I’ve shared these before, but here are a few of my short stories that are right for this time of year.
The Touch is the story of a young girl with strange powers who must stand up to cruelty in the neighborhood, and in her own home.
In The Song of Thetis, a strange apparition absconds with a young boy, tearing a family apart.
The All Hallows Knight is a Halloween story about an unexpected visitor who shows up on October 31.
“This YA coming-of-age novel is a heartwarming tale of grief, friendship and perseverance told through the age of a young boy on the verge of becoming a teenager, and Tuthill portrays this perfectly.
‘The Osprey Man,’ is a touching look back, combining the simple times of childhood and the 1980’s in a way that makes the reader feel happy with the result.”
To read more and to enter to win a copy of THE OSPREY MAN, check out the full review:
https://celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-osprey-man-by-christopher-tuthill.html
Back in the mid 90s an amazing professor at my university offered a Tolkien/CS Lewis course. I signed up and went to the class and there was an enormous line to get in. Every seat was taken, and people were lining the classroom walls and standing in the hallway outside. The professor happily signed everyone up, and moved the course to a lecture hall to accommodate what became a huge class, which had originally been capped at 25 or so students. It was a memorable, amazing course, and she was such a wonderful, humane and supportive person. She even made time to have lunch with small groups of us after every class session, to get to know us better and see how we were doing. I wish every professor I had was like that. None of us had seen a Tolkien film, unless it was the old Rankin Bass or Bakshi movies, since this was before Jackson. We were all just avid Tolkien and fantasy readers, and I suspect most of us had been from an early age.
I kind of miss those pre Jackson days. I have nothing against Jackson’s films, or the new show, and if they brought you to read Tolkien, then I’m glad for you. I liked Jackson’s movies pretty well, and I’m not a Tolkien scold or purist. Those movies did some things well, and some I liked less well. I’m not so certain these movies created millions more readers, though. I’ve met plenty of folks who have told me they love the movies, but have never read and don’t want to read Tolkien. I think he does just fine in terms of readers without any adaptations, but to each his own.
Regarding rings of power, I’ve already written how it’s not to my taste. I’m not interested in debating why or being told I am wrong or telling anyone enjoying it not to enjoy it. As I say, to each their own. I watched the first two episodes and that was enough. I don’t have time for shows I’m not really enthusiastic about, so when I didn’t care for those episodes I had no problem missing the rest.
Ian Anderson is one of my favorite songwriters and in an interview I read once, he remarked how much he liked hearing covers of his songs. He said he found it flattering. But he added that some covers of his songs felt to him more like a cat marking its territory. I felt kind of like this when watching the Amazon show. I’m sure the show runners are nice guys and the cast are too, but I’ll stick to the books. Literary works don’t need to be trillion dollar affairs to be appreciated.
I’m happy to share another review of THE OSPREY MAN. “This is a stupendous novel and one that I could read again and again. I really felt for Jacob as a character, and I felt like I was living through his grief with him. Five stars to this wonderful author!”
Read the entire review below, and enter to win a copy of the novel.
https://mytangledskeinsbookreviews.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-osprey-man-by-christopher-tuthill.html
At Storeybook Reviews, Reviewer Nora had this to say about THE OSPREY MAN:
“The atmosphere in this novel was perfect. The nostalgia of the 1980s and the beginning of summer after school lets out created a pitch perfect setting that made the background of the novel almost feel like a character in its own right.
Learning how to cope with grief is incredibly difficult for people of all ages, and that really comes through in Tuthill’s usage of a young boy as the main character of this novel. Jacob’s grief for Jon, and for his younger brother are timeless in many ways. This is a satisfying story with a very touching ending.”
Visit the site for a chance to win the book! There are lots of interesting reviews there, so be sure to check it out.
Over at Teddy Rose Book Reviews, Mark has this to say about THE OSPREY MAN:
“‘The Osprey Man,’ was a highly enjoyable novel, and a wonderfully nostalgic look back at the eighties. Tuthill’s writing was genuine, heartfelt and skilled. I really felt for Jacob and his loss and I wanted him to succeed from the get-go. This is a five-star book that can be enjoyed by any and all readers!”
I was so pleased to read another positive review of the book! A number of reviewers have said they enjoy the 80s setting, which makes me happy. I was really trying to transport readers there and it seems like people are reacting well to that setting. There was also an interview with me and a book giveaway for The Osprey Man last week. This is a great site with lots of excellent reviews, check it out!
On the Bound 4 Escape Book blog, reviewer Sal had this to say about THE OSPREY MAN, which made me smile:
“Tuthill has created a beautiful and moving novel, with all of the panache of a great YA story. It’s obvious from his writing that he understands how kids talk and act, and this glimpse back into the 1980’s seems as fresh and timely as ever.
Jacob was both relatable and interesting in his character, which made the story feel so much more unexpected in its direction. This is an author that I will definitely follow. I want to read more by Tuthill!”
Read more and enter to win a copy of the book:
So, after a long and circuitous road, here we are at game 162. I’d hoped they would have a first round bye, heading straight to the division series, but it was not to be. Atlanta is a very good team and took the division, but the Mets have won 100 games. They’ve only achieved that 4 times in their history, and I am not going to complain about this kind of success. It’s been 34 years since they managed that feat, and this has been a fun season. Whatever happens, it’s been a memorable ride.
Anything can happen in the playoffs, and I really don’t believe the 2022 Mets are done yet. I think they have some good baseball left in them. It’s anybody’s game now. You never know who will end up an October hero. I’m just thankful they are there, and it seems ownership is committed to fielding a playoff caliber team year in and year out. That’s something to be optimistic about.
Otherwise, I am doing some publicity for THE OSPREY MAN, including some interviews and guest posts. I’ve been happy to see lots of positive reviews popping up on goodreads and amazon. I’m continuing to work on the next book, too, in the hopes that it will come out in the next year or so.
We also just returned from a trip to central New York–Schoharie County, to be exact. What beautiful country and what an amazing state we live in. I worked in the area for a brief time when I was just out of school, and have fond memories of the area. We camped out and visited Secret Caverns in Cobleskill, and the Iroquois museum. The children loved it, and we did as well. Secret Caverns was my kind of place, with a lot of neat artwork and nods to Prog Rock and sci fi stuff. The caverns are estimated to be 200,000 years old. (I was thankful it held up while we were down there.) The big highlight was a large waterfall at the end of the cave, which the children went crazy for. I’d never been in a cave before and it was a really neat experience. The Iroquois museum was also really wonderful–it was a large building in the shape of a longhouse, with some amazing artifacts and cultural treasures. The kids did some scavenger hunts, finding different tools and artifacts in the displays, and in the two days we were in the area, they learned a lot about geology and culture. I really recommend it for a trip. Along with our Lake George trip last year, and the amazing Star Trek Tour, which I’ll post about another time, we are having g a lot of fun exploring of New York state.
Below is a review of my book, as well as a post by me about how I went about writing it. There’s also a chance to win the book:
Where do you get the ideas from, when creating personalities for your characters? How to Make Your Characters Believable?
For me, creating characters and their personalities comes organically. Stephen King wrote in his wonderful book On Writing, that stories are like fossils, waiting for the writer to unearth. I wrote my novel, The Osprey Man, this way. I had the general idea of what my story was, and began writing from the point of view of twelve-year-old Jacob, who has just learned that his best friend is dead when the novel opens. I unearthed what happened to him and his buddies as I wrote and revised the book.
Check out more at the link below:
Follow my tour for reviews, interviews, and for a chance to win a copy of THE OSPREY MAN!
The Osprey Man by Christopher Tuthill Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (July 26, 2022) Category: Young Adult, Coming of Age Tour Dates October 3-27, 2022
Source: Osprey Man by Christopher Tuthill: On Tour
Christopher Tuthill 