DALLAS, Texas — It’s not a song book or a singing book, though technologically possible, but buyers of the new novella anthology, “The Pilgrimage & Dark Spaces: Collected short works of fictional drama” (ISBN: 9780978713003), are asked to broaden their reading experience with a little original music accompaniment. The book written by Randy Doyle Hazlett and newly released by Christian Artist’s Workshop directs readership to contemporary music extras found at http://www.DarkSpaces.info which were written specifically for the book. The music is freely downloadable for listening pleasure and available in popular ringtone formats (mp3, MIDI).
Music or not, the book (see accompanying cover photo) contains a soul-searching slice of Americana. In “The Pilgrimage,” we are invited into the home of a dysfunctional family exposed to tragedy. The family is fragmented and struggles to express emotion in any constructive form. At the death of a parent, the family is partially reunited, but the road long chosen takes some beyond the possibility of redemption. The departing gift of an old woman well-versed in the sins of others enables the eldest to rekindle life’s most essential element – love.
Veteran Broadway actor, writer and producer Albert T. Viola of Princeton University parallels “The Pilgrimage” to the works of Nobel-prize winning American playwright Eugene O’Neill and says of Dr. Hazlett, “He writes with breathtaking realism, clarity and grace.”
Regarding the second feature, “Dark Spaces” is a spiritual short story trilogy which follows the fictional lives of three couples separated in time. The intrigue of the short story collection in dramatic prose is both emotionally captivating and intellectually stimulating. In the genre of C.S. Lewis, “Dark Spaces” challenges readers to formulate their own theology and, in the process, reconnect with their eternal friend – their soul. In “The Pilgrimage and Dark Spaces,” Randy Doyle Hazlett has thrown us a lifeline of faith, hope, and love.
This is Dr. Hazlett’s second out-of-the-box book release of the year, with the first being the acclaimed nonfiction work, “Negotiate Like a Phoenician,” coauthored with friend and business partner Dr. Habib Chamoun-Nicolas. With the success of that book, which draws heavily on Biblical accounts of the deal behind the construction of Solomon’s Temple, a series of workshops on best business practices of the ancient Phoenician trading masters is being unveiled for 2008 at Camp Allen near Houston. In conjunction with the workshops, Dr. Hazlett is designing a suite of fun learning games for future commercial development. While entry into print media is new news, publishing is not. Loads more original music and additional ebooks reside in cyber metastasis at http://www.FreeChristianStuff.net.
Music, fun, and games aside, Christian Artist’s Workshop is nominating “The Pilgrimage & Dark Spaces: Collected short works of fictional drama” for a PEN/Faulkner Award and National Book Critics Circle Award consideration. The book is currently available in trade paperback online or directly via Pathway Book Services (800-345-6665) and Ingram or Baker & Taylor channels (ISBN: 9780978713003, LCCN: 2006905615) at a suggested retail price of $16.95. Speaking engagements and author interviews are by arrangement through website contacts.
More information on the book: http://www.DarkSpaces.info
