I thought for this blog I would share my press release. This will be sent to three different northeast Ohio newspapers: The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, The Akron Beacon Journal and the Canton Repository. The goal is for them to print an article in a Sunday edition to help advertise the release of my first novel Extra Innings: The Diamond Thieves. Shown below is what I wrote for the press release. Anyone who has field experience in writing these I would love to hear some feedback.
Local Author Releases His Debut Novel
Every teenager will face a life-altering crossroads when they struggle to do what’s right in the face of steep pressure to do wrong. For Author Brian Gibson of Akron, Ohio, this becomes a personal message in his debut novel Extra Innings, The Diamond Thieves.
Diamond Thieves is the first of three fictional books in his Extra Innings trilogy that chronicles the teenage lives of identical twin brothers Jimmy and Billy McGee. The twins who, along with an entertaining cast of friends, are being challenged by their arch enemies for exclusive domain over their neighborhood baseball diamond.
Set in the late 1940’s Deep South, the boys must deal with a very adult ethical dilemma that intensifies the conflict: in the face of opposition from the town and their rivals, should they allow their best friend and team spark plug, who is black, to play in the deciding game?
‘My goal with this story was to connect with all individuals and inspire them in a way that improves their life and way of thinking’, said Gibson who goes by the pen name B.W. Gibson. ‘I feel like I have accomplished that.’
The Diamond Thieves conveys a strong unfiltered message about life during a period in history when racism was still a way of life in small-town southern communities.
Gibson displays a writing style that will transport you back to the sights, sounds and even smells of this Cold War period in U.S. history.
Please find enclosed a review copy for your consideration. For more information visit Brian Gibson’s website www.bwgibson.net.