The Final Crossing by Vince Santoro - Book Tour + Giveaway

The Final Crossing: A Tale of Self-Discovery and Adventure

by Vince Santoro

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GENRE:   Historical Fiction

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BLURB:

In this tale of self-discovery and adventure, we are connected with a history we've come to know as the cradle of civilization.

Nenshi, an Egyptian house servant, raised in nobility, is well-schooled, a master huntsman and hungers to be free. His master agrees to grant his freedom but while the petition is set to be heard, Nenshi's indiscretion gets in the way. He is caught in a secret love affair with a woman above his social status.

As punishment, he is exiled to labour in the Nubian gold mines. His life turns upside down as he is thrust into a world for which he had been ill prepared. He escapes from the mines and vows to return to Thebes, but his attempts push him farther and farther away on a journey that redefines him – a journey mired with cruelty, bloodshed, and the discovery of a new deity.

In the end Nenshi learns his freedom has been granted and must decide whether to return to his homeland or start a new life.

"I greatly enjoyed this well written story by Vince Santoro. He takes us across the Ancient World

through the protagonist, Nenshi, an exiled Egyptian servant who struggles with class structure, both around and within himself. Santoro weaves a story of ideas – a sense of belonging, monotheism, and the human soul - told through Nenshi's rite of passage through to his final crossing. The setting is visually evocative of "spirit of place" as the novelist and travel writer Lawrence Durrell called it. It's a story worth reading." - Terry Stanfill

Award winning historical fiction author of The Gift from Fortuny, Realms of Gold, The Blood Remembers and other works.

"Vince Santoro is a gifted storyteller. I found The Final Crossing difficult to put down because it is

well written. As an historian and author of non-fiction books, I am impressed with the amount of research that Santoro has done to prepare this story of adventure and romance set in the ancient Middle East. The customs, the beliefs and even the character names are all authentic to that region and era. With so many plot twists and turns, Santoro will keep you guessing about what might happen next to the protagonist until the very end!" - John Charles Corrigan

Author of The Red Knight and "Love Always"

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EXCERPT

Twilight was fast approaching, and they returned to the trail. From a distance they saw an abundance of trees and vegetation that sprung from the hard soil. Moments later, they heard rushing water. A twisting river murmured. It called out and invited them to consume its wealth. Nenshi and Aziza went to explore it.

Aziza stopped and kneeled to examine small flowers in bloom. On the river’s edge Nenshi bent over and splashed water on his face. He cupped his hands and drank its cool refreshing offering. Rocks jutted out from the shallow water. He heard footsteps and threw a glance behind him. Aziza, ran towards him, as free as the wind blew, eager to jump into the river. Nenshi screamed from the top of his lungs to warn her.

“Aziza ... Aziza ... be careful, the water is shallow! There are rocks!”

Her excitement muffled his warning. Nenshi then stood, flapped his arms to get her attention. She pushed her legs hard against the water to run faster until it was just deep enough to jump in.

“Aziza …. Aziza … stop …” Nenshi cried. Aziza took another step but this time slipped and almost fell. She tried to regain balance and continued moving forward. Nenshi gasped hoping she realized the danger and would stop. But she didn’t and it was too late. She slipped again, fell and hit a rock. Nenshi immediately ran to her, stepping and slipping on rocks that almost caused him to lose balance. Babak who had heard Nenshi’s cries dashed to the river. Nenshi crouched over the wet and motionless body.

“Help me get her out,” Nenshi cried out as he lifted her, propped her head and shoulders in his arms. Blood, washed by the water, dripped from her head.

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Author Interview
How do you select the names of your characters?

Coming up with character names is not an easy task, especially if it’s a historical fiction set in ancient Egypt, as was the case for my book, The Final Crossing.

I kept a few things in mind when I researched for male and female names of the era. Most importantly, the name had to suit the character’s personality and be reader friendly.

An author friend of mine published her book set in Ireland in 1652. On a page before Chapter 1, she had “A Note on Irish Pronunciation”. She wanted to keep the original Irish spelling of all the names but felt it necessary to include a guide how to pronounce the names of a few key characters and places. Although I loved the story, at first it was a bit challenging to remember the pronunciations.

In my book I knew there might have been names difficult to pronounce. So, I chose reader friendly names that also best fit the character. For example, the main character is Nenshi. That’s easy to pronounce compared to Khentemsemet. And isn’t Sia easier to pronounce and remember than Neferhent?

What are your top 5 favorite movies?
This is like asking me, what’s my favourite book? The answer is the same. There are so many from which to choose. But here goes. They’re not in any particular order.

As a young boy I remember watching The Wizard of Oz, on TV. I was immediately fascinated. I used to watch it every year when it was televised, usually around Halloween. The beautifully sung song by Judy Garland, Over The Rainbow, was especially memorable and inspiring, particularly the second verse.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true

Back to the Future. A time travel movie of a young man living in the 1980s who is transported back into the 1950s with the help of his scientist friend. Such a fun movie to watch.

Star Wars. This ground-breaking movie is seen by many as possibly the most popular movie franchise of all time. It quenched my fascination of the stars, in a gripping space adventure to a galaxy far, far away.

Life is Beautiful is a story filled with tragedy and heartbreak combined with humour which tells the story of a Jewish man and his son who became victims of the Holocaust in World War II. The father has such a positive attitude that he goes to great lengths to convince his son that they were playing a big game. It made me cry.

The Lion King is a coming-of-age story. Simba, the lion cub, has life-altering experiences, including the death of his father, Mufasa.  In the end he takes his father's place as the ruler of the animal kingdom. Believe it or not, this also made me cry – when Mufasa died. 

What fictional character would you want to be friends with, in real life?
The iconic Indiana Jones would be a great character with whom to be friends. We share the same wry, witty, and sarcastic sense of humour. We have a fascination for ancient civilizations. We differ in that he fears snakes and I fear bats. But can you image travelling with Indy recovering artifacts of great power, and freeing enslaved children. He has no superpowers, so he makes mistakes like the rest of us. But his courage is infectious and would drive me to be just like him. At the end of the day, we would set aside our bullwhip and satchel, hang up our leather jacket and fedora, and sit back in old, cushioned armchair and enjoy a daiquiri and a negroni.

Do you have any advice for aspiring writers?

My advice is not related to writing itself. There are plenty of resources and advice from which to choose to help an aspiring writer hone their craft. My advice is related to the business side of writing.

Plan, plan, plan. Budget, budget, budget.

There are so many things that an aspiring author needs to consider even before his or her book gets published. Perhaps the biggest is marketing since traditional publishers have off-loaded much of this activity to the author. Aspiring authors face the same burden. Learning as much as possible about how to market a book goes a long way. To get through the myriad of activities requires good planning. From creating an author platform to arranging a blog tour, every step must be planned in detail.

Related to this is budget. Some of the planned activities cost money. Working with an editor or hiring a web designer to create a website can be expensive. Some contests and awards have a cost for submission. Even buying books to sell at a book launch costs money. Oh yes, the launch has a cost too.

So, my advice is to plan and budget for these well in advance of the book’s release and subsequent marketing. Plan your marketing activities so you don’t lose sight of what needs to be done. The plan and budget may not be perfect, but it will be better than flying from the seat of your pants.

What book do you wish you had written?
I wished I could have written To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a story that takes place during the Great Depression in Alabama. It deals with racial injustice, the ruin of innocence, the concerns of class, the ability to show courage and compassion, and views about gender roles. Yet the story is not without warmth and humour told through the eyes of Scout Finch, a six-year-old who lives with her older brother and widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer, who is a model of integrity for lawyers, then and now.

This story has everything. A great classic.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Vince is an Italian-born Canadian who grew up in Toronto, Canada, and now lives in Pickering, a suburb of Toronto.

In his youth, education and sports became a priority. A private boys' school, St. Michael's College in Toronto, provided the opportunity for both. He graduated from York University, Toronto, with a degree in history and a minor in behavioural science.

Vince was always up for new challenges. After completing his studies, he set his eyes on Europe and played professional basketball in Italy. When he returned home, he shifted gears and worked in the aerospace industry in several capacities. The most rewarding was managing internal communications for a large aircraft manufacturer. It was during this time he decided to hone his writing skills by studying journalism at Ryerson University, Toronto, and he had several articles published.

His career in communications along with studies in history and journalism prepared him to take on his next challenge: to write a book. His debut novel, The Final Crossing, has been a labour of love, one he worked on for many years. It reflects life experiences, woven into a story that inspires and entertains, and perhaps even show the world in a different way.

CONNECT WITH VINCE SANTORO

WEBSITE - Vince Santoro l Novel Writer (vsantoro.ca)

FACEBOOK - Vince Santoro | Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/VSantoro14

INSTAGRAM - Vince Santoro (@vsantoro14) • Instagram photos and videos

http://www.instagram.com/ vsantoro14

TWITTER - Vince Santoro (@vsantoro14) / Twitter

http://www.twitter.com/ vsantoro14

GOODREADS - Vince Santoro (Author of The Final Crossing) | Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22350667.Vince_Santoro

PURCHASE LINKS - The Final Crossing

AMAZON.COM - https://amazon.com/dp/0228871840 

AMAZON.CA - https://amazon.ca/dp/0228871840 

AMAZON KINDLE - https://amazon.com/dp/B09WJKB96S 

INDIGO CHAPTERS - https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/final-crossing-a-tale-of/9780228871842-item.html 

BARNES & NOBLE - https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-final-crossing-vince-santoro/1141328310 

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Vince Santoro will be awarding a $15 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway