Other

Item Description

Personally Autographed copy of the debut novel 'Turtle A' from TI Brotherhood member Mark Grossman's Daughter.

Turtle A chews on Strawberry B, which releases Coin C to...you know what? I don't think I am going to tell you much more that that... Here's the thing though, one event leads to another until you have a chain of events completing a set goal; at least, that's how The Girl believes The Universe works. Following The Universe's instructions to set in motion a series of events, The Girl believes that to be her purpose...until she finds Nico, who staunchly believes that The Universe's grand cosmic plans are a load of horsesh*t.

Which one of them is right? The Girl, who has no identity or place in the world, or Nico, who somewhere along the way lost his purpose. How will these two come together to resolve the Mysteries of The Universe?

Debut novelist Ellie Martin-McKinsey has basically written a conventional romcom, but rather than two mismatched characters, her story features two common ways of seeing the modern world. The Girl believes in radical purpose, and spends her life pursuing a higher calling, to the point where she’s become a complete cypher, even to herself. Nico believes in total individualism, but being self-reliant hasn’t made him happy; quite the opposite, he lives with constant, bottled disappointment.

 Martin-McKinsey takes a comfortable commercial narrative form, which she confidently expects most audiences already understand, and uses it to pitch two commonly held philosophies into conflict. It’s easy to imagine Voltaire or Sartre doing something similar, had they lived in our era of Hollywood excess. Both Voltaire and Martin-McKinsey divert audience resistance to deep concepts by keeping their attention on a story that they already know and enjoy. Readers don’t like being told what to think, but we enjoy going on a journey with the characters. Like Candide, this novel is short, fast-paced, and driven by action and dialog, not exposition. Our characters don’t have a point, they live their point, and encourage us to see them in their living. And when they’re forced to change their minds, we already understand why. It’s deep and philosophical, yes, but it’s also just fun.

 Ellie Martin-McKinsey

 I have a background in theater as both a stage manager and actress, which not only exposed me to many colorful characters, but also gave me a strong grasp on realistic, effective, dialogue. I'm an avid lover of the performing arts, so much of my inspiration comes from acting techniques, and a vast array of media ranging from excellent to highly questionable quality. When not at my day job or writing, I'm drinking tea, watching tv, or dancing wherever I can find space. I released my debut novel, Turtle A, a series of short stories called After;Life, and short story, “Hungry Ghosts on Halloween,” as part of an anthology called Whether or Not, with the Saga Fiction publishing house. I will be publishing my second novel, Broken Mirrors, Spilt Salt, and a Lifetime of Bad Luck, with Saga Fiction this spring.

Here are just a few of the reviews for Turtle A on Amazon Books and Good Reads:

Turtle A: 5.0 out of 5 stars Candide for the Romcom Era   -- Kevin L. Nenstiel

“The Girl doesn’t have a name, or friends, or a direction in life; she’s never needed them. She follows directions from The Universe, which gives her missions, and she simply obeys. Her latest mission takes her to Illinois, where Nico, an exotic dancer running from his past, ignores any universal plan. But once there, The Universe stops communicating with The Girl. She finds herself stranded with a stranger who doesn’t understand her mission.

Boy meets girl. Girl rips to shreds boy’s idea of the Universe.
---
“Martin-McKinsey's creation is thoughtfully crafted, each image and detail pours forth, giving the reader a full visceral experience.” — PC Rehm (Actor, Intimacy Choreographer, Director)

“Turtle A asks timeless questions about destiny versus personal choice through absurd, yet likeable, characters. I couldn't put it down!” — Katy Pyle (Artistic Director, Choreographer)

"Turtle A: A mind-boggling novella that will make you question your purpose in the grand scheme of the universe...There are fresh ideas about the universe and our world as we know it colliding and compounding that I have not seen yet in a book...The metaphors used throughout this book, without spoiling, are so rich and enticing and go hand-in-hand with the novel itself while keeping the plot fresh." — Livi Brooks, Book Reviewer (Goodreads, Twitter, Blog)

Item Special Note

This item can be shipped.