REACTIONS TO MY NEW NOVEL
ARE BEGINNING TO APPEAR
Reviews and customer comments on my new novel, MY BROTHER’S KEEPER, are starting to turn up. Reading those first reactions is always gratifying to an author.
By the time you reach the point where people can evaluate your work, you’ve been absorbed in your story and characters for years — writing, rewriting, polishing. You can’t be sure if what you think is good about the book might not just come down to familiarity.
So it’s reassuring when other people say complimentary things.
Two commenters on Amazon.com offered very encouraging words. The first…
“Well worth reading. Kassel Takes Biblical facts, Historic facts, Jewish facts and traditions and weaves them into a compelling narrative. The dialogue is believable and enlightening. You really feel like you are there it is so well written and believable. I honestly couldn’t put it down even though I know the end as the Bible tells it. Kassel captures the emotions of the characters and they are believable. A very compelling and enjoyable read.”
And the second…
“The subject matter and historical period are interesting to me so I find this a good read. I am Catholic but I think the book would be of interest to any Christian who would like to read a fictionalized rendering of what life might have been like for Jesus’ brother James.”
Both readers posted five stars — which, at this point, gives me 100 percent on my Amazon feedback. Here’s hoping the count stays high.
Longtime professional acquaintance Dave Hartline, for several years proprietor of the popular (and now sadly missed) online journal, Catholic Report, has offered his thoughts about MY BROTHER’S KEEPER. Writing on the blog, American Catholic, he had a few very kind things to say about yours truly…
“The one thing everyone needs to know about Bill is that when he decides to take on a project, it is going to be done right. Besides being an accomplished writer, Bill is a top notch musician and was spotted as such at a very early age. You get the point Bill knows what he is doing.”
More to the point, Dave gets what I’m trying to do with the book, which he observes is…
“…a very serious three-part work on the life the Holy Family might have lived, since the Gospels only give us a hint of what life must have been like for Jesus, Mary and Joseph….
“This serious work technically isn’t a historical or fictional account. It lies somewhere in the middle, since it is well researched….
Dave also offers some keen insight into current conditions in the book publishing business which he notes is…
“…in a state of near disarray. Like the music industry, the book world has never quite wrapped it’s arms around the digital impact on the business. Whereas once Evangelical bookstores were the envy of Catholic bookstores owners, Evangelicals now almost wish they had the Catholic sacramental sales to help them through a very tough stretch….”
If Dave is suggesting that MY BROTHER’S KEEPER might have some positive impact on the fortunes of Christian booksellers, I can only say…
From your lips to God’s ear!
In the end, he urges readers to…
“Take a step back in time and imagine how you would have thought had you lived in Israel some 2,000 years ago dealing with the harsh reality of daily life in the cruel world of the Roman occupied Middle East. When you heard stories of Jesus of Nazareth would you have been a believer? Bill Kassel is willing to help you find out.”
More than willing, actually.
The current eBook edition of MY BROTHER’S KEEPER is available in all digital reader formats for $5.99 from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and other online eBook retailers. Additional information about the book can be found by clicking here.
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Dave Hartline speaks with some experience in the crafting of books. He is the author of The Tide Is Turning Toward Catholicism (2006) and its follow-up, The Catholic Tide Continues to Turn (2012) — both of which have gotten some attention in the world of apologetics. His thoughts on my writing can be found at American Catholic…
http://the-american-catholic.com/2016/04/24/a-review-of-bill-kassels-my-brothers-keeper/
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