Spotlight on SCARRED: A Civil War Novel of Redemption by Michael Kenneth Smith + Giveaway!!

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Pub. Date: August 30th, 2016
Pages: 182 

Genre: Historical Fiction


After fatally wounding the Confederate sharpshooter who killed his best friend, Zach Harkin’s sense of revenge shifts to deep remorse when he views the dead man’s diary and finds a treasured family photo in his pocket. Haunted by what he’s seen and unable to continue to fight, he is mustered out of service and begins an epic journey in search of the dead man’s family. Captured, imprisoned, tortured and thoroughly tested as a human being, Zach is keenly aware escape is his only hope—but he never expects love to be his soul’s redemption.

SCARRED is a touching, gripping sequel certain to satisfy fans of HOME AGAIN and an equally confident stand-alone sure to create new fans for the writing of Michael Kenneth Smith.

Praise for SCARRED

“Michael Kenneth Smith’s absorbing historical novel explores the violence and moral dilemmas endured by civilians, prisoners, and soldiers alike during the bloody Civil War….Harkin is a vibrant protagonist who grows increasingly sympathetic throughout. Meanwhile, Scarred’s pace is nearly cinematic… This, however, isn’t a war novel; it’s the story of Harkin’s quest for redemption and closure. Historical fiction and Civil War buffs will wish Scarred were closer to the epic length of Gone with the Wind, simply because the subject never grows tiresome….an engrossing, moving read.”--BLUEINK REVIEW

“This lean Civil War sequel packs in more history and raw emotion than a 600-page epic….Smith writes wonderfully and realistically, and one can hear the pacing and menace:… Smith knows the Civil War in his bones, and his novel will leave readers emotionally drained but grateful.”--Kirkus Reviews


“SCARRED is an eloquent tale told through vividly fleshed-out characters…and is enjoyable historical fiction with a romantic twist.”—Foreword Clarion Reviews


“This is a novel not just about the Civil War - or even war itself – but rather an examination of the layered scars of trauma laid down by months and years spent in the battlefield. Ultimately it is a story about the human heart and how love and friendship heals and maybe even redeems.” —Rafael Lima, Professor, University of Miami, School of Communication


“Smith is a master of description and dialogue. . . . In a long weekend, one could read Scarred all the way through and feel rewarded by the familiarity of characters, enhanced knowledge of the Civil War and excellent writing.”—Jill Zima Borski, Board chair, Florida Outdoor Writers Association, and author of Know That I Have Lived, a memoir in essays


“ . . . a haunting love story . . . . keeps the reader turning pages, rooting for this man who finds himself trapped between the North and South and only wanting peace. —Susannah Carlson, author of Picnic Point

Buy the Book

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About the Author

Michael Kenneth Smith trained as a mechanical engineer and began a successful auto parts business

in the early 1980’s. He sold his business in 2000 and retired. Since then, he fished, golfed, cooked, played bridge, became an oenophile, socialized, and even edited a local newspaper. Throughout his journey, Mike had one thing that always came easy to him; telling stories. In 2013, he published his first novel, “Home Again”, an award winning Civil War saga. “Scarred” is his second novel.

To find out more about Michael Kenneth Smith visit his website, and connect with him on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Giveaway Time!!!

Thanks to Caitlin Hamilton Marketing I have two (that's TWO) paperback copies of SCARRED to giveaway today (US only)! All you have to do is enter your name and email address on the giveaway form HERE. Please be sure to leave both your name and your email on the form so I can contact you if you are my winner (no email address, no entry!). For extra entries you can follow the blog in various ways (links are on the right hand sidebar) and leave the name/email you follow with on the form. That's it!

Please Note: When verifying the extra entries I've noticed that some people are saying they following me in certain ways that they, in fact, do not. I want to give extra entries to those that are actually taking the time to follow my blog, so please double check that you are in fact following me before saying you do. This verification is becoming a time consuming process so I will begin to remove all extra entries for those that I find are cheating. 

I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner on September 20th, 2016 and will announce the winner here as well as email the winner. The winner will then have 48 hours to respond to my email with their full mailing address. If you have already won this giveaway on another site please let me know so I can pick a new winner and give someone else a chance to win a copy of this great book.

Good Luck!!