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Hello from 1898!

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CigarGuy
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Hello from 1898!

Post by CigarGuy » Thu April 29th, 2010, 8:43 pm

Hi gang. Not really a true, 100% newb, I've been lurking here for awhile. Made a few posts but I wanted to emerge from the shadows and officially introduce myself!

I like your site, mostly because there are a lot of writers here, and the general attitude seems to be helpful and welcoming (unlike many, many other book/writing sites...).

Anyway my book is called The Cigar Maker . Here is a blurb...

The Cigar City. The year is 1898. Young Cuban rebel Salvador Ortiz and his family have escaped the hardship of war-torn Cuba, but the union halls, cigar factories, and dark alleys of Tampa are filled with violence and vendetta. Salvador must defy constant labor strife and deadly corruption in a one-industry town known for backroom cockfights, street thugs, late-night abductions and mass production of the world's best hand-rolled stogies. An ideological battle for control of the cigar industry tests Salvador's self-respect and love of hard work as he fights to abandon his rambunctious, outlaw past and lead his proud Cuban family into a colorful immigrant society. His wish for a peaceful life as a husband, a father, and a man of dignity is threatened by a lawless underworld and a cultural conflict with a dangerous, bloody history.

The first official review came out yesterday and it was very good! You can read it here.
http://www.bloggernews.net/124341

It's on Amazon and a bunch of other places, including the official site. I'd love for you to check it out...if this is not the right place for this, please let me know. As a writer I am very open to honest feedback!!
The Cigar Maker
Seventh Avenue Productions, June 2010
http://www.thecigarmaker.net/

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boswellbaxter
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Post by boswellbaxter » Thu April 29th, 2010, 9:06 pm

Welcome! Glad to have you here.
Susan Higginbotham
Coming in October: The Woodvilles


http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/
http://www.susanhigginbotham.com/blog/

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Anna Elliott
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Post by Anna Elliott » Thu April 29th, 2010, 10:38 pm

Welcome! And your book sounds fascinating--can't wait to hear more!

Author of the Twilight of Avalon trilogy
new book: Dark Moon of Avalon, coming Sept 14 from Simon &Schuster (Touchstone)

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http://www.annaelliottbooks.com

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CigarGuy
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Post by CigarGuy » Thu April 29th, 2010, 11:05 pm

Thanks!

It will officially premiere at a release party at the Tampa Bay History Center on May 22nd. The curator read the book and gave it a e "historical" stamp of approval. He also wrote a blurb for the back cover. Excerpts will be published in Tampa's Cigar City Magazine starting in the May/June issue and running for four months! Off to a good start so far!
The Cigar Maker
Seventh Avenue Productions, June 2010
http://www.thecigarmaker.net/

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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Thu April 29th, 2010, 11:15 pm

Hi, nice to meet you. The book info might fit better in the Author Announcements section but this is absolutely the right place to introduce yourself.

Welcome in from the shadows and good luck with your book. Sounds great.

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MLE (Emily Cotton)
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Interest in HF: started in childhood with the classics, which, IMHO are HF even if they were contemporary when written.
Favourite HF book: Prince of Foxes, by Samuel Shellabarger
Preferred HF: Currently prefer 1600 and earlier, but I'll read anything that keeps me turning the page.
Location: California Bay Area

Post by MLE (Emily Cotton) » Thu April 29th, 2010, 11:40 pm

Hi cigarguy. What an interesting period and subject you chose! The only thing I know about cigar in history is that Samuel Gompers started the whole union movement with cigar makers.

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donroc
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Post by donroc » Fri April 30th, 2010, 12:04 am

Welcome and enjoy.
Image

Bodo the Apostate, a novel set during the reign of Louis the Pious and end of the Carolingian Empire.

http://www.donaldmichaelplatt.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXZthhY6 ... annel_page

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CigarGuy
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Post by CigarGuy » Fri April 30th, 2010, 1:02 am

[quote=""MLE""]Hi cigarguy. What an interesting period and subject you chose! The only thing I know about cigar in history is that Samuel Gompers started the whole union movement with cigar makers.[/quote]

Gompers was an AFL guy and a NY guy. He became, I believe, the vice-president of the CMIU (Cigar Maker's International Union).

Cuban, Spanish and Italian cigar makers in Tampa actually created their own union called La Resistencia and actually fought against the AFL and the CMIU's brand of trade unionism. Cubans felt the American organization did not properly represent the old-world traditions of the cigar industry. This, as you can image, created loads of conflict.

Two rival labor unions, locked in a battle for control of a one-industry cigar town. That is essentially the backdrop of The Cigar Maker. But it is a story about family - the family of Salvador Ortiz, a Cuban cigar maker based on my great-grandfather, who finds himself in the middle of this violent conflict.
The Cigar Maker
Seventh Avenue Productions, June 2010
http://www.thecigarmaker.net/

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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Fri April 30th, 2010, 8:19 am

Interesting time period for a novel indeed! Welcome to HFonline, and enjoy. Good luck too with your novel!
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor

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Vanessa
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Currently reading: The Farm at the Edge of the World by Sarah Vaughan
Interest in HF: The first historical novel I read was Katherine by Anya Seton and this sparked off my interest in this genre.
Favourite HF book: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell!
Preferred HF: Any
Location: North Yorkshire, UK

Post by Vanessa » Fri April 30th, 2010, 8:34 am

Welcome, Cigarguy! Hope you enjoy it here.

Your book sounds interesting - good luck with it.
currently reading: My Books on Goodreads

Books are mirrors, you only see in them what you already have inside you ~ The Shadow of the Wind

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