Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour organized for Entheophage by Goddess Fish Promotions.
Author Drema Deoraich will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!
And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Entheophage
by Drema Deoraich
Genre: Medical Mystery / Ecofiction
Synopsis
Dr. Isobel Fallon thinks she’s found a treatment that will help her son and others suffering from Milani Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. What she doesn’t realize is that harvesting the source of this treatment in the only accessible place on earth it grows, a coral reef in the Nlaan Islands, is going to have consequences far beyond the disruption of the fragile ecosystem on one small reef.
CDC researcher Nadine Parker and her team are baffled. Lukas Behn’s daughter Kyndra has contracted a bizarre new virus that leaves her screaming in pain. But they can’t identify any physical, biological source for that pain, not in Kyndra, nor in the dozens, then hundreds, and finally millions of children worldwide succumbing to the same virus. And no one seems to have made a connection between what’s happening with the infected children and the events on a small coral reef in the South Pacific.
Eventually, Nadine has to face the unlikely truth, and the enormous implications of it. The children aren’t sick. They’re changing. But will anyone else believe her?
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Enjoy this peek inside:
T’nei translated for Isobel. “Why are you here?”
Isobel fought the urge to look at Travis. “To harvest a special coral from the reef.”
“No,” T’nei snapped. “Anyone could do that. Your men could do that. Why are you here?”
Isobel’s mind raced. What was Mtuji after? “I’m the lead scientist. I know which coral to harvest, and how it’s processed. Only I can do that.”
“Only you? Among all your people?”
Isobel pursed her lips. “No. But I’m the one who began this research in search of medicine for a very rare disease. I found what we needed in a special coral. I learned that coral grows here.” She paused. “I started this project. I came here to finish it.”
T’nei translated her words for Mtuji.
The other women murmured among themselves, staring at Isobel as if they could see through her, see the truth of the matter. The elders among them wavered. Some argued. The younger ones held their ground.
Isobel’s stomach knotted.
At length, the crone spoke aside to T’nei, who turned to Isobel.
“And if we say no, go home?”
Isobel’s jaw tightened. “Then we’ll go home, and I’ll start again. Find another way. But it took me years to find this coral. Thousands of children are born with this illness. None survive it.”
Mtuji absorbed her words in silence.
“What would you do,” Isobel went on, “if your children were born this way and I could save them? If you had to watch your children die because another nation’s leader denied me access to their reef?”
T’nei hesitated, then translated Isobel’s words.
~~~~~
About Author Drema Deoraich
Drema Deòraich is a writer of speculative fiction that asks big questions. Her short stories have been published in numerous online journals, as well as a few semi-professional zines. Her debut novel “Entheóphage,” a medical mystery/climate fiction novel released in October of 2022, has been nominated for the 2023 Ursula Le Guin prize. Drema is still hard at work on her science fantasy trilogy, “The Founder’s Seed,” with plans to release book one in late 2023.
When she isn’t writing, Drema helps her legal-eagle boss to save the world one case at a time, pets her husband’s cats, watches the starlings mob her birdfeeders, or spends time in Nature, surrounded by flora and fauna.
Buy Entheóphage here: Paperback on Amazon / Or read free on Kindle Unlimited
Visit Drema’s websites at: Drema Deoraich / Niveymarts
Follow Drema on: Twitter / Instagram / Facebook
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I’m going to assume that the story explains the title.
It does! 😀 Thanks for visiting!
Sounds very interesting
Thanks! You can read it FREE on Kindle Unlimited! Or if you prefer, you can order from your favorite independent bookstore!
Thanks for hosting Entheóphage, Laura! For your visitors, please feel free to ask me questions!
Thank you for hosting today.
I’ll be in and out today as much as possible during my day job, but may not be on constant lurk mode until this evening. Hope everyone’s having a great day!
Sounds like a good book.
Thanks, Rita! You can read it FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
An intriguing and captivating story which is unique and thought prooking. Very creative. Enjoyed the excerpt.
Glad you liked it! You can check it out FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
sounds pretty interesting, very nice cover
Isn’t the cover beautiful? That’s the work of Duncan Eagleson, of Corvid Design. 🙂
Sounds like quite the unique read. Love the Nlaan Islands setting for this
Right? I’d love to visit such a place one day! Isobel has quite the experience there…. 😉
Sounds like a good one. The cover caught my eye and made me curious.
sherry @ fundinmental
Glad to hear it! Hopefully curious enough to check it out. 😉
Sounds interesting.
Thanks! You can check it out FREE on Kindle Unlimited, or order the paperback from your favorite bookstore!
Good evening. If given the choice would you prefer to see Entheophage made into a movie or a TV mini-series?
Other than the obvious answer of “Yes”? 😀 This is a really good question. Hmmm…a movie could have that semi-quick flash of intensive drama and excitement, while a mini-series would allow for more character development and a slower burn with moments of heightened tension and excitement. I think maybe a movie. Which would you rather watch?
The peek inside sounds great.
Thanks! Hopefully, it sounds great enough to read!
I’m excited to read this!
I’m excited for you to read it! 😀
Drema Deòraich is a new author to me, but I want to thank this blog for the introduction. I look forward to reading this book.
Thanks, Audrey! I hope you enjoy it! 😀
Medical Mystery genre – I love it!
Thank you for sharing this.
😀 Hope you like it!
Thank you for hosting me, Laura.
And thanks to those who stopped by to say hello. Your comments and questions were great! I’m signing off for the night, but I hope you’ll give Entheóphage a try–check out some of the reviews on GoodReads or Amazon. Like what you see? You can order a copy through your favorite bookstore. And don’t forget– if you’re a Kindle Unlimited subscriber, you can read it for FREE! 😀
Peace, y’all,
Drema Deòraich
This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.
Thanks! 😁
Sounds like a good read.
Thanks! You can read FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
Thanks for the chance and good luck with the book!
Thank you!
The synopsis is interesting. Thank you for sharing it.
Of course! Glad to do it! 🙂
Very interesting book and great cover. Good work
Thanks! The cover is the work of Duncan Eagleson! So talented!
interesting cover
Isn’t it? The cover designer, Duncan Eagleson, read the whole book first, then designed the cover to fit the story!
This sounds like an interesting and very unique tale.
It’s gotten quite a few very good reviews, so some people do think so! 🙂 Maybe you’ll be one of them, if you get the chance to read it!
This book sounds amazing!
Maybe you could check it out! It’s FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited! 😀
was it hard designing the cover
Oho! I didn’t design it — I can’t draw decent stick figures, much less this beauty! 😉 That is the work of skilled cover designer Duncan Eagleson of Corvid Design. Gorgeous, isn’t it?
how long have you been writing
Years and years! But I really only got serious about it in 2014 when I attended a writers conference and realized how I could write *better*. Everything about my writing changed after that. Great question!
This book sounds really good. Thanks for the giveaway!
It’s my pleasure! I hope you get a chance to read Entheóphage — you can do so FREE on Kindle Unlimited! 🙂
What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing?
Wow, great question! I’m not a writing coach, and I have no formal training in this field, so I’m not sure how to convey the best *technical* elements of writing as a craft beyond a keen eye for detail, a willingness to *listen* to and seriously consider feedback from beta readers, and good editing. But I can tell you what I think are the most important elements of a good *story*. Lemme see…I’d say relatable characters with serious depth; a plot/storyline that takes the reader on a journey, whether that’s a physical one or an emotional/psychological one (and better if it’s all three); and a world that’s so real the reader feels they are right there, in the scene with the characters. Those are all goals I aim for when I write. Does that answer your question?
any new books started?
Yes, thanks for asking! Book one (“Fallen”) of my science fantasy trilogy The Founder’s Seed is close to being finished; books two (“Broken”) and three (“Driven”) are in the editing process. I can’t wait to share them with everyone. 😀
I think I would have a hard time putting this book down after starting to read it.
I hope that’s the case! That’s the goal, right? to make it so compelling you can’t put it down? 😉 My boss (a lawyer with a very logical mind) said he couldn’t stop reading it. He finished the whole book (408 pages) in 2 days.
Fascinating, I think I saw an episode on “Tales from the Darkside” which comes close to the plot of this story.
Really? Wow … I’d love to see it! Do you remember what the episode name was?
Entheophage by Drema Deoraich sounds like a read page turner of a mystery!
Thanks, Nancy! I hope you get a chance to read it and see for yourself. 🙂
this sounds interesting never heard of this before- suffering from Milani Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder.
Milani Syndrome is part of the fictional storyline. 😉 But I had help from medical and neurological specialists to make it as real as possible.
When you were a child, what book genres did you enjoy reading?
I don’t remember specifically — that was too long ago 😉 — but probably anything I could get my hands on.
did you always want to write
Absolutely. And I wish I had begun way back when I was young and still getting started. But I listened to those who told me it was a pipe dream, that I should let it go. Now I tell young writers to WRITE. Don’t let anyone tell you publishing your work is an unattainable goal.
Do you ever write in more than one genre?
I have, yes. But most of my work is speculative fiction, or some variation on that theme. A few are also ecofiction. Some are dark spec fic. 🙂
What or who inspired you to write?
Oh gosh … in the beginning? I don’t remember now. But this book? I don’t remember what sparked the idea, but the thought that followed was “What would it take to make us see what we’re doing to our world?”
This sounds very interesting and intriguing!
Thanks! I hope it intrigues you enough to check it out. 😀
What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
There are a couple of deeply emotional moments in the story that were really tough to write — I can’t tell you what they were exactly without spoilers, but I was crying the whole time I was writing. (And I cried again every time I read it through for revisions.) I hope those moments will touch my readers, too; that was the whole point. We read books in the hope of taking a vicarious journey with the characters, right? 🙂
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I would tell her not to listen to the naysayers who told her that writing was a childish dream, and that she had to let it go. I would tell her that as long as she loved to write, she should continue to pursue it, despite a day job. Despite school. Despite other adult responsibilities. I would tell her to keep writing, and don’t listen to anyone who told her she couldn’t do it.
When did you discover you have the gift of writing?
I discovered I had a love of writing when I was a young teen, maybe junior high school. But I’m not sure that writing is all “gift,” per se. There might be some for whom it comes easier than others, true. But writing a good story that captivates readers, draws them into the story, and holds them captive until the last page? That’s plain, old-fashioned, hard work! I rewrote this novel at least once, almost completely, after my mentor pointed out some places where I could tighten the story and make it more intriguing. Then between classes and workshops, beta-reader input, re-reading it myself, and implementing my editor’s feedback, I spent many many hours tweaking and honing to make it *just right.* Anyone with a passion for writing can learn to do it; a natural gift helps, yes, but what’s really required to do it *well*, and to make it a great book, is commitment and determination to shine. 🙂
Where do you get your ideas for writing?
Oh gosh — all sorts of things can spark an idea for a story. One short story (“Switch”) came from a thought that popped into my head when I said to someone else “Be careful what you wish for.) Another (“Upshot”) came from wondering whether Nature and animals are even aware of us trying to help them. That one won an honorable mention in a contest. The one for Entheóphage came from wondering what it would take to make humans see what they are doing to the environment and to bring a turnaround in harmful practices.
Story sounds amazing!
Thanks! Maybe you can check it out for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!
Do you reward yourself with something special when finishing a book?
LOL … I absolutely do! I take a couple of days *off* from the computer! That’s the only thing I do each time, but I probably also have a treat of some sort. What a fun question!
What is your favorite place to do your writing?
I usually write at my desk in the office I share with my Hubenstein. I’ve occasionally gone to the library or the local writers center, where you can reserve a private room for a few hours. I have been known to write at the local Botanical Gardens, or at a coffee shop, but those don’t work as well–too much going on around me. I need to keep distractions down to a minimum to maintain my focus.
looks like a fun one
Thanks, Daniel!
Beautiful cover! Sounds like it is a good thriller!
Thanks Denise! A couple of reviewers have compared it to Michael Crichton’s Andromeda Strain–not the plot itself, but the feel overall. I hope you get the chance to read it. 🙂