Release: July 14th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Blue Light Press
Source: Rockstar Book Tours
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org
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Hope Ellson is from the wrong side of the tracks, but her genius transcends class. When Hope joins FearToShred, a Silicon Valley extreme gaming startup, Hope’s mission is to groom the scrappy company for prime time. Enter Doug Wiser, her very married ex. While the two work in tandem, nefarious forces are at work behind the scenes. Adding to the excitement of this thriller are the stars and heroes of surfing and skateboarding. With a keen eye on women in tech, business ethics and dangerous stunts, “Extreme” will leave you breathless.
Winner of the Cervena Barva and Chaffin Fiction Awards, Joan’s work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Rattle, Pank! The Meridien Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Chicken Soup for the Soul and over 200 literary journals, blogs and magazines.
A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Joan has worked for California Poets in the Schools, Poetry Out Loud, Chiat/Day Advertising and other Bay Area companies. She currently coaches writers and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.
About the Author:
Joan Gelfand’s reviews, stories and poetry have appeared in national and international literary journals and magazines including the Los Angeles Review of Books, Rattle, Prairie Schooner, Kalliope, The Toronto Review, newversenews.com, The Sycamore Review and RiverSedge. Joan’s work has also appeared in “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and the Unexplainable” and “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams and Premonitions”
Chair of the Women’s National Book Association National Writing Contest, a member of the National Book Critics Circle and a juror for the Northern California Book Awards, Joan blogs for the Huffington Post and coaches writers. She is the recipient of over twenty writing awards, nominations and prizes.
“The Ferlinghetti School of Poetics,” a poetry film based on Joan’s poem was featured at the 4th Annual Video Poetry Festival in Athens, Greece, the Meraki Film Festival in Madrid and won Certificate of Merit in a juried art show at the International Association for the Study of Dreams.
Joan has been teaching at book festivals and writer’s conferences on “You Can Be a Winning Writer” for the past ten years. She coaches writers around the country. She lives in San Francisco with her husband, Adam Hertz and two beatnik kitties – Jack Kerouac and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon
Extreme Review:
Wow, this book turned out to be much better than I expected! It’s a nice contemporary + techy read which gives it a unique touch.
The highlight of the story was Hope’s character development. It was interesting to see the various emotions she goes through. On one hand, I liked how she balances her connection with Richard over her volatile relation with Charlene. On the other hand, I also liked her relationship between James and Doug. Moreover, you can see how Hope tries to balance her work life as she comes across the problems she faces. On top of all this, you also see her facing her fears and doing something extreme to give her life meaning. I really enjoyed how she juggled her emotions in a realistic manner. Hope is true to her name, where she highlights that no matter how many challenges we face in life, we have to move on. On a side note, I also liked Doug’s story-line. It was interesting to see how he balances his marriage with Katie.
The only reason that stopped me from giving it 5 stars was the technical side of it. The story gets very technical at times with the challenges the team face. While it is interesting to see how members of the team react to the situation, I couldn’t really understand the seriousness of the issue. Moreover, the concept of the startup is very interesting, but I also found it too extreme at times. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable witnessing something like that if it existed in reality. Also, I felt the story focused on Hope and Doug a lot, and I would have liked more background on others as well, like Julie and Jeff. However, apart from that, this story is very engaging and worth reading.
Giveaway:
1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon GC, International.
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the EXTREME by Joan Gelfand Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
Book Tour Schedule
Week 1:
- Two Chicks on Books – 06 Jul – Excerpt
- Jaime’s World – 07 Jul – Excerpt
- Two Chicks on Books FB – 08 Jul – Excerpt
- BookHounds – 09 Jul – Excerpt
- The Try Everything – 10 Jul – Excerpt
Week 2:
- The Phantom Paragrapher– 13 Jul – Excerpt
- Lifestyle of Me – 14 Jul – Review
- A Dream Within A Dream – 15 Jul – Excerpt
- Hurn Publications – 16 Jul – Review
- Rajiv’s Reviews – 17 Jul – Review
Week 3:
- Jotted by Jena– 20 Jul – Excerpt
- raathiscorner – 21 Jul – Review
- Fire and Ice – 22 Jul – Review
- A Gingerly Review – 23 Jul – Excerpt
- Zooloo’s Book Diary – 24 Jul – Excerpt
