Gina Rae Mitchell

Book Review: A Song that Never Ends (Hamilton Place Book 1) by Mark A. Gibson | #historicalfiction #familysaga #thriller @ireadbooktours @MGibsonAuthor23

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me with the information for this tour.

Quick Summary

A Song that Never Ends is the first installment of the Hamilton Place series, an epic family saga extending from the Great Depression to the present day. Through war and peace, love and loss, triumph and tragedy; follow the Hamilton family on their journey from a run-down farm in South Carolina, through the jungles of Vietnam, to the top of the world in New York City, and beyond the gardens of stone at Arlington.

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Book Details

A Song that Never Ends by Mark A. Gibson
Series: Hamilton Place, Book 1
Published by Hamilton Press on January 2, 2024
Genres: Adult Fiction 18+, Historical Fiction, Saga, Thriller, Time-Travel
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 338

Home.
For over three hundred years, that's what the Hamilton family has called a shrinking swath of farmland in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina.
Home.
That's the failing tobacco farm where Walter and Maggie Hamilton choose to raise their three children. Walter has big plans to make the farm more profitable, but his plans are interrupted by World War II and family heartbreak. Walter returns from the war a changed man and finds Maggie, too, has changed, neither of them for the better. But at least their family is together again at...
Home.
More than anything, that's where their eight-year-old son, Jimmy Hamilton, wants to be. However, after an unspeakable tragedy, he's sent away from the only life he's ever known to live with a kindly uncle in North Carolina.
Home.
That's where Jimmy is finally going to be, unless fate has plans of its own...
A Song that Never Ends is the first installment of the Hamilton Place series, an epic family saga extending from the Great Depression to present day. Through war and peace, love and loss, triumph and tragedy, follow the Hamilton family on their journey from a run-down farm in South Carolina, through the jungles of Vietnam, to the top of the world in New York City, and beyond the gardens of stone at Arlington.

Source: iRead Book Tours

Content Rating: A soft R for the following: Language, although appropriate for the situation, does have a smattering (perhaps 5 uses over 350 pages) of the F-word. Sexual situations are more so implied than graphic, although there is one soft description of fellatio. There is no use of derogatory descriptions for persons, sexes, or races. No graphic violence is described.

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Purchase Links for A Song That Never Ends

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My thoughts on A Song That Never Ends

“A Song that Never Ends” by Mark A. Gibson, the first book in the Hamilton Place series, takes readers on an emotional journey spanning from the Great Depression to 1967. Set in the Appalachian foothills of South Carolina, the story revolves around the Hamilton family and their struggles on a failing tobacco farm. Walter and Maggie Hamilton, along with their children, face heartbreak and upheaval as they navigate through World War II and personal tragedies.

The narrative vividly depicts the landscape of the Appalachian region and immerses readers in the challenges faced by the Hamilton family. The gripping tale follows young Jimmy Hamilton, who longs for the comfort of home despite being sent away after a devastating loss. As fate intervenes, the family’s journey unfolds, encompassing themes of love, loss, and resilience.

Gibson’s storytelling is captivating with its detailed descriptions and compelling characters, drawing readers into the tumultuous yet hopeful world of the Hamiltons. From the depths of despair to the heights of triumph, “A Song that Never Ends” promises to be an epic saga of family, resilience, and the enduring power of home.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I love to read books through my  Amazon Kindle Unlimited subscription. 

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Guest Post by Mark A. Gibson

My Writing Process

 

In Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Mr. King suggests that authors should have a dedicated time each day, and a dedicated space for writing. The space, he says, should be free of distractions, be they human, animal or electronic. Music of the author’s choice, may be played to help drown out distractions, or to help set the mood for writing. Otherwise, the space should be totally insulated from the outside world for the entire time.

By volume, popularity and staying power within the industry, it is pretty clear that Mr. King’s approach is working well for him. Indeed, the vast majority of writer sites espouse similar methodologies to his.

Therefore, by just about anyone’s estimation, my writing “process”—such as it is—must seem totally bizarre.

Those few of you who know me, or have perused the “About the Author” section of one of my books know that I am, by training and practice, a cardiologist. Having never taken a class in creative writing, and until recently, having never read any books about writing, I developed my own rather unique approach to writing.

During the week, I live in a cabin in the woods near a small town in Georgia. My wife and family live four hours away in Tennessee. Working as I do, well away from human distractions, one might think that I’d have the perfect writer’s den, totally serene and free from all distractions.

And in truth, I do…or at least, I should.

In actuality, I share a house with a very needy cat who will not allow me to work at home. If I try, she sits on my keyboard. If I move her, she comes back. If I close the door—anyone who is owned by a cat knows that will never happen—I’ll never hear the end of it.

So, I write at work. I write in between patient visits in my office; a sentence here, a paragraph there. The thought of having dedicated time and a quiet space is laughable. I spend my days switching between right and left-brain activities. Some days, I generate a respectable 2400 words. Others, I’ll manage only 250.

At the end of each day, I’ll have the computer voice read back to me whatever I’ve written. It helps me to work through kludgy sentences. It’s particularly helpful when writing dialog. If it sounds funny when the computer reads it, I re-work the paragraph to reduce, hopefully, my reader’s suffering.

Is my method unusual? Definitely. Does it work for me? Perhaps not as well as Stephen King’s does for him, but I’ve written two novels, a collection of short stories and a diet book in this fashion. You be the judge.

There may be other people out there who might try employing my approach.

The average mom juggles 2.5 kids, a job, soccer practice, cheerleading practice, all while keeping house with little or no help. If she had a story she wanted to write and attempted to follow King’s method, the only time available would be between 2-4AM!

On the other hand, if she wrote a sentence here, a paragraph there…maybe…

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Easy Amazon Links

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Using my link does not change the price you pay. Amazon pays me a minimal amount out of their share. 

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Giveaway!

Win author-signed copies of A SONG THAT NEVER ENDS and ROSES IN DECEMBER (Hamilton Place) (USA only) (ends Mar 1)

Please visit more stops on the tour for extra chances to win!

Official Tour Page for A Song That Never Ends

 

A SONG THAT NEVER ENDS (Hamilton Place) by Mark Gibson Book Tour Giveaway

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Book Title: A Song that Never Ends (Hamilton Place Book I) by Mark A. Gibson
Category: Adult Fiction 18 yrs +, 338 pages
Genre: Family Saga Fiction, Thriller, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Hamilton Press (Self)
Release date: January, 2024
Tour dates: Feb 5 to Feb 23, 2024
Content Rating: A soft R for the following: Language, although appropriate for situation, does have a smattering (perhaps 5 uses over 350 pages) of the F-word. Sexual situations are more so implied than graphic, although there is one soft description of fellatio. There is no use of derogatory descriptions for persons, sexes or races. No graphic violence is described.

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