Sunday, April 1, 2012

March Madness welcomes Mike Church Author of "Dayrealing"

MARCH MADNESS WELCOMES  MIKE CHURCH AUTHOR OF "DAYREALING" On this this final day of March Madness.
           
 Mike Church hails from  High Wycombe, England
and is now living in :Aretxabaleta, Spain



I did French at Warwick but ended up marrying a Basque lady and teaching English in northern Spain. I have two Eurozone teenagers, who keep me firmly in my place. My debut novel, dayrealing, the trial and tribulations of a stressed-out teacher in a spaced-out world, has the honour of being Night’s 100th book.


FAVOURITE QUOTE OF MINE.

At the end of dayrealing, Colin finally achieves his dream of learning to ski in the Swiss Alps:

The Swiss Alps have to be seen to be believed, but basically we’re talking about a load of mountains covered in snow.

I have always hated lengthy descriptions of places, far preferring to get on with the story, whether as reader or writer. Oh, and Colin would agree with me.


MY FAVOURITE QUOTE 

I will not take up your time, dear boy, with telling you what is the matter with me. Life is brief, and you might pass away before I had finished.

(Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome)
 BLURB:
It is not so much that Colin's adult education class is a riot – although lippy Jack and snide Nicola do their best to make it so, and even that nice, demure, octogenarian Miss Tedley has been known to lend a hand – it is more that Colin's own mind is a riot of conflicting thoughts around the luscious Amanda, life, school politics, literature and the rules of English usage, grammar and syntax.

And Colin does have an unfortunate name and a tendency to land himself in more trouble than he is already in or, at times, under, as the world comes crashing down on him.

Will he ever prepare a class, get the better of arch-enemies Simon and Dolores, or seduce Amanda into paying any attention to him whatsoever?

And will he ever define 'dayrealing'? Ah, that. Yes, dayrealing is what this Colin does best.



5 star review of "Dayrealing"

5.0 out of 5 stars Never what it seems..., January 15, 2012
This review is from: dayrealing (Paperback)
Quirky, zany and relentlessly anarchic, Mike Church's 'Dayrealing' sucks you into its crazy world where mundane reality becomes frenetically surreal. Colin, the central character, is pedantic and obsessed with making lists yet our sympathies are progressively drawn to him as the writing deftly exposes the peculiar inner workings of his mind. Who couldn't fail to be moved by a character who puzzles over hyphens, gerunds and haiku?
Steeped in a unique brand of comedy, language is paramount throughout and Mike Church plays with words and ideas in a clever myriad of ways. This applies not least, of course, to the title of the book itself, the meaning of which is touchingly explained halfway through the story. A beautiful moment which can only be grasped through the actual reading of this topsy-turvy and exquisite novel. If it's laughter you're after then 'Dayrealing' provides all the vital ingredients!

Purchase links

dayrealing on Amazon.com:



dayrealing on Amazon.co.uk:


Please remember you MUST leave a comment on this post to have a chance at winning this book!
 
PLUS...Join this blog and be in the running to win not one but TWO books written by your host..."Empty Chairs" and "Faint Echoes of Laughte


16 comments:

  1. It hardly seems fair to leave a comment since I've already been privileged to win a book from this promotion but I am leaving one anyway.

    Sounds like a fantastic read and anything which can m,ake me crack a smile these days has to be good. I think it sounds like a very grown up Adrian Mole crossed with the Three Men in A Boat which I adored an is one of my all time favourite books.

    Good luck with it I hope it sells millions!

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  2. Funny and lighthearted are always nice to add to the mix. And now I want to know what Dayrealing is!

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  3. Real life is often crazier than fiction - Mike Church manages to capture this in his writing. Mike's work always raises amile.

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  4. "Quirky, zany and relentlessly anarchic"

    Sounds a hoot!

    Marj McRae

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  5. I'm a big fan of this guy, but then again I also like tearful funeral processions and mournful Edwardian hymns...

    Mike rules, 'nuff said :-)

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  6. Thanks to the lovely folks that contributed in this the last of the March Madness promotions.

    The hat is ready and ................
    Congratulations Kat Ward! You have won again...yay!

    Your e/book copy of "Dayrealing" will be on its way soon.

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  7. Thank you so much, Soooz, for giving us this space for the whole of March. Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments, and congrats, Kat. I'm delighted you won.

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  8. Great – I can leave comments again! I already have dayrealing ( which I take to mean the opposite of Daydreaming, YouLookGreat!) but I just want to say Mike is such a funny writer – this is a book not to be missed!

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  9. I missed commenting earlier, but I can honestly say that Mike is one of the funnier people I've known. I'm sure his book is fantastic! Congrats, Kat, for winning!

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  10. Gerry: Thank you! I'm too literal. You should see me try to figure out personalized vehicle plates.

    Mike: You're book sounds fun. Going to look for it on Amazon. Digital print has opened my world to so much!!

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    1. Oops... Your not you're. My digital world also has a lot of typos...lol

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  11. Aww, missed Mike's competition - gutted! Mike is a stand up guy and even though I have read Dayrealing yet, I'm sure it will be absolutely brilliant! Congrats to, Kat! :)

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  12. yes, it's brilliant, alright, a continually entertaining work by a master of comedic timing.

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  13. Thanks a lot, Gerry, Jess, YouLookGreat(Do I know you?!), Sam and Tantra xxxxx

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  14. Mike: I'm a newbie here. Found the blog after reading soooz's books (which were a suggested reading by Amazon). I read so much more nowadays because of kindle. The phone app is wonderful! I have a difficult time choosing so I really value the reviews. This March Madness was awesome!

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    1. Well, pleased to meet you. Yes, there's far too much to read!

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Please leave a comment/review on any of the stories/poems contributed.