It is my pleasure to feature writer Jacqui Murray as she launches her newest book, The Quest for Home, Book 2 in the Crossroads series, part of her Man vs. Nature Saga.
I’ve long been a fan of Murray’s as I love the way she builds worlds and inhabits them with fully realized people who lived in an historical period where they were outmatched in every physical way except one: their astonishing brain power. They are our very most ancient ancestors, and I relish her descriptions of life in this challenging era.
The following summary will give you an idea of the stakes facing these primitive people who want what we all want: Safety from enemies, shelter from the elements, food and water to sustain them, and a future for their children. But as we all know, these basic needs are neither easy to procure nor guaranteed to persist.
Driven from her home. Stalked by enemies. Now her closest ally may be a traitor.
Chased by a ruthless and powerful enemy, Xhosa flees with her People, leaving
behind her African homeland, leading her People on a grueling journey through
unknown and perilous lands. As they struggle to overcome treachery, lies, danger,
tragedy, hidden secrets, and Nature herself, Xhosa must face the reality that her
most dangerous enemy isn’t the one she expected. It may be one she trusts with
her life.
The story is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man
populated Eurasia. He was a violent species, fully capable of addressing
the many hardships that threatened his survival except for one: future man,
the one destined to obliterate any who came before.
Based on a true story, this is the unforgettable saga of hardship and
determination, conflict and passion as early man makes his way across
Eurasia, fleeing those who would kill him. He must be bigger-than-life,
prepared time and again to do the impossible because nothing less than
the future of mankind is at stake.
Shari speaking here: I’m hooked, absolutely hooked by this summary. This is my kind of story, and I bet you’re also eager to read it. When you think about it, we are here because of the success of these primitive people.
Jacqui and I had a chance to talk about her newest book. Gracious as always, she answered my questions with enthusiasm and knowledge. I love talking to someone who’s passionate about their craft and knows what they’re talking about.
Me: I’m always curious about the skills of primitive people.
Could primitive man build rafts as suggested in this story?
Jacqui: Yes, absolutely. They had the brainpower, and the plants and tools required were available at the time but because they were made of wood and vines—-materials that don’t preserve over time—no artifacts remain to prove this. Anthropologists speculate this would have been a basic raft made from bamboo and vine. This hypothesis was tested by building rafts using only prehistoric techniques (as Xhosa would have) and then replicating crossings such as the Straits of Gibraltar, through the islands in Indonesia, and even the passage from Indonesia to Australia.
Me: It must have been both terrifying and exhilarating to set off across an unknown sea with only the stars at night to guide them, and waves as big as mountains threatening them at times. Makes me grateful for airplanes with their cramped seats.
Was there really a giant upright primate like Giganto (Zvi’s friend)?
Jacqui: There was! He’s called Gigantopithecus blacki. Extinct now, he was native to Southeast Asia, China, and Indonesia where Seeker and Zvi lived originally.
Me: I just looked up Gigantopithecus blacki on Wikipedia. He was monstrous and fierce looking, not a creature to antagonize. I plan to get a new dog soon – that’s about my size.
What do you mean by strong and weak side?
Jacqui: Based on artifacts from 850,000 years ago (or longer), paleoscientists speculate that early man had a preference for right-handedness. That would make their right hand stronger than the left (though they didn’t identify right and left at that time). Because of this, my characters call their right the strong side and left the weak side.
Me: That makes perfect sense. They had the brain capacity to differentiate between the two sides of their bodies, understanding where their greater strength lay. The concepts were there but not the language to accurately express them, yet they got their point across. Really fascinating information.
And here, dear friends, I treat you to an excerpt from Chapter 1 of The Quest for Home.
Chapter 1
Northern shore of what we now call the Mediterranean Sea
Pain came first, pulsing through her body like cactus spines. When she moved her head, it exploded. Flat on her back and lying as still as possible, Xhosa blindly clawed for her neck sack with the healing plants. Her shoulder screamed and she froze, gasping.
How can anything hurt that much?
She cracked one eye, slowly. The bright sun filled the sky, almost straight over her head.
And how did I sleep so long?
Fractured memories hit her—the raging storm, death, and helplessness, unconnected pieces that made no sense. Overshadowing it was a visceral sense of tragedy that made her shake so violently she hugged her chest despite the searing pain. After it passed, she pushed up on her arms and shook her head to shed the twigs and grit that clung to her long hair. Fire burned through her shoulders, up her neck and down her arms, but less than before. She ignored it.
A shadow blocked Sun’s glare replaced by dark worried eyes that relaxed when hers caught his.
“Nightshade.” Relief washed over her and she tried to smile. Somehow, with him here, everything would work out.
Her Lead Warrior leaned forward. Dripping water pooled at her side, smelling of salt, rotten vegetation, mud, and blood.
“You are alright, Leader Xhosa,” he motioned, hands erratic. Her People communicated with a rich collection of grunts, sounds, gestures, facial expressions, and arm movements, all augmented with whistles, hoots, howls, and chirps.
“Yes,” but her answer came out low and scratchy, the beat inside her chest noisy as it tried to burst through her skin. Tears filled her eyes, not from pain but happiness that Nightshade was here, exactly where she needed him. His face, the one that brought fear to those who might attack the People and devastation to those who did, projected fear.
She cocked her head and motioned, “You?”
Deep bruises marred swaths of Nightshade’s handsome physique, as though he had been pummeled by rocks. An angry gash pulsed at the top of his leg. His strong upper arm wept from a fresh wound, its raw redness extending up his stout neck, over his stubbled cheek, and into his thick hair. Cuts and tears shredded his hands.
“I am fine,” and he fell silent. Why would he say more? He protected the People, not whined about injuries.
When she fumbled again for her neck sack, he reached in and handed her the plant she needed, a root tipped with white bulbs. She chewed as Nightshade scanned the surroundings, never pausing anywhere long, always coming back to her.
The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky. Sweltering heat hammered down, sucking up the last of the rain that had collected in puddles on the shore. Xhosa’s protective animal skin was torn into shreds but what bothered her was she couldn’t remember how she got here.
“Nightshade, what happened?”
Her memories were a blur—terrified screams and flashes of people flying through the air, some drowning, others clinging desperately to bits of wood.
Nightshade motioned, slowly, “The storm—it hit us with a fury, the rain as heavy and fierce as a waterfall.”
A memory surfaced. Hawk, the powerful leader of the Hawk People, one arm clutching someone as the other clawed at the wet sand, dragging himself up the beach.
He was alive!
Now you’re begging for the rest of the story. You know what to do next. Enjoy!
Book and author information:
Title and author: The Quest for Home by Jacqui Murray
Series: Book 2 in the Crossroads series, part of the Man vs. Nature saga
Genre: Prehistoric fiction
Available at: Kindle US Kindle UK Kindle CA Kindle AU
Author bio:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, In the Footsteps of Giants, Winter 2020, the final chapter in the Crossroads Trilogy.
Social Media contacts:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jacquimurray
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
Twitter: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimurray.net
All images courtesy Jacqui Murray
Comments on: "The Quest for Home by Jacqui Murray" (48)
Thank you so much for hosting me, Shari. I am honored. I loved reading your responses to my responses (to the questions)!
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Jacqui, I’m so pleased to host your new book.
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Lovely to see Jacqui’s wonderful book promoted on this blog tour, Shari! I believe you were the one who introduced me to Jacqui’s works?
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Terri, I’m so glad you enjoyed this promotion of Jacqui’s newest book. It probably was me who introduced you to her. She writes books like you paddle board – like gliding over the waves.
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You are right, what a lovely metaphor!
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@terri–so nice to see you here. I wouldn’t be surprised if we met through Shari. She is pretty darn friendly.
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Oh my goodness. Returning the visit, Sharon, and look what I find… that all-knowing master of book launches. Congrats to Jacqui once again!
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Nice to see you here, Diana. Yes, Jacqui is on a solid roll.
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Thanks, Diana. Shari and I are friends in the real world–what a rarity!
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The real world?? In over 6 years of blogging, I haven’t encounter one blogger in the real world. And you are all such good friends anyway. 🙂
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Jacqui and I used to belong to the same writer’s critique group. She’s an incredible person, even more than she appears to be on her blog.
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I’m not surprised. 🙂
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Wow! This sounds awesome!! 🙂
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It is an exceptional book with engaging characters and a plot that tramples your late night sleep time. ‘Cause you’re up late reading!
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Thanks, Charlie. It’s a quick glimpse into our deep background. You may recognize a few ancestors!
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Sharon,
I’m so thrilled for Jacqui and wish her all the best! 🙂
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Me too – I wish her the very best.
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Thank you so much, Cathy. Your warm thoughts are wonderful.
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Congrats, Jacqui, on your new release! Wishing you tons of sales.
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Thanks, Jenna. I’m always happy to see your books doing well. Do you have another coming out?
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Interesting story!
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It is exceptionally interesting and very well written. Jacqui researched a great deal. Hope you enjoy the book.
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It was also interesting to write! Thanks for stopping by.
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You’re welcome 😇
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I like the sound of how she writes brainy characters! And very interesting time period to explore! Fascinating to hear about the strong and weak side!
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Jacqui is a terrific writer. She draws you in with her compelling characters and suspenseful plot.
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I have a lot of respect for the creativity, tenacity, and braininess of our forebears. I think it comes through in this series. Thanks for dropping in!
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Wow, I hadn’t heard of this book, but it sounds awesome! Off to look for it on Amazon 😉
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Gypsy, I bet you’ll love it – great history and wonderful story around characters you’ll fall in love with.
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Thanks so much!
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Shari, lovely to see Jacqui’ and her latest book on your blog. 😀I am impressed with the summary of the book and it sounds intense. A superb interview – you’re a natural! It’s interesting to learn more about the era … fiction and fact combined is a winning combination in this series of books!
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Annika, I really enjoy historical fiction genre and am especially intrigued with the era Jacqui chose. She brings it to life so well that I feel immersed in the landscape.
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Thanks, Annika. Shari is a natural at this. She’s pretty darn clever.
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Thank you, Jacqui.
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Such a terrific review and interview. I’ve been studying up on survival stuff lately, and it was no easy thing to live your life that way. The only shelter you have is what you can find or build. The only food is what you can gather, grow, or kill.
It’s an intimidating, daunting world that most of us have left far behind. But it took ingenuity and skill to survive in it, and I agree that Jacqui makes it vividly come to life. Well done, both of you. : )
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Jacqui will love your astute observation, Cathleen. Thanks for taking note of how tough it used to be. And yes, her book does reflect the challenges of staying alive thousands of years ago.
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That impossibility is what started me on this series, Cathleen. How could we have survived? Surprisingly, with the right mindset and a clever brain, it can work!
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well done, Sharon — & Jacqui! 🙂
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Thank you, Daal. I was more than happy to host the launch for Jacqui’s new book.
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How great to support Jacqui. Hope everything is okay with you. I just realised you haven’t posted recently.
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Jacqui has done an amazing job with her books and I’m pleased to support her writing.
As for my blog, you’re right, I haven’t posted in a while. I’ve been working on my own writing and find I can’t devote myself to blogging and writing at the same time.
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Great to know you are busy getting on with life and your writing.
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Thank you.
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Thanks for dropping in, Peggy. Shari is my long-time cheerleader, as I am for her. But, like you, I haven’t talked to her in a while so I read her answer with interest.
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I found the questions and the response all very interesting and captivating. Nice to read you again Sharon. Happy New Year.
Peta
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The series Jacqui’s been writing about is really interesting, a period I find fascinating.
I’ve been remiss on following the blogs I really enjoy and am slowly catching up, so I’ll be reading your recent posts soon.
Not sure I’m going to start writing here again – even when I’m vigilant about posting, I can’t build a following.
Still, we’ll be in touch on your blog, Peta. Happy New Year to you and Ben. Do I dare wish for peace and justice for the world?
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Thanks for visiting, Peta. I too wish Shari would post more. She has a unique perspective on lots of topics I enjoy.
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Thank you, Jacqui. You’ve always been very supportive of my efforts.
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