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K Martin Beckner

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A Million Doorways Paperback – October 23, 2016

by K. Martin Beckner (Author)

4.3 780 ratings

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Thirteen-year-old Ethan Brook is new to Rocky Creek, Kentucky, the town first introduced in the Southern Gothic novel Chips of Red Paint. Separated from his friends and mourning the tragic loss of his father, he feels out of place, isolated from all the things he has ever known and loved. But his outlook on life begins to change one day when he takes a summer job working for the mysterious and eccentric Zelma Green. With nearly a century between them, he finds in her an unlikely kindred spirit. His new friend loves to tell stories about her life, taking him on a journey spanning over eighty years, from the happy days of her youth, a time of horse-drawn carriages, to the darkest moments of her life. But just as Ethan starts to settle and make peace with his new circumstances, he becomes shockingly aware of a soul-crushing deception in his life, a deception hidden away for years like the mummified body down in Zelma Green's cellar. As terrible secrets unfold, Ethan faces a decision: does he run, or does he stand and face his fears head on?

Print length

308 pages
Language

English
Publication date

October 23, 2016
Dimensions

5 x 0.64 x 7.99 inches
ISBN-10

1537772708
ISBN-13

978-1537772707
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

K. Martin Beckner is an Army veteran and a graduate of Western Kentucky University. He lives in Southern Kentucky, not far from Nashville, Tennessee, one of his favorite cities. His writing style is deeply influenced by the fascinating people, historical places, and haunting folklore of Kentucky, where his family has resided for more than two centuries.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (October 23, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1537772708
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1537772707
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.64 x 7.99 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.3 780 ratings

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K Martin Beckner

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Read K. Martin Beckner's latest Southern Gothic novel, A Million Doorways.

K. Martin Beckner lives in Southern Kentucky, not far from Nashville, Tennessee. His writing style is deeply influenced by the people, places, and haunting folklore of what the Native Americans called "The Dark and Bloody Ground", where his family has resided for more than two centuries. He is the author of the Southern Gothic coming-of-age novels Chips of Red Paint and A Million Doorways.

"Growing up, I loved to listen to stories my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents told. Though some of these stories seemed supernatural in nature, they were always told with the conviction of truth. Through their reflections of yesteryear, I learned that there is a lot more to life than what we can see and touch. There is an element of the unexplained, where the past is intertwined with the present and cannot be separated. In today's world, with so many technological distractions, the mysteries of life often go unnoticed. Through my writing, I seek to preserve a vanishing way of life, a time when people sat under the stars at night, shared their life experiences, and really got to know one another."

Join me on Facebook and Goodreads.

Kmartinbeck@yahoo.com

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

780 global ratings

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TLCH

A Million Doorways

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020

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Captivating story about a thirteen year old boy named Ethan who moves to another town after the death of his father in the coal mines in Tennessee. He hates the town at first, away from his friends and his father's family. His mom gets him a job working for an elderly yet spry woman, Zelma, doing chores around the house, yard work, and washing her car. They develop a friendship as she tells him the story of her life, which he finds fascinating. He seems to be a bit of an old soul, comfortable talking to older adults and soaking up their knowledge and history. The one person he doesn't care for is Clara, Zelma's live in secretary/maid. Clara is a cold, uncaring woman who treats Ethan with disdain. Ethan and Zelma create a bond, sharing some mild paranormal gifts. Ethan also makes friends with Cynthia and Daniel, kids his own age and decides he actually likes the town. He soon gets some devastating news that makes him question everything, including his will to live, and runs away to Zelma's childhood home outside of town and nearly dies. Secrets are eventually unearthed and he finds a new, surprising friend. This is a warm yet thrilling story about how people's perceptions of things can change and wisdom shared. A boy's journey through hard times, good times, and friendships with young and old, as well as his relationship with his mom. The conversations are a little off, especially between the kids (they sound too adult at times, stiff and formal) but it's a good read and well worth the time. Good world building and characters it's easy to care about. A good page turner with a story inside a story.

7 people found this helpful

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Don Kidwell

Driving Miss Zelma

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2017

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Tender story of a teenage boy and an eccentric old matron developing a relationship that grows and improves over the short time they share. Book mixes in a little mystery, some spooky moments and a bit of a twist at the close, but I think I'll remember it best for its' heartfelt passages like "As time passes, everything we know and love becomes increasingly brittle" and "Every day of our lives we are faced with decisions to make,doorways to walk through." Once again author has a knack for delivering both great characters and good story lines as in "Chips of Red Paint" and hoping he continues to write more books in the future!

4 people found this helpful

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Matthew Shelton

A lot, a lot of heart

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2021

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This book has a bit of "back and forth" feeling dialogue to it, but it is worth it to see and understand where it is coming from and what it is building up to. I loved the bygone days feel to it, and the part about bees is just beautiful

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Virginia A. McConnell

Good story, but needs an editor

Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2017

Verified Purchase

The story itself is somewhat compelling, but I had two problems with it: First of all, this author desperately needs a professional editor. The word "of" is a preposition and NEVER part of a verb (as in "I could of done this"). I thought maybe it was part of an illiterate character's persona, but everyone did it, so I have to assume the author does not know any better. There were multiple mistakes with subject-verb agreement and also the apostrophe. Just pay for the editing so your mistakes don't distract from the story. Second, the dialogue was so stilted and unreal, particularly that of the young (13-or 14-year old) boy, that it was unrealistic. He was very Eddie Haskell-like with the grownups, but the dialogue between him and his young friends was likewise stiff. And, I'll be nitpicky here, but why do all the grownups keep giving this kid coffee? And nobody remarks on it when he asks for it. So, another unrealistic aspect for me that made me feel this author is not really knowledgeable about kids this age.

7 people found this helpful

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Azwildcat

Not a simple coming of age

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2020

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I usually don’t read coming of age stories - it was difficult enough getting through my own many years ago. Watching the interaction between Ethan and the various characters, especially with Miss Green and later with her secretary, it is hard to believe this is supposed to be a 13 year old boy. Miss Green has so much wisdom that we can all learn from

I recommend this book.

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

Like K. Martin Beckner's "Chips of Red Paint," we are treated with similarly rich characters in the novel who offer both depth and personality. There are similar minor but distracting grammatical errors throughout, like the author's first book. I found this story less personable than the author's first, likely because Ethan's story is told in a third person narrative. But, the novel was overall a quick and enjoyable read. I value the community portrayed in "A Million Doorways" (told in around the same time period as "Chips of Red Paint") and the memorable people in the story, who were lifelike, wise, and compelling. I also enjoyed that, as promised at the end of K. Martin Beckner book before this, we get to learn about Zelma Green's mysterious past.

4 people found this helpful

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William B. Cheney, III

Small town Kentucky coming of age story

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017

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Great YA story about a summer in Small town Kentucky, A young transplant from Coal Country has lost his Miner father in an accident. Forced by his mother to move away from all he knows, he has no friends. His mother gets him a job as a yardboy and handyman with the town's "rich, crazy old witch." And her "Secretary" points out the padlocked Basement door and tells him "Never, never go down there!" Weeks go by and he begins ot fit in, make some friends and the "Rich, crazy old Witch" befriends him and starts telling him about her life as a young girl in the town.

10 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

sweet read

Reviewed in the United States on August 10, 2022

Verified Purchase

I loved the book. Uncomplicated and easy to read. Something that you can just pick up and read any time.

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Top reviews from other countries

Terry

Really good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

A really good read, made a difference from the police procedural/ thrillers I so often read. It had a feel of something older set in an earlier time. Good narrative pace , interesting characters, who were well drawn and good backstory. Highly recommended, by me.

Mrs McFadyen

Read this

Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

I loved the book. It grabs your attention and doesn't let go. The author is gifted and I can't wait to read more

Maggs

Beautiful Story

Reviewed in Australia on June 28, 2020

Verified Purchase

This is my favourite of all the books I have read lately.
The characters, wonderful old ladies and men with their stories of their lives. Young man finding his way in his new surroundings after a tragedy .
I will be reading more from this author.

Helen

Good storyline ruined by poor writing and non-existent proofreading

Reviewed in Canada on August 23, 2020

Verified Purchase

This author apparently does not know the difference between site & sight, breath & breathe, rode & road, loose & lose, or even composer & composure. (Many more similar errors.) But far more prevalent and annoying is the use of 'of' where it should be 'have'. In dialogue, one might excuse "I should of...", but as the same error shows up REPEATEDLY in the narrative, it is clear the author (and the editor, if any) is ignorant of the correct usage.

OK, call me a grammar nazi, but the writing was also clunky in other ways. This author has no ear for the way people really speak, ESPECIALLY 13-year-old boys.

This is unfortunate, as the story itself is original and compelling. The friendship between an adolescent and a 98-year-old woman is touching, and the unravelling of their histories quite fascinating. I'm glad I read it and would recommend it to anyone who is less sensitive to the flawed writing than I am.

Mary

An enjoyable read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

A really good read. Shows how with a bit of determination you can achieve your goals. Be brave and follow your heart.

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