Virtual Tour + #Giveaway: Theo and Sprout by Joseph Gergen @joegergen @GoddessFish

Theo and Sprout: A Journey of Growth

by Joseph Gergen

GENRE: Literary Fiction (YA)

BLURB:

While Theo longs for some guidance through the perils of adolescence, the guidance he knew his family wouldn’t give him, he isn’t prepared for Sprout, his inner Divine Feminine, to present herself and offer it to him. In fact, he doesn’t appear to have a choice since Sprout, sassy and confident about her presence, won’t go away.

Purchase Theo and Sprout on Amazon and Barnes and Noble

Purchase Without a Pang on Amazon

Purchase Methane Wars on Amazon

Excerpt:

SPROUT. My brother had no idea the impact the nickname he derisively gave me would have. Neither of us knew how unwittingly appropriate it would become. Was it destiny or self-fulfilling prophecy? I don’t know. Memories and dreams and possibilities like to mix together. As far as my past is concerned and the makeup of who I am and what shaped me, I can make no distinction between memory and reality and dream. I usually don’t try.

While I certainly don’t remember all of my childhood, and many aspects are densely foggy, I remember with clarity the day my life changed. I was preparing for school in the basement bathroom—the small, cramped bathroom that seemed more like a large porta-potty with a shower than an actual bathroom. Wet towels covered the floor and almost all available surfaces. Countless toiletries jumbled themselves wherever space allowed them to balance or stack. Most of these did not belong to me. They belonged to my collection of brothers and sisters. I had a toothbrush. I knew that. Usually, I found toothpaste. If I absolutely needed a less common toiletry, I picked through a baffling array of products, many of which I had no understanding, until I found something useful.

Book Reviews:

Reedsy ~ Chick Lit Cafe ~ The Children’s Book Review

Interview with Joseph Gergen

What is your favorite quote and why?

“Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;”

From Ariel’s Song from The Tempest.

Possibly my favorite by virtue of its wonderful starting alliteration. Also, a more flowering way to say “he’s dead” has seldom been uttered.

Do you have any phobias?

Speaking of full fathom five, I have a fear of having my head under water. I immediately panic, even if it’s my head under water in a pool, which makes swimming a poor choice for exercise. I wonder if this caused by my dreaded memory of my 7^th grade swim instructor and the swimming pool in the barely heated room on the freezing tundra. I swear I was blue more often than not headed back to the locker room.

Do you listen to music when you're writing?

Though often I am good with silence and my own thoughts, there are time when I need mood and I’ll listen to Baroque classical music. There’s a resonance in that music that seems to move the body and mind to a higher place. Though sometimes I’ll try something like Tibetan singing bowls for the wonderful vibes they give out. But nothing with words because I will always be distracted by the words, because of course, they are words.

Do you ever read your stories out loud?

I will read sections out loud, usually the dialog parts because that helps get the cadence right. Though I don’t do different voices. I can be quite self-conscious about doing it, even though I am almost always completely alone when doing so. Perhaps there are some therapy issues with that one but that’s probably a different question.

Where did you get the idea for this book?

From a dream. An intense dream. The beginning and end of the dream were the basis for the beginning and end of “Theo and Sprout.” While those plot points were important in the book, the key component from the dream in driving the book was the strong feelings I had when I awoke from the dream. One of those too rare dreams where you wake up euphoric. And in this case the euphoria seemed so out of place since the dream ends violently, which is why it left such a lasting impression on me that I wanted to try to bring to life in the book.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Author of “Theo and Sprout”. Born and raised on the plains of North Dakota. Moved to Twin Cities because it’s actually warmer. Enjoy creating in whatever form it takes, including writing, painting, and furniture making. The enjoyment is in the doing. Looking to add a little magic to the world through art.

Other books include “Without a Pang” and “Methane Wars.”

Connect with Joseph Gergen

Website ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook

 

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/BN GC 

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