| Pursuit
— a novel by Rudy Apodaca
 My
novel, Pursuit, was released and published
in April, 2003 by AuthorHouse,
of Bloomington, Indiana. The book is
available (Hardcover ISBN: 1-4033-8572-6;
Softcover ISBN: 1-4033-8571-8) in most
bookstores, by special order if not
stocked. It can also be ordered at the
websites of Amazon.com and Barnes and
Noble (bn.com).
Click here to order a copy of Pursuit.
NOW PUBLISHED!
:| A Rare Thing
— a new novel by Rudy Apodaca
 This
novel, A Rare Thing, has now been released/published
(Publication Date: December 19, 2011) by AuthorHouse,
of Bloomington, Indiana. Please see below for additional information. It is now available at most
bookstores, by special order if not
stocked. It is also available at the
websites of Amazon and Barnes &
Noble (see links below).
AVAILABLE IN HARDCOVER, SOFTCOVER, AND E-BOOK EDITIONS
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR A RARE THING:
A Rare Thing plunges the depths of the human heart. It tells the story of Javier Jiménez and his father, Nicolás, men broken by war, resurrected in family, and illuminated in hope. Rudy Apodaca shows us the terrible toll of a young man who must share a room with the raging alcoholic veteran who is his father and then must resolve his own anger and loss to seek his own path of freedom. We, like the protagonist, feel his conflicted love and hate. And yes, we know that likewise we must heal the haunted part of our lives—not only for ourselves—but for our family whose essence we carry in our being. The legacy of any war is an incredible sadness and want—our manda/mandate is to go back to mend the many wounds of conflict of the heart and spirit. Rudy Apodaca charts this territory without trepidation, with strength and with wonder. –Denise Chávez, author of A Taco Testimony: Meditations on Family, Food and Culture
Readers of all ages will be glued to this book as it tells the tale of a young man dealing with the death of a mother at an early age, an alcoholic father, poverty, a sexually abusive priest, adolescence, And what does it take to ride the roller-coaster of love with a young woman whose mother has trouble accepting Hispanics? There are surprises and mysteries as the hero agonizes and plows his way to manhood. –Norman Keifetz, author of The Sensation
Like a fine salsa, A Rare Thing is infused with real gente and the genuine cultural flavors of the Southwest. New Mexico has produced another master storyteller in Rudy Apodaca. Texas’ literary landscape is that much richer as a result. –El Paso Times
ABOUT
THE BOOK:
A Rare Thing is a story of redemption and forgiveness. In the small New Mexico town of San Carlos in the 1950s and 60s, a motherless Chicano youngster, Javier Jiménez, finds himself forced into an early manhood. The boy’s father, Nicolás, a Korean War veteran, loves and cares for his son dearly. But as he drinks himself into the depths of alcoholism, he struggles through life wallowing in self-pity.
Javier tries his best to cope not only with his own loneliness but the day-to-day hardships of living with an alcoholic father. Nicolás finds his sobriety when he meets Ramona. He marries her, thinking that will fulfill his needs, but his hopes are short lived, soon discovering he can’t escape his loneliness.
Into this setting enters Deborah Perkins. She moves into Javier’s neighborhood. Javier and Deborah eventually fall in love, much to the chagrin of Deborah’s mother, who doesn’t’ share her husband’s fascination for Southwestern culture and believes her daughter can do much better than what Javier has to offer.
Tragedy strikes, and Javier moves to California to live with an aunt and uncle. Deborah and he struggle to continue their relationship despite the distance and Deborah’s mother’s prejudices. Confused and unsure of his future, Javier leaves college to join the Army and ends up in Vietnam, where he sees his fellow soldiers dying every day.
Reminiscing about his father, he must face his own mortality, as he grapples with his own identity. Nicolás’s spirit appears at a critical moment with words to give Javier strength. Contemplating the real possibility of his death, he reconciles with himself, gaining strength from visions of his father as a good man who had more than his share of bad luck. Javier comes to grips with whether he has forgiven him for his frailties and failure as a parent.
AUTHOR'S
COMMENTS:
People I've met sometimes ask me if the stories I've "told" in my novels are autobiographical. I usually tell them that in the pure sense, they are not, but follow my comment with somewhat of a disclaimer by stating that all writers I know or have met write about their own life experiences, which are then, either consciously or subconsciously, translated into the characters they create and bring to life in their books. In that respect, I take note, I'm no different than other writers.
The story in A Rare Thing grew over the years from my own experiences as a native and resident of southern New Mexico and from the people I knew who lived most of their lives there. Although the story in the novel for the most part takes place in a small, fictional town I've named San Carlos, in the story, San Carlos is a town very much like my own hometown of Las Cruces back in the 1950s and early 1960s, when it could still be considered a small town.
I once read that it is the fiction writer's job to evoke the emotions of the reader in the telling of a story. It is my sincere hope that I've succeeded doing that with A Rare Thing.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
Rudy Apodaca, a native of New Mexico, lives with his wife, Nancy, in Austin, Texas. He began his career as a trial attorney and practiced law in Las Cruces, New Mexico for 22 years before serving as an appellate judge on the New Mexico Court of Appeals for about 14 years, over two of those years as Chief Judge. When he’s not writing, he divides his time between providing mediation/arbitration services, doing volunteer work, and spending time with his children and grandchildren. He’s the author of several essays.
ORDERING INFORMATION:
ISBN Numbers and Suggested Retail Prices:
Hardcover Edition: 978-1-4685-0723-2; $25.95
Softcover Edition: 978-1-4685-0724-9; $17.95
E-Book Edition: 978-1-4685-0722-5; $9.99
Click here to order a copy of A Rare Thing from Barnes & Noble.
Click here to order a copy of A Rare Thing from Amazon.
|
|
