Welcome to my stop on the book blast for The Wall by David Pereda. This book blast was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I haven an excerpt from the book. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to visit the other stops on the book blast for more content. Enjoy!
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Author: David Pereda
Publisher: Drake Valley Press
Publication Date: July 4th 2021
Print Length: 335 pages
Genre: Contemporary Thriller
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THOMAS BERTRAM is an American living in San Salvador with his fiancée CECILIA. They own a popular neighborhood restaurant and plan to wed soon. Thomas's dream is to obtain a resident visa for Cecilia and return to the United States.
DOMINGO JIMENEZ and his wife BLANCA own a small repair shop across the street. Domingo's dream is to move to America as well so that his seven-year-old daughter NANCY can grow up speaking English and have a good education and a better life than he and Blanca had.
When armed gang members invade their neighborhood to demand "protection" money and threaten them with death if they don't pay, Thomas and Domingo's dreams for the future take on a new perspective. They decide to flee the country with their families through Guatemala and Mexico to seek asylum in the United States.
But their journey is more challenging than expected, and they face a myriad of difficulties and must overcome multiple obstacles that put not only their dreams but also their lives at risk.
Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Smashwords
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BOOK TRAILER:
Watch the book trailer below or by clicking here.
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EXCERPT:
Plodding in a caravan in the blistering sun with hundreds of other human beings was a new experience for Domingo—and for Blanca and Nancy, too.
Domingo guessed it was also a unique experience for most crowd members based on their looks and actions. There were people of all ages and types in the mob, including children a lot younger than Nancy. Young men and women wore shorts and T-shirts or tank tops, and many listened to music on headphones as they bounced on colorful tennis shoes. Older members were bundled in jackets and hid their faces from the harsh sun under outsized straw hats as they slogged forward with determination. A few of the people were so old they could hardly walk, hobbling along trying to keep up with the wandering procession. Some of the older children kicked an old soccer ball around or streaked through the crowd screaming and laughing, playing a game of tag, occasionally bumping into someone who invariably hurled angry epithets at them. Several of the younger children were crying and complaining about the heat and the confusion. Dozens of the women were pregnant or carrying recently born babies in their arms, some of them bawling because of hunger or a need for a diaper change. The grounds were littered with discarded items—empty bottles, dirty diapers, cereal boxes, even used toilet paper.
Domingo was amazed at the lack of prominent individuals leading the caravan and maintaining a modicum of order and hygiene. From the very beginning, the march had no leaders and no guides. They had all gathered at El Salvador del Mundo Plaza in central San Salvador at dawn and started moving at around 8 am, when someone sitting under a tree smoking a cigarette stood and yelled, “Vamos!”
And that was it. The caravan started moving, unhurriedly and inexorably, like a gigantic snake uncoiling itself to go in search of something to eat.
They had been on the road for a week now. Although their faces were baked red by the sun, they hadn’t advanced much. Domingo worried that all the food and water he brought along wasn’t going to last more than another week or two. The stress of the trip had already cracked the rosy shell of initial optimism, and reality had begun to seep in—disgruntled rumblings about the speed of the caravan started to surface, and two episodes of theft reported. Tempers flared a few times, usually only resulting in loud arguments and name-calling, but twice ending in fistfights that had to be broken up by others.
A young man named Octavio, traveling with two friends close to Domingo and his family, told him about two thousand people from different parts of El Salvador were in the caravan. They were strangers and suspicious of each other, which was the reason for all the problems.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
David Pereda is the award-winning author of eleven thrillers and mainstream novels. His books have won the Lighthouse Book Awards twice, the Royal Palm Awards, the National Indie Excellence Awards, and the Readers Favorite Awards twice. He has traveled to more than thirty countries around the world and speaks four languages.
Before devoting his time solely to writing and teaching, Pereda had a successful international consulting career with global giant Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked with the governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, and Qatar, among others.
A member of MENSA, Pereda earned his MBA from Pepperdine University in California. He earned BA degrees in English literature and mathematics at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He loves sports and has won many prizes competing in track and show-jumping equestrian events.
Pereda lives in Asheville, North Carolina, where he teaches mathematics and English at the Asheville-Buncombe Community College.
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GIVEAWAY:
David Pereda will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. To increase your chance of winning, leave a comment at a different blog participating in the book blast each day. Good luck!
I want to thank you for having me on your blog today. I will be checking in and out during the day to answer any questions that you or your readers may have.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome =) Thanks for visiting my blog!
DeleteThank you for having me on your blog.
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good thriller. Best of luck with the book.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Michele. Good luck with the giveaway.
DeleteI agree with Michele, it is a good thriller - a great one, actually. I saw a news segment last evening about farmers giving away food to those that will come and get it, because they don't have the migrant farm workers they'd always depended upon. It reminded me of this book and the people that work among us and yet are largely invisible. David Pereda did a fabulous job of putting faces on immigration, much the same way as the characters in Grapes of Wrath opened our eyes to the Great Depression. The Wall is a classic.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your kind comments, p.m.terrell. Most of the passages in The Wall, especially the most dramatic -- such as the broken down of the van and the running away from the Mexican police, or the drowning scene -- actually happened.
DeleteYour book sounds like a very engaging and exciting novel.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
Thank you for your kind comment, Nancy. Of course I'm subjective, but those who have read it believe so.
DeleteThe book sounds very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Rita. The Wall walks a fine line between fiction and reality. Those who have read it have experienced a number of different emotions.
DeleteYes, this sounds like a book I would like to read.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Sue. If you want to read about the realities that immigrants encounter and the obstacles they must overcome seeking a better life in America, this is the book for you.
DeleteThanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteVictoria, it is my pleasure to share. It is engaged readers like you that motivate me to keep writing.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such a interesting book.
ReplyDeleteSherry, thank you for your comment. According to those who have read The Wall, the book kept them flipping pages deep into the night.
DeleteAn excellent synopsis and trailer, this sounds like a thrilling read and I am looking forward to release day. Thank you for sharing the book and author details
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Bea. The print book is already available on Amazon and its working its way via Ingram to libraries and bookstores. The e-book will be officially released this coming Sunday, on the 4th of July.
DeleteThat's awesome news! Thank you for sharing the information. Have a safe and lovely 4th of July weekend.
Deletecongrats on the release, this sounds interesting
ReplyDeleteThank you for the congrats, Wendy. It is an interesting book as you will see when you read it.
DeleteSounds like a good book. I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Susan The cover is from my favorite cover designer, Dawne Dominique. I like the cover too.
DeleteContemporary Thriller - Love this!
ReplyDeleteAnd such a dramatic cover.
Thank you for sharing this.
Best-selling author, Paul Levine, called the book, "Timely, tense, and tumultuous...a family saga, a border thriller, and a novel of sizzling suspense."
DeleteThe cover is from award-winning cover designer, Dawne Dominique. She always manages to capture the essence of the book on the cover. I like the cover too.
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteabfantom at yahoo dot com
Thank you for your comment, Ann. Readers' Favorite described The Wall with these words, "A beautiful story, flawless editing, and stylish writing."
DeleteI love the cover too.
What inspires your main characters in your books?
ReplyDeleteEach book I write is different, so the characters have different motivations. In The Wall, each character has a different motivation to escape El Salvador fleeing from the gangs to seek a better life in America.
DeleteDomingo wants a better life for his 4=year old daughter, Nancy.
Thomas, an American, wants to take her Salvadoran fiancee, who has been denied a US visa, to safety--so he chooses to cross the border with her.
Alex (Prince Stanislaw), also an American does it out of a thirst for adventure and loyalty to his best friend, Thomas.
And so on.
Looks like an interesting book.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contest.
Slehan, thank you for the comment and ood luck on the giveaway.
DeleteWhat is your favorite book you've written?
ReplyDeleteDavid, you put me on the spot. Books are like children, and I shouldn't have favorites--but I do.
DeleteThe two best books I have written are "However Long the Night," which won three awards; and 'The Wall,' which is up for three awards now.
Both books describe very unique experiences in settings and situations unlikely to be confronted by most readers.
The book sound great.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dale. The Wall was written with love and passion. Read some of the other comments to learn more about the novel and its characters.
DeleteThe book cover is great and the book sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI love the over too, Deb. It's from my favorite cover designer, Dawne Dominique, who always manages to capture the essence of my books in her covers.
ReplyDeleteThe cover of award-winning "However Long the Night" was also designed by her.
Do you like to cook?
ReplyDeleteI love to eat, Barbara, and like Alex in The Wall, I like good wines too--but I'm a terrible cook. My neighbors and my oldest daughter who lives in Asheville too, either bring me food or invite me to dinner. I have great neighbors and family.
DeleteHow long was the writing process?
ReplyDeleteDeborah, it usually takes me about two years from when I start writing the book to its publication, sometimes more. The Wall was 420 pages long, over 100,000 words.
DeleteGood question, by the way.
I'm halfway through writing another book, Golden, which is scheduled for publication in 2022. You can read its first chapter at the end of The Wall.
The excerpt is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment and good luck on the giveaway.
DeleteSounds like an adventure. Lots of life experiences from reading the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteCalvin, my life has been more interesting than my books. I've been blessed. Many of the characters I have met around the world and the experiences I've had end up in my books--fictionalized, of course.
DeleteLooks like a good, solid read for the summer.
ReplyDeleteI'm beginning to get reports from readers, and reviews, and they have all been outstanding. If you want to learn about real immigrants and the problems they face--and the elation of finally making it for those who make it--read this book.
DeleteThere's an episode in the book when the van transporting Domingo and his family, together with 150 other undocumented would-be immigrants, breaks down in Mexico. The coyotes run away and leave all 150 people locked inside. They have to break a panel with an ax, so they don't die inside; and when they finally make it outside and can breathe again, they find themselves surrounded by the Mexican police--and they must run away or be captured and sent back to El Salvador.
Read the book, and you'll find out what happened.
When you read that passage, you might say, "What imagination!"
You'd be wrong!
That, and what I decribe later, really happened.
Life is stranger than fiction, David
My daughter would enjoy this book
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, billwinsbig. One reviewer called The Wall a book everybody should read because of the topic.
DeleteThis is a definate read for me -thanks !
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, satkins. hnk you for visiting this blog and leaving a comment. Good luck on the giveaway.
DeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Deborah. You too.
ReplyDeleteTweeted about this -
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/JalapenoMama/status/1410638654918348805
Thank you, Barbara.
Deletesounds like a fun one
ReplyDeleteWork on your craft like you would getting a college degree and believe in yourself--and don't let anyone tell you that you can't be successful as a writer.
DeleteThe best motivation I ever got for writing and becoming a successful author was from a young poet in college. He wrote beautiful poetry that said nothing. His advice motivated me to write to prove him wrong. He said, "You'll never be a good writer, David, because English is your second language."
I don't know what happened to him, and I don't care either. Maybe he's still writing beautiful poetry that says nothing.
I've published eleven books, one of them a best seller, and won six literary awards.
Believe in yourself, Daniel!
Do you have any advice for new writers?
ReplyDeleteWork on your craft like you would on getting a college degree and believe in yourself--and don't let anyone tell you that you can't be successful as a writer.
DeleteThe best motivation I ever got for writing and becoming a successful author was from a young poet in college. He wrote beautiful poetry that said nothing. His advice motivated me to write to prove him wrong. He said, "You'll never be a good writer, David, because English is your second language."
I don't know what happened to him, and I don't care either. Maybe he's still writing beautiful poetry that says nothing.
I've published eleven books, one of them a best seller, and won six literary awards.
Believe in yourself, Jamie!
What's the best book you think you've ever written?
ReplyDeleteGood question, David. I believe the two best books I've written are HOWEVER LONG THE NIGHT, which won three literary awards and THE WALL, which is up for three awards now. Both books have unique themes and deal with unique situations unlikely to be experienced by a typical reader. Both are love stories too.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Deborah. Happy Fourth of July.
DeleteWhere did you go on your favourite vacation?
ReplyDeleteJamie, I've been to more than 30 countries on business and for pleasure. My favorite vacation, ever, was when I visited the family house in the mountains of Northern Spain for the first time -- which has been preserved and maintained by my cousins for generations. I was able to eat and drink and sleep where my father, grandfather, great grandfather and several other generations of Peredas ate, drank and slept.
DeleteIt was an emotional trip. Particularly touching to me was the reaction of the neighbors, who came to pay their respect and invite to their homes.
If you know how close-knit mountain people are, you understand the beauty of their reaction. I was one of them who had returned home.
This sounds like such an exciting thriller.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan. Readers confirm your thinking: they found HE WALL an exciting thriller.
DeleteAnother heat wave is coming - try to stay cool!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Barbara. I live in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in artistic Asheville. The weather is usually always pleasant.
DeleteMy daughter would enjoy this book
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an exciting read.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Christy. Those who have read it agree with you. Good luck on the giveaway.
DeleteThe contemporary thriller seems great and I like the cover.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Anonymous. I like the cover too. It's from my favorite award-winning cover designer, Dawne Dominique.
ReplyDelete