Book Give Away and Preview: By Fire, By Water – a Novel by Mitchell James Kaplan

We have a lovely historical fiction novel for giveaway which we are very excited to read. It has only just been released.

Here is a bit about the book, the author, giveaway information, as well as a book trailer at the end of the post.

About the Book:

Luis de Santángel, chancellor to the court and longtime friend of the lusty King Ferdinand, has had enough of the Spanish Inquisition. As the power of Inquisitor General Tomás de Torquemada grows, so does the brutality of the Spanish church and the suspicion and paranoia it inspires. When a dear friend’s demise brings the violence close to home, Santángel is enraged and takes retribution into his own hands.  But he is from a family of conversos, and his Jewish heritage makes him an easy target. As Santángel witnesses the horrific persecution of his loved ones, he begins slowly to reconnect with the Jewish faith his family left behind. Feeding his curiosity about his past is his growing love for Judith Migdal, a clever and beautiful Jewish woman navigating the mounting tensions in Granada. While he struggles to decide what his reputation is worth and what he can sacrifice, one man offers him a chance he thought he’d lost…the chance to hope for a better world. Christopher Columbus has plans to discover a route to paradise, and only Luis de Santángel can help him.

Within the dramatic story lies a subtle, insightful examination of the crisis of faith at the heart of the Spanish Inquisition. Irresolvable conflict rages within the conversos in By Fire, By Water, torn between the religion they left behind and the conversion meant to ensure their safety. In this story of love, God, faith, and torture, fifteenth-century Spain comes to dazzling, engrossing life.

Author Bio:

Mitchell James Kaplan has lived and worked primarily in Paris and Los Angeles as a translator, screenwriter, and script consultant. Currently, he resides in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children. This is his first novel. To connect with the author link to his website,  Goodread’s page, and twitter.

Amazon Book Stats:

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Other Press (May 18, 2010)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1590513525

ISBN-13: 978-1590513521

Genre: Historical Fiction

Amazon purchasing links for US/UK/Canada.

The book is a paperback and it is gorgeous with old fashioned scalloped edges on the pages.

  Now for the Giveaway:

Since the book will be sent by the publicist you do not have to be a “follower/reader” for this giveaway. Anyone can enter, but the book must be sent to a US or Canadian address.

Contest Info:

To enter you must:

• comment
• include in the post your email so that I can contact you

For optional extra points you can do any, or all of the below for 1 entry point each. All entries may be included in one single comment.

1. Be a subscriber of Layers of Thought – google or facebook. (I need to be able to see you – and to get updates in facebook feed add me as a friend otherwise it does not count.)
2. Blog it - side bars are great - please provide links
3. Tweet it  – provide links please
4. Friend on Twitter
5. Friend on Goodreads
6. Friend on Book Blogs
7. Friend on Glue  - new to glue? have questions? let me know.

As state above, this giveaway is only available in to Canada and US addresses.

Contest ends Sunday June 27, 2010 at 12 pm US Pacific time. Winner will be posted and notified on Friday July 2, 2010.

Here is the book’s trailer to entice you even more:

 

 

This book was sent to Layers of Thought via Other Press. Thank you Terrie!  Please stay tuned for an author question and answer post, review, as well as winner announcement.

Please note comments will not be individually addressed as usual. If you do have questions please contact Shellie via email through her profile.

Good luck to all the entrants and thanks for reading Layers of Thought!