The Strong Amongst Us by J. A. Boulet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Historical Fiction
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB: On a stormy day in October 1875, a boatload of Icelandic explorers crash land on a beach paradise called Willow Point on Lake Winnipeg. Except it proves to be anything but paradise. On that fateful day, young Nathan Olason steps afoot onto the soil of a foreign country, a place that he is determined to claim as his new home. Against a stunning backdrop of Lake Winnipeg, Nath and his relatives struggle to stay alive against all odds in this strange unforgiving new country called Canada. With natural sand beaches and breathtaking sunsets, the lake quickly changes to a menacing force, with massive storm surges and frigid temperatures, claiming lives like flies. Nath soon realizes that to claim this wilderness as New Iceland, he must persevere. Events soon blow wildly out of control as heavy snowfalls, emerging governments, racism and mass starvation tests Nathan’s limits. With the help of a beautiful local Cree woman named Anwa, they learn vital hunting and ice fishing skills, teaching themselves how to live off the land. Then just when they think they have prevailed, tragedy strikes an ominous blow, a smallpox epidemic that decimates villages, quarantines the town of Gimli, but most of all threatens to claim what he holds dear the most. With stirring realism, surprising bits of humour and steamy romance scenes, The Strong Amongst Us weaves a rich historical tale of immigration, manhood, immense love and resilience, leaving readers empowered by the sheer will of the human spirit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE: The book is on sale for $0.99 on Kobo during the tour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT: He stared at the beautiful sun, peering over the horizon of gentle waves. The coldness stung, but he embraced it. The lake was much calmer today. He loved it actually; luck was on his side. They would most likely be able to send the funds request of the remaining five-thousand-dollar loan to the Dominion today by boat. A movement caught his eye. Someone was pulling in a larger boat. He stood and used his hand to shelter from the sun. He squinted into the bright rays. It was just one person, pulling in the boat. He strapped his boots on and scurried over to the dock. “Hey, do you need a hand?” Nathanael shouted as he approached. A woman’s voice lilted into the air, gentle but full of strength. “No, I am okay.” “No, I must! Let me help you,” Nathan insisted. She looked at him stubbornly, shook her head and relented. “If you must.” Nath grabbed the rope and helped pull in the boat, anchoring it along the sand. “Is this the boat that will be taking the letter to the Dominion for us today?” “It is, yes,” she replied. “Sorry for my English. I am still learning.” “You are native to this land?” Nath asked. “How long have you lived here?” “Forever,” she laughed. “Ma and Pa were born here, so was I.” “Interesting,” Nath said. “It is a beautiful land. And a beautiful lake.” “Yes, Nath, it is,” she replied. “You remembered my name?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Author:
The Strong Amongst Us J. A. Boulet
The writing space in my head
Nath was confused. Why were the horses pulling back? He grabbed his horse’s reins and guided the animal to another tree. His horse was almost fighting him as he finally tied the animal’s reins.
That was when he sensed something might be wrong.
Horses don’t do that unless they are frightened, he thought. Nath looked at Anwa; he could tell that she was thinking the same thing. She dug in the sleigh bag and handed him the rifle.
My imagination is a place like none other. I live with my characters there. I rejoice when they're happy, cry when they're sad and am frightened when they are faced with life threatening events. It is a world that existed over 100 years ago but the emotions haven’t changed; the lessons remain the same as we would experience today. History repeats itself, they say. The lessons I personally have learned from writing this novel go beyond anything I thought would have happened.
The writing space in my head is a dimension like none other. It is my safe place, where I can be myself and allow my characters to teach me integrity and perseverance. But most of all, my characters teach me how to truly love; to love myself, to be vulnerable with a partner and to believe in something better again.
Welcome to my writing space, have a seat and enjoy the passion I have released. This is my special place; the only home where I can share the gift of imagination. The Strong Amongst Us (Book One of The Olason Chronicles) is a story that must be heard. I felt strongly from day one with this saga and still get overwhelmed with emotion every time I read it. Hopefully it changes you as it has changed me. Thanks for reading and thanks to Gimme The Scoop for allowing me to share my story.
Enjoy a free excerpt on my website:
Chapter One Preview
https://jaboulet.ca/page/chapter-1-preview-book-one
Kobo (limited .99 sale during the Blog Tour)
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-strong-amongst-us
Bio
J. A. Boulet was raised in Western Canada. Both her parents were landed immigrants from Hungary, a direct result of the mass emigration during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. J. A. Boulet was born many years later as a Generation Xer and a first-generation Canadian. She started writing poetry at the age of five and subsequently progressed to short stories and novels. Writing has always maintained a strong current of passion throughout her life. She recently left her career in finance to pursue her dreams of being an author. She currently lives in Canada with her two teenaged sons and a pet crested gecko name Mossio.
The Strong Amongst Us is available on Amazon, Kobo books and Chapters:
Amazon
For US: https://www.amazon.com/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR CANADA: https://www.amazon.ca/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR EUROPE: https://www.amazon.de/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR FRANCE: https://www.amazon.fr/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR SPAIN: https://www.amazon.es/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR ITALY: https://www.amazon.it/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR JAPAN: https://www.amazon.co.jp/Strong-Amongst-Us-Olason-Chronicles/dp/B087SFLJFP
FOR AUSTRALIA: https://www.amazon.com.au/Strong-Amongst-Olason-Chronicles-Book-ebook/dp/B088F1TDW7
Chapters Indigo
Kobo (.99 sale during the Blog Tour)
https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-strong-amongst-us
My website
AUTHOR Bio and Links: J. A. Boulet is the passionate author of The Olason Chronicles, a historical saga of immigration, love and perseverance. The Strong Amongst Us Book 1 was released on Amazon in April 2020. She was born and raised in Western Canada as a first generation Canadian from European descent. Her parents landed in St. John’s, NFLD as refugees in 1956, a direct result of the Hungarian Revolution. J. A. Boulet was born many years later, raised in a strong Hungarian culture and proudly calls Canada home to this day. She started writing poetry at the age of five and progressed to short stories and novels. She has a keen interest in history, healing, family bonds and embracing the unknown. J. A Boulet writes with a spine-tingling realism like none other, grabbing your emotions and refusing to let go. The Strong Within Us Book 2 is scheduled to be released on November 11, 2020. She currently lives in Canada with her two teenaged sons and a crested gecko named Mossio. Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Reddit.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/love_walk_life
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jabouletauthor/
YouTube: https://youtu.be/yl_CnBze4ds
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/NormalFemale
Website: https://jaboulet.ca/
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087SFLJFP
Twitter link: https://twitter.com/love_walk_life
Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/jabouletauthor/
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/yl_CnBze4ds
Reddit link: https://www.reddit.com/user/NormalFemale
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. A. Boulet will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. RAFFLECOPTER:
Congratulations on your release and thanks for sharing your great book.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI love Historical Fiction. Love the location.
ReplyDeleteI love history! The location is actually very beautiful in a raw sort of way.
Delete😁
ReplyDeleteThank you for allowing me to share my book!!
ReplyDeleteThis historical is captivating and intriguing. I was extremely interested in learning about the author and her life. I lived in Canada most of my life.
ReplyDeleteCanada is a beautiful country and I'm so glad that I'm a Canadian.
DeleteThis historical is captivating and intriguing. I was extremely interested in learning about the author and her life. I lived in Canada most of my life.
ReplyDeletefantastic cover. sure caught my eye
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thank you 😊
DeleteEnjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a fantastic read! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your release! What did you most enjoy about writing it?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed riding the waves of artistic passion and focus. It was an exhilarating ride in a different world when love just happened the old fashioned way and life was so much harder back then. I just finished Book Two and I miss writing already.
DeleteI really like the cover, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like a fascinating book. Love the cover!
ReplyDeleteThat cover is breathtaking! I enjoy stories set in Canada's past.
ReplyDelete