Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: The Wall by David Pereda

Welcome to my stop on my the virtual book tour for The Wall by David Pereda. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a very interesting guest post from the author. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more content. Enjoy!

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Title: The Wall

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:

Going through the jungle into Chiapas was harder than Domingo expected.

Damian, the coyote, set a fast pace, and they either followed or were left behind. The trails were narrow through the thick forest, and Damian often had to clear the way with a machete. Blanca was having great difficulties breathing, and Nancy was crying all the time; she needed milk, and there was none. It was hot and suffocating, which gave Domingo a feeling of claustrophobia. It was dark because the vegetation was so dense; he couldn’t see the sun or the sky, which made guessing what time it was confusing. Occasionally, a little ray of sunlight managed to sneak through the foliage, illuminating an isolated plant or trunk of a tree, giving Domingo the impression of being in a prison cell with a tiny window up high that let light in to remind him life existed elsewhere. There were only five people in the group besides Nancy—Damian, José, Blanca, Octavio, and Domingo. Octavio’s two friends, Ramiro and Manuel, had decided to save the little money they had and take a chance at crossing the Mexican border without being stopped by the Federales.

The group had slept overnight on the bare floor of a little hut in the jungle provided by Damian, who woke them at sunrise the following day. Besides the accommodations, Damian hadn’t offered any food or drink.

“What you eat and what you drink is up to you,” he had told the group. “I don’t provide any of that. My job is to get you through the jungle to a place close to Huixtla, where I’ll transfer you to Carlos, the coyote who’ll take you to the US border.”

After munching on nuts and granola bars, or whatever else they carried in their knapsacks that they could eat quickly, the group, led by Damian, started their journey single-file through the jungle trails at around 7:00 AM. They had been going now without rest for several hours. The men were still full of nervous energy and eager to get across to Mexico, but Blanca was exhausted and laboring for breath.

“I need to stop,” she said to Domingo, pale and gasping. “Eat something. Take a break. Anything. I can’t walk anymore.”

“Hey, Damian!” Domingo yelled as he stopped walking to tend to his wife. “Let’s stop for a few minutes. Blanca needs a rest.”

Damian turned around and marched to the back of the file where they were. The rest of the group stopped too and watched.

“Just a little longer,” Damian said. “We need to keep moving. The Indians here don’t like illegals crossing into Mexico. If they see us, they’ll report us to the authorities, and you’ll get caught and sent back to Guatemala.”

“How much longer?” Domingo asked. “We’ve been going non-stop for almost four hours. My wife is tired. She can’t go anymore.”

“We’re almost there. Just a little bit longer.”

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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.

Website * Amazon *

Facebook * Goodreads * Twitter

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GUEST POST:

What Made Me Decide to Write THE WALL?
by
David Pereda

Readers often ask me two questions, "What was your inspiration for this book?" and "What made you decide to write THE WALL?" Intertwined, like conjoined twins, these two questions are best answered together as a pair.

The answer to the first question is simple, but the answer to the second question is more complex and layered.

Let me answer the first question first. "What was my inspiration to write this book?"

My students were my inspiration. During the past fourteen years, I've taught English to immigrants from all over the world, many of them undocumented. They shared their usually happy, sometimes sad, but always poignant and courageous stories of coming to America. I couldn't have written this novel without them and their stories. THE WALL is a testament to them and all the other immigrants and descendants of immigrants who dared come to the United States and help make America great. THE WALL is dedicated to them.

Now let me answer the second question. "What made you decide to write THE WALL?"

Over the years of listening to my students and their stories, I felt a growing need to write a meaningful yet entertaining novel that would address controversial immigration problems in our country but wouldn't preach. THE WALL is that novel, and many of the most dramatic episodes described in the book happened.

Unlike other novels about immigration, THE WALL is unique in multiple ways. It's both plot-and-character-driven, includes a relatable American individual living abroad whose fiancée can't get a visa, explores the problems faced getting to the border, crossing the border, and the aftermath that lies beyond the border. THE WALL also includes a layered ending with unexpected outcomes.

Too many fictionalized accounts of those fleeing their homeland are stereotypical and one-dimensional, driven by action sequences and violence as in American Dirt. Or, they're first-person narratives that primarily explore the adaptation problems first-and second-generation immigrants face in America, as in The House on Mango Street. Though enjoyable, THE WALL highlights America's failing immigration policy, and it reveals what immigrants coming to the U.S. contribute. Some of the issues it raises are, for example, are most legal and illegal immigrants hard-working, law-abiding citizens—or criminals? And, are immigrants with money and position more likely to be successful than those who are poor?

These are some of the reasons that made me decide to write THE WALL.

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GIVEAWAY:

David Pereda will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway