Rafael Rivera ~ guest post and his novel Carolina Rose

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TITLE: Carolina Rose

RELEASE DATE: February 5, 2016

AUTHOR: Rafael Rivera

KEYWORDS: Commercial Fiction, Family Saga, Suspense, Coming of Age, Thriller, Historical, South Carolina

CATEGORIES: Family Saga, Coming of Age, Suspense

PAGE COUNT: 362

ISBN: 978-1523605385

IMPRINT: Black Hawk

BOOK PAGE: http://ravenswoodpublishing.com/bookpages/carolinarose.html

SYNOPSIS:  

When Wilma, an innocent daughter of a well-known moonshiner of Cherokee Indian descent, tired of the mundane life in rural South Carolina ventures out with her girlfriend at the local bar, an unexpected encounter with Joe, a young and handsome Marine corporal on leave, spirals into a whirlwind romance, an intense family saga with tragic consequences ensue and family secrets exposed set the tone for this commercial fiction novel, Carolina Rose.

ONE LINER:  

Rose lived in poverty until her destiny changed. Finding her tormentor and seeking revenge on the man responsible for her grandfather’s death were her priorities.

Guest Post:
The creation of Carolina Rose was a long process. An enormous amount of research was performed in order to match the novel’s timetable with the same timetable of actual and historical events. For example, when Eight Ball warns Grandpa to be careful because the brothers are still upset about the Orangeburg Massacre months before, the time frame of Grandpa’s incarceration was exactly months after the actual real event massacre took place. The novel is embedded with many of these historical facts.

Some facts are well known while others are obscure and many will say it gives South Carolina a black eye. For instance, many have heard and read about the Kent State University Massacre. I did in history class. But, how many have ever heard about the Orangeburg Massacre?

However, it is the truth, and sometimes the truth is best kept under the rug to avoid embarrassment. On the other hand, there are facts and places that make South Carolina attractive to tourists. Places like the Edisto River, Lake Murray, Edisto Memorial Gardens are tourist attractions. I chose to include real events to give the story a sense of realism, to engage the reader to want more, and most importantly for the reader to read the novel without yawning.

The novel is written using Southern colloquialism and jargon indicative of the specific era in which the novel takes place. You would not expect a dirt farmer with a 6th grade education to speak or write like a Harvard graduate and vice-versa. Jeff Foxworthy would not be comical if he did not use his Southern drawl in spoofing rednecks. Until I lived in the South, when I was asked about grits, I thought they where asking about a grade of sandpaper and not about a corn grain.

One of my favorite authors, Mark Twain, gave me the inspiration and idea to use realism. I am not Mark Twain, by no means. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain used realism effectively.

Many of the places talked about in the novel are real. One such place is Dukes Bar-B-Que in Orangeburg. I personally ate there with my ex girlfriend, who is a native of Orangeburg. I do have to say that “they have “darn” good BBQ!”

Many chapters were written based on my personal experience and knowledge in the Marine Corps and being a registered nurse and respiratory therapist. So those chapters were easier to write and compile. While others took a long time to write in order to make the characters real and interact with the other characters in a manner that kept the story going in the direction I had outlined.

Humor is included to give the reader a chuckle here and there. The use of metaphors adds to the humor. Foreshadowing makes you think about events that may happen in the future.

The novel has an underdog who may or may not come out on top. Many antagonists exist and poetic justice seems almost impossible. You have to read the book to find out.

AUTHOR BIO:

Mr. Rivera is a registered nurse and registered respiratory therapist. He is an alumni of Auburn University, Mercer University, Excelsior College and Ga. State University with MS Management, MS Health Care Adm, BS Nursing, BS Health Care Science and BS Building Construction degrees. He is a former US Marine reservist and grew up as a military brat with extensive travel overseas.

His hobbies include shooting, martial arts (Tae Kwon Do, Hap Ki Do, Aikido and Jiu Jistsu) and being an extra in movies and pilot series. He was an extra in the new TV series Complications on USA network.

Previous publications include: Men Can Be Neanderthals, Utilization of Just-In-Time Principles in the Construction Industry. Wrote two rap songs: Gangsta Wannabe (i tunes) and soon to be released Full Auto.

Carolina Rose is his first commercial fiction novel with two additional working titles and a non-fiction.

EMAIL: playatthezoo@yahoo.com

AUTHOR LINKS:

AMAZON US: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AVKQFCK
AMAZON UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01AVKQFCK
BARNES & NOBLE: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/carolina-rose-rafael-rivera/1123295380?ean=2940152686272
KOBO: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/carolina-rose
GOOGLE PLAY: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rafael_Rivera_Carolina_Rose?id=s-VqCwAAQBAJ&hl=en
iBOOKS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/carolina-rose/id1077064689?mt=11
CREATESPACE: https://www.createspace.com/6012511
PAPERBACK: http://www.amazon.com/Carolina-Rose-Rafael-Rivera/dp/1523605383/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454575859&sr=8-1&keywords=carolina+rose+paperback

A reminder to the reader ~ before you leave be sure to take a look at the 

Funny/Stupid and Interesting Tabs