I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE YEAR OF THE BEAR by Douglas
J. Lanzo & Ambassador International Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my
post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Author: Douglas J. Lanzo
Release Date: November 1, 2022
Publisher: Ambassador International
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Pages: 316
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org
A remarkable story of a bear and the coming-of-age journey of a teenage boy.
Thirteen-year-old Jason is on the cusp of manhood, striving to find his place at school and at home—especially after his mother has abandoned them and his father is left to deal with his own anger. When Jason and his father encounter a bear while out hunting, they shoot and kill it, not realizing that they have left a cub without its mother. When Sasquot of the Penobscot Tribe, a part of the Bear Family, discovers what they have done, he decides that Jason needs a lesson in caring for God’s creatures. Thus begins a year that Jason will never forget as he begins to care and train the cub in order for it to survive. As Jason forms a bond with the bear, he, in turn, learns valuable lessons for life.
“Fans of classic, enthralling adventure (and I’m one) are in for a rare treat.”-Josh Lieb New York Times best-selling and Emmy Award-winning author of I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President
What motivated me to write my novel and novella?
As a writer, I feel truly honored to have my award-winning, debut novel, The Year of the Bear, nominated by Ambassador International for the John Newbery Medal and endorsed by a NY Times bestselling author. Releasing November 1st, it was a work combining great passion for delving deeply into the lives of authentic characters, my fond personal days growing up in rural New England and lifelong love of nature, and meticulous research into Maine, the Penobscot Tribe, and the history, culture and the majestic nature surrounding Moosehead Lake and the towering peak of Mount Katahdin.
My romance suspense novella, entitled I Have Lived, also being released internationally by Ambassador International, shares riveting scenes about the life of Lieutenant Brian Johnson, a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient and Army Ranger combat medic and his beautiful and inspiring bride, told in a series of dramatic flashbacks. It was inspired by the death of a good friend in 9-11 and my research into the patriotic struggle against terrorism that ensued, including the incredible work of our Special Forces in battling the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. My love of nature was nourished since my kindergarten days living in a streamlined, semi-mountainous tract of land teeming with birds of prey and aquatic wildlife. From that rugged plot in Easton, Connecticut, we then moved to a sprawling 3-and-a-quarter acre tract in Easton with a pond, swamp, forest, fields, and huge climbing rocks flush with deer, fox, rabbits, raccoons, opossum, skunks, geese, pheasants, egrets, muskrats, bass, frogs, water snakes, and turtles of every kind.
My lifelong admiration for Native American Indians, including their rich culture, fascinating legends and wise stewardship of nature, stemmed from my childhood day. I voraciously read accounts of Native American Indians and the colonization of the New World and how the two worlds tragically collided, resulting in a decimation of a once thriving Native American culture in the New World. My fascination was only further piqued by my sister’s unearthing of a perfectly preserved arrowhead buried in our very own backyard.
My father would read to us accounts of nature each night from a huge hard-bound book filled with pictures and information about the very nature I saw in my yard and at the Audubon each day and week. One night he especially captured my attention and imagination by showing us a picture of a black bear, informing us of its ingenuity, resourcefulness and importance to many Native American tribes.
Living in such a nature’s paradise, my imagination was spurred to write short stories of all kinds, ranging from lands of giants and caves to magically transforming butterflies to all kinds of nature adventures which my elementary school classmates seemed to really enjoy.
My fascination with bears was fueled later in life when I observed the seeming supernatural connection between man and bears depicted in Legends of the Fall, including in its dramatic concluding scene. Having researched the quasi-sacred, legendary role of the black bear in the Penobscot Tribe and kinship to its namesake Bear Family members, I excitedly explored these themes and these wondrous connections in The Year of the Bear.
An award-winning and featured inspirational author published in Vita Brevis Press’ bestselling 2021 poetry anthology and Café Haiku’s upcoming 2021 Fifth Poetry Anthology and featured in WestWard Quarterly’s Winter 2021 issue, since 2020 Douglas’ poetry has found homes in thirty-eight literary publications across the U.S., Canada, England, Wales, Austria, Mauritius, India, Australia, and The Caribbean. A graduate of Harvard College and Law School, where Douglas enjoyed writing editorials for The Harvard Crimson and articles for various other Harvard publications, he has published professional legal articles throughout his career. A General Counsel by day and writer by night, Douglas resides in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife and twelve-year old identical twin boys, fellow published poets, enjoying nature, traveling, biking, tennis, and chess.
Website | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub
(1) Winner will receive a finished copy of THE YEAR OF THE BEAR - US Only.
Ends November 29th, midnight EST.
Tour Schedule:
Week One:
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11/14/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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11/14/2022 |
IG Post |
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11/15/2022 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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11/15/2022 |
Guest Post/IG Post |
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11/16/2022 |
Excerpt |
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11/16/2022 |
Guest Post |
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11/17/2022 |
Excerpt |
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11/17/2022 |
Excerpt |
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11/18/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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11/18/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Two:
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11/21/2022 |
IG Review |
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11/21/2022 |
Review |
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11/22/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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11/22/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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11/23/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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11/23/2022 |
IG Review/LFL Drop Pic |
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11/24/2022 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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11/24/2022 |
Review |
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11/25/2022 |
IG Review/Read Aloud |
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11/25/2022 |
Review/IG Post |
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