Hello, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Henry Van Berkel and his new book, “Walks by Big Alex's Pond,” here on FAB!! 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 $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Henry and to increase your chances of winning!!
Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of good luck in this fabulous giveaway!!
Walks by Big Alex's Pond
by Henry Van Berkel
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GENRE: Autobiography (Nature)
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BLURB:
Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880's to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as "the King of the Klondike". At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex's departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases "Big Alex's" family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.
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EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
I meandered on, content. My geese were fine; no rain till later. I had much on my mind. Although I had retired from my education career a decade earlier, I still had plenty to keep me busy: I had been elected to a four-year term on the Strait Regional School Board in October 2005, as the representative for the western half of Antigonish County; I was working as an insurance agent and financial planner at Antigonish Insurance Agencies Ltd; Elaine and I were building an apartment in our basement; and I was gearing up to begin my spring work on our twenty-five-acre Christmas-tree lot. There were other concerns: our son, David, needed support, as he was struggling to find work; our daughter, Stacey, in Greensboro, North Carolina, was facing the challenges of developing a career in the fiercely competitive field of commercial photography; Joan Prowse, our neighbour, who had bought the old farmhouse two years earlier, at the ripe young age seventy-two, needed help from time to time to cope th the extensive demands of managing the property all by herself; two of our foster daughters still needed occasional assistance; the Lochaber Community Association president, David Brown, was hoping I would lend a hand with their worthy work; and Elaine and I had to get our landscaping done. The walks helped to clear my mind.
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Now, the Strait Regional School Board, there was a challenge for you.
The provincial government had amalgamated the school boards in the counties of Antigonish, Guysborough, Inverness, and Richmond into one board in 1996, the year I retired from the teaching profession after a thirty-three-year career in schools in Alberta and Nova Scotia. The consolidation of education services did not have a great deal of support in Antigonish County—I did not support it myself—too big geographically, too far removed from the people.
“It will save money,” said the provincial Department of Education.
“It will improve educational opportunities,” said the provincial “experts” and many of the local educational elite.
I disagreed and made my feelings known through “‘letters to the editor” of our local newspaper, the Antigonish Casket. I ran for election to the board but lost to the more charismatic, David Austin, a former colleague and a friend. David served for eight years and when he retired in 2004, I was persuaded by friends to offer again. This time my bid for election was successful, but it was a close race.
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AUTHOR BIO:
Ten years after Big Alex MacDonald leaves his home in Ashdale, Nova Scotia, in the 1880's to find his fortune, he amasses fabulous wealth almost overnight in the Yukon and becomes known as "the King of the Klondike". At his death a decade later, there is not enough money in his estate to cover expenses. What happened to his immense riches? A century after Alex's departure from Nova Scotia, the author purchases "Big Alex's" family land and finds his own El Dorado amongst the riches of friends, neighbours and family, and the endless fascinations of nature. On hikes along the roads of the historic property he muses about the drama of his own past, and the life journeys of his family members and those of his neighbours.
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CONNECT WITH HENRY VAN BERKEL:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/walksbybigalexspond
Goodreads Author Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19889014.Henry_Van_berkel
Goodreads Book Page:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50277404-walks-by-big-alex-s-pond
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BOOK BUY LINKS:
Amazon US Kindle eBook:
Amazon US Paperback:
Amazon US Hardcover:
Amazon CA Kindle eBook:
https://www.amazon.ca/Walks-Alexs-Pond-Henry-berkel-ebook/dp/B082FSK87N
Amazon CA Paperback:
https://www.amazon.ca/Walks-Alexs-Pond-Henry-berkel/dp/0228816947
Amazon CA Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.ca/Walks-Alexs-Pond-Henry-Berkel/dp/0228816955
Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Hardcover:
Book Depository Paperback:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Walks-by-Big-Alexs-Pond-Henry-van-Berkel/9780228816942
Book Depository Hardcover:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Walks-by-Big-Alexs-Pond-Henry-van-Berkel/9780228816959
Bookshop Paperback:
https://bookshop.org/books/walks-by-big-alex-s-pond/9780228816942
Bookshop Hardcover:
https://bookshop.org/books/walks-by-big-alex-s-pond/9780228816959
Indigo Chapters CA eBook:
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/walks-by-big-alexs-pond/9780228816966-item.html
Kobo US eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/walks-by-big-alex-s-pond
Kobo CA eBook:
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/walks-by-big-alex-s-pond
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Henry will be awarding a $15 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner’s Choice!!!) 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 fabulous community outreach projects and 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.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting about Walks by Big Alex's Pond, the cover is lovely and I liked the synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like an autobiography that I will enjoy reading
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover and think the book sounds good.
ReplyDelete