Book Readers Heaven: Fatwa Declared Against Novel Golden Dawn!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Fatwa Declared Against Novel Golden Dawn!

Islam (Photo credit: rogiro)

At first I thought the threatening email was a joke; spam. Then a Google alert notified me that a news story had broken containing my name. The e-mail said: “Infidel, you shall die. The fatwa shall be.” I cursorily knew that a fatwa was an Islamic death threat. The Associated Press news story began, “The leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued the fatwa that the novelist Thomas M. Kostigen has violated sharia law….” I sat back for a moment to digest the news. I couldn’t believe it. I searched the Internet for confirmation; the stories were rolling out from myriad sources and media outlets. Apparently, the threat was true. The fatwa was real. My phone rang. It was my literary agent, Miriam. “I just heard the news. Have you seen it? The fatwa?”

Kostigen, Thomas M. (2012-10-23). FATWA (Kindle Locations 15-22). Macmillan. Kindle Edition.

What would you do if an Islamic death threat, or “fatwa,” was issued against you? Where would you run to? How would you hide?

In this electrifying short-story account, New York Times best-selling author Thomas M. Kostigen describes escaping from Iranian assassins who descend upon his Beverly Hills home seeking retribution for charges in his latest novel, Golden Dawn, in which he writes about a maniacal ayatollah.

Just as thrilling and fast-paced as his book, this heart-stopping narrative will have readers so absorbed they’ll want to know where Kostigen is right now.

If you ask me, I'd say read FATWA after you read Golden Dawn--that's what I did and it was downright scary!

On the other hand, besides the short story, which is in essence an afterword of what happened after Golden Dawn was published, you also get an excerpt from Golden Dawn, so if you haven't yet decided whether you want to read it, this portion would help a little. I'm not a total fan of excerpts, mainly because I read so many books, that if I read a portion, then I'm not quite sure whether I've already read the book...saves me time, only reason for me to decide no...

So here I am, having just finished Golden Dawn, and I start reading FATWA. Now in my defense, I also read the blurb above... Essentially, a Fatwa was called because of the content of Golden Dawn regarding the president of Iran. At the beginning of the story, the exact reason was not described so that there was a concern that anybody involved in creating the book would be covered by the Fatwa.

Well, all I can say is my heart stopped!

Because the Fatwa was called against what the novel Golden Dawn stated about the character who was the president of Iran. And there were already men after the author...

And here I am spotlighting reading the novel and talking about it!

After my physical response returned to normal, I thought, what a great idea! This author knows exactly how to pull us all in!

So, I immediately slightly revised my interview questions, coming soon at Book Readers Heaven...and that's all I'm saying. But do take my advice if you want the sudden thrill of a heart attack read it afterwards, but, of course, if you are reading this, you will already realize that something is...strange...

Guess it goes to show just how much I "fall into" each book I read...LOL I loved this!

GABixlerReviews

THOMAS M. KOSTIGEN is a journalist and New York Timesbestselling author. He writes a global column for Dow Jones MarketWatch and The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. A former Bloomberg News editor, Kostigen has reported from natural wonders and war zones around the world. The author of numerous nonfiction books, Golden Dawn is his first novel.

(Picture at book signing for one of his nonfiction books)

2 comments:

Sheila DeethNovember 7, 2012 at 1:12 PM
Wow. Looking forward to that interview!
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Glenda A Bixler ReviewsNovember 7, 2012 at 1:30 PM
It will run tomorrow! Anxious to see your response!

G
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Book Readers Heaven - Have You Noticed?

Some of you may have noticed that I've started writing about books again. But I am not now accepting nor will I return to reviewing books on request. You will perhaps see that has allowed me to write more opinionated thoughts about read books... For instance, I might compare the writing of another author...or just allude to the type of book and how I respond to the topic. If I do post as a review, I will not be posting the entire blog article on sales sites. I hope you like hearing my personal thoughts more often and hope you will let me know what you think of the change, the expansion beyond a basic review... Insofar as possible, I try to bring together relevant news coverage from reputable agencies, together with music that speaks to the issue, or which I've been led to use... In all things, now, I am about my Father's Business. I Speak Jesus--of His Love for all and of His Truth... Comments are always welcomed and will be treated with respect...

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Glenda. I think I love you and I am sure Jerry does. We’ve already started the second in the series. Yes, it’s going to be a series—he has a treasure trove of high profile casework. He did Casey Anthony. Worked on the 13 year old who tRump and Epstein raped, and so many others. Thank you again for another wonderful review! You do us proud… This is amazing... I've never seen a review in this depth before, and I'm honored beyond words. Thank you for highlighting the subject matter in this way. ❤Sharon Sala Glenda A Bixler The irony of all of this is that I wrote this book in 2021 and turned it in to my publisher, and look what all has happened SINCE then. The release was also scheduled before all of these mose recent, horrific incidents, and such is the way of the world in these times. Thank You for bringing attention to this ongoing travesty and tragedy. ❤

Hi, I am Lior, the author of The Milk Moon Assassin. You are the first reader, reviewer, that brought tears to my eyes. You have grasped the heart of my story from the angle it was aimed for.

Thank you!

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6/17 Just saw your review on Amazon and then visited your site. Holy Smoke! As usual, I was amazed at what a fabulous job you did, reviewing the book and adding in all that related material. I was particularly thrilled that you included the book trailer I put on Utube. You adding it to your review made me very happy. In fact, I had a big smile on my face the whole time I looked at what you'd done. I even listened to the violin concerto and watched the video of Dog Hill. Every year it gets harder and harder to bring a new book to the attention of potential readers. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have you as an ally in that endeavor. Thank you so much for all you do for me and for other writers. There's no-one else like you. And that's no exaggeration.With profound gratitude, I remain, Your Friend, Don

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I thought I'd reach out to you for your heartfelt review on my novel. It was beautiful and brought tears to my eyes that someone was so moved by my tale... That it resonated that deeply with someone. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone. Signed...

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I was thrilled with the details you offered in my review - like a literary movie trailer built on suspense and intrigue. I'm glad you're still reviewing books by aspiring authors like me. We need people like you! Keep up the good work and maintain that passion, Glenda!

Words fail me. Hi Glenda, I visited your review website today and was thrilled to see your marvelous features relating to Ms. Cramer's book. I passed them along to the author, and she is very excited and deeply grateful for your attention.

Your review of the book is wonderfully anecdotal and insightful, and it will be helpful I believe as an introduction to readers approaching Ms. Cramer's work for the first time. I found the opening of the review to be quite touching, with a wonderful sense of personal experience that I believe is all too often missing in critical review publication. In the context of the article, your remembrances from childhood add a truly beautiful layer to the photopoem you present.We're very impressed by what you put together using the press kit materials, and we will do our best to provide exposure for your features through our mailing list and other avenues.I do look forward to reading your articles in the future.We appreciate your considering our book and thank you very much for your fine and generous review coverage,

Saw the review and treatment of THE BLOOD BETRAYAL on your site. Once again, you've amazed me with what you do. Fantastic, fabulous… No, those words aren't good enough to describe your work and you.

I wrote up a short piece about what you did, directing people to your site from mine. That was really interesting and something I've never seen anyone do before. Great job, and I'm glad you enjoyed the novel.

Yo my truly heartfelt thank you for your very generous and kind review! I appreciate very much the time and effort you put into this review for me, and your so graciously posting it in multiple locations.

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Glenda, You review blew my mind. When I listened to the songs you inserted, they brought tears to my eyes. You added a dimension to my work that was missing. In the attachment I have attempted to answer your question about anger. Thank you so much for your raving review. There are no words in the English language to express the gratitude I feel for you. I wish you a wonderful and blessed day.

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Glenda, I am truly in awe of your reviews and your review style. I have never seen anyone do a review as you can do one. I was entertained, informed, enlightened and amazed. There should be awards for creative, insightful and captivating reviews -- and you should be a recipient. Thanks for reviewing my book. And thanks for giving it an aura and image and feel that only your review could give it. I am very appreciative. All the best, Patrick

During the period of time that you requested my story, I also had other blog sites asking for the book as well. I had received three eviews prior to yours, and although I am very happy to report that all three were positive and enthusiastic, your entire presentation of the book, from the actual commentary to the ambitious visuals, blew me away and has left me emotionally weak-kneed in gratitude. I am extremely touched by all that you had to say and how you visually presented the concept of the book. Please note that I will place your website on the book's Facebook page which will hopefully bring your blog site more readership. Again, please know how grateful I am for your emotionally thrilling review. You have certainly made my day, Glenda! With much appreciation, Author/The Poe Consequence

I wanted to make sure I got a chance to properly thank you for posting the wonderful review of The Medici Boy! It was terrific, not just because you like the book (thank you) but because your analysis was thoughtful and honest. You put your heart into it, (Photos were out of this world) and you wrote like a friend would (we think that’s the very best kind of review). I appreciate your time and passion for literature! We’ve been promoting the site, since you went live, and we’re going to continue to promote your site on Social Media throughout the month. Senior Publicist Blue Dot Literary

Dear Glenda, I have to start this response with a BIG WOW! I have been very gratified with my experience as a new writer for both my books now and am working on a third. However, your review is like nothing I've ever seen, and I consider it a great piece of writing and creativity in itself. Thank you so very much for your kind words and treatment of Millstone. Once again, thank you for this review. I plan to pass it on in every venue available to me. My best wishes to you JackH

JAFV I am stunned...

Wow, this is the most awesome blog post I've ever seen. Thank you for writing it! grin emoticon

Words fail me.

Hi Glenda, I visited your review website today and was thrilled to see your marvelous features relating to Ms. Cramer's book. I passed them along to the author, and she is very excited and deeply grateful for your attention.

..my truly heartfelt thank you for your very generous and kind review! I appreciate very much the time and effort you put into this review for me, and your so graciously posting it in multiple locations.

Your blogsite is extremely professional and well-done! What you posted for me there has completely blown me away!

Thank you again very much for such a comprehensive and thoroughly entertaining review. It's one of the best reviews I have received and I'm very proud to have it. Most Gratefully,

You review blew my mind. When I listened to the songs you inserted, they brought tears to my eyes. You added a dimension to my work that was missing. In the attachment I have attempted to answer your question about anger. Thank you so much for your raving review. There are no words in the English language to express the gratitude I feel for you. I wish you a wonderful and blessed day. James Womack

WOW! What a beautiful post you did for ALMOST PERFECT ON YOUR I can’t imagine how much time you must have taken to create some thing so imaginative and special. I feel truly humbled and touched and quite unequal to saying how much it meant to me. A real present. You must be a very special person. I wish you were my neighbor and we could have a real chat over coffee. Maybe someday. But meanwhile know how wonderful your work made me feel and buoyed to keep on keeping on! Diane

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Fatwa Declared Against Novel Golden Dawn!

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