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Soulful Return by Fidelis O. MkparuSoulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu

Publisher:  DX Varos Publishing (November 22, 2022)
Category: General Fiction, Literary Fiction, African-American Fiction, Immigrant Experience
Tour Dates November 2-23
ISBN: 978-1955065603
Available in Print and ebook, 332 pages

Soulful Return

Description Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


“The hounding voice inside me would not let go.”

Thus begins the emotional journey of Afamefuna Onochie Nwaku, a Harvard-trained medical doctor with a career most can only dream of, a loving wife, and supportive family. Then, he receives a telephone call from his sister who lives in Nigeria that her life is being threatened.

Left with no other fair choice, Afam leaves behind his family, throwing his marriage into turmoil and risking the life he has built in Boston. Instead of the Nigeria that he loves, that he needs, he finds a land and people he barely recognizes waiting for him. Afam decides to stay but realizes that his future in Nigeria is as murky as the River-Niger after a torrential tropical rainfall.

As Afam sets out on a journey to reconnect with the family and heritage that he left behind, he must face new enemies in an increasingly corrupt Nigeria where many people see him as an American intruder. And through it all, he must fight to keep his family together—and alive.

My Thoughts Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Afamefuna Onochie Nwaku left his homeland and family in Nigeria to attend Harvard medical school to become a doctor.  It was always expected by his family that he would return to his homeland one day to take over the running of his family lands. In the meantime, he built his career, married, and had children in Boston.

Now he is 60 years-old.  He is offered the CEO position in Boston Medical Center and his wife wants him to accept the position.  It was such an honor to be offered the top position!   However, he is also yearning for Nigeria.

His father passed away 25 years ago and that was the last time he was in Nigeria. Then he receives a call from his sister.  Their cousin is trying to claim his father’s lands.  He goes against his wife’s wishes and takes a sabbatical from work and goes to Nigeria.

He finds it has changed and not for the better.  At every turn he runs into corrupt police, just trying to make his way home to his sister.  Then when he gets there, his cousins are there and demanding “they get what’s there’s”

You will have to read the book to find out what happens as I do not want to give away spoilers.  Fidelis O. Mkparu’s writing is hypnotizing, making it hard to put the book down.  He captures the Nigerian land and people with his poetic prose.  His characters are well fleshed out and grabbed me through the pages and transported me. I will be thinking about this book and its characters for a very long time to come, they will not let go!  I highly recommend you read ‘Soulful Return’!

Awards and Praise for Fidelis O. Mkparu


2018 EVVY winner, Literary & Contemporary Fiction for Tears Before Exaltation.

Silver Medal: Nautilus Book Awards, Fiction 2016 for Love’s Affliction.

Reader Views Literary Award Winner 2015/2016 for Love’s Affliction.

Finalist 2015: INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award, Multicultural Fiction for Love’s Affliction.

“A must-read, Love’s Affliction is an exceptionally gripping and poignant story. While intense throughout, there is resolution – and not quite what one may expect!”—San Francisco Book Review

“An exceptionally well crafted work, “Love’s Affliction” is an engaging and extraordinary multi-cultural novel that documents author Fidelis O. Mkparu as a talented, first class storyteller. “Love’s Affliction” is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and would prove to be a valued addition to community library Contemporary Fiction collections.”—Midwest Book Review

About Fidelis O. Mkparu Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Multi award winning author, Fidelis O. Mkparu is a Nigerian immigrant in the U.S. who wishes to speak to his experiences and those of his fellow immigrants. He is a professor of Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University and a senior attending cardiologist at Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio. Previously, he was a Spaulding fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School.

His preceding novels include Love’s Affliction and Tears Before Exaltation.

Website: https://fidelismkparu.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fidelismkparu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fidelis.mkparu

Preorder Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
DX Varos Publishing

Giveaway Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on November 24, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 2 Kickoff & Interview

Sal Bound 4 Escape Nov 3 Review

Denise Amazon & Goodreads Nov 9 Review

Laura Lee Celticlady’s Reviews Nov 10 Review & Excerpt

Bookgirl Amazon Goodreads Nov 11 Review

Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews Nov 14 Review & Excerpt

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 15 Review

Gracie Goodreads Nov 16 Review

Bee Book Pleasures Nov 17 Review & Interview

Linda Lu Goodreads Nov 18 Review

Nora S. Storeybook Reviews Nov 22 Review & Excerpts

Ellen Goodreads Nov 23 Review

Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu

Soulful Return by Fidelis O. MkparuSoulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Publisher:  DX Varos Publishing (November 22, 2022)
Category: General Fiction, Literary Fiction, African-American Fiction, Immigrant Experience
Tour Dates November 2-23
ISBN: 978-1955065603
Available in Print and ebook, 332 pages

Soulful Return

Description Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


“The hounding voice inside me would not let go.”

Thus begins the emotional journey of Afamefuna Onochie Nwaku, a Harvard-trained medical doctor with a career most can only dream of, a loving wife, and supportive family. Then, he receives a telephone call from his sister who lives in Nigeria that her life is being threatened.

Left with no other fair choice, Afam leaves behind his family, throwing his marriage into turmoil and risking the life he has built in Boston. Instead of the Nigeria that he loves, that he needs, he finds a land and people he barely recognizes waiting for him. Afam decides to stay but realizes that his future in Nigeria is as murky as the River-Niger after a torrential tropical rainfall.

As Afam sets out on a journey to reconnect with the family and heritage that he left behind, he must face new enemies in an increasingly corrupt Nigeria where many people see him as an American intruder. And through it all, he must fight to keep his family together—and alive.

Advance Praise Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


“Mkparu has created a masterpiece of immigrant experience and connection, outlining many of the forces that influence and stress modern Africans and Americans alike.” — D. DonovanMidwest Book Review

Awards and Praise for Fidelis O. Mkparu


2018 EVVY winner, Literary & Contemporary Fiction for Tears Before Exaltation.

Silver Medal: Nautilus Book Awards, Fiction 2016 for Love’s Affliction.

Reader Views Literary Award Winner 2015/2016 for Love’s Affliction.

Finalist 2015: INDIEFAB Book of the Year Award, Multicultural Fiction for Love’s Affliction.

“A must-read, Love’s Affliction is an exceptionally gripping and poignant story. While intense throughout, there is resolution – and not quite what one may expect!”—San Francisco Book Review

“An exceptionally well crafted work, “Love’s Affliction” is an engaging and extraordinary multi-cultural novel that documents author Fidelis O. Mkparu as a talented, first class storyteller. “Love’s Affliction” is very highly recommended for personal reading lists and would prove to be a valued addition to community library Contemporary Fiction collections.”—Midwest Book Review

Interview With Fidelis O. Mkparu

TR: Please tell us something about Soulful Return that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)

FOM: Writing Soulful Return was an emotional journey for me. That journey started when I assumed the persona of Afam while writing, and it took me back to a small town where my ancestors lived. Obodo is not a real town in Eastern Nigeria, but the town has a lot in common with Ojoto in Anambra State, Nigeria where I call my ancestral home. If I have a wayward soul, that part of my being that is untethered, I believe it’s roaming around in my hometown Ojoto drinking palm-wine and telling tales of past valor.

TR: I always enjoy looking at the names that authors choose to give their characters. Where do you derive the names of your characters? Are they based on real people you knew or now know in real life? How do you create names for your characters?

FOM: Most of the names I used in SOULFUL RETURN are from my ancestors. The names chosen and their meaning help to elucidate some of the nuances in Igbo culture as it relates to my story, SOULFUL RETURN.

TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?

FOM: The inspiration came from the last time I walked on the dirt road leading to the ruins of my grandfather’s house built around 1870’s.

TR: What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?

FOM: The scene of palm-wine libation by Afam honoring his father in the presence of his grade school mates. In that scene, Afam states that although he is assuming the role of his family patriarch, he is not usurping his father’s achievements and glory.

TR: Which actor would you like to see play Afam from Soulful Return? Are there any other actors you can think of for some of the other characters?

FOM: Denzel Washington

TR: What kind of messages do you try to instill in your writing?

FOM: The importance of cultural heritage and how it binds us together.

TR: What draws you to this genre?

FOM: The freedom it offers for expressivity.

TR: Will Afam have more to tell readers in the future?

FOM: Definitely. How his life evolves in Obodo and if he would ever go back to Boston to live.

TR: Do you have any writing projects that you are currently working on?

FOM: An anthology of poems dedicated to my wayward soul.


About Fidelis O. Mkparu Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Multi award winning author, Fidelis O. Mkparu is a Nigerian immigrant in the U.S. who wishes to speak to his experiences and those of his fellow immigrants. He is a professor of Medicine at Northeast Ohio Medical University and a senior attending cardiologist at Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center in Canton, Ohio. Previously, he was a Spaulding fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital at Harvard Medical School.

His preceding novels include Love’s Affliction and Tears Before Exaltation.

Website: https://fidelismkparu.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/fidelismkparu
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fidelis.mkparu

Preorder Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
DX Varos Publishing

Giveaway Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on November 24, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu


Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 2 Kickoff & Interview

Sal Bound 4 Escape Nov 3 Review

Denise Amazon & Goodreads Nov 8 Review

Laura Lee Celticlady’s Reviews Nov 10 Review & Excerpt

Bookgirl Amazon Nov 11 Review

Suzie My Tangled Skeins Book Reviews Nov 14 Review & Excerpt

Teddy Rose Book Reviews Plus Nov 15 Review

Gracie Goodreads Nov 16 Review

Bee Book Pleasures Nov 17 Review & Interview

Linda Lu Goodreads Nov 18 Review

Nora S. Storeybook Reviews Nov 22 Review & Guest Post

Ellen Goodreads Nov 23 Review

Soulful Return by Fidelis O. Mkparu

Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa GrayCare And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

Thanks to Roxanne Jones of Berkley Books, I am giving away one print copy of ‘Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls’ by Anissa Gray.

Description Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray


The Mothers meets An American Marriage in this dazzling debut novel about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you.

The Butler family has had their share of trials—as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest—but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives.

Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband Proctor are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened.

As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister’s teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.

Praise Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray


“This is perfect for fans of Brit Bennett’s The Mothers; readers will be deeply affected by this story of a family wrestling to support itself.”—Publishers Weekly

“Heartbreaking at times, [The Care and Feeding of Ravenously Hungry Girls] is ultimately a story of hope as Gray beautifully captures the way strong women can piece a community back together, taking care of their loved ones while still figuring out how to care for themselves. A graceful debut that feels timely and important.”—Karin Tanabe, author of The Gilded Years

“A trio of sisters navigate the tricky waters of forgiveness in Gray’s heartfelt, beautifully written debut.  This is a wholly absorbing, moving story about incarceration, the mechanics of grace, and the fierce, small wars fought on the landscape of the family and the human heart.”—Joshilyn Jackson, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

About Anissa Gray


Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

(c) Bonnie J. Heath

Anissa Gray is an Emmy and duPont-Columbia award-winning journalist at CNN Worldwide, responsible for helping to guide coverage of some of the most consequential stories of our time. She began her career at Reuters as a reporter, based in New York, covering business news and international finance. Born in St. Joseph, Michigan, Gray studied English and American literature at New York University. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her wife.

Website: https://anissagray.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/anissagrayauthor

Buy Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray


Amazon
Barnes&Noble
Indiebound

Giveaway Care And Feeding Of Ravenously Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray


This giveaway is open the U.S. only and ends on March 8, 2019 midnight pacific time.  Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway