Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label adventure. Show all posts

March 13, 2010

Owe Nothing - a different look at life in Vancouver...

Read sample chapters or purchase Owe Nothing onlineRecently, people from all over the world have been watching Vancouver, BC perform at its best, and there certainly is a lot to be proud of.

This city has many sides to it, and truly, no two people experience this town in the same way.

Owe Nothing is a non-mainstream look at this city: an adventure novel based upon real people and places that I knew when my family lived in dodgy Vancouver Motels for over a year. The names of the people in Owe Nothing are fictionalized, but the events and feelings are based in reality...

Meet a few of the characters...

Jack Owen:

A young guy looking for adventure, and an escape from his lower-class rut. By accepting a bizarre job offer, he soon discovers that the back alleys and rooftops of East Vancouver hold more mysteries than he may be able to hide from his Dad or his Sister.

Parminder Singh:

Jack's buddy from work, and his companion through some bizarre surveillance tasks that they've been recruited to do for a man they've never even met. Parm's not sure if this is on the up and up, but he'll do it for the money.

Mike and Chris Coffey:

Brothers, and friends of Jack from the neighbourhood. They've got to find a way to get rid of their violent alcoholic step-father Ted, without their mother Regina finding out. Maybe Jack can help them...?

Read more at http://fiction.ejohnlove.com

The Reviews are Good:

So far, readers have given me some very positive feedback:

"Awesome", "Engaging, endearing... with a deft humorous touch", "a great read!", "A real coming-of-age story", "Vancouver is a city without much appreciation for its history... you've rendered a great service with such a vivid picture of that time and place"

Recently, Owe Nothing also got a very good professional review from Apex Reviews:

"With an effective balance of wit and suspense, Owe Nothing is an equally compelling and entertaining read. In skillful fashion, author E. John Love has crafted an enjoyable tale of a lovable loser in search of a bit of adventure. An engaging, endearing tale with a deft humorous touch, Owe Nothing is a rewarding literary treat."

Read the full Apex Review.

February 27, 2010

Owe Nothing has Advanced in Amazon's 2010 Breakthrough Novel Awards

Read sample chapters or purchase Owe Nothing online
A good start: I'm excited to report that Owe Nothing is now one of 1000 entries that has advanced to the second round in Amazon's 2010 Breakthrough Novel Awards!

This fiction contest is sponsored by Amazon and Penguin USA. I'll keep you posted...

Owe Nothing - A Novel by E. John Love

Order Owe Nothing online, from Trafford Publishing

Order "Owe Nothing" from Trafford Publishing


Also available at Amazon.com
and Barnes & Noble
E. John Love's Amazon Author Page

"Owe Nothing" is an adventure-drama based on real people and places that I knew back when my family lived in dodgy Vancouver Motels for over a year. (PG-13 - Not for children.)

"Jack Owen has gotten himself in over his head. At his low-paying day job, employees are leaving suddenly, and there's a car full of bullet holes stashed in his boss's maintenance shed. It's starting to make him wonder what kind of car wash he's working for.

At home, his best friends Mike and Chris need to separate their mother Regina and their abusive step-father Ted before they kill each other. Maybe they can get rid of Ted somehow without Regina finding out...

Then there's that old drunk in the neighbourhood who's been beating his dog. Somebody should do something about that guy.

How did Jack's life ever get so complicated, and how will he keep it all from his Dad and his sister?"
  • Owe Nothing - Chapter 1 (Adobe Acrobat, 184 Kb.)
    A lonely night in a trailer court, and something very bad happens to an innocent soul, again. Then, a new beautiful morning, Spring in Vancouver, and you are introduced to a Jack Owen, his father and sister, and their somewhat beaten up neighbourhood. Jack and his buddy Parm are late for work - again.

  • Owe Nothing - Chapter 2 (Adobe Acrobat, 90 Kb.)
    Jack's days at the Paradise Car Wash have been familiar routine, up until now. A co-worker leaves suddenly, mysteriously. Jack sees his boss talking to a large, immaculately-dressed man with a swanky black car. Parm learns that something secret has been going on behind the scenes at the car wash, in the evenings - something secret. Maybe it's gang related or something. Whatever it is, it doesn't sound right for a car wash.

  • Owe Nothing - Chapter 3 (Adobe Acrobat, 132 Kb.)
    Jack's father, Jim, daydreams and examines his past. How did he go from a cocky young runner with a world of possibilities and dreams of ripping through the clouds at supersonic speed, to a emotional burnout stroke victim with a dead wife and two tiny scared kids? Startled back to the present by a noise, he finds two tiny scared kids standing on his doorstep.





What Readers Have to Say...

"With an effective balance of wit and suspense, Owe Nothing is an equally compelling and entertaining read. In skillful fashion, author E. John Love has crafted an enjoyable tale of a lovable loser in search of a bit of adventure. In Jack, Love has created quite the sympathetic protagonist: a ne’er-do-well everyman with which readers from all backgrounds are sure to relate. An engaging, endearing tale with a deft humorous touch, Owe Nothing is a rewarding literary treat."
[Read Full Review]
- Renee Washburn, Apex Reviews

"I thoroughly enjoyed [Owe Nothing] and do hope there's a sequel in the works - what IS going on in that car wash? Firstly, I liked the book as a good yarn, I had no trouble at all going from cover to cover in a sitting. I liked your characters, no saints perhaps, but it was easy to empathize with them and their problems. Vancouver is a city without much appreciation for it's history, I think you've rendered a great service with such a vivid picture of that time and place."
- Bruce, North Vancouver, BC

"Awesome novel John! I enjoyed entering the world at the Mountain View and sharing in Jack's exploits. You have definitely brought back to life a place I can see in my mind and remember in my heart. I find myself thinking of the experiences that Jack went through and wondering where life is taking him next."
- Nikki, Prince George, BC

"I meant to read it later, but started reading the first chapter and couldn't put it down. A great read!"
- Michelle, Coquitlam, BC

"Chandler-esque!"
- Jody, North Vancouver, BC

"I received your novel and I started it right away. Read 50 pages at the first sitting, so I gotta tell you I'm enjoying it... It's so cool to read things you recognize - and I have always LOVED that little-houses motel on Kingsway!"
- Karen, Vancouver, BC

"I liked how the many plots were resolved. A real coming-of-age story..."
- Mark, Anmore, BC

"WOW. Your sense of storytelling is amazing and I was definitely moved and intrigued by the characters, their experiences and views of life. I am excited to buy the book and check out your other projects!"
- Christina, Coffee News, Vancouver, BC

"I really liked it! When's the next book coming out? I really want to know what's going to happen to these characters."
- Lori, New Westminster, BC