Whee doggie! Where do I begin with this one? As a wise man once said, gnaturally, "Begin at the beginning..." and so I shall. In February I decided my 2024 would be full of support for my fellow authors--I may have even blogged about it. I posted in an author FB group my offer and the response was overwhelming. I have been reading, reviewing and (w)riting about these books in every spare moment. And in these books, there are quiet gems. There are also shining stars. In the case of The Gnatural, there are home runs that may actually be grand slams--I'll stop there before I screw up the baseball analogies. So here is my review of the book: Gnatural is going to create some buzz in your bookshelf this season! Roy and Bryce are obsessed with bugball and hope to one day make the major leagues. I really enjoyed following their adventures as they overcome bullies and injuries to make their dreams a reality. A wonderful story to help motivate and encourage young athletes to aim high but be good sports. Never let a bad season "bug" you! Colourful illustrations perfectly portray the action and you will be on the edge of your seat waiting for that next smash hit! Those of you of a certain age (or just being fans of sports movies) may notice some similarities with a certain movie: The Natural (1984) starring Robert Redford, from TriStar Pictures. That is not the only carry over from real life in this book. Baseball fans will find bug puns abound in cameo appearances from Major League Bugball--I mean Baseball--stars! I spoke with Mark Bryson to learn a bit more about him and his books and here is what I learned. Mark has a background in sports which is no surprise. His love of events and sport started at an early age and has never disappeared. He continues to be involved as an event manager, board member, motivator as well as player, umpire, official and coach in multiple sports.
Somewhere in there, he managed to meet and marry his wife and have six kids of whom he is rightfully proud. This is a busy man--but not too busy to help the smallest of players with their own story and dreams. I asked Mark where he found the time to work with son Ryan on The Gnatural. Mark says he mostly writes in the evening and often listens to music while driving which helps him to visualize scenes or stories. Mark says, "I have been blessed to be around many great coaches and players as Head Coach at MLB Fanfest. The inspiration quotes and motivational stories that they would tell to kids in the clinics provided much material." As a fellow bug follower, with a book on racing snails, I needed to know--will there be more sports books featuring bugs? And the answer is YES! There are a series of sports stories coming together. Beeball (to release in 2024) is about basketball with Joel Embee, Michael Jordant and Julius Erwing. Centipedes Can't Skate is hockey based and features Peter Forsbug, Sidney Crosbee, and Steve Flyzerman. You can probably guess at the names involved in other titles like Friday Night Lightning Bugs based on football, FLEAFA based on soccer, and GNATSCAR about--you guessed it--racing! You can bet that I'm ordering a complete set! Mark and Ryan are currently working on screenplays to pitch to PIXAR. They also hope to create live action coaching content with Bryce Hopper (Bryce Harper) to teach hitting, and Mite Trout (Mike Trout) to teach little ballplayers how to play the outfield. Lots of great content to come from this team and I am so inspired by this! Whatever your age, you are going to love what comes from this team! If writing were a World Series of Books, I see this team making the Big Game! Click the button below for more!
1 Comment
Ryan Bryson
3/8/2024 10:41:58 am
So amazing. Grateful for your detailed review and kind words. Exited to share the rest of our sports stories with you and the world ◡̈
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