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Near Somewhere
Near Somewhere
Near Somewhere
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Near Somewhere

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Near Somewhere
(Foreword by Chef Dean Fearing)
Near Somewhere,the second installment of a series by author Edward Cozza, that began with IPPY Gold Medal and 3 Beverly Hills Book Awards winner for his debut novel Nowhere Yet. There are people in the world who lack the feeling of connection. It is not just being close to someone affluent, someone famous. It is having the hope there is someone out there for you to care about, maybe more so that someone cares about you. In Nowhere Yet, the characters were reconnecting with people from their past, people they loved, people they missed. In Near Somewhere,Townes Mantle is beginning to feel crushed by his lack of connection & he doesn’t know how to get out of the vice that is creating. Not everyone is fortunate enough to have someone from their past to help them. Perhaps because Townes has put his feelings out to the universe, he begins to meet some very unique people, people he enjoys being with, people he could spend a life with. It is not just a simple matter of stating your intention & wishing things would get better. Getting what you want can come with unintended consequences. How these characters sort out the consequences makes for a very entertaining journey. It is not always possible to learn a lesson from a novel, but there are lessons here, especially about connecting with the things in life, the things in spirit, that you wish to connect with. There are people in the world who lack the feeling of connection. It is not just being close to someone affluent, someone famous. It is having the hope there is someone out there for you to care about, maybe more so that someone cares about you.Townes Mantle has hit the wall in his life & he doesn't really feel a connection with anyone. He has his dog, he has his band partner Zeeder. but he needs more. His life of endless travel is rapidly making his nerves unravel. He needs someone to share his life with, someone to tell him he is all right, tell him he isn’t going to fall apart. He just wants to rearrange, get out the novel he has been writing, & the universe will talk care of the rest. That is when three women enter his life & his complications take on an entirely different tone. With the return of characters Annie and Kat, both of whom take a liking to Townes, but are themselves struggling with their own internal forces. Add to the mix: a despicable person from Annie’s past that won’t go away. Towne’s closest friend Zeeder, with no traceable past. A famous actress with a mystical sense. A high spirited wine maker, & the connections begin in ernest, but not without complication. Trouble lurks within the man from Annie’s past & his unscrupulous cohorts, which could prove to be dangerous for anyone near them.
Southern California, New York, Dallas & the California Wine country serve as the backdrop for people connecting with each other, & Townes doing everything he can to keep from throwing his briefcase in the river & walking away.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherEdward Cozza
Release dateApr 14, 2015
ISBN9780988190658
Near Somewhere
Author

Edward Cozza

Colorado native Edward Cozza is a fiction writer, speaker and humorist. He is a teller of human tales and enjoys public speaking with an audience who believes in taking the time to unplug, connect and being mindful of time spent with loved ones. He now lives in Southern California with his wife and dogs, sometimes with a bourbon nearbyEdward left a successful career in business to dive headlong into the lives of his characters in his debut novel Nowhere Yet: Grant, Rex, Annie and Kat – four, forty-something friends who meet up in Palm Springs after many years apart. Their plight is like ours: How did we get here? Where will we end up?AwardsNear Somewhere2015 Beverly Hills Book AwardsWinner New Fiction.Finalist-General FictionFinalist-Fiction Cover.2015 Paris Book FestivalHonorable Mention-General FictionNowhere Yet2013-Independent Publisher’s Book Award (IPPY)Gold Medal in Best Regional Fiction – West PacificBeverly Hills Book Awards 2013Winner-Best Book CoverFinalist-Best FictionWinner-Starla Fortunato/President’s Choice Award"Top 50 Bestsellers" List for 2012.Warwick’s Bookstore(the largest independent bookstore in the West ,La Jolla, CAEd is touring the country at hosted events across America.* * *Rancho Santa Fe Review/Encinitas Advocate ArticleEncinitas Author Enjoying The ‘Wow’ ThingsBy Lois Alter Mark 6 A.M.MARCH 21, 2015Since his first book, “Nowhere Yet,” came out in 2012, Edward Cozza’s life has been filled with what he likes to call “wow” things.“Being honored with three Beverly Hills Book Awards was a ‘wow’ thing,” said the Encinitas author. “Going to New York to receive the IPPY gold medal from the Independent Publishers was a ‘wow’ thing, and having a bourbon with Chef Dean Fearing ­— someone I’ve admired forever — now, that was definitely a ‘wow’ thing.”To many readers, Cozza’s debut novel was a “wow” thing itself. The story, about old friends and lost loves reuniting during a long weekend in Palm Springs, is reminiscent of “The Big Chill,” and it’s easy to relate to and recognize people you know in the four main characters.Because those characters remained with their creator long after he finished writing about them, they’re returning in a sequel, “Near Somewhere,” which is scheduled for publication next month.“The first book started out as a short story and just got longer and longer,” explained Cozza. “So I decided it would be the first of a trilogy. But now that ‘Near Somewhere’ is done, I actually changed the inside cover to ‘Book Two of a Series’ just in case I need more than three. That may mean I am now — still? — out of control.”Cozza’s self-deprecating humor and enthusiasm have made him a popular speaker, and his standing-room-only appearance at Warwick’s helped propel “Nowhere Yet” into the store’s Top 50 Bestsellers of 2012.Or it could have been the fact that he writes so passionately about eating and drinking.“I think food brings an element of realism into a story,” said Cozza. “When I was traveling for business, food and drink were major factors in protecting my sanity. Taking in slices of Americana was important to me, and that usually involved eating.”“Near Somewhere” by Encinitas writer Edward Cozza continues the story of the characters in “Nowhere Yet.”— Courtesy photoIn fact, food plays such an important role in Cozza’s appreciation for the “finer” things in life that the foreword to his new novel is written by Chef Dean Fearing of the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas, who is often referred to as “the father of Southwestern cooking.”“I met Dean in Dallas for a ‘Bourbon and Book’ event I was doing, and it means so much that he wrote this for me,” Cozza said. “If you read his splendid cookbook, ‘The Texas Food Bible,’ you realize how important food is in connecting people. Having a room service salad, even a good one, doesn’t help you connect — not to a person or a culture or a true flavor. There’s nothing worse than a table for one.”Cozza’s characters often congregate around food and drink, just like the author himself. Because traveling for work never allowed much time for sightseeing, Cozza spent much of his free time in restaurants and bars, trying out regional specialties and getting to know the locals. These experiences gave him a deep respect for bartenders who, according to Cozza, “see all, know all.”As he recalled, “Even if I wasn’t drinking, bartenders often helped save my far-from-home soul. That’s probably why there are always bartenders in my books. I owe them a lot — spiritually, not monetarily. I always pay my tab.”These days, Cozza gets to travel more for fun and to introduce readers to his books. His next trips are to Cincinnati and New York, both of which, he pointed out, have great local fare. He’s looking forward to feasting on chili in Cincinnati and Italian food in New York.“The weight-loss program will be on hold for those,” he laughed, “but will be amping up when I get back.”He’s also hoping to head to Oakland, St. Louis, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., and Miami — cities of the only Major League Baseball parks he hasn’t yet visited. Then he’ll start on the Minor League parks.Travel has become a real joy for Cozza, who is excited to spread his “Unplug and Connect” message. He wrote both of his books by hand in Moleskine journals, and strongly believes that, despite all the high-tech devices — or maybe because of them — our hearts are craving personal connection.“We need to stay in touch and stay connected,” said Cozza. “I’ve heard from so many readers that they’re being emotionally impacted by being away from the ones they love and care about. Texts and emails just aren’t cutting it.”Cozza will probably be making many personal connections on his next book tour, and is hoping, along the way, to also check off the eight states left to complete his bucket list item of visiting every state in the country.“I need to come up with book signings in Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Delaware. If you could help with those, that would be tremendous.”You can see Cozza in person at a Warwick’s-sponsored event soon. Visit www.edwardcozza.com and follow him on Twitter at @EdwardCozza and Facebook at www.facebook.com/EdwardCozzaWriter.

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Near Somewhere by Edward CuzzaReceived this book and the summary seemed interesting. What I am finding the most fascinating is the trip in NYC. I feel like I'm on a guided tour of Central Park-on my list of things to do some day. So detailed and descriptive.Book is about a man who has many connections in the cities he travels to. He lives in CA and is part of a band that has gigs at bars. He runs into women that he wants to get to know better. He also lives for his dog, Zeke which in turn attracts the women to the man.Love the dialog between Townes and Milton the bar tender in NYC, so natural and fun. Loved hearing of the actress on the Broadway show and all the places they are able to visit.His editor can't find anybody to pick the book up to market it and he's down in the dumps over it. Felt his pain over getting the book sold but others don't let him give in....Love how the book got its title and the time spent at the vineyard. Very wise advice. He's got a few interested females, some on the west coast, one on the east coast and the vineyard trip dawned bright on what he must do the next day.Lots of characters and most are easy to keep track of. Didn't read the first book and am wondering what the next book will be about as some things are left in the wind in this book.Good read and liked how at ease Townes is when it comes to talking to others he doesn't even know. So relaxed and himself.I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

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Near Somewhere - Edward Cozza

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