Journeyman relief pitcher Jonathan “Ditch” Klein was all set to be a replacement player during the 1994-1995 baseball strike… until the strike ended. Offered a contract in the minor leagues, playing at the same Upstate NY ballpark he once found success in high school, Ditch has one last chance to prove his worth. But to whom?
A manager with an axe to grind, a father second-guessing his pitching decisions, a local sportswriter hailing him as a hometown hero, a decade older than his teammates and trying to resurrect an injury-ridden career… Ditch thinks he may have a possible back-up plan: become a sportswriter himself. The only question is whether he is a pitcher who aspires to be a writer, or the other way around…
Praise for Approaching Twi-Night:
"It's been some time since I sat and watched a baseball game, and longer still since I played, but despite that, the story of this pitcher and his teammates totally drew me in; it was just so compelling and real..."
- Readers' Favorite
"This is baseball as personal quest, without an emphasis on glamour or personal wealth."
- IndieReader
"Approaching Twi-Night is literary fiction at its best... Apple is an elegant and understated writer, and Approaching Twi-Night isn't just a fine literary baseball novel, it's a lyrically rich novel about life, work, and family by a writer in command of his craft."
- Self-Publishing Review
"...effectively conveys not only the mechanics of play, but also the psychology of pitching. An overall solid effort; readers will find that it's worth sticking around for the last pitch."
- Kirkus Reviews
"Approaching Twi-Night really touched home, brought back so many great memories of my own experience as an owner and manager in minor league baseball. Most major league players will definitely be able to relate, from cramped bus rides to not having a lot of meal money, but just enjoying the game of baseball."
- Ben Bernard, President & General Manager, Glens Falls Dragons (PGCBL), Former manager, Glens Falls White Sox and Albany-Colonie Yankees
Approaching Twi-Night is available in both print and ebook formats.
Book Details:
Approaching Twi-Night
By M. Thomas Apple
Publisher: Kinoshita Kijitsu Press
Published: February 2015
ISBN: 978-4905426660
ASIN: B00TI3WVJ8
Pages: 243
Genre: Literary Fiction, Sports Fiction
About The Author:
Originally from Troy, New York, M. Thomas Apple spent part of his childhood in the hamlet of Berne, in the Helderberg escarpment, and his teenage years in the village of Warrensburg, in the Adirondack Mountains. He studied languages and literature as an undergraduate student at Bard College, creative writing in the University of Notre Dame Creative Writing MFA Program, and language education in a Temple University interdisciplinary doctoral program. He now teaches global issues and English as a second language at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.
Approaching Twi-Night is his first novel. A non-fiction book of essays about parenting and childcare (Taking Leave: An American on Paternity Leave in Japan, Perceptia Press), is scheduled for publication in late 2015, followed by a collection of short fiction and poetry (Notes from the Nineties) in early 2016. The lead editor of the bestselling Language Learning Motivation in Japan (Multilingual Matters, 2013), he is currently co-editing a non-fiction educational research book, writing a science fiction novel, and outlining a baseball story set in the Japanese corporate leagues.
For review copies, author interviews, or more information please contact:
M. Thomas Apple
Email: manzano0627@gmail.com
Website: http://mthomasapple.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/manzano0627
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ApproachingTwiNight
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