Saturday, May 10, 2014

Spotlight Feature: Luminis Books Virtual Tour


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 January 15, 2014
Media Contact:
Brian Buerkle, Publicist
ruAsquare@yahoo.com


Beautiful and Lyrical Novel Reveals Deep Understanding of String Theory and Spiritual Metaphysics
Is there a God, and if so, is science fighting a losing battle in its search for the ultimate Theory of Everything?

Carmel, IN—Sometimes the most amazing glimpse of the infinite comes through the prism of the human spirit. This is the premise of a new novel that brings to the forefront the ongoing debate between science and religion about some of the most fundamental questions of all: “How did the universe come into being?” “Why does it behave the way it does?” and, “Why is there something as opposed to nothing at all?”

ANTIPHONY (Luminis Books; $18.95) by Chris Katsaropoulos dramatically depicts the downfall of Theodore, a String Theory physicist who commits the biggest faux pas in the world of science, proposing to his colleagues at a major international conference that perhaps consciousness—God—could be the missing piece in discovering the Final Theory of the universe. To the horror of everyone at the meeting, Theodore proposes, “What if the Universe is really a giant thought?”

ANTIPHONY traces the downward spiral of Theodore’s career in the wake of what he has said, and the remarkable transformation that leads him into the depths of madness . . . or the revelation of the Final Theory, the ultimate secret of the universe.

Katsaropoulos explores Theodore’s downfall with a depth of feeling and meaning that is expressed in a lyrical style that challenges readers to think beyond what is readily apparent and on the surface of things. As novelist Al Riske put it in his recent review of ANTIPHONY, “Katsaropoulos has a way of delving deeply into what seem like small moments—the whole novel takes place in just three or four days—and capturing all their nuances and vibrating tension.”

As Riske says in his review, “Throughout Antiphony, the protagonist experiences dreams and visions that fill pages the way a flash flood fills a ravine—a torrent of words flowing into the space between the margins and pressing onward to the next page and the next. It makes me wonder how he did it.”

Is there a God, and if so, is science fighting a losing battle in its search for the ultimate Theory of Everything? In the end, ANTIPHONY lets each reader decide for themselves…

Luminis Books was launched in October 2008 with a mission to publish meaningful fiction for children and adults. As an independent publisher, Luminis has the opportunity to champion excellence in fiction from new authors who might not get the attention of the larger houses. Luminis Books is distributed by IPG.


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Advance Praise

Antiphony is, in many ways, an awe-inspiring novel. It was, I think, written in awe. Awe of science and reason. Awe of intuition and faith. Awe of the one and the many... Chris Katsaropoulos has a way of delving deeply into what seem like small moments... It makes me wonder how he did it.
—Al Riske, author of Sabrina's Window and Precarious

What I found most engaging about Antiphony are the questions it raises. Katsaropoulos raises many intriguing questions that offer metaphysical food for the mind. Read the book! The story is fascinating, and the writing is powerful and poetic.
—Joseph Yurt, blogcritics, Seattle PI

Hold on to your chair or you will be totally transported out of your comfort zone by Antiphony. It doesn't matter if you haven't the foggiest idea what String Theory is...You will fall down a metaphorical rabbit hole alongside a scientist driven to prove his theory. Katsaropoulos is an emerging fresh literary voice...
—Rita Kohn, NUVO Newsweekly

Antiphony is, in many ways, an awe-inspiring novel. It was, I think, written in awe. Awe of science and reason. Awe of intuition and faith. Awe of the one and the many, unity and diversity. Writer Chris Katsaropoulos has a way of delving deeply into what seem like small moments-the whole novel takes place in just three or four days-and capturing all their nuances and vibrating tension. Throughout Antiphony, the protagonist (a physicist researching string theory) experiences dreams and visions that fill pages the way a flash flood fills a ravine-a torrent of words flowing into the space between the margins and pressing onward to the next page and the next. It makes me wonder how he did it.             —Al Riske, author of SABRINA'S WINDOW and PRECARIOUS
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Chris Katsaropoulos is the author of more than a dozen books, including two novels, Fragile and Antiphony. He has been an editor at several major publishing houses and has published numerous trade books, textbooks, and novels over the course of his publishing career. Chris has traveled extensively in Europe and North America and enjoys playing the piano and hiking in out of the way places. Complex Knowing, the first collection of his poetry, is forthcoming from Luminis Books in September 2014. Visit http://antiphonyck.blogspot.com to read more, including his most recent poems. 


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Kirkus Reviews: “Readers will appreciate the fast-paced, compelling drama. A good choice for people who hope there’s more to space than space.”


THE FIELD
by Tracy Richardson
Fans of Firestorm - The Caretaker Trilogy by David Klass will love THE FIELD!


Eric Horton has been having visions - terrible dreams that wake him up at night - of explosions and fire and someone screaming. On the soccer field, he's been in the 'zone', saving shot after shot as one of the starting keepers for his high school varsity team with what feels like supernatural awareness of where the ball is going to go next. And the connection he feels with Renee, the hot new student from France, seems almost like he's known her forever. Still all these wild visions and synchronicities are nothing compared to the strange experiments Renee's dad is cooking up in the physics lab at the University. He's asked Eric to take part in  these tests,  and that  makes  Eric question  whether  what he's  seeing and  hearing is  reality,  or 
something far beyond it.

When his best friend Will starts drinking way too much and Renee has eyes for other guys, Eric loses the edge he's always had in the goal, and confidence in himself. If he's going to pull it together, Eric must tap into a part of himself that he never knew existed, and that might just be the part that connects us all.

"The Field plunges the reader into the realistic world of high school soccer and the mystical world of the Universal Energy Field—an intriguing combination." 
Judith L. Roth, author of Serendipity and Me

Tracy Richardson lives in Indiana with her family and their Jack Russell terrier, Ernie. When her children started reading, she rediscovered her childhood favorites and began developing stories of her own. Images from growing up on Lake Michigan feature prominently in her novels, and sometimes bits and pieces of actual people and events—with the names changed to protect the innocent! THE FIELD is her second novel and features one of the characters from her previous YA novel, Indian Summer. Connect with Tracy through her blog: http://tracyrichardson.wordpress.com


THE FIELD
by Tracy Richardson
Luminis Books
October 12 2013 * Ages 12+  224 Pages
Hardcover: $15.95 * ISBN: 978-1-935462-83-5
Paperback: $11.95 * ISBN: 978-1-935462-82-8
E-book: $7.95 * ISBN: 978-1-935462-84-2

 was launched in October 2008 with a mission to publish meaningful literary fiction for children and adults. As an independent publisher, Luminis has the opportunity to champion excellence in literary fiction from new authors who might not get the attention of the larger houses. Learn more about Luminis Books at www.luminisbooks.com.

Tracy Richardson  lives in Indiana with her family and their dog, Ernie. When her children started reading she rediscovered all her childhood favorites and began developing stories of her own. Images from her childhood growing up on Lake Michigan and the landscape of Indiana feature prominently in her novels, and sometimes bits and pieces of actual people and events – much to her children’s delight and sometimes dismay!  



Author Bio

Tracy Richardson wasn’t always a writer. She has a degree Biology and has worked in a hospital microbiology laboratory, for a health insurance company and as a financial advisor. But when her children started reading and she rediscovered all the books she loved as a child,  she found herself developing stories of her own and began writing novels for children. Images from her childhood growing up on Lake Michigan and the landscape of Indiana feature prominently in her novels, and sometimes bits and pieces of actual people and events – much to her childrens’ delight and sometimes dismay!    She lives in the suburbs of Indianapolis with her husband and two children and their Jack Russell terrier, Ernie.



Tracy Richardson wasn’t always a writer, but she was always a reader. Her favorite book growing up was A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. In a weird way that book even shaped her life through odd synchronicities. She has a degree in Biology like Mrs. Murry and without realizing it she named her children Alex and Katie after Meg’s parents! Tracy uses her science background in her writing through her emphasis on environment issues and metaphysics. When she’s not writing you’ll find her doing any number of creative activities – painting furniture, knitting sweaters or cooking up something in the kitchen for her vegetarian, carnivore and no-carb family.  She lives outside of Indianapolis with her husband and two children and their Jack Russell terrier, Ernie.

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January 15, 2014
Media Contact:
Brian Buerkle, Publicist 
ruAsquare@yahoo.com


Van Buren Autopsies the American Dream in a Stunning New Novel
An absorbing look into the death of manufacturing, the deindustrialization of America, and a way of life lost for generations 

Carmel, IN—“The longest day of my life started when accidentally I shot myself, went downhill from there” is how Earl begins his story in Ghosts of Tom Joad, A Story of the #99Percent  (Luminis Books, Spring 2014). It is Peter Van Buren’s newest project—a fictional look at the new American economy. 

Ghosts of Tom Joad is about growth, failure and redemption. It is Earl’s story, tracing the rise of the Working Poor, and the don’t-have-to-work rich. It is funny and serious, Holden and Joe Dirt. It’s a question about how to still own something—your labor, your self-respect—you’d sold. 

The story takes place during Earl’s final metaphorical bus ride. Most of the folks who get on the bus with Earl have been long missing. Now they are coming and going, even talking to him, “just as if it was no big deal.” As Earl laments, “imagine running into both your mom and your old girlfriends in living color.”
With notes of Woody Guthrie, John Steinbeck and their more modern counterparts Bruce Springsteen, Tom Morello and Rage Against the Machine, Ghosts of Tom Joad tells the story of a working class abandoned, still trying to create a better life for themselves, unaware that they are staking their futures on a myth.
Where did the 99% come from? They were always here, in Reeve, Ohio. This is their story.
“Politicians come and go, but the critical issues tearing at our society do not. In his new book, Ghosts of Tom Joad, Van Buren turns to the larger themes of social justice and equality, and asks uncomfortable questions about where we are headed.”
—Daniel Ellsberg, whistleblower, The Pentagon Papers

Luminis Books was launched in October 2008 with a mission to publish meaningful fiction for children and adults. As an independent publisher, Luminis has the opportunity to champion excellence in fiction from new authors who might not get the attention of the larger houses. Luminis Books is distributed by IPG. 

For more information, to arrange an interview, or review copies, contact ruAsquare@yahoo.com.



Peter Van Buren, a 24-year veteran Foreign Service Officer at the State Department, spent a year in Iraq leading two State Department Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Following his book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (The American Empire Project, Metropolitan Books), published in 2011, the Department of State began judicial and then termination proceedings against him, stripping him of his diplomatic credentials. Through the efforts of the Government Accountability Project and the ACLU, Van Buren instead retired from the State Department with his full benefits of service.
Prior to Iraq, Van Buren was assigned by the State Department to Taiwan, Osaka, London, Seoul, Tokyo and other locations in East Asia. He attended The Ohio State University, graduating with a B.A. in photography and an M.A. in Education. He also attended the Osaka University of Foreign Studies and the Hyogo (Japan) University of Teacher Education for post-graduate study.
Van Buren, along with other Federal whistleblowers like Tom Drake, John Kiriakou and Jesslyn Radack, is also working closely with Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker James Spione on a new film called SILENCED: Washington’s War on Whistleblowers, due out in 2014.
Van Buren speaks Japanese, Chinese Mandarin, and some Korean (his book’s all in English, don’t worry). Born in New York, he lives in Virginia with his docile Rottweiller.
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