Enter: 1st Signed Paperback Giveaway for Sandcastle & Other Stories

There’s a cool site called Goodreads . . . and it may be my favorite site because it centers on books and the people who love reading books. Too many to mention (millions?), all kinds of books in varied genres are described there, and people are welcome to read and recommend good books to their friends. It’s huge too, with over 20 million people signed up to peruse what is new or discover older gems in the library stacks.

I am thrilled to announce my first Giveaway through Goodreads. I am giving away ten signed paperback copies of Sandcastle and Other Stories to ten lucky readers. All anyone has to do is click the Goodreads Giveaway “widget” on my blog (top right!) and then hit the buttons over at Goodreads. The Giveaway ends on April 21st so there is plenty of time to enter or to let your friends know so they can also sign up. Those who like entering darker mindsets may fall for the tales in my first dark collection of suspense and psychological fiction. This giveaway is only open to USA residents, and I apologize in advance to all international readers: Sorry 🙁

Here’s what others are saying about Sandcastle and Other Stories:

” . . . the toughest thing for me to decide about Justin Bog is which great writer he reminds me of — in The Conversationalist, he’s all John Updike, but with compassion and grace. In Sandcastle and Other Stories, he reminds me of Hemingway, but with a modern originality that is breathtaking.” —Stacey Roberts, author of Trailer Trash, With a Girl’s Name

“I read most of Sandcastle and Other Stories on a four hour flight that turned into five and a half thanks to the airport losing our flight plan. Glad I had that book! I finished it before I got home. Each story was like a mini-novel. You get to know the characters, to see their motivation. Most of the stories end with a twist (Sandcastle – holy cow!). My favourite was Poseidon Eyes, which surprised me the most. It is very Stephen King-like, and I am not a big King fan. But I am a Justin Bog fan. Looking forward to The Conversationalist.” —Julie Frayn, author of the award-winning Suicide City, A Love Story 

“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. I haven’t read a book of short stories since ninth grade English, but everything about Mr. Bog’s collection simply blew me away. His writing style is descriptive, fluid, very easy to read and to comprehend, while at the same time sophisticated and very emotional. The stories, oh my goodness, the stories were absolutely incredible. The depth of his characters, whether they be relatable or sad or a little off their rockers, really makes this collection. I felt my jaw drop on more than one occasion. Absolutely breathtaking. I cannot say enough good things about this book.” —Jacqueline Smith, author of Cemetery Tours

“There is something that is fundamentally distressing about the human psyche. Perhaps it is the way in which it tends to, like turbulent waters, lurk beneath a calm and sometimes placid surface. Bog has done a remarkable job in doing two things in particular in his debut (collection), Sandcastle and Other Stories: First he has been able to drop us in to the middle of a person’s life, his character’s day-to-day affairs, and not immediately alienate us with a wall of “being unable to adjust”. The second thing he has been able to do is to darken and to render surreal the standard affairs of life. To twist the mentality of the characters so that they reflect something much darker than our own minds are willing to admit lurks there.

The stories are, on the whole, quite varied and come from very different segments of society – though they all have two major links that tends to weave them all together. The theme of water tends to flow throughout the stories, and also, there is a strong sense of alienation in “la vie cotidienne” of the characters. I noticed this most in the story Mothers of Twins. This distressing alienation is far more familiar to people than I think they want to acknowledge.

Though generally rooted in reality, stories like Poseidon Eyes, shows that Bog does not mind taking a stroll outside of our normal world. Strongly recommended, though, be careful of the waters… They are dark and deep and we know not what lurks there.” —Derek McPhee, author of The Smallest Narrowest Places

I hope you discover these four great authors and their own darker tales, both real and imagined . . .

ever,

Justin