The Legend of Catfish Joe and Other Stories
By: Mark Spears
Synopsis:
In his first collection of stories, spanning the 1950’s to present day, Mark Spears chronicles the changing family landscape, the lasting effects of family disputes, and the onset of artificial life.
Each story, set in Kentucky, offers poignant insight into the lives of those who cherish growing up in a state that is like no other. Two young boys discover the legend of Catfish Joe while fishing on the Big Sandy in Eastern Kentucky.
A young man endures a family funeral, listening to stories and family disputes that have divided them for decades. A grieving father orders an android to replace the child he lost. Margaret Ann prepares herself, and her husband, for God’s rapture.
Two friends revisit the tale of Sallow Man, a mysterious figure that haunted Lexington, Kentucky for nearly eighty years.
Review:
I just recently met Mark at the Legendary Lexington Book
Bash. We chatted for a bit, and I found out that he is a local author. Like,
lives 15 minutes away local. It’s always so cool to discover authors near you.
We talked about where he lived and his past careers, and
what made him want to start writing. You know, all the good stuff. We started
talking about his books that he had displayed on his table and Catfish Joe
immediately caught my eye. The cover alone drew me in. It was different from
all the flashy, in your face covers you see now. Not that I don’t like those,
but with a simple cover it makes you think of simpler times. And this book
really transports you there.
There were so many stories in this book, and they were all
set in and around Lexington, Kentucky. One was even set in my home town,
Nicholasville!
They were all so different. They were set in the past,
present, and future, but all shared the same old fashioned quality. That, I
really enjoyed. How all of them could be completely different time frames, yet
still hold the same feel… just amazing. Really makes for a great flow and
fantastic story in a whole.
Although I enjoyed every story, two really stuck with me…
The Girl From Sandy Hook and The Sallow Man.
The Girl From Sandy Hook was awesome! Classic insta-love
story, with the country feel. It reminded me of Nicholas Sparks’, The Longest
Ride. It was beautifully written and I’m glad it was one of the longer stories
in the book because I really didn’t want it to end. But that ending, BAM!
Unexpected and crazy. It made me rethink the entire story all over again.
The Sallow Man is the last story in the book and man did it deliver. It was creepy and for sure something I could see people telling
their children as a scary bedtime story. It had the suspense, the gripping
terror, and the ending that was horrifying. Also, for me it was very
relatable. Not story wise, but because I knew exactly what buildings and
streets he was talking about. I went to church right there on DeRoode St. when
I was a child. Kinda made the story more real.
I ended up being a little upset that The Sallow Man was the
last story, only because I really didn’t want the book to end. Seriously, this
book was so good! Every story was so different, yet had the same flow. I know I
keep saying that, but I can’t get over how so many different genres and time
periods could be made to flow so well together. This book really was everything
in such a small package. Romance, Drama, Thriller, Fantasy. Couldn’t ask for a
better read.
**Keep an eye out, because it just so happens that Mark gave
me an extra copy for a GIVEAWAY! I’m going to make this giveaway an INTERNATIONAL
giveaway. I think I’ve neglected you International Shaddicts for too long.**
( ^Special information I was talking about^)
If you can’t wait for the Giveaway and want to snag this up
now, it’s available on Kindle Unlimited for FREE as well as in Paperback.
Author Bio:
Mark Spears lives with his family in Lexington, Kentucky, where he maintains his own library of over 5,000 books which would take another 200 years to read. He often writes while his 170 pound Saint Bernard, Meisha, sits by his side, drooling and watching.
His first two books, Finding Eve and Devondale, are both set in his hometown. Finding Eve is based on a true story. Devondale is set in the neighborhood the author grew up in.
And although he has several active projects, he is hard at work on The A.R.C., a story about six strangers that find themselves stranded in a bar in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. With a historical sand storm converging on the small establishment, the strangers find that fate has lead them there for a purpose.
And although he has several active projects, he is hard at work on The A.R.C., a story about six strangers that find themselves stranded in a bar in the middle of nowhere, New Mexico. With a historical sand storm converging on the small establishment, the strangers find that fate has lead them there for a purpose.
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Synopsis:
It was always there.
Thirty years ago, Carter Springer left behind Devondale, a sleepy neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky, for a big-city life in Atlanta. But he didn’t just leave behind his family—he also left behind his friends, a group the adults of the neighborhood once referred to as the Devondale Five. They were legends back then. They ran the neighborhood. They were inseparable.
Until Carter abandoned them.
It never left.
He’s long set aside the memories he and his friends made on those winding streets. But when Richie, another member of the Five, dies under mysterious circumstances, Carter knows he must return to Devondale and pay his respects.
It’s been waiting.
Richie’s death raises more than just questions for the old gang. It also raises a lot of ghosts, turning the sleepy neighborhood from Carter’s memories into a nightmare. One he might never escape from.
And now that he’s back… it’s hungry.
Thirty years ago, Carter Springer left behind Devondale, a sleepy neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky, for a big-city life in Atlanta. But he didn’t just leave behind his family—he also left behind his friends, a group the adults of the neighborhood once referred to as the Devondale Five. They were legends back then. They ran the neighborhood. They were inseparable.
Until Carter abandoned them.
It never left.
He’s long set aside the memories he and his friends made on those winding streets. But when Richie, another member of the Five, dies under mysterious circumstances, Carter knows he must return to Devondale and pay his respects.
It’s been waiting.
Richie’s death raises more than just questions for the old gang. It also raises a lot of ghosts, turning the sleepy neighborhood from Carter’s memories into a nightmare. One he might never escape from.
And now that he’s back… it’s hungry.
And...
Synopsis:
Upon entering the city’s most popular carwash, three friends are whisked away through a time portal that drops them back to 1983, where they have a run in with cosmic Time Keepers, old girlfriends, and a chance to change the future by changing the past.
Together the three begin a voyage through time and space, aided by nothing more than a sense for adventure and the desire to make the universe a better place. While doing so, the three destroy all records of time, uncannily release aliens on Earth, lose Adam and Eve, discover parallel universes, and find that United States Marines never truly die. They also find that women, love, and life are not things easily attainable or manageable.
In the end, the three are able to answer some of life’s most elusive questions. Are we alone in the cosmos? How did we get here? Is there a God?
Together the three begin a voyage through time and space, aided by nothing more than a sense for adventure and the desire to make the universe a better place. While doing so, the three destroy all records of time, uncannily release aliens on Earth, lose Adam and Eve, discover parallel universes, and find that United States Marines never truly die. They also find that women, love, and life are not things easily attainable or manageable.
In the end, the three are able to answer some of life’s most elusive questions. Are we alone in the cosmos? How did we get here? Is there a God?
-Courtney Moctezuma
Great review! Looking forward to reading them.
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