This week’s other featured books, “The White Field,” by Douglas Cole, “Book Marks: An Artist’s Card Catalog,” by Barbara Page and “Life in the Blogosphere,” by Linda Smith, can be found by scrolling down below this post, or by clicking the author’s name on our Authors page.
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THE BOOK: Alternatives
PUBLISHED IN: 2021
THE AUTHOR: H. S. Contino
THE EDITOR: H. S. Contino
THE PUBLISHER: Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
SUMMARY: Sci-fi meets romance in this quirky read!
Theoretically, there exists a parallel version of reality for every possible outcome of our life choices. What if you were given a glimpse into your alternative lives? What version of yourself would you see? How would it influence your future decisions?
Francis Marino’s quiet life on the Oregon coast was interrupted when two military officers arrived on her doorstep with a bizarre story and urged her to come with them. Thus began an unexpected adventure that forced her to leave her comfort zone and confront many of her beliefs about the world we live in.
As the commander of a highly classified military facility, Colonel Dominic Davis was dedicated to his job. But, after being exposed to an alien device, he is given visions of two alternative realities. Dom realizes that he needs to make changes– both personal and professional.
Life on Earth hangs in the balance…
THE BACK STORY: The basic premise of this book explores the following questions: what if you were given a glimpse into your life in an alternative reality (also known as a parallel universe)? How would the information you gained impact your future decisions? Would you make changes to your life?
Without giving away too many spoilers, one of the main characters in the book is given this opportunity. Colonel Dominic Davis is exposed to an alien device that gives him visions of his life in two alternative realities. The knowledge he gains has big implications– both for his personal life and for the bigger picture– and impacts the rest of the story.
WHY THIS TITLE: They always advise writers to “write the story that you want to read”— and that’s exactly what I did. As one of my beta readers told me, this “book is so you”!
My novel, “Alternatives,” is soft sci-fi (science fiction without a lot of hard science or “techno-babble”). There’s also a strong romantic storyline. Being a “me” book there are quirky characters, copious amounts of sarcastic/dry humor, and lots of animals. I also intentionally incorporated several references to the Oregon coast, sci-fi TV shows and movies, and pop culture. It’s basically a mash-up of most of my favorite things.
WHY SOMEONE WOULD WANT TO READ IT: It’s a fun read. In addition to exploring some interesting concepts (including alternative realities), the characters are relatable. I like to describe them as being “beautifully flawed.” They’re all doing their best under trying (and unusual) circumstances, but sometimes they get things wrong. There’s also a lot of humor– mostly the dry, sarcastic type that my family and friends appreciate!
AUTHOR PROFILE: H. S. Contino loves ships– both the ones that travel on waterways and the ones that travel through space.Her published works include “Shipwrecks of Coos County” and “Shipwrecks of Curry County” (Arcadia Publishing).
She can be found online at: HSContino.Wordpress.com
AUTHOR COMMENTS: Thank you for taking the time to read about my book on this blog, Snowflakes in a Blizzard. Happy reading (and writing), everyone!
SAMPLE CHAPTER: (Provide link). Click on the “look inside” link–
LOCAL OUTLETS: Since I just released the final edition of the novel a few weeks ago, so far it’s only available online (through Amazon or from my Etsy shop, Reprieve’s Corner www.etsy.com/shop/ReprievesCorner). I’m still working on placing it at local bookstores.
WHERE ELSE TO BUY IT: So far, the book is only available through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Alternatives-Ghenesain-Novel-Chronicles/dp/B08TQ965FM/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
PRICE: $14.99 paperback, $4.99 Kindle
CONTACT THE AUTHOR:
Snowflakes in a Blizzard 