Barry Fellinger’s Latest Book Release by Peri Hayes During his childhood, Barry Fellinger was drawn to a lifelong passion for literature: “Telling stories seemed to come naturally to me due to my love of reading. Lewis and Tolkien, among others, were certainly inspirational for me. I always found the stories had something that could be learned -- nuggets of truth that could be applied in real life.” Released on April 24th, The Fifth Guardian: A Symphony of Discord is accessible in eBook and paperback format -- through Amazon, Indigo and other online distributors. Locally, physical copies are presently available at Lockwood Books. “I classify this work as science-fiction, because of the overriding multiverse. Unlike my other two books for middle- grade readers, this is my first foray into writing and publishing an adult sci-fi story.” Surrounding the theme of unexpected tragedy, Barry earnestly reveals what motivates this narrative: “On June 6th, 1986, we lost our second child; a daughter who was born prematurely with her lungs and other parts not developed enough to survive. She lived for about forty minutes. Holding her as she struggled to breathe and dedicating her back to God as she was dying remains the hardest thing I have ever done. It was a devastating experience for my wife, Beth, and myself.” “We named our little girl Lindsay, and that is who the book is dedicated to. Our discordant experience, which made us question if the universe was unfolding as we thought it should, became the foundational inspiration for The Fifth Guardian: A Symphony of Discord. Maybe, just maybe, perhaps there is a version of Lindsay somewhere out there in the multiverse that survived.”
Furthermore, this diverse and sus- penseful novel explores the concept of, as Barry voices, “something lurking, something laughing, something evil and yet, perhaps there is hope after all -- the hope that springs eternal. I do hope that readers are not only surprised, even confused by it, but maybe see bits of themselves in the variety of characters. If you are starting to find the darkness in Part 1 overwhelming, keep going -- Part 2 will bring the light!”
“I would be remiss if I did not give credit to my very patient editor, coach and cover artist, Paula Tezilyn, who provided such great assistance. She offered valuable feedback as the story developed, walked me through the self-publishing aspects, provided a number of great marketing images and commentary for social media, and designed a fantastic front cover.” Online reviews are appreciated by Barry, as well as emailing feedback and inquiries to barrymfellingerauthor@gmail.com. “If potential readers want to test out the first chapter for free before they buy the book, they can do that at subscribepage. io/thefifthguardian.” Last month, Barry and Beth hosted a kick-off Signing Cele- bration in their neighbourhood -- with homemade cinnamon buns, and a portion of the sales that day having been donated to Destination Church’s School Lunch Program. Barry looks forward to his Book Signing Celebration at Coles in Masonville Place from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm this July 12th, about which he nods to exciting draws for swag.
Page 8 Hometown St. Thomas • July-August 2025
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