Far Away Bird by Douglas A. Burton
Publication Date: February 6, 2020
Silent Music Press LLC
Paperback; 394 Pages
Cover art illustration by George Frei
Genre: Historical Fiction
Inspired by true events, Far Away Bird delves into the complex mind of Byzantine Empress Theodora. This intimate account deftly follows her rise from actress-prostitute in Constantinople's red-light district to the throne of the Byzantine Empire.
Her salacious past has left historians blushing and uncomfortable. Tales of her shamelessness have survived for centuries, and yet her accomplishments as an empress are unparalleled. Theodora goes on to influence sweeping reforms that result in some of the first ever Western laws granting women freedom and protection. More than a millennium before the women's rights movement, Theodora, alone, took on the world's greatest superpower and succeeded. Far Away Bird goes where history classrooms fear to tread in hopes that Theodora can finally take her seat among the greatest women in history.
Theodora seems impossible--yet her transcendence teaches us that society can't tell us who we are deep down. Before there was a legendary empress, there was a conflicted young woman from the lower classes.
And her name was Theodora.
Award Winner!
Grand Prize Winner 2019 Manuscript Contest for historical fiction-Writers' League of Texas
Bronze Medal for Best Debut Novel in historical fiction-The Coffee Pot Book Club
Gold Medal Book of the Year historical fiction- The Coffee Pot Book Club
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Review The first thing I have to say about this book is that the cover is stunning. It was the first thing that attracted me to the book, so yes a pretty cover always helps in gaining interest. But this book is definitely more than just a pretty cover.
I was pulled in by Theodora's story instantly and truthfully I have a hard time with books set way way way back in time, because its sometimes hard to relate to the characters even if they were real people, but Theodora was so interesting.
She is a woman that spent the better part of her life getting kicked when she was down. She lost her father at a young age and was taken from her family to become an actress. When you see actress, in her case, see prostitute.
Rape and degradation were the norm for her. She lost her self respect early on, and had no one to turn to to help herself.
She didn't stay down though. Through the help of another women she becomes a spy, using her womanly wiles, so to speak, to get information.
This is a fictionalized account of Theodora's life, of course. She was born around 497 and lived 51 remarkable years. I wish the book would have gone on into her life with Justinian, because I loved her so much and I craved more information about her. If you want to learn more there is a short bio on Theodora here
I was totally impressed by this book and it definitely had that unputdownable-ness that makes you lock the door of whatever room you are in so that no one will bother you until you turn the last page.
Rating: 5 flowers
About the Author
Douglas Alan Burton is a speaker, author, and expert storyteller whose work depicts heroic figures and their deeper connection to the human experience. Doug blogs about heroes, heroines, and villains in pop culture with some unexpected and refreshing perspective. He grew up in what he describes as “the heroic boyhood culture of late Generation X” that has gone mainstream around the world. He also shares strategies with fellow writers for writing compelling heroic characters in fiction.
Douglas recently began outlining a breakthrough storytelling model that reveals a fascinating “heroine-centric” model for story structure he calls The Heroine’s Labyrinth. He believes a powerful new archetype is emerging for women in fiction. His forthcoming novel, Far Away Bird, which centers on the early life of Byzantine Empress Theodora, won the 2019 Manuscript Content for Historical Fiction from the Writers’ League of Texas and will be published in February of 2020.
Follow Doug on Facebook and Twitter and stay in the conversation, and follow his blog at www.douglasaburton.com.
Blog Tour Schedule
Monday, January 27
Review at Passages to the Past
Tuesday, January 28
Guest Post at Let Them Read Books
Wednesday, January 29
Review at @ya.its.lit
Thursday, January 30
Review at Books and Zebras
Review at Tales from the Book Dragon
Friday, January 31
Interview at Jathan & Heather
Monday, February 3
Review at Gwendalyn's Books
Tuesday, February 4
Feature at I'm All About Books
Wednesday, February 5
Review at Historical Graffiti
Thursday, February 6
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Friday, February 7
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Sunday, February 9
Review at Reading is My Remedy
Monday, February 10
Review at History + Fiction + Adirondack Spirit
Tuesday, February 11
Review at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Wednesday, February 12
Review at @bookishbellee
Thursday, February 13
Feature at Just One More Chapter
Friday, February 14
Review at Broken Teepee
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away two copies of Far Away Bird by Douglas Burton! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on February 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
– Paperback giveaway is to the US only.
– Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
Far Away Bird
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