By Marissa Wells
Contributing Writer
“Esteban: Love’s Ordeal,” by Fish Nealman, is the exciting first installment in a new sci-fi trilogy that chronicles the journey of a troubled young boy.
Yearning for his father’s affection, Esteban battles with undiagnosed schizophrenia while a life-changing teenage date triggers events that begin his pursuit of becoming a priest. Through the trials and unexpected successes, he discovers resilience and the indomitable spirit that defines his growth and pursuit of love.
Nealman, who has authored a series of technical books, was inspired by his gift of storytelling to enter the creative world of fiction.
“I realized my natural way of explaining concepts was through storytelling; and I thought I would, therefore, try to create a unique story,” Nealman said. “Inspired by the people I’ve encountered and observed over the years, I set about creating ‘Esteban.’”
It was important for Nealman to produce a book that released positive energy into the world.
“Esteban is having these huge positive influences on those around him without him having to be ‘the best’ at something,” Nealman said. “So, I think the positive message is that all of us, wherever we are, wherever we live, whatever our lot is in life and things of that nature, we can have a positive impact on ourselves and we can have a positive impact on those around us.”
The book is intended for readers who “want to feel emotions while reading: joy, sorrow, and laugh-out-loud funny,” Nealmad added. Readers will no doubt be moved by the relatable yet unique storyline as they journey with Esteban through various stages of his life.
“I hope my readers feel that their time was well spent and come away with a sense of having experienced something truly unique, not just another retelling of familiar tales,” said the author. “There’s some elements within the story that only the reader is privy to, that nobody else is.”
In addition to being an author, Nealman is an IBM distinguished engineer and The Open Group distinguished IT architect. He is based in the New Jersey Tri-State Area. For more information about the author and his work, visit tales.fish.
“Esteban: Love’s Ordeal” is available for $15.99 (paperback) and $23.95 (hardcover) from all bookstores and online stores nationwide. The audio version is available from Audible and the digital version, on Kindle, is available from Amazon.
