Today I’m helping a friend with her virtual book tour. I’d like to welcome Jacqui Murray and help her introduce her new book, Quest for Home. I always like learning something new about authors, so here are a few questions for Jacqui.
- How do you know these People are as smart as they seem?
Just to be clear, because these predecessors to man lived long before recorded history, scientists have no definitive evidence of their intelligence. We do get hints of its excellence, though, from their toolmaking. The complex thought required to create their stone tools (called Acheulean), the variety of tool types (cutters, choppers, handaxes, cleavers, flakes, scrapers, and more), and their aesthetically pleasing and functional forms make many paleoanthropologists believe Homo erectus was cerebrally smart. A 2017 study mapped the brains of students as they recreated these same tools and it showed that the work required higher-level motor skills and the ability to ‘hold in mind’ information—much as you do to plan and complete complex tasks (the study compared it to playing Chopin on the piano but I have no idea about that).
- Their speech is too sophisticated.
As a species, Homo erectus lasted far longer than any other Homo species—and there is a reason for that: They were not only highly intelligent for the day but possessed rich communication skills. Their sophisticated tools, especially the symmetry of the hand-axe, suggests to many scientists that they possessed the ability to use language. Since most paleoanthropologists (scientists who study prehistoric man) believe the ‘speech’ part of their brain—the part that allowed them to speak—wasn’t evolved enough for verbal words, I present communication often through body language.
A more convincing argument of why early man didn’t want to talk is that voices are noisy and unnatural. That attracts unwanted attention. For these primordial humans, far from the alpha in the food chain, being noticed wasn’t good.
Short Summary:
Chased by a ruthless and powerful enemy, Xhosa flees with her People, leaving behind her African homeland, leading her People on a grueling journey through unknown and perilous lands. As they struggle to overcome treachery, lies, danger, tragedy, hidden secrets, and Nature herself, Xhosa must face the reality that her most dangerous enemy isn’t the one she expected. It may be one she trusts with her life.
The story is set 850,000 years ago, a time in prehistory when man populated Eurasia. He was a violent species, fully capable of addressing the many hardships that threatened his survival except for one: future man, the one destined to obliterate any who came before.
Based on a true story, this is the unforgettable saga of hardship and determination, conflict and passion as early man makes his way across Eurasia, fleeing those who would kill him. He must be bigger-than-life, prepared time and again to do the impossible because nothing less than the future of mankind is at stake.
Book information:
Title: The Quest for Home
Series: Book 2 in the Crossroads series, part of the Man vs. Nature saga
Genre: Prehistoric fiction
Available at: Kindle US Kindle UK Kindle CA Kindle AU
Author bio:
Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice, a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, In the Footsteps of Giants, Winter 2020, the final chapter in the Crossroads Trilogy.
Social Media contacts:
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jacqui-Murray/e/B002E78CQQ/
Blog: https://worddreams.wordpress.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jacquimurraywriter/
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/jacquimurray
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/askatechteacher
Twitter: http://twitter.com/worddreams
Website: https://jacquimurray.net
September 25, 2019 at 6:41 am
It’s a great read, Julie. Another for your teetering TBR pile. Ha ha. Nice to see Jacqui’s book getting so much press! And Happy Autumn. 🙂
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September 25, 2019 at 7:18 am
I can’t wait to read it (and all her others, and your others, and everyone else’s others … sheesh!)
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September 25, 2019 at 11:47 am
Ha! 😀
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September 25, 2019 at 9:50 am
Thanks for visiting, Diana. I’m getting close to starting your book, Sunwielder. The premise is quite intriguing.
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September 25, 2019 at 11:50 am
Thanks! That’s exciting news this morning. I hope you enjoy it, Jacqui. 😀
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September 25, 2019 at 7:13 am
Great to see Jacqui here, Julie. I loved her book! I’m really excited for her, she worked so hard.
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September 25, 2019 at 7:18 am
She’s got a lot of stops on her book tour–exciting is right!
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September 25, 2019 at 10:07 am
Thanks, Jill. I am really glad to launch this one so I can turn to the final book in the trilogy. Happily, that’s going better than I expected.
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September 25, 2019 at 9:41 am
It’s interesting that early humans maybe didn’t talk too much because they needed to reduce the chances of becoming prey
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September 25, 2019 at 10:13 am
We don’t worry about that these days because we are the alpha. Well, except for insects and being quiet won’t avoid them!
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September 25, 2019 at 12:49 pm
Don’t know why, but I just got a flash of Elmer Fudd: Be vewy vewy quiet…
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September 25, 2019 at 9:48 am
Thanks so much for hosting me, Julie. I like the nice clean layout of your post. This will be a fun day.
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September 25, 2019 at 12:50 pm
You are so welcome, Jacqui! So fun to see your new book in so many places in the blogosphere! Good luck with the release!
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September 26, 2019 at 8:15 am
Great questions and answers! I can’t wait to get to reading this story tonight:)
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September 26, 2019 at 11:46 am
Thanks, Denise. Sometimes, the facts behind my story are unbelievable–almost–so I thought this clarification would help readers. Glad you liked them.
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