For today’s post, another wonderful #RRBC author, Ron Yates, is taking center stage. Enjoy!

What do you like most about the Historical Fiction genre?

Historical fiction is one of the most popular forms of fiction being written today—along with young adult, zombie apocalypse, romance novels, and sci-fi.

I am specifically interested in learning why people like historical fiction books. I have a few theories, but I would like to know what others think.

As an author, I enjoyed writing the Finding Billy Battles trilogy—a historical fiction trilogy that begins in 19^th Century Kansas and then moves (in Book 2) to the colonial Far East, then (in Book 3) to Mexico, and finally back to the United States in the mid-20^th Century.

I am interested in knowing what it is that draws a reader (or writer) to this kind of fiction.

As for me, I enjoy doing the research necessary to create an accurate portrayal of the people, places, and events of other eras, such as the 19^th Century. I especially like “slowing” down the pace of life from the frenetic and hectic world of the 21^st Century.

What I find appealing about eras “BSM” (Before Social Media), smartphones, I-pads, etc. is that you actually had time to THINK rather than simply react.

When I was a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, I can recall telling my office (via telex) when I was covering Vietnam, Cambodia, El Salvador etc. in the 70s & 80s that I would be out of touch for several days.

Then I would go to some remote area and spend time talking with people, analyzing what I was hearing and what I was seeing and then return to write a story that wasn’t filled with “instant wisdom” as we so often see today with journalists who “parachute” in to a country to cover a story.

Writing about the 19^th Century, as I did in my trilogy, allowed me to slow down the pace, provide historical context, and give my characters time to think.

Today, we are all in such a hurry to do things, to pack in as much as we can in a single day. When I think about my characters in the Finding Billy Battles trilogy, I envy the fact that they were not sped up by “galloping technology” as we are so often today.

My characters actually had time to stop and smell the flowers, enjoy a brilliant sunset, “listen” to a forest, and take the time to read a good book.

So, I am asking you to tell ME what YOU think about all of this.

Write as much or as little as you like. You can send your thoughts to me at: jhawker69@gmail.com.

I would love to share your thoughts and comments with my followers.

Ronald E. Yates is an award winning author of historical fiction and action/adventure novels, including the popular and highly-acclaimed Finding Billy Battles trilogy. His extraordinarily accurate books have captivated fans around the world who applaud his ability to blend fact and fiction.

Ron is a former foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and Professor Emeritus of Journalism at the University of Illinois where he was also the Dean of the College of Media. His award-winning book, “The Improbable Journeys of Billy Battles,” is the second in his Finding Billy Battles trilogy of novels and was published in June 2016. The first book in the trilogy, “Finding Billy Battles,” was published in 2014. Book #3 of the trilogy (The Lost Years of Billy Battles) was published in June 2018.

As a professional journalist, Ron lived and worked in Japan, Southeast Asia, and both Central and South America where he covered several history-making events including the fall of South Vietnam and Cambodia; the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing; and wars and revolutions in Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala, among other places. His work resulted in multiple journalism awards, including three Pulitzer nominations and awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Inter-American Press Association, to name a few.

BOOK PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KHDVZI/-/e/B00KQAYMA8/

TRILOGY LINK: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DNDWHH6/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

BARNES & NOBLE: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/finding%20billy%20battles/_/N-8q8

MY WEBSITE & BLOG:  https://ronaldyatesbooks.com/

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ronaldyatesbooks/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/jhawker69

PINTEREST: https://www.pinterest.com/bookmarketingglobalnetwork/author-ronald-e-yates-books/

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronyates/

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE.  
Lastly, Ron is a member of the best book club ever – RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {#RRBC}! If you’re looking for amazing support as an author, or if you simply love books, 

JOIN US! We’d love to have you!
Thanks for supporting this author and his work!  

It’s a real honor for me to have a support yet another amazing #RRBC author on my blog today. Pardon the pun, but it is a joy to welcome Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko to the site.

Welcome to the Vagaries of Life Blog Tour @Jinlobify#4WillsPub #RRBC

Introduction:

My latest book, which is a collection of short stories, was put together to meet the challenge of

The #RRBC 90-Day Alpha / Omega (Beginning to End) ‘Short Story’ Writing Contest! #RWISA. That was the incentive. I did not make the contest, but my book was published several months later. I have nine short stories, altogether in this collection.

My tour will last ten days. Ten days is a very long time to be on a tour, and I know how hard and even boring it could be to visit all the stops. To spice things up, I will feature, randomly, short snippets of a story from my tour book each day. On the tenth day, I will uncover the titles of the stories from where the snippets are taken. The challenge, this time, will be for you to match the snippets to their titles.

The Rules:

I will choose only three winners from the correct matches. The winner with nine correct matches will be gifted with a $15 Amazon gift card and an eBook copy of your choice from any of my books. The second with eight correct matches will be gifted with a $10 Amazon gift card and an eBook copy of your choice from my books. The third winner with seven correct matches will be with gifted a $5. Amazon gift card and an eBook copy of your choice from my books.

Now the catch! If you follow the tour and read the snippets, I would hope that you would buy and read the complete stories and leave a review of the book after the tour.

This tour will be supported by another of my books; Pregnant Future. If you want to read that one too, that will be great. However, the focus will be on Vagaries of Life: And Girls’ Talk. Good reading!

Day 1

Snippet:

 

{Me} Am being abducted Am new in this town

Don’t know where he is taking me Need help!

A text came back almost instantly. [911] How can we help you?

[Me] I don’t know. I don’t even know where I am or where he is taking me

[911] What is your name?

[Me] Helen

[911] Describe the car

[Me] White, I don’t know the make

[911] Try

[Me] I think it might be a white Mazda

[911] Keep texting; let me see whether I can track

you

[Me] Thank you

The man taking me is white Middle aged

[911] Can you see any landmarks? [Me] No, it is dark, pitch black. [911] Any trees? Houses?

[Me] No, but I can see light ahead of us. [911] Tell me what else you see

[Me] The man is slowing down I will jump him

I will cause an accident

[911] Don’t do anything silly. Just remain calm. I think we’ve got you. Officers are closing in on you; just keep texting

[Me] Thank you

The man is pulling into a driveway A white house

He has stopped at the back of the house

He is talking on a phone Oh my God

I just heard him say he’s got another one!

[911] Can you stay put in the car?

[Me] I don’t think so

He is coming around to open the door

A lady, middle aged, too, is standing on the porch I don’t like her smile

About the Author

Joy Nwosu Lo-Bamijoko

Joy has written and published extensively on national and international scholarly              journals, magazines, and newspapers. 

          Her first short story I Come from Utopia was published in African Voices, Spring/                  Summer, 2007, pg. 18. Since then, she has published numerous others in RAVE   SOUP FOR THE WRITER’S SOUL Anthology, Vols. 1 & 2.

Mirror of Our Lives: Voices of Four Igbo Women was published in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Contest in 2012. She has also two books published in the Italian language. The First titled: Io Odio, Tu Odi, & Cinema E Africa Nera, are both by Edizione, Tindalo.

             The Legend of the Walking Dead: Igbo Mythologies, is a journey into the     mysteries of life and death of the Igbos of Nigeria was published in 2014

In Pregnant Future: No One Knows What Tomorrow Will Bring, her latest Novel, Justina is the story of every young woman who found herself alone in the world to fend for herself. It is the story of the pitfalls that await such a woman. It is the story of survival

Her latest book, A collection of Short Stories, titled: Vagaries of Life: And Girls’ Talk was published in December, 2018.

Pregnant Future – Blurb

Justina was a fighter. And, although it seemed the world was against her and her future was destined for failure …she persevered in the face of it all.

The future that was being thrown in her face, was not the one she had dreams of …and if she wanted to get her feet on the right path, she was going to have to show the world her strength. But, does she?

Will she have the will to make it to the end, unscarred?

What would you do if you knew what the future had in store for you?

Would you run towards it with open arms, or would you run away and never look back?

Justina must make a choice …before life chooses for her.

Links to my Social Network:

My Web Site

FaceBook

Goodreads

Twitter

LinkedIn

To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE.  

Lastly, Joy is a member of the best book club ever – RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB {#RRBC}! If you’re looking for amazing support as an author, or if you simply love books, JOIN US! We’d love to have you!

Thanks for supporting this author and her work!