This book event is through Silver Dagger Book Tours.
Boy with Wings book tour includes a giveaway at the end of this post and a guest post from the author. Enter, share, comment, subscribe, and shop Sarandipity’s.
Book Details
Johnny Cruel is born with strange appendages on his back and ends up in a freak show traveling
the South in the 1930s. Is he an angel or a devil? What does it mean to be different?
Boy With Wings
by Mark Mustian
Genre: Historical Fiction, Magical Realism
“Vibrant and alive, the kind of book where the blood pumps mightily.” —Kristen Arnett, NYT
bestselling author of Mostly Dead Things
What does it mean to be different?
When Johnny Cruel is born with strange appendages on his back in the 1930s South, the locals
think he’s a devil. Determined to protect him, his mother fakes his death, and they flee. Thus
begins Johnny’s yearslong struggle to find a place he belongs. From a turpentine camp of
former slaves to a freak show run by a dwarf who calls herself Tiny Tot and on to the Florida
capitol building, Johnny finds himself working alongside other outcasts, struggling to answer
the question of his existence. Is he a horror, a wonder, or an angel? Should he hide himself to
live his life?
Following Johnny’s journey through love, betrayal, heartbreak, and several murders, Boy With
Wings is a story of the sacrifices and freedom inherent in making one’s own special way-and of
love and the miracles that give our lives meaning.
Winner, Grand Prize for Fiction, Next Generation Indie Book Awards
Winner, da Vinci Prize for cover art
Winner, Bronze Medal for Historical Fiction from Independent Publishers Book Awards (IPPY)
Finalist, Hawthorne Award for Fiction
Finalist, Cross-Genre Fiction, International Book Awards
Finalist, Literary Fiction, National Indie Excellence Awards
Shortlisted, Shelley Ward for Paranormal Fiction
“…a magical, highly imaginative tour de force… Boldly original and unexpectedly profound…”
—Readers’ Favorite Reviews
“Mustian’s story is a study in acceptance, diversity, kindness, and the possibility of marvels in
life… Vibrant with discovery, Boy With Wings is a winner.”
—Midwest Book Review
“Boy with Wings is a lyrical, mesmerizing blend of the magical—feathered wings—with social
realism…”
—Historical Novel Society Reviews
“…riveting… An evocative historical novel that celebrates distinctive individuals in the
Depression-era South.”
—Foreword Book Reviews
“In this imaginative novel filled with magical realism, religion and morality are turned inside
out and upside down.”
—Southern Literary Review
Book Links:
Amazon: https://amzn.to/46RmP0r
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/boy-with-wings/id6742208264
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/boy-with-wings-mark-
mustian/1146600022
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/p/books/boy-with-wings-mark-
mustian/143eb36ac6f04f87
Books2Read: https://books2read.com/u/mdxEoR
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/boy-with-wings-by-mark-mustian
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221943461-boy-with-wings
About the Author
Mark Mustian is the author of the novels “The Return” and “The Gendarme,” the latter a finalist
for the Dayton International Literary Peace Prize and shortlisted for the Saroyan International
Award for Writing. It won the Florida Gold Book Award for Fiction and has been published in
ten languages. The founder of the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music in
Tallahassee, Florida, his new novel, “Boy With Wings,” is the winner of the Grand Prize for
Fiction from Next Generation Indie Book Awards and has received numerous other honors,
including winning the Bronze Prize for Historical Fiction from Independent Publishers Book
Awards (IPPY) and being named a finalist for the Hawthorne Award for Fiction.
Author Links
Website: https://markmustian.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/markmustianauthor
X: https://x.com/markmustian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markmustian/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/markmustian.bsky.social
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/mark-t-mustian
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mark-T.-Mustian/author/B0CSF8JY2Y
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3463600.Mark_Mustian
Blog post – men reading
I figure that I’m in the minority reading-wise, in a number of ways: (1) I’m a male who reads; (2) I’m a male who reads fiction, and (3) I’m a male who reads fiction written by women.
The specific percentages for male readers vary but generally converge on the fact that most men don’t read for pleasure, that those who do read more biographies and non-fiction than fiction, and that relatively few read fiction written by women. Is this a product of the Internet age, with our shorter attention spans and the purported “death of the novel”? Perhaps. I’ve always liked to read, and am willing to sink hours (days) of time into it for the pleasure it gives me. I like movies, too, and sports, but my leisure viewing has changed since I was in my twenties. Back then, I would watch any sporting
event on TV, regardless of whether I was a fan of any player or team (Buffalo versus Cleveland on a Sunday night—sure, why not?) To this day I cannot go to a sports bar without having my attention drawn to the screen, any screen. I decided years ago, though, that I’d rather relax by reading, particularly with books I can learn something from, or that make me think.
I suppose that the fact that I’m a fiction writer makes me prefer fiction, or maybe it’s the other way around. I read or listen to the audio versions of around forty books a year, most of which are fiction. There’s something more soulful, it seems, about a world sprung from an author’s head that allows readers into the thoughts of the characters. I saw where the author Amor Towles has suggested that male readers ask a bookstore rep for fiction suggestions that parallel a non-fiction book they like, which to me seems
good advice. If you’re into Civil War biographies, try The Killer Angels. If it’s World War II, how about The Narrow Road to the True North? There’s a big world out there. Reach for it.
The big world includes “chick-lit.” There are some variations of the same that aren’t my cup of tea, but there are fabulous female writers that every male ought to read. Try Lauren Groff’s Fates and Furies or Zadie Smith’s On Beauty or Hillary Mantel’s Wolf Hall or Nicole Krauss’s The History of Love. Sure, they address feelings and male-female relationships, but aren’t those key parts of life?
Dig deeper. Trust me. I think you’ll be rewarded.
Tour Schedule
Oct 1
Kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
Books1987
Bedazzled By Books
Oct 2
The Library of Erana
Sarandipity’s – GUEST POST
Webs and Blogs For Writers
Oct 3
Sybrina’s Book Blog – GUEST POST
Watch Us Sparkle Blog
Author Sahara Foley
Oct 4
☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ with M.C.V. EGAN
Craving Lovely Books
Painting With Words
Oct 5
Book Bites….with a side of coffee
Insane Books
Royally Insane Books
Oct 6
The Dungeon Crawlers – GUEST POST
Haley Cavanagh Books
IS HISTORY THE AGREED UPON LIE? Historical Fact & Historical Fiction.
Oct 7
Anna del C. Dye
J.M. Northrup
Chapters Through Life
Oct 8
Plain talk book marketing
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
Books all things paranormal and romance
Oct 9
Renee’s Ruminations
M.C.V. EGAN ❧Defining Ways❧
C.A.Milson
Oct 10
Country Mamas With Kids
Girl with Pen
Inside the Insanity – GUEST POST
Oct 11
Scrupulous Dreams
The Bookshelf Fairy
Queen of Randomness
Oct 12
Tina Donahue Books – Heat with Heart
Twisted Book Ramblings
Trixie Reports Books
Oct 13
Sandra’s Book Club
Ellwyn’s Blog
My beauty my books
Oct 14
NN Book Blog
ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ ASTROLOGY
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin’
Oct 15
Midnight Book Reader
The Scratching Post
The Book Dragon
Giveaway
$30 Amazon or Paypal
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
https://sdbook.promo/BoyWithWings
