Paula will be
awarding a $10 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter
during the tour.
BLURB:
Conquered is a
passionate love story, as much about its main characters, Guam native Jesi
Taimanglo and American GI Johan Landers, as it is about author Paula Quinene’s
passion for Guam itself. As her characters try to find a place for themselves
amid the war, Jesi’s relatives, and the Chamorro traditions, Quinene charts a
path through a seldom told story: Guam’s place in WWII. An original idea
written with an original voice that invites readers in to the exotic world of
the Pacific, complete with coconut trees, banana doughnuts, dolphins swimming
in the ocean, and moonlight on Pago Bay, Conquered also recounts the brutal
horrors of the Japanese occupation on Guam, a US territory largely forgotten
back in the States. In addition to learning about a singular and little-known
culture that has played a part in the world wars of the Pacific, readers will
undoubtedly crave the recipe for banana doughnuts.
—Stacey Donovan, Writer, Editor, and Author of Dive
—Stacey Donovan, Writer, Editor, and Author of Dive
Excerpt
Somewhere in chapter 1
Staff Sergeant Johan Landers left his tent and walked toward
the railing on the port side of the ship. With his back against the rail, he
looked left. The bow was blocked by a chimney and the quarterdeck. He looked
right. The gun turrets didn’t completely obstruct his view of the stern. It
never failed to amaze Johan that these ships were much longer than a football
field. Some ships were built twice as long. Soldiers and equipment were packed
so close together on the deck Johan felt as if he were training in the deserts
of Arizona. He turned to look out at the ocean.
Johan pressed his hips into the metal. Mount Sasalaguan is
at the center of southern Guam. Johan checked the time; it was 0140. The glass
and frame of the Bunn Special sparkled when it caught one of the lights on the
ship. The silver-cased watch was the only keepsake he had from his old life. It
was a gift from his grandfather who had worked the railroads that ran through
the Catskill Mountains. It was a pocket watch, Pops had said. Johan cleaned the
glass with his thumb, and a smile touched one corner of his mouth….
He crossed his arms on his chest and filled his lungs with
air. Soon, even sleep would be tinged with thoughts of battle, a welcomed
retreat from the nightmares he’d had since losing Lily. Johan shouldn’t have
bothered with his mother and father that day. If I had left on time. The ache
in his heart threatened to consume him. They should’ve just let me die.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Paula Quinene
was born and raised on Guam. She graduated from the University of Oregon in
1997 with a bachelor’s of science in Exercise & Movement Science, hoping to
return to the island as an anatomy teacher. A resident of North Carolina since
2000, Paula’s homesickness – or “mahalangness” – has motivated Paula to write A Taste of Guam, Remember Guam, both
cookbooks, and her first novel, Conquered.
Paula’s home on the web is www.paulaq.com.
Website: http://www.paulaq.com/index.html
Book’s blog: http://guamromancenovel.blogspot.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pquinene
Instagram:
pquinene
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Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteHafa Adai Louise, that's hello in Chamorro, the native language of Guam. Thanks a bunch for sharing my novel with your readers. Did you, or any of your readers dropping by, know of Guam prior to seeing this book?
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