A Kind of Hush examines how life is seldom a tidy affair exploring whether there is a gray
area between right and wrong. The Mackie family, after enduring an unthinkable tragedy with
the death of their young son, finally moved toward a new life until one June day while enjoying
an outing at a nearby rugged park, their lives again turned upside down. A plunge off a shale cliff
left one parent dead and the other solely responsible for their teenage daughter and seven-year-
old son. Was this an accident or something more heinous, and if so whodunnit and whydunit?
The heart of the novel centers on how each survivor deals with the circumstances and subsequent
revelations surrounding the incident while a mantle of ambiguity – a kind of hush – hangs
between them like a live grenade without its pin.
Advanced praise, Diane Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review and included on
Donovan’s Bookshelf Recommended Reading:
http://donovansliteraryservices.com/july-2021-issue.html
Midwest Book Review:
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/mbw/jul_21.htm#dianedonovan
Kirkus Review: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jodee-neathery/a-kind-of-hush/ Self-Publishing Review magazine (SPR) https://www.selfpublishingreview.com/?s-A+Kind+of+Hush
Readers Favorite 5-star review: https://readersfavorite.com/book-review/a-kind-of-hush
Book Viral Review: https://bookviralreviews.com/book-reviews/literary-fiction/new-literary-fiction-novels/
http://bookviralreviews.com/readers-favourites/ http://bookviralreviews.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Bookviral-208302829365066/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/BookViral/
Chick Lit Café Review:
https://chicklitcafe.com/?s=A+Kind+of+Hush+
Amy Shannon of Bookshelf Reviews. 5 Stars, “Tragedy and Triumph Can Blur The Line.”
https://www.instagram.com/amysbookshelfreviews/
https://www.twitter.com/ABSR_amyreviews
www.linkedin.com/in/Amy-Bookself-reviews
https://www.writeramyshannon.wixsite.com/bookshelfreviews
https://www.writeramyshannon.wixsite.com/amyshannonblog
https://www.facebook.com/bookshelfreviews/
https://www.facebook.com/amyshannonnovelist
https://www.facebook.com/bookshelfeviews/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVyM4_pE_TX60B-nWwz5ww0
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/988593075
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R23KLTHR18EANT
Fiction Café Book Club Facebook Group: Author of the Week” feature. https://www.facebook.com/JoDee315Neathery/videos/2766578723641078/
Oct/Nov/December issue of De Mode Magazine on-line and print featured in Books and Authors segment – Ten Must Reads for Fall – Interview, Links to purchase.
Reedsy Discovery Program: 5 Star Review, posted by Laura Hartman on Goodreads and Amazon. “A Kind of Hush is one of the best books I have read this year. I could not put this book down.”
https://www.reedsy.com/author/jodee-neathery
https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/a-kind-of-hush-jodee-neathery#review
Grace Jackson, independent reviewer:
Goodreads- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4423828827
Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/106919625154892/posts/119951593851695/
Independent Reviewer: Lydia Efobi, LinkedIn connection review posted: https://tinyurl.com/3apy9234
Tapnet.com guest post: https://www.tapnet.com/a-kind-of-hush-jodee-neathery posted on Twitter & Facebook pages.
Sassy 5-star Reviews: https://www.instagram.com/p/CaNFRnoi_y
https://passionduniva.wordpress.com/2023/01/09/a-kind-of-hushhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5248027842 https://book.google.co.in/books?id=x1MZGEACAAJ&sitesec=reviews
East Texas author, JoDee Neathery, has written two award-winning novels, Life in a Box, published 2017, and A Kind of Hush released July 2021. Both have won the International Firebird Book Awards for literary fiction and were awarded Readers’ Favorite 5-Star designations. A Kind of Hush received critical acclaim as one of five finalists in the highly contested mystery category of the 16th annual 2022 National Indie Excellence Awards, the 2022 Silver Medal Winner, Readers’ Favorite Annual International Book Awards, Literary Fiction, and was a shortlisted finalist in the 11th annual 2022 Millennium Book Awards and Winner in the literary fiction category
Her journey to publication followed an unconventional path void of author credentials, but with the encouragement of her book club, a passion for the written word, a vivid imagination, a sense of humor, and a story to tell she plucked a few personalities off the family tree and Life in a Box debuted asking the question, how much would you sacrifice to hide a secret. “One of those all too rare literary gems.” Midwest Book Review and a 5-Star review posted on Amazon UK offered this assessment, “There is an understated audacity to her style of writing which I find quite spellbinding.”
A Kind of Hush was born in the middle of the night when the first sentence, the ending, and a profile of a young boy appeared. “I didn’t know the whole story but knew Gabriel Edward Mackie had to be in whatever I wrote next.” Praise followed. “This family drama is steeped in suspense, but its likeable cast of characters is its main draw,” Kirkus Reviews. “Witty, warm, uplifting, and utterly heartbreaking.” Book Viral Review. “Poignant and emotionally rich.” Book View Gold Medallion. “Intelligent, crisp prose.” The Prairies Book Review.
JoDee chairs her community book club, is writing another novel, Dust in the Wind, and contributes a light-hearted look at life with her byline, Back Porch Musings, to a local newspaper. Books are available through Amazon, https://jodeeneathery.com, IngramSpark.com, Smashwords.com, Apple.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Kobobooks.com, Walmart.com, Target.com as well as Texas indie bookstores in Malakoff, Lubbock, San Antonio, Houston.
2022 SILVER MEDAL WINNER, READERS’ FAVORITE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, Literary Fiction
https://www.readersfavorite.com/2022-award-contest-winners.htm#a-kind-of-hush
2022 WINNER INTERNATIONAL FIREBIRD BOOK AWARDS, Literary Fiction
https://www.speakuptalkradio.com
https://www.speakuptalkradio.com/boombangohmygoshwow (podcast - author tip)
2022 FINALIST, NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS, Mystery
2022 MILLENNIUM BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTED CANDIDATE AND CATEGORY WINNER, Literary Fiction
Press releases announcing awards sent to Dallas, Tyler, Athens, The Monitor, Corsicana, Ennis news outlets
Publication Date: July 2021
Imagery Lit
315 St. Andrews Drive
Mabank, Texas 75156
Available: www.Amazon.com https://www.jodeeneathery.com www.IngramSpark.com, Smashwords.com, Apple.com, BarnesandNoble.com, Kobobooks.com, Scribd.comwww.Walmart.com www.Target.com Bookish Bookstore, Malakoff, Texas, Blue Willow Bookstore, Houston, Texas, Wild Lark Bookstore, Lubbock, Texas, B4R online bookstore, The Twig Bookstore, San Antonio, Texas, The Last Bookstore, Tyler, Texas, Dead Tree Dreams bookstore, Nacogdoches, Texas
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
www.amazon.com/author/jodeeneathery
https://www.facebook.com/JoDeeNeatheryAuthor/
https://www.twitter.com/authorihope
https://www.pinterest.com/jodeeneathery
https://www.instagram.com/jodee741/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jodee-neathery-94b2b33b/
https://www.goodreads.com/authorihope/
https://allauthor.com/author/jodeen/
https://www.reedsy.com/author/jodee-neathery
https://www.bookbub.com/profile/Jodee-Neathery
https://www.booklife.com/my/project/a-kind-of-hush-79314
BOOK SIGNINGS AND PRESENTATIONS:
American Business Women’s Association, Rotary Clubs, Book Clubs, Women’s Clubs, Literary Clubs, Writing Guilds, Retirement villages, Independent bookstores, Book Festivals and Fairs, Public Libraries.
WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT JODEE NEATHRY’S WRITING:
“JoDee’s writing is vivid, lyrical and has the capability of placing you in the time and setting of the story. Her characters become part of your life.” Dauphin Island Book Club
“JoDee has a very clever way of grabbing the reader’s attention with a unique style of presentation as she writes from the heart.” Retired educator & avid reader
“JoDee has a special knack for putting readers right in the moment.” Amazon reviewer
“I admire her ability to string words together. Her writing is lyrical taking readers on a journey full of twists and turns.” Avid Reader & Multiple book club member
“Incredibly lyrical. Lovely, yet powerful. The character development creates friends you want to keep forever in your circle.” Book Club Chairman
“Characters so clearly defined you will not forget them.” Author
“Ms. Neathery’s detailed and vivid descriptions have the reader feeling as if they’re in the midst of every conversation and setting.” Author
“JoDee Neathery is a writer who understands how we should embrace the wisdom of generations of those who have come before us.” Editor, Women’s magazine
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
“She writes as a painter paints. A work of art.” Amazon Reviewer
“Couldn’t put it down. Kept me up past my bedtime.” Amazon Reviewer
“Loved the characters and the way she pulled you into the scenes.” Amazon Reviewer
“Tragedy and triumph can blur the line.” Amazon & Goodreads Reviewer
“Story telling at its best. Lyrical and almost magical at times.” Amazon Reviewer
“Engaging. Flows nicely. Well-written and plotted.” Amazon Vine Voice Reviewer
“Even after you put it down you are still thinking about it.” Amazon Reviewer
“Story is well-written and filled with thrilling descriptive writing.” Amazon Reviewer
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
BUFFALO, NEW YORK. Gabriel Mackie had just celebrated his fourth birthday the first time he visited the whisper room, a windowless enclave with lavender walls brimming with daydreams, obscured from reality. All he knew for certain was that his older brother, Griff, nicknamed Boo, was gone. His bedroom at the end of the long hallway had been transformed into a guest room with ecru lace duvets instead of the blue and white pinstriped spreads covering the twin beds. Vanished were his toy box and New York Yankee American League pennants that had plastered the walls, replaced by paintings of water lilies and wheat fields. A stray tear trickled down Gabe’s cheek when he remembered Boo’s curly blonde hair and how he snorted when he laughed. Silence is deafening and the Mackie household screamed heartbreak.
Tree branches dipped in the wind tossing shadows across the windows heralding a tempest gathering force. Matt sipped his coffee and thumbed through last night’s restaurant receipts. Summer, lost in her on own thoughts, mindlessly poured herself a refill with one hand while twirling a strand of hair with the other. Gabe tiptoed to the kitchen doorway, jumping back when he heard his mother slam her fist on the counter.
“It’s Willa’s fault Griff is gone,” her voice stringent and tight. “Tickling him while he sucked on a gumball, for God’s sake. I trusted her to take care of him for fifteen minutes—fifteen damn minutes—while I picked up Gabe from a birthday party. He couldn’t find his shoes . . . I would have been home sooner and maybe . . . I love my daughter, but . . . She knew to call 911 in an emergency . . . Why the hell didn’t she?”
Matt shook his head. “Summer come on . . . you’ve got to quit blaming her,” his voice rising an octave in frustration. “You’re as responsible as Willa.”
Summer turned her back to her husband shielding the wounds caused by his words.
“I shouldn’t have said that,” regret echoed in his apology. “I’m so sorry . . . Please, we don’t need to be playing this blame game. . . .”
“I guess it’s too much to ask for you to understand what I’m going through, Matt. What part of my daughter killing our son don’t you get?”
“Honey, you’re overreacting. . . .”
They both turned as Gabe scampered into the room dragging a stuffed elephant by its trunk. “Mommy, did Willa find where Boo’s hiding? Quackers and me wanna play next . . . you count to ten and say ready-or-not, here I come . . . okay?”
A Kind of Hush
Written By JoDee Neathery
Review By Heidi Lynn’s Book Reviews
First, I want to thank JoDee Neathery for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.
WOW!! JoDee Neathery blew me away with her latest A Kind Of Hush! This book was fast paced, heart wrenching, intensely suspenseful, lots of twists and turns, and totally addicting. This is one book that once you start you won’t want to put down.
I was all smiles when I saw that A Kind Of Hush was set in Buffalo, NY. This is my hometown where I was born, raised and still live. JoDee referenced many prominent locations, sports teams, political figures and even famous OJ Simpson! She also educated her readers on some of Buffalo’s history. Some even I didn’t know about.
Instantly, my heartstrings were pulled tightly meeting 4 year old Gabriel! He was my favorite character of them all as he was the sweetest! My heart broke for all that he lost within this book.
JoDee brings up some very important issues and life lessons in A Kind Of Hush.
A Kind Of Hush is incredibly well written that will have you on the edge of your comfy chair. It is one book you must add to your TBR list!
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