My Temporary Life: Book One of the My Temporary Life Trilogy (Volume 1) [Paperback]

Martin Crosbie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2012

Top 10 AMAZON BESTSELLER
Book One in the MY TEMPORARY LIFE Trilogy

"It has everything, simply everything-a coming of age, a romance, and a thriller all rolled into one delightful read."

Malcolm Wilson learned that everything is always temporary. Growing up, he's raised by a promiscuous mother who can't stay out of trouble, his best friend is a thirteen-year-old alcoholic, and the masters at his tough Scottish school are always raising their canes in his direction. When he becomes an adult, he escapes, and chooses the safe route, watching the rest of the world from a distance. Everything changes the day he meets the beautiful, alluring, green-haired Heather, and when he learns of Heather's own abusive childhood and the horrific secret she's been carrying, Malcolm makes a decision-this time he's not backing down, whatever the cost.
The first book of the MY TEMPORARY LIFE Trilogy deals with friendship, love, and what it  means to be a hero. A top-ten Amazon bestseller in all categories, the self-publishing journey the author undertook to publish this work has been documented in Publisher's Weekly, Forbes Online, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper, as well as Amazon press releases.

Editorial Reviews

Review

There were moments of magic, scenes filled with foreboding, passages that were poetic and ruminative, others that were breathtaking. The masterful handling of Malcolm's mother, was brilliant. There were many scenes, especially toward the end, that were fast-paced and made the book impossible to put down.
Susan Russo Anderson

I have to say I have not read a book that took me on such an emotional ride in many years. I just finished it and I'm still reeling. I am typically a romance/fantasy reader but this is definately going on my favorite books list. Martin Crosbie will be on my watch list of authors in the future. This was an incredible story to read.
Patricia Paonessa

Mr. Crosbie's first novel is a wonder! Once I started, I couldn't stop. I just HAD to find out what happened next. His characters are so believable and I felt a real connection to his hero's kind heart and the difficulties he faced while growing up and throughout his life. I completed the novel in just a day and was sad to have it end.
Flavia Joy

I wanted to hug Malcolm (the main character), I cared about his life and story of love, suspense and self discovery and I didn't want it to end. The author, is a wonderful story teller he takes his characters on many journeys through out the story but most importantly he takes his readers as well, in a sweet, enduring and subtle way.
KPH

I found the composition extraordinarily accessible, and the character immediately sympathetic. He has a knack of revealing his inner thoughts and conflicts in a manner that is illuminating without being self-serving. I felt I learned something important about myself, a great combination of story and significance. Just read it and see.
K Adcock

From the Author

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I was born in the Highlands of Scotland and I currently live just outside Vancouver, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada.

Thanks to readers such as yourself spreading the word through Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks, MY TEMPORARY LIFE has now been downloaded over one hundred thousand times and has become an Amazon bestseller. I truly thank you for the encouragement I've received from your reviews, emails, and instant messages, and it has motivated me to continue this story as part of a trilogy. I'm proud to be able to tell you that MY NAME IS HARDLY, the second book in the series, was released in December 2012.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 332 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 1, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1469965623
• ISBN-13: 978-1469965628
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (221 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,079,759 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In a press release, Amazon referred to Martin Crosbie as one of their success stories of 2012. His self-publishing journey has been chronicled in Publisher's Weekly, Forbes Online, and Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper. Martin's debut novel, MY TEMPORARY LIFE, has been downloaded over one hundred thousand times and became an Amazon bestseller. MY NAME IS HARDLY, his second book, was written following reader requests to hear more about Hardly, the beloved character from MY TEMPORARY LIFE.

Martin was born in the Highlands of Scotland and currently makes his home, with his partner Jacquelyne, in Cloverdale, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada. The third book in the MY TEMPORARY LIFE Trilogy is due to be released late in 2013.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Mesmerizing Story, A Sensitive Coming of Age Novel February 3, 2012

By Susan Anderson

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Martin Crosbie's book, MY TEMPORARY LIFE, is a sensitive, coming of age novel with a storyline that held me captive. The novel is filled with emotion--humor, joy, heartache, grief. It deals with the loneliness of children who have lost and the agony of their adjustment. It deals with the lives of adults who have been abused as children.

It is the story of Malcolm, an adolescent who lived in Scotland with his parents until his mother returned to her roots in Canada, leaving her husband and son behind in Scotland. After his parent's divorce, Malcolm began what he called a "temporary life," spending his summers in Vancouver with his sometime mother and her men, returning to live with his father in Scotland during the school year. He leads this disjointed life without many friends until an unfortunate display of his own loyalty changes the direction of his life. With the help of a father-figure and other friends in Canada, he grows up, prospers, falls in and out of relationships, finally meets the girl of his dreams. It is at this point that the story surprises. The action, never slow, picks up a notch or two, and the rest of the story is a harrowing ride to the end.

For me it was an engrossing work of literary fiction. I loved the scenes of Malcolm and his friend, Hardly, growing up in Scotland, loved his surrogate father, George, and George's sister, Rose, and how the author painted those characters. I really, really liked the author's understated prose and I loved the opening:

"I think I first smelled booze on Gerald when we were eleven, and as far as I know he's been drinking ever since."

There were moments of magic, scenes filled with foreboding, passages that were poetic and ruminative, others that were breathtaking. The masterful handling of Malcolm's mother, especially in "the car wash scene," was brilliant. There were many scenes, especially toward the end, that were fast-paced and made the book impossible to put down. It is a book you will not want to miss.

About the Author: Martin Crosbie always wrote stories. As his adventures and misadventures took him from Kilmarnock, Scotland, to Vancouver, Canada, he recorded his memories in a series of journals. Today, he's turning those journals into novels.

You can keep up to date on his newest adventures and read his opinions on everything from Punk Rock to how he's training for his next marathon on his website, [...]

When not writing, or running long distances, Martin shares his life in Vancouver, with his partner, Jacquelyne, and Spock, the most spoiled cat in the world.

MY TEMPORARY LIFE
Copyright © 2011 Martin Crosbie
Format: Kindle Edition
ASIN: B006O2P13O

70 of 78 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply lovely... February 7, 2012

By Donna

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The title of the novel was so intriguing, I could not wait to read this story. My Temporary Life is a novel one thinks fondly of for a long time after reading. The characters are very real and endearing, so much that it was sad to come to the end of the story...I did not want to leave them behind! The pace of the story is excellent, we learn exactly what we need to with details that convey much in a few words. The plot is interesting and contains quite a few surprises. As someone who (attempts to) write myself, I have a special appreciation of the quality of this work, especially for a debut novel. Martin Crosbie has created a heartwarming, wonderful experience for the reader, and his talent is evident from the very first paragraph.

44 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story February 4, 2012

By Patti

Format:Kindle Edition

Wow! Absolutely one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I started reading and could not stop. Malcolm is one amazing character. He reached into my heart and touched my soul. What an amazing journey. I have to say that I have not read a book that took me on such an emotional ride in many years. I just finished the book a few minutes ago and I am still reeling. I am typically a romance/fantasy reader but this is definately going on my favorite books list. Martin Crosbie will be on my watch list for authors to buy in the future. All I can say is this was an incredible story to read.