Secrets of a River Swimmer by S.S. Turner

Please welcome  S.S. Turner author of Secrets of a River Swimmer

 

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

Secrets of a River Swimmer

by S.S. Turner 

 

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GENRE: Literary Fiction

 

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INTERVIEW:

What are four things you can’t live without?

Pets – We have cats and chickens at the moment, and we recently lost our dog.

Books – I’m always reading and learning from the books in my life.

Coffee – I love starting the day with a good coffee.

Red wine – I don’t often drink but I do enjoy a glass of red wine some evenings.

What is your favorite television show?

Right now Black Mirroris my favorite television show. It reminds me of a modern version of The Twilight Zone. Each episode is carefully crafted and well written. I’m impressed.

If you could be any character, from any literary work, who would you choose to be? Why?

I’d be Westley from The Princess Bridebecause he lives in a magical world where the baddies are charming and say silly things like “Inconceivable!”. He battles his demons through a fun adventure while he returns to the woman he loves. He’s an inspiring dude.

What have you got coming soon for us to look out for?

My next novel, The Connection Game, is a psychological thriller based in London. 

A family of four, The Basilworths, have fallen on hard times after becoming victims to an online fraud. They are forced to move into welfare housing in London as they’ve been declared bankrupt. The flat they are allocated is located on the ground floor in a rough area, and the only light that enters the flat comes in through a tiny window which only provides a view of the feet walking past on the street above.

Benny, the husband and father, is angry about their downfall and starts ranting against the world. Then one day, he starts staring out the tiny window at the feet walking past on the street, and he calms down. There’s something about seeing people as nothing more than a pair of passing feet that’s therapeutic for him. However, watching the passing feet soon becomes a passion for him, and he starts noticing unusual patterns in the feet, patterns which deeply concern him.

The more he watches the feet, the more Benny believes the entire city is in serious danger. He convinces his children Will and Wendy to join his foot watching operation at the window, but his wife Belinda is concerned for his mental health. However, the more excited Benny becomes by the foot movements, the more Belinda is drawn into the mystery. She’s determined to discover if there’s any truth behind Benny’s inexplicable theories about the passing feet.

The Connection Gameis due to be released towards the end of 2022. 

What books or authors have most influenced your own writing?

My biggest influences have been Mark Twain and JD Salinger. Mark Twain taught me how to create real and complex characters who are unique and memorable. And JD Salinger taught me how to allow the reader into the narrator’s head in a way which allows the reader to discover themselves in the story.  

BLURB:

 

As Freddy gazes at the majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish winter, he's ready to jump in and end his life. But what happens next is not what Freddy expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy starts a journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have imagined. And through this journey Freddy's story becomes interweaved with a cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers. Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?

 

In the tradition of inspirational works of fiction like The Alchemist and Life of Pi, Secrets of a River Swimmer is at once a profound exploration into living with meaning and an affecting story of people on the cusp of change.

 

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EXCERPT:

 

From Page 7

 

I dip my toe in.

 

It’s fucking freezing.

 

I sit and watch the majestically sinister Scottish river hurtle along below me. I’m not sure whether to be in awe or terrified, but that was always going to be the case today, my last day. The idea of jumping into the river reminds me of the feeling you experience when you arrive at the beach, and you’re thinking about jumping into the sea, but you know it’s going to cause you grievous bodily harm from your nether regions up. For some reason, your legs are the one part of your body which can handle intense cold without too much stress. But all body parts above your legs are a whole different story. My voice just rose an octave, and I’m not even talking.

 

So you sit and watch the sea while contemplating your next move, as if this thinking time will give you the required mental strength to leap into the cold blue water. However, this thinking time just gives the water an opportunity to look you in the eye with laughing menace, because the water knows the questions you are grappling with deep in your soul. The water understands it is strong and you are weak—the eternal power imbalance at play.

 

The waiting period only makes it worse, of course. All it does is allow you to hand more mental power over to the cold water than a short and simple jumping-in maneuver would have done. Why do we employ such counter-productive strategies in our lives?

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

S.S. Turner has been an avid reader, writer, and explorer of the natural world throughout his life which has been spent in England, Scotland and Australia. Just like Freddy in his first novel, Secrets of a River Swimmer, he worked in the global fund management sector for many years but realized it didn't align with his values. In recent years, he's been focused on inspiring positive change through his writing as well as trying not to laugh in unfortunate situations. He now lives in Australia with his wife, daughter, two dogs, two cats, and ten chickens.

 

https://www.thestoryplant.com/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer

 

Buy Links:

Amazon- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JWTK3WN/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

 

B&N- https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer-s-s-turner/1139673873

 

AppleBooks- https://books.apple.com/us/book/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer/id1591209788

 

Indigo- https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer/9781611883213-item.html

 

Kobo- https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/secrets-of-a-river-swimmer

 

 

 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

 

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

 

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/28e4345f4072