On July 15, 1991, an isolated village in Northern Wisconsin is ground zero for an unprecedented, fiery tragedy. Of the community's 600 residents, there are only five survivors. Detailed accounts by the victims contradict each other; the only link is a man named Anthony Guntram, but because he is presumed to be dead, this claim can't be verified. Further investigations reveal a culture enshrouded in mystery. What are the survivors hiding?
Only the villagers know the secret of Amber Hollow, a place where sanity is checked at the town line and the parameters of reality become blurred. An unconventional horror story by design, Edgar Swamp delivers an action-driven page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the calamitous ending.
Excerpt
“I’m not going back!” the woman screamed, her eyes rolling in terror. “You hear me? I’m never going back!”
“We understand,” Sadie said, approaching carefully from the opposite side of her partner, although her reply couldn’t have been farther from the truth. So far, she didn’t understand anything. However, she knew for certain that this woman’s passing wouldn’t do them a damn bit of good at getting to the truth. They needed to keep her still so she wouldn’t let go.
“We’re here to help you,” Jeremy said, “in fact, we were on our way to the hospital to visit you, to ask you some questions—”
“You have questions, you can ask Anthony Guntram! It’s his fault, all his fault!”
“I’m afraid we can’t do that, ma’am.” He gazed down, saw a police boat approaching from the mouth of the river. Good timing. “Please, let us help you. Take my hand.”
“I don’t want your help!” she screamed, and in her exertion one of her feet slipped and she almost fell, the only thing keeping her from plunging over the side was her grip on the cable, which apparently was pretty tight. “You can’t help me, no one can!”
“Let us try,” Jeremy begged.
“Never,” she croaked in a husky voice, and then she let go of the cable.
What should readers expect when they pick up your book?
With “Amber Hollow” I set out to create a lush, diverse, engaging mystery that would make readers turn the pages at lightning speed simply to find out what is going on, culminating in an ending that the reader never sees coming, and literally blows their minds into oblivion, shattering all of their preconceived notions of reality and non, reducing their brain to Jell-O (Legal Notice: said minds are not and never shall be considered covered in the event of Complete Meltdown, in which case the writer shall be exonerated of all legal liability here within, in perpetuity, forever and ever, ad hoc, and so on and so forth until the remedy has ultimately been applied in which case it will become null and void unless either party agrees to egregious behavior, but it shall be at the whim of the predilector, whoever (or whatever) the heck that is…
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve written three previous novels, and with “Amber Hollow” I wanted to reach a wider audience by toning down some of the violent and sexual elements of my previous work and making it more accessible, more reader friendly. I truly wanted to create a mystery that couldn’t be solved while delving into a complex maze of deception and lies, leading the reader to come to their own conclusions as the calamitous events unfold. That said, I also wanted to create a modern-day fairy tale within the realms of a period-piece novel. And I want to gross you out at the end…enjoy!
What is your favorite scene in the book?
The best part of “Amber Hollow” is the ending. It was the most difficult scene of the book to write because it had to perfectly encapsulate all the mischievous malevolence contained within while perfectly capturing all of the stories and bringing them together, but the culmination of all that mayhem results in a showdown that will literally melt your face off Indiana Jones-style, and if not, your money back, guaranteed!
What are your future ambitions?
After I solve the world’s hunger problems and commence a long lasting dynasty of world peace, I’d like to settle down and snuggle with my woman (she has yet to be chosen, so see the end of this post for my phone number) and smoke my pipe of peaceful inducing thoughts while I drift off into slumber. (555) 760-5721
The best book/s you ever read?
I have here the definitive works that made me the man I am today. I’ll keep it to five books, but all of them are completely essential to readers of all types of genres.
1) The Shining by Stephen King. Great novel of claustrophobia and telekinesis wrapped up in a haunted hotel and an alcoholic father theme. When I first read it, the scene where Danny sees the hedge animals moving, getting ominously closer, and he hides in the cement tunnel where the ghost of another little kid died (the leaves rustling, the wraith coming for him) had me so terrified I dreamed of it for days. I loved the introduction of a new format of writing, using parenthesis ( ) to telegraph the thoughts of characters, and to emulate the ensuing terror and madness.
2) One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. This is simply one of the greatest novels of all-time because it is the ultimate story of ‘good’ versus ‘evil’, but in this case, the roles are reversed. Randall Patrick McMurphy may seem like the bad guy, but it is actually Nurse Ratched who is the villain. This low-level conman tries to hustle the inmates of a minimum-security psychiatric facility and the head nurse gets her ultimate revenge on him for undermining her authority. Quote Cartman: “You will respect my authority!”
3) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This novel is one of the finest pieces of anti-war sentiment within the complex confines of the most necessary conflicts of the twenty-first century: WW two. Had it not been for the combined forces of the United States of America and the European allies (and anyone else), who knows what terrible violence the SS Nazi regime would have wreaked upon the world. This novel of a man ‘unstuck’ in time, seeing his life in an unrelated series of vignettes in which they are all out of chronological order is absolutely brilliant and the writer was one of the best and brightest this century will ever know.
4) Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I don’t even know where to begin with this one, but let me put it this way: it changed my entire life, as in, I never looked at anything the same ever again. Seriously…this one made me question everything I ever knew about myself when I couldn’t sleep…I still don’t know if I am Cornelius, Rupert, or Tyler, but I don’t care. All I know is that the first rule of fight club is that you don’t talk about fight club. The second rule of fight club is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!
5) American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis. Wow, just…wow. I had a roommate in the early 2000’s, and he had this book in the bathroom, a ‘crapper reader’, and it was full of fun, trivia facts. One of them was about a book, and it detailed twenty scenes of horrific violence from a New York Times Best Selling novel by the writer of “Less than Zero”, and when I read the detailed accounts, I simply couldn’t believe it. So, I went to the library and checked out the book (they had several copies) and when I read it, I couldn’t believe it…they were right!! This book is straight up insane! I advise this for only the stoutest of hearts, only the bravest of the brave. This book practically presaged Jeffrey Dahmer…just sayin’…
How long have you been writing?
I started writing at a very early age; my brain was just overflowing with stories, poems, lyrics, etc. The first thing I remember writing was a short story for a little red-haired girl who lived next store to me. I was seven years old, and she was five. I suppose I’ve always liked them young! Anyway, I wrote a little story about she and I getting married and living in her cardboard dollhouse. When I presented her the story, I got a kiss. Best payment I ever received!
Anything else you might want to add?
Thank you so much for letting me guest blog on your site; I truly appreciate being given this chance to meet your audience. And hey, we have the same name! Please forgive my answers if you feel they are a bit verbose; I am just trying to be amusing. My ultimate goal is to entertain, and I hope that readers find that within my collective works. Readers read because it is fun. I like to write because it is equally as fun. Let’s unite, huh? I’ll give you the sweet paydirt and you just gobble up the words. Peace!
Thanks...
Interview
With “Amber Hollow” I set out to create a lush, diverse, engaging mystery that would make readers turn the pages at lightning speed simply to find out what is going on, culminating in an ending that the reader never sees coming, and literally blows their minds into oblivion, shattering all of their preconceived notions of reality and non, reducing their brain to Jell-O (Legal Notice: said minds are not and never shall be considered covered in the event of Complete Meltdown, in which case the writer shall be exonerated of all legal liability here within, in perpetuity, forever and ever, ad hoc, and so on and so forth until the remedy has ultimately been applied in which case it will become null and void unless either party agrees to egregious behavior, but it shall be at the whim of the predilector, whoever (or whatever) the heck that is…
What inspired you to write this book?
I’ve written three previous novels, and with “Amber Hollow” I wanted to reach a wider audience by toning down some of the violent and sexual elements of my previous work and making it more accessible, more reader friendly. I truly wanted to create a mystery that couldn’t be solved while delving into a complex maze of deception and lies, leading the reader to come to their own conclusions as the calamitous events unfold. That said, I also wanted to create a modern-day fairy tale within the realms of a period-piece novel. And I want to gross you out at the end…enjoy!
What is your favorite scene in the book?
The best part of “Amber Hollow” is the ending. It was the most difficult scene of the book to write because it had to perfectly encapsulate all the mischievous malevolence contained within while perfectly capturing all of the stories and bringing them together, but the culmination of all that mayhem results in a showdown that will literally melt your face off Indiana Jones-style, and if not, your money back, guaranteed!
What are your future ambitions?
After I solve the world’s hunger problems and commence a long lasting dynasty of world peace, I’d like to settle down and snuggle with my woman (she has yet to be chosen, so see the end of this post for my phone number) and smoke my pipe of peaceful inducing thoughts while I drift off into slumber. (555) 760-5721
The best book/s you ever read?
I have here the definitive works that made me the man I am today. I’ll keep it to five books, but all of them are completely essential to readers of all types of genres.
1) The Shining by Stephen King. Great novel of claustrophobia and telekinesis wrapped up in a haunted hotel and an alcoholic father theme. When I first read it, the scene where Danny sees the hedge animals moving, getting ominously closer, and he hides in the cement tunnel where the ghost of another little kid died (the leaves rustling, the wraith coming for him) had me so terrified I dreamed of it for days. I loved the introduction of a new format of writing, using parenthesis ( ) to telegraph the thoughts of characters, and to emulate the ensuing terror and madness.
2) One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey. This is simply one of the greatest novels of all-time because it is the ultimate story of ‘good’ versus ‘evil’, but in this case, the roles are reversed. Randall Patrick McMurphy may seem like the bad guy, but it is actually Nurse Ratched who is the villain. This low-level conman tries to hustle the inmates of a minimum-security psychiatric facility and the head nurse gets her ultimate revenge on him for undermining her authority. Quote Cartman: “You will respect my authority!”
3) Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. This novel is one of the finest pieces of anti-war sentiment within the complex confines of the most necessary conflicts of the twenty-first century: WW two. Had it not been for the combined forces of the United States of America and the European allies (and anyone else), who knows what terrible violence the SS Nazi regime would have wreaked upon the world. This novel of a man ‘unstuck’ in time, seeing his life in an unrelated series of vignettes in which they are all out of chronological order is absolutely brilliant and the writer was one of the best and brightest this century will ever know.
4) Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I don’t even know where to begin with this one, but let me put it this way: it changed my entire life, as in, I never looked at anything the same ever again. Seriously…this one made me question everything I ever knew about myself when I couldn’t sleep…I still don’t know if I am Cornelius, Rupert, or Tyler, but I don’t care. All I know is that the first rule of fight club is that you don’t talk about fight club. The second rule of fight club is YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT FIGHT CLUB!
5) American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis. Wow, just…wow. I had a roommate in the early 2000’s, and he had this book in the bathroom, a ‘crapper reader’, and it was full of fun, trivia facts. One of them was about a book, and it detailed twenty scenes of horrific violence from a New York Times Best Selling novel by the writer of “Less than Zero”, and when I read the detailed accounts, I simply couldn’t believe it. So, I went to the library and checked out the book (they had several copies) and when I read it, I couldn’t believe it…they were right!! This book is straight up insane! I advise this for only the stoutest of hearts, only the bravest of the brave. This book practically presaged Jeffrey Dahmer…just sayin’…
How long have you been writing?
I started writing at a very early age; my brain was just overflowing with stories, poems, lyrics, etc. The first thing I remember writing was a short story for a little red-haired girl who lived next store to me. I was seven years old, and she was five. I suppose I’ve always liked them young! Anyway, I wrote a little story about she and I getting married and living in her cardboard dollhouse. When I presented her the story, I got a kiss. Best payment I ever received!
Anything else you might want to add?
Thank you so much for letting me guest blog on your site; I truly appreciate being given this chance to meet your audience. And hey, we have the same name! Please forgive my answers if you feel they are a bit verbose; I am just trying to be amusing. My ultimate goal is to entertain, and I hope that readers find that within my collective works. Readers read because it is fun. I like to write because it is equally as fun. Let’s unite, huh? I’ll give you the sweet paydirt and you just gobble up the words. Peace!
Thanks...
Edgar Swamp is the author of the “Gyre Mission,” “Glitch in the Machine,” and “Blackout.” His short stories have appeared in Alienskin, Macabre Cadaver, and Urban Reinventors. When he isn’t holed up in his office playing online poker, he likes to dig up the recently deceased and make furniture out of their skin. He lives and works in San Diego, California.
LINKS:
Website: http://www.edgarswamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Edgaraaronswamp
This book is only $0.99 on Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Hollow-Edgar-Swamp-ebook/dp/B07V9BT3JG/
This book is only $0.99 on Kindle
https://www.amazon.com/Amber-Hollow-Edgar-Swamp-ebook/dp/B07V9BT3JG/
Giveaway
Edgar Swamp will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for taking time to bring to our attention another great read. I enjoy these tours and finding out about many terrific books.
ReplyDeleteDid you come up with the title of the book before you started writing it?
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting comments! The title was an integral part of the book; it had to encapsulate many things, Details I can’t share because I don’t want to give anything away. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteSounds good, new author for me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book.
ReplyDelete