Patrick Smithwick
Baltimore, MD
Award-Winning Author, Devoted Teacher, Legacy Equestrian
BOOK COVER
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: May 16, 2023
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Tide Pool Press
Page Count: 263, with photos
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-7367720-7-2
Price: $29.95
ABOUT THE BOOK
In War’s Over, Come Home, Patrick Smitwick brings the reader on a two-year quest through cities across the country for his son, Andrew, two-tour Marine veteran of the Iraq War, who is running away from war memories, nightmares, hallucinations, and those that love him. Smithwick’s relentless focus on the life of his homeless son is a microcosm of the national nightmare 50,000 homeless veterans and their families are living every day. Yet, Smithwick imbues every chapter with hope: hope for his son, hope for his marriage, hope for his country. This is a memoir of love, perseverance and hope.
TALKING POINTS
- Veterans and Homelessness
- Veteran Suicide
- PTSD in Veterans
- The Effect of Veterans Returning from Duty on Family Relationships
- Managing Life and Business While Searching for a Missing Son
TIMELY TIE-INS
March
- Self-Injury Awareness Day - March 1
- World Teen Mental Wellness Day - March 2
- National Medal of Honor Day - March 25
- National Vietnam War Veterans Day - March 29
April
- Stress Awareness Month
- Month of the Military Child
- Month of Hope
- National Fair Housing Awareness Month
- Childhelp National Day of Hope - April 5
- World Health Day- April 7
May
- National Mental Health Awareness Month
- Month of the Military Caregiver
- Loyalty Day - May 1
- Armed Forces Day - May 20
- Memorial Day - May 29
June
- National PTSD Awareness Month
- Flag Day - June 14
- Father’s Day - June 18
- National PTSD Awareness Day - June 27
July
- International Day in Support of Victims of Torture - June 26
- National Love is Kind Day - July 27
August
- Day of Remembrance and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism - August 21
- National Grief Awareness Day - August 30
September
- National Suicide Prevention Month
- National POW/MIA Recognition Day - September 15
- National Suicide Prevention Week - September 10
- VFW Day - September 29
October
- National Mental Illness Awareness Week - October 1
- World Mental Health Day- October 10
November
- Veteran’s Day - November 11
PRAISE
“Patrick Smithwick’s Sisyphean quest to find his son, a decorated two-tour Marine adrift in America and battling PTSD, takes him deep into the lives of the homeless, the lost, and the forgotten. Smithwick writes with devastating honesty about his harrowing and heartfelt journey to dark and tragic corners of the country, which puts himself and his loved ones at risk, while ultimately affirming the unbreakable bond of family. This intensely personal narrative is a call to action on behalf of veterans, twenty-two of whom commit suicide every day.”
-Richard Dresser, Award-winning playwright , author, screenwriting teacher, and president of the Writers Guild Initiative, which conducts writing workshops with veterans
“Patrick Smithwick’s wonderful books have always started from home—the beautiful terrain around Monkton, Maryland. He grew up the son and nephew of the steeple chasing Smithwick brothers, A. P. (“Paddy”) and Michael, and rode in the great Maryland Hunt Cup himself. Here he focuses on a family tragedy, the effect of two tours of duty in the Iraq War on his son Andrew, who returned with severe symptoms of PTSD and has lived as a wandering homeless man for most of the years since. The narrative of the family’s searches for Andrew has the intensity and suspense of a thriller. As Andrew’s troubles, distant as they are, gnaw at the family fabric, Smithwick handles the agreements and disagreements, the quarrels, his own and others’ occasional pettiness, with just the right level of clear-eyed depth. He is equally fair with the laws of privacy that sometimes prevent the family from finding out what they want to know, and the balance between their rights and Andrew’s is a central problem. No one who cares about the plight of today’s veterans should miss this splendid book.”
– Pulitzer Prize winning poet Henry Taylor, past co-director of the Master of Fine Arts program at American University, and author of the newly released This Tilted World Is Where I Live: New and Selected Poems 1962-2020.
BOOK DETAILS
Pub Date: February 7, 2023
Genre: Crime Mysteries / Suspense & Thriller
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Page Count: 272
Format: Hardcover, ebook
ISBN: 978-1-6391023-03
Price: $29.99
ABOUT THE BOOK
For fans of suspense authors like Melinda Leigh and Lisa Gardner, EVERY MISSING GIRL is a nail-biting drama featuring a cold case gone red hot and a dynamic duo investigative team that fans of true crime and shows like CSI will love.
The stunning landscape of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains are among our greatest natural treasures. But there are deadly secrets lurking in the craggy heights, and FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck and Denver Homicide Detective Adam Taylor team up to investigate a kidnapping. When Taylor’s niece, Frankie, suddenly vanishes at a local hockey rink, it’s clear that there’s a predator on the loose—and now the case has turned personal.
One discovery after another leads Beck and Taylor closer to the truth, as they close in on the devastating truth about the fates of the missing girls—and the many who came before them. Will they be able to find Frankie before it’s too late? In this thrilling story, established author Leanne Kale Sparks weaves the threads of this harrowing drama and builds the intensity to a fever pitch.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After a brief career in criminal law, Leanne Kale Sparks returned to her first love—writing about murder and mayhem starting with the first book in a trilogy, The Wrong Woman. The backdrop of this story, Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, is the playground of her youth and the place which will always be home. When not writing, she and her husband spend time reading, mountain biking, and spoiling their German Shepherd, Zoe. And drinking wine. Over the years, Leanne has lived in multiple locations and now resides in Fort Worth, TX.
TIMELY TIE-INS
DECEMBER
・ Holiday Gift Giving Month
・ Letter Writing Day – December 7
・ Jane Austen Day – December 16
JANUARY
・ National Book Blitz Month
・ National Word Nerd Day – January 9
・ Book Publishers Day – January 16
・ National Storytellers Week – January 30
FEBRUARY
・ Book Launch Day – February 7
・ National Library Lovers Month
・ World Read Aloud Day – February 2
・ Freelance Writers Appreciation Week – February 6
・ Read in a Bathtub Day – February 9
・ National Book Giving Day (and Valentines Day) – February 14
・ World Social Justice Day – February 20
PRAISE FOR THE WRONG WOMAN
“An unsparing professional-grade debut.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Intense, spellbinding, and dark. The perfect suspense thriller!”—Helen Hardt, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“The Wrong Woman is a twisted thriller populated by well-drawn characters you’ll want to see more of in future books from gifted author Leanne Sparks!”—Debra Webb, Amazon Charts and USA Today bestselling author
“The Wrong Woman is absolutely fantastic. It’s an intense, fast-paced, dynamic thriller with a cast of characters that are authentic and compelling. FBI Agent Kendall Beck is the perfect mix: compassionate, smart, gritty, empathetic, and fierce. Readers will love her and clamor for more. An enthralling page-turner that will keep you racing through its pages, desperate for more, The Wrong Woman does not disappoint. This novel has everything: pulse-pounding thrills, riveting twists, and heart. I hope we get to see more of Agent Beck! Fans of Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gardner will devour this gripping read.”—Lisa Regan, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
“Sparks has outdone herself. The Wrong Woman is a page-turning, suspenseful ride from the very first sentence to the final, shocking twist.”—Melinda Leigh, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Bree Taggert series
“This is a killer of a novel. Fresh, fast, and fascinating.” —Kendra Elliot, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Mercy Kilpatrick series
“OMG WOW! The Wrong Woman by Leanne Kale Sparks is a pulse pounding read! Not for the faint hearted, this twisty and gripping crime thriller will grab you by the throat and keep you reading until the very end. An absolute #sleepstealer of a read, I loved it! Really looking forward to reading more from this author.”—Noelle Holten, author of the Maggie Jamieson series