Thursday, 13 March 2025

The Coffee Pot Book Club Tour: T.F. Troy The Absolution of Mars



Welcome to my Blog!
Wander through worlds
real and fictional,
meet interesting people,
visit exciting places
and find good books
to enjoy along the way!


About the Book
Book Title: The Absolution of Mars
Author: T.F. Troy
Publication Date: January 21st, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 302
Genre: Historical Fiction, American Civil War Spy Novel

Politics, Friendship, or Greed? Which of these was the true author of the Confederate conspiracy to decapitate the Union? 

The Absolution of Mars by T.F. Troy is a masterful blend of historical fiction, human drama and moral exploration. Set against the backdrop of a racially fraught period in American history, the story does not back away from the harsh realities or racial biases of the day. 

The narrative introduces Jemm Pender, a former slave with a superior intellect, who rises to become a key agent in the National Detective Police Force. Jemm is tasked to trace the movements of J. W. Boyd, a Confederate spy working out of Canada.

From its intriguing opening scene, where playful dialogue among children hints at deeper mysteries, the story captivates with a blend of vivid detail and emotional depth. Jemm's quest intertwines with his wife Marnie and Aunt Cordelia, both blessed with remarkable capabilities that are being lost to the scientific thought of the day.

Troy tackles difficult topics with honesty and precision, creating moments that are as painful as they are profound. The prose is rich and evocative, with dialogue that breathes life into the characters and their struggles. The Absolution of Mars is a poignant, thought-provoking exploration of history, identity, and humanity, recommended for readers seeking depth and nuance.


Universal Buy Links:
 


Author Bio:

A student of the American Civil War, T.F. Troy has an award-winning journalism career spanning more than 40 years. He currently serves as Executive Editor of Cleveland Magazine’s Community Leader as well as the Editor of Ohio Business Magazine. He also writes features for Northern Kentucky Magazine and Dayton Magazine, among other regional publications. His work with those publications has won him numerous awards, taking first, second and third place in Ohio for Magazine Feature Writing. Troy’s work has appeared in major metropolitan daily newspapers including the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

In addition to the previously mentioned publications, Troy also held positions as a Senior Editor for both ABC/Capital Cities and ICD Publications in New York. His work has appeared in numerous national consumer and trade periodicals throughout his career. In his first book Cleveland Classics: Great Tales from the North Coast, Troy interviewed local and national Cleveland celebrities such as: Jim Brown, Bob Feller, Patricia Heaton and Arsenio Hall among others. The Absolution of Mars, set just after the Civil War, is his first novel, but third book. 


Author Links:

Author Page on Publisher Website: 
Facebook: 
LinkedIn: 
Instagram: h
Bluesky: 
Amazon Author Page: 
Goodreads: 


read an excerpt

The Absolution of Mars
Excerpt Three:

Stanton nods quickly once again, a lieutenant close by leads Jemm into the room, as soon as a general leaves to make enough room. Jemm feels a sense of pride at being allowed into a room, which is closed to most. He is at the absolute highest levels of government and is trusted. But still doesn’t understand why he is there. 

The President lay, his head bandaged on his left side, the dried blood now turning brown and cracking. There is blood on the linens that has spilled over onto the floor that is also beginning to dry. The president’s right eye is swollen but oddly shut, just like Jemm had seen with Sam’s eye the night of his beating for simply reporting a crime. And the President’s mouth is cocked oddly to his right, like he’d been punched in the side of the head. 

There are two physicians in the room, arguing quietly on how to extend the President’s life. The President draws long hard breaths, his chest heaving upward each time, but they grow fewer and fewer. Jemm sees his large strong arms, much larger than would seem possible for his tall lanky frame. 

A rail splitter, Jemm thinks, and quite a wrestler. 

A third physician, and obviously senior to the other two, shows up and concurs with one of the younger physicians that the wound is “absolutely mortal, and it is impossible for the President to recover.” 

But Jemm decides to make his own cursory examination. 

The ball was large enough in size to do extensive damage, but had not exited the cranial cavity, meaning that it was probably of a lower velocity. The bullet had entered through the occipital bone, about an inch to the left of the median line and just above the left lateral sinus, which it had opened judging from the blood that has dried when coming out of the President’s nose, down his mouth and onto his beard. 

But the bleeding here has not been excessive, no major arteries have been destroyed. Judging from the President’s bulging right eye, the projectile has lodged somewhere underneath the right orbital, or perhaps coming to rest under the right corpus striatum. 

The projectile has pierced the dura matter of the brain, and there would be some damage from bone fragments, but the wound is not “absolutely mortal.” 

Had the projectile hit a major artery, the President would already be dead. A skilled surgeon could ascertain the projectile’s velocity and make an educated guess as to where it came to rest. 
Then, using techniques that were perfected by the ancient Egyptians and still taught by Mauser’s work on brain surgery, remove the bullet from the other side, thus alleviating pressure on the brain caused by internal hemorrhaging within the cranial cavity. There would be no need to be continually poking fingers or probes into the President’s wound to alleviate the growing pressure within the cranial cavity. Of course, there was always the risk of hemorrhagic stroke... 

The president could live but might wind up a vegetable. Still, where there’s breath, there’s always hope, Jemm thinks. 

Follow the tour:
Twitter Handle: @cathiedunn
Instagram Handle: @thecoffeepotbookclub 

Hashtags: #TheAbsolutionOfMars #HistoricalFiction #AmericanHistoricalFiction #BlogTour #TheCoffeePotBookClub

Tour Schedule Page: 




*** ***

scroll down to leave a comment

thank you!

*

Follow Helen On:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Bluesky: @HelenHollick - http://helenhollick.bsky.social/

(and I'm on Twitter @HelenHollick but for marketing only)

*
*

You might also like 
books written by Helen Hollick 


*
The Jan Christopher Cosy Mysteries
set in the 1970s

*
The SEA WITCH VOYAGES
nautical adventures set during the Golden Age of Piracy


*
THE SAXON SERIES
The story of the events that led to
The Battle of Hastings in 1066

Harold the King (UK edition)
I Am The Chosen King (US edition)
AND
1066 Turned Upside Down

an anthology of 'What If'' tales

*
KING ARTHUR
The Pendragon's Banner Trilogy
 The Boy Who became a Man:
Who became a King:
Who became a Legend... 

PLUS MORE!
anthologies (which include award-winning authors)
and non-fiction


Find More Information:

*
my monthly ' essay' on an interesting topic
(plus a short newsletter)

*


Monday, 10 March 2025

Come with me to explore North Devon's rural beauty, its history ... and its ghosts!

cover design: avalon graphics
cover artwork: Chris Collingwood

https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

(Amazon Universal Link)

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile.

Actually, most of them are not. 

You either believe in the existence of ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not.

here's a short excerpt

Many of the encounters related in this narrative are personal in origin, not second-hand anecdotes or over-dramatised (and mostly unbelievable) tales to deliberately scare and frighten. Some of the private locations mentioned are inaccessible to public scrutiny, but there are enough public places, such as old pubs, villages and beaches, for ghost enthusiasts to explore – and maybe experience a friendly encounter or two.

Accompanied by photographs of some of the locations – and animals – featured in the text, Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history. And a few of its ghosts.

© Kathy Hollick
Tawstock Court near Barnstaple
Chapter 1
WELCOME TO NORTH DEVON

Published in three volumes between 1724-1727, Daniel Defoe, the author of Robinson Crusoe (and a government spy as a secondary occupation), produced A Tour Thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain. South Devon impressed him but North Devon he declared to be, ‘Wild, barren and poor.’ He was right about the wild landscape, for Exmoor has a natural beauty of dramatic scenery and a rugged, breath-taking coastline that, in the past, saw many a tragic shipwreck.

Valley of the Rocks, Exmoor
© Cathy Helms

Ghost, spirit, shade, presence, spectre, soul – whatever term you prefer to use, unless you are a sceptic the general thinking about ghosts is that these unexplained phenomena are troubled or tormented apparitions which haunt the places where they died. They are misty shapes curling beneath trees, lurking in dark shadows or eerie cellars while oozing an atmosphere of supernatural horror. Spirits allegedly remain through spite or remorse; their only intention is to frighten living people in any and every way they can.

Most of this thinking is generated by religious beliefs and enhanced by the fascination for horror novels and Hollywood movies of the paranormal. Exposing an angry poltergeist or a vengeful demon is common on the TV or cinema screen. Readers and viewers (for some unfathomable reason!) like to be scared. There are hostile spirits creating hostile environments, but outside of high drama and the movies, these are in a minority.

Movies such as Ghostbusters are not so frightening, but perpetuate the belief that unfriendly ghosts are to be extinguished as soon as possible. A few ghost movies, however, are clever – Clint Eastwood’s Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter spring to mind. Hamlet, of course, is a ghost story, as is Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The 1945 version of Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit starring Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford is delightfully amusing. UK TV had its share of entertaining concepts, and a more recent BBC sitcom series, Ghosts (2019-2023), brought further entertainment as adult comedy. The ghosts in this series remain, bored with their repetitive routine, in the house where they died. When new owners arrive, they initially resent the intrusion but then discover the joy of new company and watching television. I often complain that my husband forgets to turn the telly off when he goes out, but now I feel obliged to leave it on in case our resident ghosts were also watching. 

A pity they don’t pay anything towards our electricity bill.

https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

(Amazon Universal Link)


 



You are more than welcome to leave a comment, thought, observation or your own encounter/s below, but please no rudeness or insults.