**Named one of the best books by a local author in the last 12 months in Creative Loafing's Best of the Bay 2021.**
"Baseball and the blues, two American originals, come together in this striking -- no pun intended -- tale of faith and perseverance. Like baseball and the blues, CURVEBALL AT THE CROSSROADS is enticing and seductive, a story that will stay with you long after the last pitch."
Jay Busbee, author, "Earnhardt Nation"; writer, Yahoo! Sports
"There are few writers who can make baseball as compelling as Michael Lortz, and this book is a swing for the fences."
Ben Montgomery, author, "A Shot in The Moonlight", "Grandma Gatewood's Walk"; writer, Axios Tampa Bay
"Michael Lortz combines a touch of "The Natural" with a little "Damn Yankees" in "Curveball at the Crossroads", a fun read for any true baseball fan."
Bill Chastain, sportswriter and author
"The deal-with-the-devil is a favorite story motif. This book puts it in a baseball context. This is a fun read with vivid scenarios which could easily be adapted to video. Loved it."
Patro Mabili, radio host, WMNF 88.5 FM (Tampa, FL)
"Mr. Lortz has released his first novel, with hopefully many more to come, and it is already finding A+ reviews... for good reason.... Lortz brings his key characters to life, the humble, conflicted Reliford, the conniving and crafty devil and a slew of others that provide meaning and substance. His chapters are short (66 of them), which works perfectly for those of us with ADHD. They end vividly in well-crafted cliffhangers that make Crossroads difficult to put down because you want to see what happens next, which should be the point of any well-written book."
Chris Humphreys, SportsChump.net
"Such a great story! I love the concept, the characters feel very real and relatable, and the classic "Make a deal with the devil" storyline is given a fresh, intriguing spin in this baseball-centric tale of a young, super promising talent who loses it all in one unfortunate injury, but gets the opportunity to become the biggest thing in baseball from the Devil at the Crossroads. Every deal, however, has a price. I was fully invested in the main character's journey since page 1."
Vale Anoa'i, artist, author, "Growing Up Wrestling", "The View From The Third Eye", and "My Awakening"
"This book was awesome. I enjoyed the way the author wove history, culture, and more into the story line. I found myself hooked and was not able to put the book down. Hoping there's a sequel because I fell in love with the main character's journey! Definitely recommend to anyone who is a sports lover!"
TJ Pittinger, manager: Big3Rollup podcast, host: Peek2Pitt podcast, Double Fries No Slaw podcast, and Bourbon on a Budget podcast
