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.
