Praise for Dark Full of Enemies and Griswoldville
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Back in the spring I submitted my two most recent novels, Dark Full of Enemies and Griswoldville, to competition in the 27th annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Neither won, but both scored very high in every category of assessment and I appreciated the brief feedback I got from the books’ judges earlier this month. I’ve quoted a few substantial excerpts below.
Praise for Griswoldville
“The close bond Georgie has with his grandfather, Fate, is endearing, and the reader is rooting for their strength and survival (as well as that of Georgie’s father) throughout the novel.”
Griswoldville is an in-depth look at what a young boy fighting in a war of the past was really like. The author clearly did his research on the time period and the inner workings of the Georgia militia, and the prose is thoughtful and polished. We learn what it really took for farming families to survive during the Civil War era, particularly when men from the family were away from the farms for years at a time. The close bond Georgie has with his grandfather, Fate, is endearing, and the reader is rooting for their strength and survival (as well as that of Georgie’s father) throughout the novel.
Praise for Dark Full of Enemies
Dark Full of Enemies zeroes in on a seemingly small mission to the Arctic with laser-sharp focus and precision. The narrative structure, much like McKay himself, is clean, crisp, and precise, and reflects the bitter cold and stark darkness of the world around him.
“Dark Full of Enemies expertly captures the cold, dark dangers of Nazi-occupied Norway, and a Special operative team’s desperate race to complete their mission—and make it out of enemy territory alive.”
The characters, particularly the soldiers on the mission, each had their own personality, which was cleverly portrayed to the reader through minimal, yet colorful details. This was especially true of Stallings, whose troubled past guided his decisions in the present narrative, and was a character that readers could empathize with. . . .
The use of setting is clear and effective--never once is the reader unsure of where the story is taking place, or how brutally cold and inhospitable the environment is. And as the mission drags on, and the soldiers become weary from the lack of sunlight, the reader too can really sense how draining the mission is—and appreciate its completion that much more.
Dark Full of Enemies expertly captures the cold, dark dangers of Nazi-occupied Norway, and a Special operative team’s desperate race to complete their mission—and make it out of enemy territory alive.
Heading into the holidays
I appreciate Writer’s Digest taking the extra trouble to send some feedback to the entrants in the contest, and I’ve been gratified and heartened by what I read.
Finally, if you’re looking for something to give the reader in your life this Christmas, please consider Dark Full of Enemies and Griswoldville—or my other two books! They’re available through Amazon—where both have five stars—in both paperback and Kindle formats. If you’re still not quite sold and would like to read more feedback or some excerpts from the books, visit each book’s page on my website here (Dark Full of Enemies) or here (Griswoldville).
Thanks as always for reading! And I hope y’all have a good holiday season and a merry Christmas.
