Travels and Travails of Small Minds by Daniel Falatko was published on October 1!

Travels and Travails of Small Minds by Daniel Falatko was published by the Ardent Writer Press on October 1, 2017

 

 

FROM THE BACK COVER 

Nathan is not ambitious, and he is perfectly happy doing nothing at the dusty and cluttered properties office of his boss, Dr. Behr, a quirky ex-literature professor pushing 80. But things are about to get tossed in the air as Nathan uncovers a mysterious plan of Behr’s to oust one of his renters for what appears to be a substantial but ill-gotten profit. Behr recruits his slacker employee to help in the plot, but as Nathan questions motives and discovers secrets, it is clear that Nathan might be in for surprises of his own.

Bizarre characters worthy of a Seinfeld episode on acid populate this “Literally Laugh Out Loud” tale of Nathan’s journey in misadventure and intrigue that holds the potential to change his life forever, so who does Nathan trust in this Travels and Travails of Small Minds?

Daniel has also received some great reviews of his humorous novel from several counter-culture websites including:

“The plot takes a little time to kick in, with Nathan spending a few a pages meandering around New York. Once it does, it becomes a fun, hard-to-put-down read. Falatko keeps the mystery of Dr. Behr’s shady property deal interesting, even in spite of how silly it gets. I mean, the climax has Nathan running from an old, naked Oxford professor with the help of a couple of north English drunks. Goofy, yes, but goofy in a way that’s highly entertaining to read.”  Ben Arzate of Cultured Vultures.

The Link to the Cultured Vultures Review on Travels and Travails of Small Minds is HERE.

“AT FIRST I thought that Daniel Falatko’s Travels and Travails of Small Minds would be just another tale of eccentric places and vagabond lifestyle, of living on the edge of poverty and starvation while the protagonist embarks upon some soul-searching adventure in the manner of beats like Jack Kerouac. It manages to be this, but much more, and in a delightful, not pretentious way.”  James Prenatt of The Coil, Literature to change your Lightbulb.

The Link to The Coil Review on Travels and Travails of Small Minds is HERE.

“This is a funny book, but not a comedy. It’s absurd in the best sense. It’s a wild ride, with a very human — and relatable center. Relatable might not be the best word, because I can’t imagine that any reader will have an experience like it. But even at the strangest moments, you’ll find yourself nodding with Nathan’s actions and reactions, saying to yourself, “yeah, I can see why he’d do that.” Even the conclusion that the plot careens to — for most of the book you’d say that wouldn’t work at all, but by the time it happens, it seems pretty perfect.”  H.C. Newton, of The Irresponsible Reader, I Read (a lot) and then Rant, Rave and maybe Review.

The Link to The Irresponsible Reader on Travels and Travails of Small Minds is HERE.

Daniel and his book were featured in Hypertext Magazine and the link is HERE.

Daniel was guest blogger on Lovely Bookshelf, An eclectic book blog: Reading a Little of Everything. His blog was challenged to include references to popular songs and Daniel met the challenge with verve and vigor.  The link to the Lovely Bookshelf Blog is HERE.

An excerpt from the novel was provided, along with a nice description, by LitSTACK, For the Love of All Things Wordy. The link to the article is HERE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Daniel Falatko is originally from Pennsylvania. He received his undergraduate degree from Kutztown University and went on to receive an MFA in Creative Writing from Vermont College. His critically acclaimed first novel, Condominium, was published in 2015. He lives and works in New York City.

The publication of Travels and Travails Of Small Minds marks the completion of a daydream sparked in 2007 involving New York City real estate scams, age-challenged literature professors, dead beatniks, fictitious English villages named after wolves, and post-apocalyptic Moscow slums. Threading these disparate pieces together was a laborious undertaking, and the author hopes you enjoy these final results.

 

Steve Gierhart
Dale “Steve” Gierhart is a retired business manager for the United States Army. Based in Huntsville, Alabama on Redstone Arsenal, his career lasted from 1975 to 2010 in which he managed contracts, finances/accounting, and cost estimating for several missile defense systems, among which were Stinger, Avenger, Chaparral, Sentinel, JLENS, SLAMRAAM, and Non-Line of Sight.  The author wishes to thank the many co-workers, peers, and contractors who made these programs successful.  It is their tireless work that brought these systems to the soldier that needed them.  While budget constraints made it difficult for some of their work to see its full potential, they never blinked, they adjusted.  They persevered. Steve hails from Shawnee, Oklahoma; but most of his adult life has been spent in the beautiful hills of North Alabama where he lives with his wife, Bonny, who raises Tennessee Walking Horses. Between them, Steve and Bonny have 5 children and 9 grandchildren. Steve enjoys writing now that he is retired and plans more excursions of the imagination. He and Bonny, a retired engineer who worked as a contractor on several NASA and Army programs, will travel in their retirement though 15 horses, 4 dogs and 3 cats can crimp the best of plans.