Thursday, February 8, 2024

Virtual Book Tour + #Giveaway: On the Threshold by M. Laszlo @GoddessFish


On the Threshold

by M. Laszlo

GENRE: Historical Science Fiction


BLURB:


Obsessed with learning the origins of the cosmos, the actual meaning of life, and the true purpose of civilization, a fine Scotsman named Fingal T. Smyth dedicates himself to the study of Plato’s most extraordinary ideas. Convinced of Plato’s belief that humankind possesses any and all innate knowledge deep within the collective unconscious mind, Fingal soon conducts a series of bold, pioneering occult-science experiments by which to resolve the riddle of the universe once and for all. However, Fingal forgets how violent and perilous the animal impulses that reside in the deepest recesses of the unconscious mind. And when Fingal unleashes a mysterious avatar of his innate knowledge, the entity appears as a burning man and immediately seeks to manipulate innocent and unsuspecting people everywhere into immolating themselves. Now, with little hope of returning the fiery figure into his being, Fingal must capture his nemesis before it destroys the world.


Purchase On the Threshold on AIA Publishing


Excerpt:

Fräulein Wunderwaffe did not return the smile. Hand on heart, the little girl drew a bit closer. Then, as the hot, animalistic presence undulated all across Fingal’s body, the little girl’s eyes grew wide. Until the little girl’s expression turned to that of a vacant stare.

A moment later, her feet pointed inwards, she removed her hat and undid her long, flaxen hair.

Again, he cringed. “If you’ve noticed something, ignore all. This hasn’t got anything to do with you.” A third time, he cringed.

A most ethereal, lyrical, incomprehensible hiss commenced then: from the other end of the winding, decorative-brick driveway, each clay block shining the color of blue Welsh stone, a sleek Siamese cat with a coat of chocolate-spotted ivory had just appeared. And now the creature raced toward his shadow.

As he looked into the animal’s big, searching, blue eyes, the chocolate Siamese studied the off-center tip of his nose. Then the animal turned away, as if to compare the peculiarity with that of some disembodied visage hovering in the distance.

Out upon the loch, meanwhile, a miraculous rogue wave suddenly arose—and now the swell crashed against the pebbly strand.

Not a moment later, a cool flame crawled across Fingal’s throat. The strange fire rattled, too—not unlike the sound of fallen juniper leaves caught up in the current and dancing against the surface of a stone walkway.

Crivens. By now, the alien, pulsating presence held him so tight that he could barely breathe. Before long, he fell to the earth, and as the dreamlike flame continued to move across his throat, he rolled all about—until the illusory sensation of cool warmth wriggled and twisted and dropped into his neck dimple.


Interview with M. Laszlo

Do you ever wish you were someone else? Who?

Sometimes I wish that I were a fisherman. What could be more wonderful than having a fishing schooner and really, truly knowing how to sail her? My sense is that a fisherman feels at one with nature—especially in those interludes when a magnificent whale happens to breech in view.


What did you do on your last birthday?

Nothing special. Every day is the same in the sense that my cat takes priority. When you give a rescue cat a forever home, you become that cat’s servant. But that’s okay.


What part of the writing process do you dread?

The writing process is never dreadful. What is dreadful is reading negative reviews on the web, but that’s the way of the world. There’s no pleasing everyone.


Do you ever suffer from writer’s block? If so, what do you do about it? For me, writer’s block has never been a problem. My struggles tend to be the opposite: an avalanche of ideas come to me, and they overwhelm me.


Tell us about your latest release.

On the Threshold is a novel that centers around a chap who sincerely wishes to resolve the riddle of the universe. He does this by creating a reflection of his primal, innate knowledge. The book is a bit peculiar and replete with symbolism and objective correlative; nevertheless, the work does have strict form and does pay off for the reader. In the end, my hero does explain all!  


AUTHOR Bio and Links:


M. Laszlo is an aging recluse who lives in Bath, Ohio. Rumor holds that his pseudonym is a reference to Victor Laszlo, a character in the classic film Casablanca. On the Threshold is his first release with the acclaimed, Australian hybrid house AIA Publishing. Oddly, M. Laszlo insists that his latest work, On the Threshold, does in fact provide the correct answer to the riddle of the universe.  



 

Giveaway:

$25 Amazon/BN GC



Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning.


11 comments:

Goddess Fish Promotions said...

We appreciate you hosting today..thank you!

Marcy Meyer said...

The blurb and excerpt sound very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

M Laszlo said...

Thank you to everyone at Avid Reader for hosting me! Please know that the ebook is free for anyone with Kindle Unlimited. Also, please do follow me on Twitter. https://twitter.com/Matthew99610035
Love ya!

Elaine G said...

Sounds like an interesting book.

Sherry said...

Sounds like an incredible read.

bn100 said...

interesting

Daniel M said...

looks like a fun one

Elaine G said...

Sounds like an interesting book

Kim said...

the book sounds interesting.

marisela zuniga said...

How did you decide on the book cover?

Michael Law said...

This looks like a fantastic novel. Thanks for sharing.