Excerpt Tour: My Rite of Passage During the Summer of '76 by H. Downing Lane

Congratulations to tour winner Vasyl P. and to host winner All the Ups and Downs.

Thank you for your interest in hosting this tour, but all stops have been filled.

Goddess Fish Promotions is organizing a Virtual Excerpt Tour for My Rite of Passage During the Summer of '76 by H. Downing Lane, a Memoir available now from Tellwell Publishing. The tour will run February 8 - 19, 2021, and this tour will not include interviews or guest blogs; however, a blurb, exclusive excerpt and author bio will be provided to every host for inclusion on their blog. Additionally, an ePub and Mobi copy of this story is available for review in conjunction with a promo post.

H. Downing Lane will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn host.

MY RITE OF PASSAGE DURING THE SUMMER OF ’76 is a riveting coming-of-age memoir about adventure on the high seas with philosophical musings that add a resonant layer of depth.

In this memoir, H. Downing Lane recalls the 25-day transatlantic sailing trip he took in 1976 as a young man, the details of the journey around Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and other locales, and reflects on its significance as a coming-of-age learning experience.

H. Downing Lane was 26 years old in 1976 when he decided to sign up for a transatlantic sailing trip into the Arctic with an accomplished captain named E. Newbold Smith. In this vivid, often exhilarating memoir, Lane draws from journal entries written during his time at sea to share an account of the remarkable voyage.

The Atlantic crossing was a 25-day affair, from Chesapeake Bay, around Iceland, the Faroe Islands, and the coast of Norway. It was undertaken at a point in Lane’s life when he was feeling particularly vulnerable, as he was recovering from an accident in which he had lost an eye. He wished to “prove [his] mettle,” not to the other men aboard the boat, but to himself. As it turned out, Captain Smith was something of a kindred spirit, as he too had survived a devastating accident many years earlier. Lane provides the reader with a realistic vision of what life aboard a sailing vessel is like, from the often freezing temperatures above and below deck, to the many challenges presented by simple bodily necessities. He describes various technical aspects of working on the boat, but his language never devolves into jargon; his account is always perfectly clear and accessible.

Lane seasons the text with literary and philosophical quotes that frequently allow him to consider the greater meaning of his experience, and even of life itself. There are also numerous stunning photographs included of the boat and the various stops along the way.

February 8: Aubrey Wynne
February 9: The Avid Reader
February 10: Edgar's Books
February 11: Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
February 11: It's Raining Books
February 12: Locks, Hooks and Books
February 15: Becoming Extraordinary
February 16: Fabulous and Brunette
February 17: All the Ups and Downs
February 18: Westveil Publishing
February 19: Rogue's Angels
February 19: Long and Short Reviews