Knuckleheads #NewRelease @DAntion

Published on by Jan Sikes

If you have followed Dan Antion on his fabulous blog, then you are already acquainted with this man. But now, he’s releasing his debut novel, Knuckleheads, and I am thrilled to host him here today on his Book Blog Tour!

Thank you so much, Jan, for inviting me to share your blog space and introduce my debut novel Knuckleheads, Book 1 in the Dreamer’s Alliance Series.

Knuckleheads is the childhood story of the two main characters in this paranormal series. The story is being told by the recently retired Zach Amstead to his adult daughter, Abbie, the day after his retirement party.

Jan, you’ve asked me to talk a little about Zach’s wife, since this is the only book in which she is featured, albeit as a child. Zach explains early in the book, that his wife, Veronica, has been gone for about 15 years. The only things we learn about Ronnie (Veronica’s nickname) are shared in retrospect during the conversation.  

Perhaps an excerpt will help. This is from a classroom scene Zach is describing. Abbie interrupts periodically. In the book, Abbie’s interruptions are set off in a paragraph style that is hard to replicate in WordPress. To help with that, I’ve highlighted them in blue for this post.

“Mrs. Coleman handed those of us in the first row a stack of worksheets. We knew to take one and pass the rest back. I couldn’t resist sniffing the remnants of the ditto-machine fluid as I handed them to the girl behind me, Veronica Bailey. Ronnie giggled and sniffed the papers, too.” Then Mrs. Coleman said, ‘Miss Bailey, please don’t encourage Mr. Amstead.'”

Abbie gave me a wide-eyed look. “Mom got in trouble?”

“Your mom was a bit of a tomboy. She didn’t mind getting yelled at, a little. She never did anything that was bad enough to get punished for, but she liked to laugh, so she looked for the things in life that were funny.”

Ronnie and Zach are friends throughout the book. They were in separate schools for a while and then reunite in high school, toward the end of the book. Once they were back in the same school, they became closer, but not boyfriend/girlfriend. In the excerpt below, Zach’s friend, Billy, is giving Zach a ride home and letting him drive, as practice for his upcoming driver’s test. Ronnie asks for a ride to her house.

I let Ronnie sit in the front so she could give Billy directions. When we reached her house, I got out, so I could switch to the front. Billy was getting out to let me drive.

Ronnie leaned over to me and whispered, “Something else is bothering Billy.”

I knew that as well, but I smiled and whispered that I’d try to find out.

Billy yelled over, “If you two want to kiss goodbye, I promise I won’t look.” I looked at Ronnie, but she laughed and turned away. “Maybe some other time, Zach.”

While not boyfriend and girlfriend during the story, the affection seems to be building and Zach certainly had an interest. In this last excerpt, that fact is noticed by Abbie.

Ronnie walked away. I followed her. She thanked me for what I said but mentioned that it was never a good idea to embarrass Ron. I started to explain, but she stopped me and said, “I know, you can’t help yourself. You can’t let these things go, even though you know you can’t change his mind. That’s what I love about you, Zach.”

Abbie smiled softly, then started laughing. “Lemmie guess, you were all excited at the thought that mom loved you.”

I grinned. “Well, yeah, a little.”

I hope these excerpts give a little insight into the character of Veronica Bailey and how much she meant to Zach and Abbie.

Thanks again, Jan, for the chance to share a little from my book. I hope your followers enjoy it.

PURCHASE LINK

BOOK BLURB:

Zach and Billy didn’t ask for the paranormal powers that were beyond their capacity to understand or control. Zach, interacting with his lucid dreams, and Billy, “gifted “with shadowy glimpses of the future struggle to make sense of the world around them. Adults in authority in the nineteen sixties have no time for what they consider mental outliers of the baby-boom.   The boys are institutionalized, marginalized, and ignored.  Zach’s father learns of the challenges they face as children and knows the dangers they will face as adults. With no way to comprehend how these boys perceive and move within their world, he must find a way to guide them. 

Knuckleheads Kindle Edition

Knuckleheads Paperback

About The Author:

Dan Antion was born outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up and attended college in
the area around western Pennsylvania. Dan has written and published the popular No Facilities
blog since 2011. A lifelong interest in writing became a reality after he retired from a successful
A 42-year-long career in information management.
Knuckleheads, published in June 2022, is the first book in the Dreamer’s Alliance Series. This
story introduces the main characters in this series, in which the next two books will follow in
the late summer and early winter of 2022.
Dan lives in Connecticut with his wife, a few pets, and all the wildlife they can feed.

Author, Dan Antion

Dan’s Author Page on Amazon

The Dreamer’s Alliance Series Blurb:

The Dreamer’s Alliance series chronicles the challenges and dangers faced by two men who have been gifted with paranormal abilities. From their struggles to understand and control these powers through their battle with the attempts of corrupt authorities to exploit them.

97 thoughts on “Knuckleheads #NewRelease @DAntion”

  3. Jan – I meant to leave a comment earlier but was having tech issues so only could “like”
    But wanted to say that nice host post and comments were fun too-
    Best wishes to Dan

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    2. Thanks Yvette. I had tons of problems with comments on Friday and over the weekend. What a time to have issues commenting. I think I got the issue resolved, but sometimes, WordPress is not on our side.

      This post and the comments are heartwarming for me. I am so pleased with the support from all of you, the hosts and the readers who have left comments. It means so much to me.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Oh sorry About the comments and issues – it seriously came at such a bad time (ugh – during a tour)
        And I have heard many folks say they are having issues and i feel like things are glitchy on my end –
        Anyhow – congrats on book one getting out there –
        😊📚

        Liked by 2 people

      2. In my case, the problems were due to a browser update (or perhaps Windows) resetting the security regarding cross-site cookies. WordPress still relies on them, even as the rest of the tech-world tries to eliminate them.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. Thanks Jacquie. I hadn’t considered how hard it can be to select passages to share without spoiling the story. I love the topics the hosts were interested in, especially this one. Jan did a great job.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  8. I love this excerpt about friendship, Dan! A boy and a girl don’t have to be boyfriend and girlfriend to have close relationship. They may become lovers afterward. This is a great post. Thank you for hosting, Jan.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. You’re welcome, Jan. My sister and her husband started their friendship in Junior high, and went to the same college.
        I’m excited about Dan’s series. I look forward to have him tomorrow!

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Thanks Miriam. I’m glad you liked this post. I hoped to give a little insight into the way they feel about each other. The book has that relationship in the mirror, and the one between the daughter and the mother that comes into play during her conversations with her dad. I’m so glad to be here sharing this. Jan has been great.

      Like

      Reply

    2. Thanks Lois. It’s fun thinking about the way guys think about girls vs. the way girls think about guys. Obviously. I’m pretty clueless on the latter subject, but I’m familiar with the “maybe some other time” answer 😉

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    1. It is truly my pleasure, Teagan. I enjoyed this excerpt because it not only shows the closeness between Zach and Veronica, but also Zach and Billy. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    2. These scenes were not my specialty, Teagan, so I’m glad people like them. It was my only chance to talk about Ronnie, other than through Abbie’s memory of her mom. None of the books in the series deal with Zach while he and Ronnie were married.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Congratulations, Dan. A new release is special, but the first book is a bit of a miracle. I truely enjoyed reading Knuckleheads and look forward to the whole series. Thank you, Jan, for showcasing Dan today on your lovely site.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thansk Gwen. I am so glad you enjoyed the book. I really appreciate Jan hosting me today (I’ll be at your place on Monday) – this community is wonderful and so supportive. Have a great weekend.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

    2. Thank you for adding your recommendation for the book, Gwen. Knuckleheads is up next for me on my list and I look forward to it! I appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment!

      Like

      Reply

  18. Thanks so much for inviting me to share a quiet portion of this story with your readers, Jan. The decision to have Zach’s wife already be gone at the outset of the series wasn’t an easy one, but it was necessary. Sharing some of Zach’s memories made that a little easier. Thanks for asking about her, and thanks again for joining the tour. Your support means a lot to me.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Staci. The entire series is set in Pittsburgh. That city has a powerful hold on me. You’re right about this being special, especially the support from the community. Jan has been a wonderful host.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. I set a lot of my work in Pittsburgh or fictional Western Pennsylvania towns. Once the city is in your blood, it’s impossible to escape. (And who would want to?)

        Jan is a fabulous host. I always feel welcome here.

        Liked by 3 people

    1. Thanks Robbie. I found selecting excerpts to be the hardest part of these launch posts. I Wanted things that wouldn’t spoil the story, but there’s so little to work with about Ronnie, and many of the scenes with her would be spoilers. I am glad Jan asked me to share a little bit about her.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
  25. Pingback: Book Tour – Mystery Character – No Facilities

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