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“Farsighted” by Emlyn Chand Blog Tour
(I LOVE this book cover!)
Farsighted on:
Today is a big day. The Novel Publicity “Farsighted” (by Emlyn Chand) blog tour. I am honored to be a part of this ENORMOUS tour and am so pleased to have received an ARC of “Farsighted” for a tour. First, before I give my review of “Farsighted”, there is something VERY, VERY COOL that you should know. As a part of the tour, our oh-so-generous Emlyn has promised to giveaway a $100 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter of all the blogs chosen by http://random.org and to enter all you have to do is comment on tomorrow’s post! Wow! That is so kind! I hope one of you, my loyal followers, win! Be sure to enter. And now for my review:
Admittedly, I didn’t expect to enjoy “Farsighted” that much because it isn’t something that I would normally read, genre and plot-wise. It sounded like an interesting read, maybe a little out of my league, but I agreed to read and review it for this blog tour because a) it has great reviews on Goodreads and b) this is a HUGE release, so I wanted to be a part of it. And I am so happy I made the decision to read it. “Farsighted” was a very, very pleasant surprise.
I am giving this book five stars because I absolutely loved it! I truly felt myself sinking into the protagonist – Alex, who is, frankly, blind – and really feeling for him. To me, Alex made this novel so great. He was a three-dimensional character who I fell in love with after only about the first chapter. I could really connect with Alex, feel what he was feeling, and his tremendous personality really seized me. I have never read about a character who I felt so close to in a novel before. Alex is, indeed, blind. Although he is an outcast who is constantly bullied at school, he handles life with ease and without complaint. He is jubilant, sympathetic and not at all seeking pity. However, he is not exactly a chick magnet and had pretty much given up on girls when a new student, Simmi, came to school. Simmi’s character is also very well-developed. Simmi is a friendly transfer from India and she becomes the first person to ever befriend Alex. They hit it off, cherish each others’ company and Alex begins to smell girlfriend in his future. Just one problem. Simmi thinks of him as a brother. I absolutely loved this whole quirky romance between the two of them and Alex’s thoughts on it, as well as the strong internal conflict he was experiencing over the dilemma. He wants to be her girlfriend, but he is afraid that it would destory their relationship altogether if he asks her out and if she declines. Of course, there is so much more to the story than the awkward romance between the two – this is just a side-story – but because that was, for me, the most relatable and entertaining aspect of the novel, I decided to highlight it in this review. The storyline also contained a number of unseen twists that really caught me off-guard and the whole seeing (well, actually hearing. Alex can’t see) the future, paranormal aspect of the novel intrigued me to great extents.
Driven by strong, loveable characters and the author’s compelling voice, this is a must read debut novel by Emlyn Chand. I can’t wait for the second in the series! To all of you doubting me, I say this: don’t be afraid because this novel is out of your genre; READ THE BOOK!
Blog Tour Notes
THE BOOK: Alex Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t. When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24 (for the author’s birthday).
THE CASH PRIZES: Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too! Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your vote, visit the official Farsighted blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for your help with that.
THE GIVEAWAYS: Win 1 of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d like an autographed postcard from the author; you can request one on her site.
THE AUTHOR: Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
MORE FUN: There’s more fun below. Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out which character is most like you!
Why Being A Self-Published Author Is Kind of Being Like A Salem Witch
I’m very excited to host Emyln Chand, author of “Farsighted”, for this guest post. As a preview, tomorrow I will be posting my review of “Farsighted” as a part of this HUGE blog tour. The release of “Farsighted” truly is a big deal in the world of indie writing. Why should you read tomorrow’s post? Well, here’s a reason. As a part of the tour, our oh-so-generous Emyln has promised to giveaway a $100 Amazon Gift Card to one lucky commenter of all the blogs chosen by http://random.org and to enter all you have to do is comment on tomorrow’s post! Cool, huh? And now for the guest post!
This is a guest post by Emlyn Chand, author of
Farsighted
Let’s face it – the publishing industry is changing. We can all pretty much agree on that, right?
What we’ve got on our hands is an oncoming era of enlightenment (I prefer that to the often-touted “revolution”). ‘T wasn’t long ago that being a self-published author was practically as shocking and horrific as being a witch in Salem, Massachusetts circa 1700.
“What damnation have you wrought upon yourself? Upon us all?” The traditional pub villagers would cry as they rushed for their pitch
forks and torches. “Be gone with you, unnatural creatures!”
And those unkind words were enough to send us packing. They didn’t have to chase us out of the village, for we never had any real magic, we were never any real threat.
Until…
We opened our eyes. We saw the true powers we possessed, and we saw the villagers for what they lacked.
We are able to manipulate our circumstances. We have more control than any who’ve gone before us. Self-publishing truly is magic.
But we can’t just walk around all blasé, showing off our green skin and harry warts while levitating our way through the park. That would be a mistake. We need to put on a little bit of concealer and keep our feet on the ground. We wouldn’t want to scare them away.
Similarly, a self-published or indie author needs to put on a bit of a show. We need to know when to conform to the “village” way of life
and when to do our own damn thang. If we can get them to come in for a closer look, they might understand our allure. Then they’ll stop being so afraid.
Our make-up isn’t Maybelline to cover that green skin (I ♥ you, Elphaba). No. We apply our foundation by writing a truly fetching and well-edited manuscript. We dab on the blush when we take the time and expense needed to don an attractive book cover. Our lipstick is a professional, personal, and functional web presence.
Don’t we look pretty? We do, I tell you. And we’re all the more beautiful for knowing that we possess something so much deeper within:
creativity, stick-to-it-ness, bravery, and of course – magic.
If you really examine the state of the publishing industry, it’s not the traditional house execs that populate the villages. Oh, they’re definitely the mayors, the cryers, and a few other choice townspeople. But if you want to see who lives in the village, go and knock on a few doors.
It’s the readers, bibliophiles, book addicts. They’re the ones who built this town. The mayor would have no village to govern if ‘tweren’t for them.
And thank God for it!
We arrived on their doorsteps – beaten, bloody, in need of a hot meal and a bit of rest. They may have been put off by our bedraggled
appearance, but they ultimately let us in and showed us the true nature of their hospitality.
I kind of like this town; I think I’ll move in 
Blog Tour
Notes
THE BOOK: Alex
Kosmitoras may be blind, but he can still “see” things others can’t.
When his unwanted visions of the future begin to suggest that the girl he likes
could be in danger, he has no choice but to take on destiny and demand it
reconsider. Get your copy today by visiting Amazon.com’s Kindle store or the eBook
retailer of your choice. The paperback edition will be available on November 24
(for the author’s birthday).
THE CASH PRIZES:
Guess what? You could win a $100 Amazon gift card as part of this special blog
tour. That’s right! Just leave a comment below saying something about the post
you just read, and you’ll be entered into the raffle. I could win $100 too!
Please help by voting for my blog in the traffic-breaker poll. To cast your
vote, visit the official Farsighted
blog tour page and scroll all the way to the bottom. Thank you for
your help with that.
THE GIVEAWAYS: Win 1
of 10 autographed copies of Farsighted before its
paperback release by entering the giveaway on GoodReads. Perhaps you’d
like an autographed postcard from the author;
you can request one on her site.
THE AUTHOR: Emlyn
Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb
with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s
not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of
author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is
available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t
forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!
MORE FUN: There’s more fun below.
Watch the live action Farsighted book trailer and take the quiz to find out
which character is most like you!
