H.L. Cherryholmes

by Julie Ann Dawson at Gather.com

Martha: A 50ish year old woman whose dreams long ago evaporated into monotony, until her sister sends her a bus ticket to L.A. to come watch her star in a play. Marc: A high-powered media seller forced to slum it on a bus after missing his flight to L.A. Emanuel: A young gay man heading to L.A. to escape the pain of a break-up with the man he thought was his true love. Three unrelated people who just happen to end up on the same bus…but is it as random as chance would have the reader believe?

A Slight Touch is a book for people-watchers; those of us that just enjoy watching other people and trying to imagine what they might be thinking. Its chapters alternate between these three characters and Miller, a seemingly harmless but slightly creepy security guard that finally crosses the line and begins a downward spiral into violence. Each chapter artfully brings the characters to life, and each character earns your undivided attention while he or she is center stage.

At a routine rest stop, Martha, Emanuel, and Marc all miss their bus and have to find alternative ways to get to L.A. As we watch each deal with what would seem to be nothing more than a minor nuisance, we learn that the bus they were all suppose to be on becomes involved in a fatal accident and all of the passengers died. As the book progresses, the story slowly transforms from a collection of separate tales involving the characters into an interwoven plot revealing how interconnected the characters actually are.

A Slight Touch is an intriguing read, and a recommended book for readers that enjoy character-driven narratives.

Popularity: 69% [?]

Okay, this is the latest marketing tool for books.  It’s like a movie trailer but for books. Here’s mine:

A Slight Touch Trailer

Popularity: 86% [?]

Description:

On an unremarkable summer afternoon in Albuquerque, a bus departs for Los Angeles. Three of the passengers, unfamiliar with one another and unaware of how entangled their paths will soon become, alter their fates when they miss a routine connection.

Empty-nester Martha Gregory, lacking experience in a world beyond her husband and home in Bosque Farms, New Mexico, is lured by a pre-paid ticket to reconnect with her free-spirited younger sister.

Handsome media executive Marc Greensweig, hindered by his fear of flying, deigns to return from a business trip by bus, fortified by the gorgeous wife and free pass to the top of the corporate ladder awaiting him at home.

Emanuel Montoya, an impressionable recent college grad fleeing the remnants of a painful breakup, eagerly embraces the new life that beckons when his fabulous best friend offers him a place to stay in West Hollywood.

Meanwhile, simmering in L. A. is William Miller, a lonely security guard, fighting a losing battle to distance himself from the troubling voices in his head.

As if guided by an unseen hand, each must respond to a crisis in which their actions will ultimately determine whether second chances really do exist…
Purchase “A Slight Touch” here!

Popularity: 97% [?]