The Osprey Man by Christopher Tuthill
Publisher: DX Varos Publishing (July 26, 2022)
Category: Young Adult, Coming of Age
Tour Dates October 3-27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1955065528
Available in Print and ebook, 280 pages
Description Osprey Man by Christopher Tuthill
Jacob is at that most magical time between childhood and adolescence. As the end of the school year approaches, he is dreaming of baseball and the beach, but most of all, about working on the comic book he and his best friend Jonathan have created, The Osprey Man. Then tragedy strikes and Jacob has to find an inner strength he is not sure he has.
This beautifully written tale of youth, coping, and working through grief is ideal for readers of all ages.
Praise Osprey Man by Christopher Tuthill
“Osprey Man reveals its surprises, unwrapping them through the course of the story like birthday gifts.”- D.Donovan, Midwest Book Review
“Chris Tuthill crafts a really touching story with very relatable themes here. It’s a vivid coming of age tale of loss and endurance.”- Matt Caputo, Goodreads 5 Star Review
“I truly enjoyed this book. Full of nostalgia, heart break, love and loss. I definitely recommend this for young and old alike!”-Maria, Goodreads 5 Star Review
Interview with Christopher Tuthill
TR: Please tell us something about The Osprey Man that is not in the summary. (About the book, character you particularly enjoyed writing etc.)
CT: Although this story deals with some serious issues, there is a lot of humor throughout the book, and I hope some laugh out loud moments. The way children interact with adults, and with each other can be extremely funny. Some of these characters have a real problem with anger and with communicating with others. That’s not so fun if you’re on the receiving end of someone’s frustration, but it can be very funny to read about. So, I hope readers see that even in a book about death there are lots of things to laugh about.
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?
CT: This is a realistic story, and most of these characters are named after children I knew. Growing up Catholic, almost every child I knew was named after a saint or had a name taken from the bible. The children are in a Catholic school, so their names reflect that. Jacob, Kris, John, Michael, Susan—these are all very popular names even now, but in the 80s when I was a boy, every child I knew had a traditional Catholic name like that.
TR: Where did you get the inspiration for your cover?
CT: The publisher gave me a choice between that cover and another one, which was an image of a youth’s sneakers, but I liked this one much more, I felt it captured the spirit of the book better.
The Osprey Man is the comic book character that Jacob and Jonathan have created together. He’s an avenger for abused animals. Like most kids, I grew up loving Superman, Spider Man and all those kinds of characters. So, I was very pleased with the cover, in which a superhero is tearing off his shirt to reveal his costume. It has a real Clark Kent feel, which I enjoy.
TR: What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
CT: I don’t want to give anything away, but there is a scene near the end of the book, where the two boys, Jacob and Kris, who have been through so much together, are saying goodbye to each other at the end of summer. They don’t know what the future holds, and they innocently believe they’ll always remain friends. That was a bittersweet scene for me, because I think everyone has had moments like this, and when you’re going through it, it may seem like just another day. But in retrospect, it might be the last time you ever saw that person. In general, childhood friends seem so important at the time, and they are important, but life moves pretty quickly when you are young, and you lose touch with people.
TR: Which actor would you like to see playing Jacob from The Osprey Man?
CT: I recently watched Diary of a Wimpy Kid with my children. They love the books and they loved the movies. Jason Drucker, who plays Greg, would be excellent as Jacob.
TR: What kind of messages do you try to instill in your writing?
CT: One thing that I think about a lot and that I try to get across in my writing is how fleeting life is, and how we really, really need to stop and appreciate what we have from day to day. Our friendships, our family bonds, things like that. It’s so easy to take these things for granted.
TR: What draws you to this genre?
CT: Like many readers, I love coming of age stories. In re-reading some of the classics I enjoyed as a child, I was amazed at how well they hold up. Books like Charlotte’s Web or Dandelion Wine don’t speak down to kids. They work for people of all ages. I was so impressed by that as I read these books to my children, and I wanted to try writing a young adult book myself.
TR: Will Jacob have more to tell readers in the future?
CT: I have an idea for another story with him, so he might!
TR: Do you have any writing projects that you are currently working on?
CT: Yes, I am currently working on a contemporary fantasy novel involving neighborhood kids and a strange, sinister newcomer to their street. It’s kind of Haunting at Hill House meets Something Wicked This Way Comes, with a lot of humor and slapstick involved.
TR: Is there a question that you would have liked me or another blogger to ask but didn’t? If so, please ask and answer.
CT: “Who is your ideal reader?” Is a question I like. Readers who enjoy books full of humor and emotion will enjoy my writing. If you like bittersweet stories that don’t lose sight of the joy of life, this is the book for you. I want readers to escape into the 1980s and spend some time with these kids and their struggles, and to enjoy the journey. To maybe recall their own childhoods and friends, and remember their younger selves with some happiness. And I hope it will cause readers to have empathy for children today who might be going through difficult times.
About Christopher Tuthill
Christopher Tuthill’s short fiction has appeared in The Mythic Circle, Dark Tales from Elder Regions, and Tales of Reverie. A native of Riverhead, on Long Island, and a graduate of Catholic schools, Chris grew up around many of the places and people that inspire his writing.
He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife and children. He works as a librarian, and his hobbies include board games, baseball, hiking, camping, and telling stories to his three children. Among his other interests, he is co-founder of the New York Tolkien Conference.
Website: https://christuthill.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChrisJTuthill
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrisjtuthill
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjtuthill/
Giveaway Osprey Man by Christopher Tuthill
This giveaway is for 3 print or ebook copies. Print is open to the U.S. only. eBook is open worldwide. This giveaway ends on October 28, 2022 midnight, pacific time. Entries accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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