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Thursday, April 25, 2019

SOUP The Future Is Past and Present by Travis Haugen - Book Tour - Guest Post - Giveaway - Enter Daily!


Hello lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Travis Haugen and his new book, “SOUP The Future Is Past and Present”!  For other stops on his Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $30 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  Also, come back daily to interact with Travis and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!


SOUP The Future Is Past and Present
by Travis Haugen

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GENRE: Adventure/Mystery

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BLURB:

Scott Yonge exploded onto the national consciousness at the 2001 Garrett Awards and quickly rose to legendary status on the wings of his music and his whirlwind romance with independent film actress Michelle Zoe. What should have been a perfect life was interrupted by an ultra-right wing militant group called the American Freedom Force and its leader, Colonel Randall, who forces Scott to choose between his life and that of his son. After his heroic sacrifice, his family is left to pick up the pieces and forge ahead to a future in the vacuum he left behind.

Now, in 2021, his son Hedley inherits music for himself, becoming a star in his own right as technology gives new life to the medium. Scott's daughter, affectionately known as Soup, throws herself into unravelling the mysteries of her family's history. Michelle commits herself to keeping them all together and trying to make sense of life without the one she loves. Through it all, the AFF looms in the shadows, threatening to resurrect the pain they have just begun to overcome.

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EXCERPT THREE:

The dream wakes him, the same one. Hedley’s whispered words “Bye birdies, bye” still ring in his ears as he achieves consciousness. Sound of a different source soon intrudes: that of music playing through the PA system. It’s late, he realizes, and jumps to his feet. He can feel more than hear the rustle of people filing into the arena, bringing with them a sense of tension that will build until show time, then burst like a stick dam before a raging river with the first note. It’s 7:10 PM; an hour and twenty to go. A shrill knock comes to the door, followed by Del’s voice.

“You in there, dude?”

“Si,” Scott replies. All the years of the road, sharing the stage, and the music are audible in Del’s simple words. They don’t have to speak to talk; they’re on the same wavelength.

The show, the focus is the show. Whatever lies with tomorrow lives with tomorrow; they live for tonight. “I need a shower, I stink. I’ll be along soon.”

“Cool, dude, don’t forget your pants.”

He hears cowboy booted footsteps receding on the concrete floor.

A new, unidentifiable tension floats to the surface as Scott showers, rising from the dark side. It has an ominous feel about it, winding like a creeping vine around Scott’s confidence, bringing with it a sense of fear, and worse, a sense of defeat. The wariness settles on him again, draining his energy and his will. He shivers uncontrollably as coldness sets in, and he wonders if he can go on. Then it occurs to him as he cranks the hot water that this is all part of it. The plan all along was to isolate him, weaken him bit by bit, reducing him to a shell of what he is. By show time, they would see Scott as the colonel wants them to see him, a weak and ineffective fool incapable of sustaining a mission of any substance. “You will not break me,” Scott whispers. He leans his head against the cool tiles of the shower stall. “I will not give you that.”

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GUEST POST:

Travis’s Niece, Candy, holding her adorable furbabies, Carl and Murphy (better known as the Comedy Team lol)
PC: @ Travis Haugen

Fierce Female Lead Characters: How to Create Strong Role Models in Books

My niece, Candy, is an integral part of the ‘One Song’ project.  Below is a description of why and how this came about.  Talk about fierce female characters, I believe this real-life example says it all. The moment I speak of changed my life which changed the book, both to the good, in my opinion.

Candy Haugen is my niece. She brought me back to the family. Not that there was a problem between the family and myself, but my lifestyle over the years limited contact to a few monthly phone calls and a yearly visit or two, until Candy wielded her unique brand of magic on me. There is a photo of her holding Carl and Murphy (better known as the Comedy Team), on the Pictures page of this site. That photo was taken at my brother’s house in Athabasca around Easter of this year, about six weeks after Candy completed chemotherapy treatment.

In early 2017, Candy was diagnosed with stage 3 Colin Cancer. That year for Candy, was a year I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. After the initial shockwave, she assessed the situation and dug her heels in for the fight, armed with the positive outlook and the vigor and common sense that has propelled her through most of her eventful life.

Radiation was first, to shrink the tumor to a reasonable size. Then came the surgery, to remove the tumor and a good chunk of her large intestine. She was left with a stoma bag, giving her innards time to properly heal. Then came the wait. She knew what was coming. Chemo. But not yet. She had six months of recovery to endure before beginning that particular hell.

That’s where I came in. Around mid October of 2017, I made a trip out to visit my mom in Victoria. I was very close to my mom, and Ralph, my stepdad. She was near her time, we all knew that. Candy was there, along with her mom and dad, one of my three older brothers. We were all there to say goodbye. I hadn’t talked much to Candy over the years, but through our conversations on the coast, we found we had a lot in common, and agreed, before returning to our respective homes, to keep in touch via texting.

We had lots to text about. My mom, Candy’s grandma, died a little over a week later. Ralph did a wonderful job during the last two years of her life to bring the world to Mom when she could no longer go to the world. She died peacefully at home with the family, the great grand kids, the grand kids, and the kids, all around her. There was no sadness, only love and gratitude for the opportunity to have had her in their lives. That circle of love continues.

About that time, Candy began chemotherapy. Eight rounds of treatment, two weeks apart. She would be in the doctor’s office for a couple of hours on chemical day while they pumped her with the lifesaving concoction. That was part one. Part two was a bag she dragged around with her for another forty-eight hours, a slow drip of a different kind.

Chemotherapy sneaks up on you. The first couple of sessions, no big deal. You feel sick for a while on chemical day, but you recover quickly, and everything seems normal. But each additional session weakens you, drains you of the energy that defines you, and the nausea stays with you longer and longer. And the tingling in the extremities begins, and your hair thins out, and the light feels like it is slowly fading from your eyes. How do I know? Because I would text, every day, and I would phone, and I would ask, and she would tell me. I said tell me, not complain. Never once did I hear her complain, or feel sorry for herself, or give the least bit of a whimper, or ever show a sign of defeat.

Candy also suffers from severe migraines, and the chemicals used to treat her cancer are absolute triggers for migraine sufferers. She has endured migraines since she was a young girl. Brutal. But again, she managed them, never complaining while raising two fine sons on her own. She worked hard to advance her career, so she could give her sons, and herself, a better life.

At the fifth cycle of treatment, her parent’s new routine was to drive down to Edmonton from Athabasca on chemical day and pick up Candy and the Comedy Team, and take them back to Athabasca for the rest of the week. On chemical day of the sixth cycle, I called her on the trip back to Athabasca. She was in the rear seat of her parent’s car, sick from that day’s chemo dose, weakened by eleven weeks of continuous assaults from the poison raging through her, irritated by her hands and feet in a state of continuous tingling and cramping, and in agony from a pounding migraine ascending on her as the weather took a turn for the worse. I didn’t ask her how she was, I knew. We small talked it for a few minutes, then she said to me, “UT (Uncle Travis), you sound so tired. Are you looking after yourself?” What could I say to that? She’s going through her own personal hell in the back seat of that car, and she’s worried about me.

“Me?” I finally said to her. “What about you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I just need to sleep a little. Only two more treatments to go.”

Only two more treatments to go. That’s NC (niece Candy), always the positive. That moment changed me. How could it not? More small talk, than I got off the phone with the feeling that I needed to say more. But what? Turns out, I had already started something, something I have never done before, though I was hardly aware at the time that I was doing it. This is what I texted to her.

Sleep
Sleep my lovely niece
Rest your weary eyes
And with thy own strength
Heal yourself from within
And come the dawn, in the early light
Purge us all from the darkening night
For the essence of one
Is the essence of all
We stand below to catch you
If you fall
So soar above us, engage the fight
And sleep my lovely niece
Sleep

From that moment to now, I’m a new person. Candy has inspired me to be a better man, to live a better life, to dream a bigger dream. Her belief in me, her belief in my work, has spurred me on to complete the publication of Soup. She has walked the pages with me, co-wrote seven of the songs with me, and taught me that every moment of life, good or bad, is ours to cherish. And best of all, she has taught me the meaning of family. The love and strength that comes from within that circle is everlasting. That’s who Candy is.

Candy is doing fine. She has had reconnective surgery and has kicked her stoma bag to the curb. She grows stronger every day and is living every moment of her life. She has many years and many dreams ahead of her to fulfill. Yet I can’t help feeling, through it all, the life that was saved, was mine.

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AUTHOR BIO:


Travis was born and raised in the prairies of Saskatchewan, lived in Calgary for over 25 years and presently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Travis Haugen has spent forty years of his life touring on the road as a musician and has spent hundreds of hours in recording studios. Travis spends much of his time writing songs, writing stories, playing music and spending valuable time with his family and close group of friends.

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CONNECT WITH TRAVIS:

Website:

Blog:

Email:
travis@onesongsyz.com

Facebook:

YouTube:
Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

Amazon Hardcover:

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

Barnes and Noble Hardcover:

Kobo eBook:

Apple iBooks eBook:

Google Play eBook:

The Book Depository Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Hardcover:

Indigo Paperback:

Friesen Press Paperback:

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Travis will be awarding a $30 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.


**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.

19 comments:

  1. Travis ~ Good morning! It is so great to have you here! Congrats on your new book and good luck on the book tour! :) Also, fabulous guest post! I enjoyed reading it and am glad to see you picked that topic!

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    1. Good morning, Ally,
      We thank you for having us. You've done a beautiful layout for us, very colorful. I'm glad you've given me the opportunity to tell everyone just how important Candy is to the One Song project, and how important she is to me. She is an outstanding human being, and tons of fun to hang around with to boot!
      Candy will be logging in from Edmonton throughout the day, while I hold down the fort from Winnipeg.
      Thanks again, Ally!

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  2. Replies
    1. Thank you, Goddess Fish, for setting up the tour for us. It's a blast!

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  3. Thanks so much for both the book description and giveaway as well. I enjoy hearing about another good book.

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  4. Thanks, Robert, for your comment. Good to hear from you!

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  5. Good morning Ally, we really appreciate you hosting for us today!

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  6. Hi Victoria, thanks for following along on the tour.

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  7. Thank you, Victoria.
    Obviously, Candy was the inspiration. I officially declare this Candy Haugen day, lol.
    Seriously, I don't think there is a family out there that hasn't been touched by cancer. If you haven't, consider yourself blessed. It is very hard to see someone you love go through what they have to go through to survive. And the hardest part for us is, we can do nothing but stand by and helplessly watch, and hope, and pray. We let them know they are not alone, but ultimately, it is their battle to win or lose. Their courage can inspire us all to live a better life.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, Caryl. I agree, Ally did a wonderful job on today's blog.

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  9. Well, Portland, thank you for having us today. I know it's early where you are, but it's this old dude's bedtime! Thank you, Ally, for a wonderful post, and thank all of you for stopping by.
    I bid you all, a pleasant, good night...

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  10. So touching, all the best to you both!

    --Trix

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  11. I enjoyed the excerpt and guest post!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Angela,
      The excerpt is from the opening page of SOUP. The post is from my heart.

      Delete
  12. Hi Folks,
    I wanted to drop by one more time and thank everyone for stopping in on the tour. We had a blast these past weeks. On behalf of Candy and myself, we'd love to wish you all a great summer 2019!
    Bye for now. hope to see you soon!

    ReplyDelete