Salt Water Tears delivers 11 stories from Bram Stoker Award winning author Brian A. Hopkins. These stories share a common theme, the oceans that cover seven-tenths of our world, but each is as unique and emotionally-charged as you've come to expect from this talented, seasoned, if not-heard-from-often-enough author. Submerge yourself in the worlds of this gifted storyteller, and you'll not want to come up for air.
"...his stories carry things often forgotten or left behind in both horror and science fiction - poetry, emotion, and heart.... If you haven't met Brian A. Hopkins, this could be the introduction you need." (William D. Gagliani)
"...another excellent collection of Brian's work.... I found it impossible to put this book down.... Fabulous!" (Lesley Mazey, The Eternal Night)
"Over the course of the last year or so we've sold more trade paperbacks by Brian Hopkins than we have any other writer.... [Brian] seems to be the kind of writer that appeals to our patrons. I like to think that that kind of writer is literate, emphatic, unusual and lyrical.... Better check this Hopkins guy out." (Mark Ziesing, bookseller and publisher)
"Hopkins displays a fascination with damaged protagonists...that is almost as strong as the fascination with the ocean and cetaceans...that is the titular focus of this book. From the distant play of orcas in 'North' to the rotting dolphin corpses center stage in 'Wrinkles at Twilight', this theme of the pelagic mysteries weaves a fascinating metaphor for the decidedly land-based life led by most of Hopkins' readership.... These are not emotionally satisfying, morally secure stories - they are challenging, sometimes difficult, and always at least a bit slantwise of the reader's expectation and experience." (Jay Lake, from a review in Tangent)
"The sea is the birthplace of all life. It has inspired some of the greatest minds in literature: Homer, Melville, Conrad, Hemingway...and Brian A. Hopkins.... Hopkins dives deep into the mysteries of inner space and returns with a chest full of literary gems. Submerge yourself in his word. You may never wish to come ashore again." (Garrett Peck, from a review in Cemetery Dance)
"Brian Hopkins writes of the ocean as if he were a part of it. His empathy with whales - in particular - is phenomenal, and the subtle blend of intense research and intuitive talent is - at times - unnerving. Unforgettable fiction." (David Niall Wilson, author of This Is My Blood)
"When I examine my obsession with Fitzgerald and Tolstoy, for Dickens and Dostoevsky, I realize that what keeps me coming back to Gatsby and Anna and the rest is the music I hear when I am with them. That, and my absolute conviction that there is nothing there that I would have had them do differently. So it is with BAH's work. He doesn't simply write; he composes. Long after the reading is done, the melody lingers on." (Janet Berliner, Bram Stoker Award Winning author of Rite of the Dragon)
