LUCKY SHOT
A Novel of Sex, Death, and Photography
By Sarah Leamy
ISBN:
978-1-61204-684-6
Price: $14.50
Format: Trade paperback
Place orders through the publisher’s website: http://sbpra.com/SarahLeamy
or at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.
In the provocative new novel by Sarah Leamy, LUCKY SHOT: A Novel of Sex, Death, and Photography, the photographer in question is Lucky, whose life becomes a snapshot on an extended journey of self-discovery.
“They call me Lucky. My
parents that is, they called me Lucky when I was a kid. Anyway, there I was, in my late thirties,
wondering what the
hell to do with myself. My dad, my girlfriend, my dog, my job, and my best friend; all were gone. For one
reason or another, I’d lost them all. I stayed in Santa Fe. I tried to work, to
keep the homestead fires going, but, well, like I said, it was a rough year. I
packed my bags, threw everything into the crew cab of my 1983Nissan truck, and
prayed she would take me further than Eldorado, the one in Santa Fe, that is.
With camera in hand, I looked for anew life. Is this what they call a mid-life crisis?”
Lucky’s photos show the basic human struggles that most of us face, such as betrayal, loss, fear,
friends who lie, and lovers who cheat. Lucky Shot is at times funny, evocative, and heartwarming.
In LUCKY SHOT, Leamy explores gender identity through Lucky, her protagonist, a character whose gender is ambiguous. Leamy also examines the meaning of family and how families constantly reinvent themselves, especially after loss.
Leamy’s novel was inspired by her own experience coping with the death of a parent. In her novel, she explores the ethical, moral and legal issues surrounding life support and when is the right time to let your loved one die. Lucky’s journey reflects universal themes of love, loss, and self discovery. In the end, family and friends are what matter. The connections Lucky made—the characters who make this novel so memorable—are what remain:
“I looked over at the photo of my
dad. Henry William Phillips. I looked at this family of mine: Chris. Mike.
Susan. They were chatting about other Christmas holidays they’d had over the
years, laughing at Mike’s tales of Europe, and drinking the wine for breakfast.
In this warm, cozy home of mine, I realized: I’m Lucky. Lucky to be alive.”
LUCKY
SHOT
A Novel of Sex, Death, and Photography
By
Sarah Leamy
ISBN: 978-1-61204-684-6
Price:
$14.50
Format:
Trade paperback
Place orders through the publisher’s website: http://sbpra.com/SarahLeamy
or at www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.
On a more personal note!
Now though is a different matter. I've had some intense
personal experience with the question. Who decides to take a life? At what
point is the machine unplugged and the spirit set free? Or do you see it as
murder?
I've taken a moment, a question, a memory from my life and I
sowed that seed in my protagonist Lucky and watched to see what Lucky would do.
It's not my story but it began with me. Now I ask the readers to let me know
what they, you, would do in Lucky's situation? Run away? Stay? Move your
beloved into a long-term facility? Or would you call the lawyers, the
bartender, and the priest?
WELCOME to LUCKY SHOT – a novel by SARAH LEAMY!
The protagonist is never identified by gender. You simply won't find any references to Lucky as either male or female. This wasn't a deliberate choice by the author, yet the resultant reaction by the readers and reviewers says much of our need to box people by gender roles. The story of losing a parent however is universal. Lucky's underwear is irrelevant. However the reviews invariably peg Lucky as male. Why, I wonder? Because Lucky is involved with two women? Or that Lucky drives cross country alone? Decide for yourself!
Kirkus Review 2012:
One man’s journey through crisis, loss and love is captured through his camera lens.
Lucky Phillips has had a rough year—his father is in coma following a stroke, his girlfriend is cheating with his best friend, his beloved dog has gone missing—when he throws his camera and other belongings into his truck and leaves Santa Fe and his troubles behind. Lucky drives through the Midwest, meeting locals and snapping photos, and feeling all the while that he is “just not living up to” his name. His fortunes change when he arrives by chance in Madison, Wis., and is taken in by two university students, Christine and Joanna, who are charmed by his stories, his cooking and his free-spiritedness. He soon finds himself pursued by two women—good-girl Christine and sexy Michaela, who lives next door—and by a local gallery owner who wants to exhibit his photographs. Despite these promising events, Lucky’s past continues to haunt him as he struggles with feelings of guilt and betrayal and risks sabotaging his budding relationship with Christine. Inevitably, he must return to Santa Fe to face his critically ill father and decide how to care for him—and how to say goodbye. As Leamy’s novel comes full circle, Lucky proves to be an endearingly flawed hero, and the glue that holds this meandering narrative together. While Lucky is complex and engaging, one wishes the plot were as taught and focused as Leamy’s prose. But Leamy also demonstrates a talent for examining small moments—cooking dinner, smoking a cigarette—and probing their emotional depths. With its hopeful ending, this tender story of one man’s very human struggles will resonate with readers.
An endearing, ultimately hopeful novel about self-discovery.
After reviewing Sarah Leamy’s book When No One is Looking for Bookpleasures.com last spring I was very eager to read her new book, Lucky Shot, a Novel of Sex, Death and Photography. I was not disappointed. It is said that a picture is a worth a thousand words and in this novel, the protagonist is a photographer (click). Leamy’s prose is lean, almost stacatto at times, and creates a series of pictures in the mind’s eye of readers. What another writer might need thousands of words to describe, she can describe vividly in far fewer words. Reading her fiction is like viewing a film, you hear the voices, see the facial expressions and body language and feel each character. The style swings along in an easy, engaging rythym, and as a reader I feel like I’m dancing along with the characters to my favorite music.
To read the full review by Bookpleasures.com, click on this link:
Kirkus Indie, A Kirkus Media Review 2011.
While some may find the subject matter dismal and the novel’s chilly tone depressing, readers who enjoy vulnerable, flawed characters will find themselves engaged by Lucky’s courageous attempts to leave the past behind. Leamy’s writing is solid, but the book’s tendency to abruptly jump between the past and the present can be distracting. Still, readers who have been down on their luck, especially in these difficult economic times, will find themselves sympathizing with Lucky and will ultimately be inspired. For a hefty dose of harsh reality, tempered by the kindness of others, give this book a "shot."
To listen to Sarah read from the first chapters, click on this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEm0VnRo4_M
THANKS to ELISA KEIR, BRUCE MCINTOSH, ARIEL GORE, STEPHANIE COULTHARD, and GAIL SNYDER for your support with publishing this second novel.
Cover photograph by ANGELA TREVINO-LEIMBACH. She's amazing!
https://www.facebook.com/AngelaTrevinoLeimbachPhotography
Much love.
Please click on these sites to buy your own copy or to find out more. Thanks!
Buy it now at
http://www.aeg-online-store.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?preadd=action&key=APP3174
http://www.amazon.com/Lucky-Shot-novel-death-photography
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lucky-shot-sarah-leamy/1105971010
http://authorpressrelease.posterous.com/author-sarah-leamy-pens-eye-opening-novel-luc
http://thebookcheckout.com/insidethebook/inside_the_book.php?site_id=3&pdf_id=6368&id=2911
http://www.pubmatch.com/book/6368/lucky-shot.html
http://www.santafe.com/authors/sarah-leamy
http://www.adlibris.com/se/product.aspx?isbn=1612046843
http://authorpressrelease.posterous.com/
http://www.tanum.no/product.aspx?isbn=1612046843
http://www.superbookshop.net/index.php?page=contributor&contributorId=005426866&lng=hr
For the monthly blog : http://sarahleamy.wordpress.com
and more to come as we get the word out! But I think i have enough links for you to start with. If you'd like to review the novels and publish your opinions then get in touch via the contact page. Thanks.