THE BEST AND THE WORST OF ELI KALE!

Hello! How have you all been? I've had a couple of weeks away from the blog as things have been pretty hectic, but I'm back today to introduce you to another awesome author. 

ELI KALE

​Eli Kale is an author, educator, and traveler. He has published two short story volumes on the Kindle as well as a collection of four books set during the Second World War; the collection is entitled Faces of the War and explores stories from the perspectives of four different characters. Eli graduated from the University of Mount Union in Ohio, U.S. with a history degree and a teaching license. He lives in Ohio with his wife and son, Sarah and Everett, and their pets, Nika and Zazu. When he’s not writing, he teaches high school social studies specializing in World History.

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Benjamin, a youthful man working at the U.S. Consulate-General in Barcelona, finds himself in a world of danger, vengeance, and intrigue in the early autumn of 1942. His position as cultural attaché will prove to be merely a stepping stone in his European post. Only time will reveal what perilous stepping stones await him, as well as what consequences will arise from his decisions. But will those consequences prove to be too much for him?

AMAZON US

An Excerpt from NEEDLESS

“Where are we heading?” he managed in German between laborious breaths as we ran.
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“Figuring that out,” I answered, looking for posted signs that read Piazza dei Pitti. I ran on, past more curtained windows and paint-chipped house doors, dodging a few bicycles and a beaten up soccer ball. The alley drew near to a T, with a tall wall staring me down. ‘Right has to head toward the piazza,’ I thought, sure of my bearings. I glanced over my shoulder to see the policeman closing on Mitchell. I faced forward again to round the corner. The other policeman suddenly stood there, tall and strong.
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THE BEST & WORST OF ELI

​Best Book: Fiction: Constantinopolis by James Shipman; Non-Fiction: Stalingrad by Antony Beevor.
Best Band: Dream Theater.
Best Song / Worst Song: Choosing a best song is too difficult! The worst song, though, is the one that gets stuck in your head in an annoying way – and right now, that song is the theme song from Paw Patrol…one of my son’s toys plays it over and over and over.
Best Holiday / Worst Holiday: Best: Thanksgiving – for family’s sake; Worst: National Coffee Day – I don’t drink coffee.
Best Animal: Dog – I have a purebred Siberian husky that is such a good pet companion.
Best Item of Clothing: A comfortable, worn in pair of blue jeans.
Best Food / Worst Food: Best: Homemade meatloaf with cheesy potatoes; Worst: Cooked Brussel sprouts.
Best Drink / Worst Drink: Best: An ice cold pop on a summer day; Worst: Caffeine Free Diet Coke.
Best Alcoholic Drink / Worst Alcoholic Drink: Best: A crisp Pino Grigio; Worst: South African Sauvignon Blanc.
Best Writing Moment: When I was able to brush aside a 1-star review and not let it get to me.
Best Childhood Memory / Worst Childhood Memory: Best: playing basketball with my neighbourhood friends on hot summer days during high school; Worst: almost paralysing myself in a bike ramping accident.
Best Word / Worst Word: Best: In this moment, serendipitously; Worst: In this moment, whatchamacallit (not the candy bar, though – that’s delicious.
Best Shop: Clock shop in the Black Forest (Hofgut Sternen Shop) where we got my father-in-law’s cuckoo clock.
Best Sport: World football.
Best Job: Being a father.
Best Saying: “Actions speak louder than words.”
Best Teacher: I had so many wonderful and amazing teachers it’s too hard to choose!
Best Time of Day / Worst Time of Day: Best: When my wife and I get our son out of bed in the morning; Worst: When you need to go to sleep but can’t because you’re too awake.
Best Room: Living room – there are shelves on the far wall with all my books and travel souvenirs.
Best Day Ever / Worst Day Ever: Best: The day my son was born; Worst: The day my father had a heart attack.
Best Smell / Worst Smell: Best: Early morning after a night’s rain; Worst: cooked Brussel sprouts.
Best TV Show: Best: Gotta go with Friends.
Best Gadget: The vinyl record player my wife got me two Christmases ago – I enjoy listening to classical music in that way.
Best Sound / Worst Sound: Best: I’ll spin this in a travel context – hearing native languages being spoken by locals in foreign countries, especially Italy or Russia; Worst: Legitimately sad cries from my son.
Best Restaurant: I’ll spin this in a travel context as well – the place with the best wiener schnitzel I’ve had is at the restaurant Dresden 1900 on the square in sight of the Frauenkirche in Dresden, Germany.
Best Movie: One of the coolest concepts for a movie in my opinion is Inception – it’s one of the only movies (outside of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, and others) I’ve seen more than a dozen times and haven’t grown tired of.
Best Time of Year / Worst Time of Year: Best: the cool months of summer; Worst: the latter months of winter when the snow and cold temperatures are longer welcome.
Best School Subject / Worst School Subject: Best: History and English; Worst: Pre-Calculus/Trigonometry.
Best Body Part / Worst Body Parts: Best: The brain; Worst: The weenus.

Ah, yes, I was a history lover too! And Friends is a definite go-to comfort show for me.