We're back with another awesome blog tour for an amazing book you don't want to miss. Allie Nava is launching a blog tour for her book July and Everything After. Fans of Paolo Coelho, Amy Tan, Vaddey Ratner, and Khaled Hosseini will be captivated by July and Everything After, a modern tale of resilience and transformation against extraordinary odds. Join us as we celebrate the launch of her book with a giveaway and an interview with the author.
But before we get to that, here's more about her book:
Maya’s journey from America to her birth country was meant to be a nostalgic visit. Instead, it became a fight for survival.
On the eve of Maya's 22nd birthday, civil war breaks out in Sri Lanka. During what will become known as “Black July,” Maya is targeted and attacked in the organized massacres and pogroms against minorities, and she barely escapes the genocidal chaos.
Haunted by the horrors she witnessed, Maya returns to the US and tries to rally a diverse group of allies to help expose the atrocities in her birth country, among them her Norwegian-American best friend, a magnanimous Catholic nun, and a gifted young man from her past.
Bent on justice, Maya isn’t prepared for the unexpected twists and turns and confrontations with a nemesis that will test her resolve. As the war and humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka intensify, so does Maya’s disillusionment, but contact with a mysterious mentor whose wisdom she once ignored holds the key to her future.
Fans of Paolo Coelho, Amy Tan, Vaddey Ratner, and Khaled Hosseini will be captivated by July and Everything After, a modern tale of resilience and transformation against extraordinary odds and war.
Publisher: DartFrog Books (September 16, 2024)
ISBN: 1965253059
ISBN: 978-1965253052
AISN: B0DHFWGP1P
Print length: 238 pages
Purchase your copy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You'll also want to add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, Allie Nava
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Allie Nava is an American writer who survived the violent anti-minority massacres of 1970s Sri Lanka. A former executive and writing advisor, she’s been a board member or advocate for several mission-oriented organizations including Bellevue Literary Review and Golden Seeds. She has been an invited speaker at several ideas festivals, universities, and conferences, an expert panelist for WNYC (The Brian Lehrer Show), and has been recognized for her work by several organizations including Amazon, Harvard, and Asia Society. She is a member of The Authors Guild.
Newsletter: https://alliestories8.substack.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alliestories8
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Website: https://www.AllieNava.com
--- Interview by Jodi M. Webb
WOW: Congratulations on July and Everything After. Were you ever concerned that readers would be unfamiliar with the events of the Sri Lankan civil war featured in your book?
Allie: The story is as much an American story, as it is one with events that take place across both the US and South Asia. It is the story of human resilience and transcendence, based on an American citizen’s experience with oppression and terror in her birth country in 1983, and how she tries to grapple with the fallout while attempting to rally personal US allies. I wanted to introduce an overlooked chapter of human history as a vessel for telling this story of resilience against extraordinary odds, to underscore that the themes are universal. I hope readers get something meaningful out of the story, whether it be a view into human resilience, or the action-packed excitement of the story itself, or even a bit of romance.
WOW: Was it difficult writing a fictional account of a world event that you lived through?
Allie: While I wasn’t physically present in South Asia in 1983, I was attacked there during the events in 1977, and was fortunate to survive, while hundreds of others died. That experience did provide me with a unique lens through which to try to tell this story as authentically as possible through a fictional format, what a character might go through and feel moment to moment, before, during, and after such incidents, and the various personal issues that one might grapple with. The characters' experiences also include the triumphs in life, the friendships, the romances, the lighter moments, and a path that the journey of resilience might take. I did also conduct research and interviews to learn more, and I believe this was a powerful and important aspect of being able to develop and tell the story.
WOW: Sorry, I mixed up the events of 1977 and 1983. Just like Maya, and indeed yourself, it seems most people have some degree of trauma in their past. What have you found to be the best advice for moving past trauma?
Allie: My observation is that while many people learn to move past trauma through their own life experiences grappling with it, for those that continue to struggle, a mentor figure can play an important role in helping that person move past that trauma, whether that mentor figure be a friend, or therapist, or religious figure, or something else. Many people also have shared with me that their exposure to philosophies that focus on self-awareness, learning, truth-seeking, analysis, and personal responsibility, also can expedite this healing process.
WOW: July and Everything After has been a success. Can you tell us something surprising about being the author of a bestselling book?
Allie: I am in awe of the generosity of readers and friends who have supported the book or said they gained something meaningful from it. I’ve also been surprised by the amount of time it takes to move from a fully written manuscript through a revision process, especially the one I embarked on myself before I even showed it to an editor. I appreciate the process though, because I witnessed how a book can improve through those many revisions, as well as benefitted from perspectives of beta readers and an outside editor.
WOW: Can you tell us a little about your life beyond your writing?
Allie: When I’m not writing for my next book, I dedicate myself to work that moves opportunity forward for women in various ways. Through my prior career, my current projects, and my volunteer endeavors, I focus on working with organizations that advance economic, leadership, and creative arts opportunities for women. Outside of that, I enjoy discovering new restaurants, new walking trails, and new travel destinations, though there are many places I also enjoy returning. I love learning about the history of the places I visit. And yes, I appreciate reading new books and of course a great romance (be it film or book)!
WOW: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us today. Good luck with your next book!
-- Blog Tour Calendar
November 11th @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Allie Nava's novel July and Everything After. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of her book.
November 13th @ Create Write Now
In today's spotlight, learn more about July and Everything After by Allie Nava.
November 14th @ Pages and Paws
Stop by for a review of July and Everything After.
November 17th @ Just Katherine
Novelist Allie Nava writes about Carving a Tunnel of Hope.
November 18th @ Tracey Lampley
"Expect to self-rescue. No help is coming.” Learn more in today's guest post by writer Allie Nava.
November 19th @ The Faerie Review
Need an addition to your TBR pile? Check out today's spotlight of July and Everything After by Allie Nava.
November 20th @ Pages and Paws
Author Allie Nava will also be sharing a guest post on kindness as the antidote to anger.
November 21st @ Some Thoughts - Everything Creativity
Novelist Allie Nava is writing about drawing your own conclusions.
November 23rd @ Words by Webb
Celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with a new author. Read a review of Allie Nava' July and Everything After.
November 25th @ Chapter Break
Julie interviews author Allie Nava. Learn more about her and her novel July and Everything After.
November 27th @ A Storybook World
Today's guest poster, Allie Nava, writes about The Choice to Heal.
November 30th @ Nikki's Book Reviews
Stop by for Nikki's review of July and Everything After, a novel by Allie Nava.
December 4th @ What Is That Book About
Start out a new month with a spotlight on a new book: July and Everything After.
December 7th @ A Wonderful World of Words
Allie Nava is visiting with a post about Positive Growth.
December 10th @ Choices
Author Allie Nava, author of July and Everything After, guest posts about Being Overlooked or Ignored.
December 15th @ Jill Sheets
Learn more about author Allie Nava and her novel July and Everything After in today's interview.
December 15th @ Boots, Shoes and Fashion
Linda is chatting with Allie Nava about her novel July and Everything After.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a print copy of July and Everything After by Allie Nava! Fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win. The giveaway ends November 24 at 11:59 pm CT. We will randomly draw a winner the next day via Rafflecopter and follow up via email. Good luck!
Sounds like a great read. Especially enjoyed the author interview.
ReplyDeleteI visited beautiful Sri Lanka a few years ago and exactly one week after I came home, the restaurant I ate at was bombed. You just never know. I look forward to reading your novel.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely enjoy this read. It's also nice to see that the author really dedicates her free time to helping women is so many ways. Have a brilliant day everyone.
ReplyDeleteDo you write in a daily journal?
ReplyDeleteJournaling in general is a great exercise
DeleteCongratulations on your book.
ReplyDeleteThank you
DeleteVery excited to give this book a read. It sounds super interesting!
ReplyDeleteI like the Sri Lanka photo
ReplyDelete