I would add a little red meat to my diet, maybe a prairie dog or a mouse. Variety is the spice of life in most circumstances.
GIVEAWAY:
Douglas Solvie will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different stop on the tour every day. Good luck!
I appreciate getting to hear about your book. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your book. Wishing you a successful release.
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me today!
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the blurb and the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you most enjoy about writing?
ReplyDeleteGood question. I suppose writing a passage, or a scene, or a dialogue that is really good, that no mater how many times you look at it, you still know it's good. And then you wonder why you can't do it like that all the time. Perhaps it's like hitting a home run in baseball - once in a while, it happens, but we can't all hit home runs all the time. Just doesn't happen to most of us.
DeleteThank you all for your nice comments
ReplyDeleteNeat tour, liking the premise around your book. Interesting to know you lived in japan.
ReplyDeleteI loved the excerpt, kind of creepy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! Sounds good!
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds great.
ReplyDeleteBook sounds great
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book. I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, thank you all so much for the comments. It's encouraging, and I hope you will purchase and enjoy My Irish Dog.
ReplyDeletenice book cover and the book sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteA question for the author: As a child and adolescent, what authors, book series, and genres did you enjoy reading?
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Mmmm. I suppose when I was very young I was intrigued by Jack London's Call of the Wild. I also remember reading some Edgar Allen Poe novels, which were probably a bit much for me at the time. Later, I was into John Irving for a while and then got into a lot of James Clavell in college because I was becoming interested in Asia.
DeleteI love the cover. The colors are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate this opportunity to win! Hope the release is going well.
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover. The book sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and quite unique premise. I'm intrigued.
ReplyDeleteSounds really good! Glad it's on KU.
ReplyDeletehappy friday looks like great read
ReplyDeleteSounds like my kind of read!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book.
ReplyDeletethanks the excerpt sounds great
ReplyDeletethis is awesome
ReplyDeletegreat cover
ReplyDeleteNice cover. I liked the excerpt. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteReally like books set in Ireland.. Thank you for this....
ReplyDeleteDo you have any plans to read or write over the holiday weekend?
ReplyDeleteIf I get inspired, I may finally begin writing the sequel to My Irish Dog.
DeleteThank you for sharing the excerpt. It sounds very interesting.
ReplyDeleteEveryone, I'm offering the book free on Kindle for the next three days. The paperback version has been discounted to $8.99 for the time being. Get it while the getting is good!
ReplyDeleteI love the cover, sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the hardest part of the story to crack?
ReplyDeleteProbably it was creating an epiphany for the protagonist, so he could settle his mind and face life from a different perspective. I struggled a lot on how to make that happen, and it essentially didn't come to me until I had finished absolutely everything else in the book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt, and I look forward to reading the book.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your favorite part of the writing process?
ReplyDeleteThis is so amazing sounds like something i would love <3
ReplyDeleteDo you have a favorite breed of dog? We have owned both Miniature Schnauzers and West Highland White Terriers. Westies are our favorite.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
This looks like a good read.
ReplyDelete