Monday, October 29, 2012

The Sixth Day



The reviews and comments continue to mount on my new publication, The Sixth Day: A 17,175-Word Novella About Creation and Prizefighting.  I was pleased -- but not necessarily surprised -- by the reception of my first four novels.  I suppose the one comment that set me back pleasantly on my heals is the comment that DWI: Dying While Intoxicated was "the perfect Greek Tragedy."  Whether or not it is, I appreciated the comment.  Frankly, I had no idea what to expect with my most recent work, The Sixth Day.  I've been delighted:

  • "Parables have teaching or transformative intention that can work on hearers, and the resistant ones, covertly.  I believe The Sixth Day can act on its readers in that same, covert way."

  • "Wow! What a beautiful book!  The writing was clean and simple."

  • "Kraay can tackle any genre that involves character development, authentic dialogue and revolves around a story."

  • "... a fascinating story that reminded me of The Green Mile.  Yes, we're all Jesus!  As dramatist and author William Saroyan wrote, 'If what is said about Jesus is not also true of us, what good is what he did?'"

  • "Wonderful... by the 3rd day, I was able to 'speak' the words and found the language to be very important to the telling of the lovely story.  The old man's lingo and wisdom will light up your day."

  • "Along with creative storytelling and wonderful dialog that kept a smile on my face for the 90 minutes it took to read the tale is a story about prizefighting that works wonderfully with what I viewed as the main story about Jesus.  At the conclusion, both story lines come together after brother Sam's big bout with 'the Polish Dropper' ends in stunning fashion, creating a sense of shock, and leaving the opportunity for the old man to prove if he is or is not in fact Jesus Christ."

  • "... finished with an out loud chuckle, then just lay there with a smile on my face.  A very good story.  then my thoughts turned to it being a fine Parable.  What stays with me so much are the hidden 'quotes from Scripture' and explanations for the unexpected presence of Jesus Christ!  This short book is packed with 'to-the-point' themes of generosity of the really poor, sharing of food, friendship, and the right knit family of boys, the sacrifice of self by the oldest brother, Sam, and the good 'choices' of some humans making it all worth while to God for not 'quitting' midway through that sixth day!"

  • "On a side note, the final line of the novella will go down as one of my all-time favorite lines from any book.  You'll have to read the book for yourself to learn what that eight-word sentence is.  Quick and wonderful read, masterfully done."

  • "Hilarious!"

Spread the word.... The Sixth Day.... the day God almost quit!