RRW Live Read Excerpt

I'm finally posting the excerpt I had planned to read on RRW Live October 29, before yet another sinus infection and laryngitis turned me into a croaking, coughing frog.

This excerpt is from Chapter 3: Demon Alcohol and the Return of the Monstermen. In this interlude, Leysa Henko is skulking along the seedy streets of Tallenook's alcoholic section, making her "bread deliveries," when she comes to the house of notorious drunk and child abuser Ned Tinshire.

Readers have told me this part of the book brings a tear to their eye. Leysa is so helpless on the streets, even though she is surrounded by children and others enjoying the summer.

Read on:


"As Leysa approached the door, her knees went to jelly, her mouth tightened and dried, and she felt a stinging in her eyes as her increasing sweat made its way down to her forehead. She found herself walking slower as she approached the front door of the Tinshire residence, a miserable heap of faded reddish-brown brick that seemed to lean to the right and had numerous vertical cracks in the front door and even a few spider cracks on the windows. She quietly knocked on the door, hoping against hope that he wasn’t at home. But he was.

“Whooo ish it!” Tinshire bellowed in a bombast that seemed to shake the bricks and aggrieve the fading door of his downtrodden house. None of the kids playing on Carmichael Street even looked up at the sound of Tinshire’s blasting voice. They only knew him as the drunk of the neighborhood; beyond that, Ned Tinshire was a ghost.

Leysa had heard that stilted dialect before and was terrified. She knew what it meant. It meant a disheveled, unshaven pig-man with half his teeth missing, smelling of B.O., with an undershirt barely covering his protruding hairy gut, in his underwear and socks was about to stagger to the door, and yell a second time before opening. It meant Monsterman. She was right on all counts.

“I shaid, whooo ish it! Ansher me na er go the hell away!”

“M-M-Mr. Tinshire…” she lost her breath for a few seconds, unable to speak out of terror. He interrupted.

“Yeah, thash me, who the hell’re you?” Still, the door remained closed.

“It’s Leysa H-H-Henko, I have your b-b-b-bread for this week.” Bread was the codename they gave the vodka.
Silence on the other side of the door. Leysa hoped he would just pass out on the other side of the door so she could run away, run far, far away from this wicked place. She wanted her mommy.

Tinshire had forgotten that they called the vodka “bread” and while Leysa kneaded her hands, setting the brown bag down on the stoop temporarily, Ned Tinshire paused for a few seconds to wonder if he had actually ordered bread. “Bread?” Then he remembered. “Oh, oh, bread, yeah, bread. Ah, my bread!”

The door opened and there stood Ned Tinshire, a former captain of and ace pitcher for the Tallenook High baseball team, wooer and kisser of WHS’ finest beauties. His formerly blue eyes had long ago gone gray from too much hard living and booze, and his fat, swollen tongue appeared to hang perpetually from his nearly toothless mouth; he seemed to be constantly smacking his lips as if he was thirsty. He propped himself up, leaning against the doorframe for support, wobbling a bit, threatening to fall over if even a stiff breeze blew past him.

“’Bout damn time!” he yelled, grabbing for the bottle on the stoop, and nearly losing his balance and falling down the steps on top of Leysa. Again, no reaction from the kids of summer; their minds were as much on vacation as their bodies.

Leysa grabbed for it, too, to hand it to him, and the two bumped heads, hard.

“Damn stupid kid!” he yelled, rubbing his head and nearly tripping over the child; he steadied himself and raised his hand as if to strike Leysa. Then he remembered his vodka and thought better of it.

“Ah, come on, move already! Christ! Just give me the damn bottle and ged adda here!” He grabbed the bag off the stoop and was back inside and about to close the door before Leysa even got up from the collision; she was dizzy from the hit, her head was throbbing and she thought she might cry. (It’s amazing how quickly a broken-down human being like Ned Tinshire – already a decrepit old man at 48 – can move when his drug of choice is within arm’s reach.)

Leysa fought back the tears and stared up at Tinshire just as he was starting to close the door. She still had to collect, and there was no time for crying now. “But Mr. Tinshire, please, you owe us $2.05 for this week’s delivery, and you still owe us for the last two weeks. My father said” ---

The fear radiated out of her in waves. Ned picked up the scent of her angst like a crazed Doberman, and went for the throat with his retort.

“I’ll pay whenna feel lige payin’, now go away!” he slurred, his eyes fixed on the bottle, his tongue smacking his lips, while his hands fumbled for the door. With that, Ned Tinshire slammed the door in Leysa’s face and her tears finally gave way, turning the beautiful summer day into a watery, confusing maze of prisms and vague images of girls in pimlico dresses and boys in black shoes and short knickers, playing the day away with their hulahoops and baseball games, without a care in the world. Or any knowledge that a frightened 8-year-old immigrant girl stood crying and shaking on Ned Tinshire’s front stoop. To them, Leysa Henko was a ghost, too."

A New Review! Wow!

Just picked up this review from flipkart.com. I'm constantly amazed at the ways in which this book is helping people understand and overcome this disease, not to mention being an enjoyable read. Read on:


An Amazing First Novel from Kenneth James Kirsch

Review by Dr. Michael Hinson

I picked up this novel after hearing Mr. Kirsch's appearance on Blog Talk Radio last year, and was blown away by its honesty, its no-holds-barred look at alcoholism, and its unflinching sympathy and focus on the true victims of the disease -- the children and loved ones impacted by the alcoholic. Too much of today's attention on alcoholism is focused on the alcoholic themselves, and not enough is paid to the folks at home who have to constantly pick up the pieces.

Leysa Henko is an unforgettable character, and the reader will find themselves crying with her and rooting for her. The backdrop of Prohibition makes this story all the more stark in its contrasts to modern life, and the setting of the coal regions of Pennsylvania helps put the entire story in a very gritty, humanistic light.

Leysa Henko is not the sexy, joking, debutante alcoholic in the mold of today's forgettable chick lit. She's a survivor of alcoholic parenting herself -- a working class, scrappy fighter who is slowly succumbing to the travesty of her disease.

Pick up Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen today. You won't regret it. It's a great read, and one you won't soon forget.

The Promotional Tour Rolls On!

Last week, I told you about a great recovery-minded writers, Marian L. Thomas, and her wonderful new book, Color Me Jazzmyne.

This week, the promotional tour for Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen makes a stop at the premier free book promotion and information site, Authors Promoting Authors. Check out the promo blurb here: http://authorspromotingauthors.blogspot.com/2009/08/great-authors-great-reads.html

After you've checked out that blurb, pencil in these two dates/timeframes on your calendar:

Sept. 2009 (date undetermined) interview by Book Critic and Author D. Vonthaer. More details as (and if) I get them.

October 29, 2009: Online reading of Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen on Red River Writers Christmas Exchange show on blogtalkradio. More details as I get them.

As with all great tours, the dates are subject to change. I mean, I could pull a Steven Tyler and fall off the stage after a dizzy spell.....(lol)....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uXRTWuk3XM

Another Strong Recovery-Minded Author: Check out Color Me Jazzmyne by Marian L. Thomas

Hey Readers,

Just wanted to take a second to pass along a book that's getting great reviews. Authors Promoting Authors, a tremendous free promotional service for authors, recommends Color Me Jazzmyne by Marian L. Thomas.

Check out APA's Book Blitz promotion for this highly-rated author:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=131431326896

Now, on to the story:


Book Description for Color Me Jazzmyne by Marian L. Thomas:

Child abuse, rape, struggling to live are all things women go through at least once in their lifetime. In this tale, Naya Mona takes readers on a journey through her crayon box of life, and shows us what her true colors are as she recounts her past to her son whom she is meeting for the first time. How do you tell your son that your father is his? The spiral of events that fill Naya's life provides each reader an intimate look at the drama, romance and struggles that become her voice. On stage, she must become Jazzmyne-the jazz singer. Naya no doubt commands the attention of its readers and takes them on a rollercoaster ride that is filled with the melodious tones that makes Color Me Jazzmyne a true reading pleasure.

--------------------

Promotion Tour Rolls On

I'm potentially up for two upcoming interview shows in the near future:

Sept. 2009 (date undetermined) interview by Book Critic and Author D. Vonthaer. More details as (and if) I get them.

October 29, 2009: Online reading of Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen on Red River Writers Christmas Exchange show on blogtalkradio. More details as I get them.

Take care,

Kenneth James Kirsch

September is National Alcoholism Awareness Month

Just a quick note to acknowledge National Alcoholism Awareness Month in September.

This disease is insidious and it needs to be stopped.

If you or someone you know, or a loved one, are affected by this disease, please get help.

Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, Alateen, and other affiliated groups are ready to help you or your loved one on the road to recovery.

Reach out today.

If you are interested in reading a fictional account of what this disease does to families, check out my book, Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen. It can be purchased for $8.99 from PublishAmerica at www.publishamerica.com.

Thanks for reading and God Bless.

Kenneth James Kirsch

Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen Promotion Tour Kicks Off August 5, 2009

To mark the first anniversary of Demon Alcohol and the Monstermen, I'm going to be a guest on Red River Writers Live Blog Talk Radio show, August 5, 3pm EST.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128898055010

Here are the details:

=================At RRW Live Specials=================

Wednesday, Aug 5th, 2 pm Central, April Robins hosts Tell Us About You

April and Co-Host Laurie Zieber will take questions from listeners directed to the following FaceBook Group members scheduled to give a two minute elevator speech about their work: Barbara Ehrentreu, Rita Schiano, Stephanie Osborn, Christine Duncan, John Wayne Cargile, Naomi Giroux, Kenneth James Kirsch, Barry Eva, James Priest, Rosey Dow, Kathleen Heady, and Jd Glasscock.

A varied genre of Authors, Writers, and Illustrators.

At the end of the show, Guests will answer questions from the Chatroom and callers in a teleconference setting.

To submit a question for me to be asked on the show, contact:

Laurie Zieber http://www.lauriezieber.com/Home.html OR

April Robins http://www.robinfalls.com/

*************************

To attend and participate in April's Show at RRW Live Special:

Dial the Call-in Number: (347) 637-1731(OR)

Log onto http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ then search for Red River Writers Live.

Click on the current show and you can leave a written comment at the Chatroom.(OR)

Listen to the live or archived show online by going direct to http://www.blogtalkradio.com/RRW-Specials



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Odd, acknowledging and celebrating the first anniversary of a frank, no-holds-barred look at a dreadful disease such as alcoholism. Those of you who've read it, and reviewers, have told me the book was "poetic," "intense" and "sobering."

Thanks again for all the kind comments and reviews.

If you want to read the reviews, go to Amazon.com or BN.com.

See ya in the (online) bookstore,

Kenneth James Kirsch