Book publisher Epigraph announced the release and worldwide availability of Blood Sapphire’s Revenge — the new military thriller novel by author Dr. Bruce Farmer in eBook, audiobook, softcover and hardcover formats.

Mixing questions of faith and existential fate with an exploration of resiliency, human struggle and fortitude in the face of extreme pressure, Blood Sapphire’s Revenge is a truly modern global military thriller.

When Israel Defense Forces Staff Sgt. Haddy “Hadassah” Abrams kills a known terrorist with a record-setting sniper shot in the Hadhramaut region of eastern Yemen, she finds herself thrown into pitched battle against a diabolical eastern European oligarch hell-bent on the nuclear annihilation of Jerusalem.

Drawing equal parts inspiration from character-led books like Stieg Larsen’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the painstakingly researched technical aptitude of Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum, Dr. Farmer’s book takes military thrillers in a new direction by combining intense action with existential questions of reality, meaning and purpose.

“In developing the character of Haddy, I wanted her to first and foremost be a deeply human, vulnerable and relatable character,” said Dr. Farmer. “I wanted to present her as a strong figure facing an almost insurmountable but believable contemporary struggle inspired by the tale of Queen Esther from the Hebraic scriptures.”

“In reading Bruce’s manuscript, I saw the unique perspective and potential of Blood Sapphire’s Revenge,” said Tom Briggs of Epigraph, the book’s publisher. “At a time when heroes and narratives are becoming increasingly interchangeable and unremarkable, the uniquely styled characters and contemporary yet timeless scenarios of Blood Sapphire’s Revenge reflect our modern age. I’m confident that anyone who has confronted the inevitable challenges of life or overcome trauma will find resonance with the indomitable character of Staff Sgt. Haddy Abrams.”

Audiobook

Production of the audiobook brought Dr. Bruce Farmer into the studios of Talkback Sound & Visual in Portland, OR and the skillful audio mastering of Josh Millman — a triple-threat engineer, musician and voiceover talent who has engineered recordings of several notable authors including Cheryl Strayed reading her #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Wild. “Any time an author wants to read their own work, it lends an extra layer of authenticity, but also complexity,” said Millman. “It was great coaching Bruce through the recording process, and I think the final product reflects his tireless commitment to a superior quality product.”

Cover Art

“When we were considering cover artwork, our research showed that using a stock photo for the cover simply wouldn’t be a viable option,” said publisher Briggs. “A quick search for the words ‘female’ and ‘guns’ on any commercial image site brings up all the usual tired and hypersexualized imagery. I knew that to do justice to the character of Staff Sergeant Haddy Abrams, we were going to need to capture our own imagery.” The search for a photographer surfaced Sheldon Sabbatini, an experienced advertising and commercial photographer based in Portland, OR. “Sheldon was a great find,” said Briggs. “His ability to take the lead on everything from talent sourcing to styling helped us get a some really great shots.”

Author Photos

As a breakout author, Dr. Farmer also needed to round out his press kit with some properly styled author photos. Sabbatini helped capture some uniquely compelling photos that help convey Dr. Farmer’s distinctive approach and philosophy. “Blood Sapphire’s Revenge draws upon Dr. Farmer’s diverse background as an emergency room physician, college professor and entrepreneur. In effect, he’s a character himself who defies simple explanation, so I wanted to ensure that we did justice to this in his author photos,” said Briggs.

After capturing the author photos, things shifted indoors to Sabbatini’s studio where a Nike fit model stood in for Staff Sgt. Haddy Abrams. “We were really fortunate to be able to use the talents of Lauren,” said Sabbatini. “We asked a lot of her, but as you can see in the final cover image, she was able to convincingly step into the character of Staff Sgt. Haddy Abrams.” With visions for an eventual screenplay adaptation starring Gal Gadot as Haddy Abrams, a compelling cover photo really helped set the tone for the story and characters.

Learn more about Blood Sapphire’s Revenge, explore characters, and follow along with the author’s blog.

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