Kindle Pick of the Week: A Runner's High

Dean Karnazes does it again!

I talked with Dean about his new book last week.

New York Times bestselling author and ultramarathoning legend Dean Karnazes has pushed his body and mind to inconceivable limits, from running in the shoe melting heat of Death Valley to the lung freezing cold of the South Pole. He’s raced and competed across the globe and once ran 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 consecutive days.

In A Runner’s High, Karnazes chronicles his extraordinary adventures leading up to his return to the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run in his mid-fifties after first completing the race decades ago. The Western States, infamous for its rugged terrain and extreme temperatures, becomes the most demanding competition of Karnazes’s life, a physical and emotional reckoning and a battle to stay true to one’s purpose. Confronting his age, his career path, and his life choices, we see Karnazes as we never have before.

For Karnazes, the running experience is about the runner and the trail. It is not the sum of achievements but a story that continues to be told each day, with each step. A Runner’s High is at once an endorphin-fueled adventure and a love letter to the sport from one of its most celebrated ambassadors that will leave both casual and serious runners cheering.

NFL Draft Tonight

ESPN going all in on NFL Draft tonight, but other outlets have been covering it non stop as well.

2021 Kentucky Derby

2021 Kentucky Derby Facts & History:

30K – Number of attendees expected for the 2021 Kentucky Derby (at half capacity due to COVID-19).
 
$122 Million – Ticket revenue loss during Derby Week in 2020.
 
$126 Million – Total amount wagered on the 2020 Kentucky Derby (50% less than in 2019).
 
$500 to $1,000 – Price of a high-end Kentucky Derby hat (90% of female spectators wear hats).
 
$805 Million – Sales of thoroughbred horses in 2020 (down 26% from 2019).

Current Masters Odds with Spieth on the Rise

Masters odds updated:

Check out the full list of 2021 Masters odds (as of April 5) courtesy of BetOnline.ag.

Dustin Johnson 9/1
Jordan Spieth 10/1
Bryson DeChambeau 11/1
Justin Thomas 11/1
Jon Rahm 12/1
Rory McIlroy 18/1
Patrick Cantlay 20/1
Xander Schauffele 22/1
Brooks Koepka 28/1
Collin Morikawa 30/1
Patrick Reed 35/1
Tony Finau 35/1
Viktor Hovland 35/1
Daniel Berger 40/1
Paul Casey 40/1
Sungjae Im 40/1
Webb Simpson 40/1
Cameron Smith 45/1
Lee Westwood 45/1
Tyrrell Hatton 50/1
Hideki Matsuyama 55/1
Matthew Fitzpatrick 55/1
Scottie Scheffler 55/1
Sergio Garcia 55/1
Tommy Fleetwood 55/1
Jason Day 60/1

Kindle Pick of the Week: A Fastball for Freedom

A great read as baseball season starts this week!

In a world where laws restrict nearly every move people make, baseball pitcher Puppy Nedick and his ex-wife Annette are on the run. Branded by their government as American traitors and murderers, they and their friends must now navigate the chaotic remnants of London.

As Puppy faces an uncertain future run by secret police, robots, and holograms, he is determined to save the world using the only weapon he has—baseball.

A great release from Gary Morgenstein.

In A Fastball for Freedom, the sequel to Gary Morgenstein’s critically acclaimed novel A Mound Over Hell, a war-weary 22nd Century world turns to baseball, robots, and faith to bring together a hate-ravaged planet to avoid a final cataclysmic global conflict.

Out on March 25, 2021, A Fastball for Freedom will appeal to a large demographic of readers who enjoy dystopian fiction, including The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, 1984 by George Orwell, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

The year is 2098, and America is no longer a world power. There are no distinctions by sex, race, sexual preference, or ethnicity. It doesn’t matter who or what you are—all that matters is that society is based on love and ethics.

The baseball focus shifts from Yankee Stadium to the new Fenway Park (built by robots) where the eccentric historian Ernie the Wizard blesses Red Sox memorabilia hidden in a museum beneath home plate. Said former Boston pitcher Dave Morehead: "You will enjoy this entertaining and intriguing sci-fi read, especially if you are a baseball fan."

In a world where laws restrict nearly every move people make, baseball pitcher Puppy Nedick and his ex-wife are on the run. Branded by their government as American traitors and murderers, they and their friends must now navigate the chaotic remnants of London. As Puppy faces an uncertain future run by secret police, robots, and holograms, he is determined to save the world using the only weapon he has—baseball.

"The power of speculative fiction is that it allows you to be timely while taking the reader through a window into a nightmarish future," says Gary Morgenstein. "But as humanity has always done under the most terrible of circumstances, ordinary people will find the extraordinary courage to build a better world."

Gary Morgenstein is the critically acclaimed author of The Dark Depths series.  He is a regular podcast panelist for science fiction roundtables at the popular Fanboy Nation and Fellowship of Fools. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Parade Magazine, The New York Post, Sports Illustrated, Fox News Radio, and NPR. He is the former Director, Communications for Syfy.  He enjoys sports and yoga. Gary lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and pug where he is working on his next novel.

A Fastball for Freedom is published by BHC Press and is available for preorder in hardcover, trade softcover, and e-book at all major booksellers. Booksellers, retailers, and librarians may order direct from Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, Overdrive, Perma-Bound, and the publisher's website https://www.bhcpress.com/

About BHC Press:  BHC Press is an award-winning independent publisher of fiction and nonfiction for the adult, teen, and children's market. To learn more, visit www.bhcpress.com.

On-sale: 03/25/2021
A Fastball for Freedom by Gary Morgenstein
Hardcover: 978-1-64397-186-5, $30.00, 500 pages
Softcover:  978-1-64397-187-2, $19.95, 500 pages
Ebook:        978-1-64397-188-9, $7.99
LCCN: 2020936698

Order your Kindle copy here.