Just learned that The Circle of Thirteen will be an IndieNext selection for November 2013. This is a big honor that the American Booksellers Association gives to only 20 books each month.
The nominations for this list come from booksellers around the country. I’m very appreciative of their nice comments and their support.
Here’s the comment from Lori Fazio, the general manager of R.J. Julia Bookseller in Madison, Connecticut (I’ll be there for a book-signing on November 19 at 7:00 pm.)
The Circle of Thirteen takes the reader on an adventure through a futuristic thriller while celebrating the power of women at the same time! I loved the fast pace although it still allowed me to become invested in the characters. The sci-fi is also gentle enough for those who typically don’t read that genre and want a great story. You will be kept on edge until the last pages. Don’t cheat and skip ahead; the details that build are worth the suspense.
“Gentle sci-fi” — I never thought of it quite that way. But I like her description. As I was writing the book, I wanted to be sure that the character relationships were the main element of the story and the that futuristic-technology stayed in the background. If Lori is right, I must have succeeded to some extent.
I also got this wonderful, extended quote from Betsy Burton who owns The King’s English Bookshop in Salt Lake City.
What if women ruled the world? Bill Petrocelli, in his futuristic thriller, answers that question with a scenario involving governments ruled by women worldwide, established after global warming-induced famine throws control of the food supply into the hands of a partnership between a huge international corporation and cartels. Protests galvanized by 13 forceful women gradually overturn that alliance, and during the ensuing half century, although violence occurs, a peaceful new world order prevails. Now it is 2082, and a celebration to commemorate these 13 women is in the offing. Julia, head of security, is worried about the increasing threats, frantically investigating any threads to previous violence even as she’s assaulted by memories of violence in her own past. And so we follow strands of story back and forth from the 2030s when corporations and cartels ruled the earth to a future/present where a male-ruled movement named Patria threatens the new order. The social and environmental currents that create the future Petrocelli posits, both for good and ill, are all-too-probable in a thriller with an interesting premise, a thoughtful philosophical basis, and a wonderful cast of strong and head-strong women.
Yeah, Betsy! Thank you so much.