Blog Tour - The Journey - Conrad Jones

This was the first book I've read by Conrad Jones and it was superb, however, given the subject matter it feels really wrong saying that I enjoyed it.

Kalu, Esse and their three children live a quiet life in a small village in Nigeria until Boko Haram arrive in their masses. The devastation and destruction that follows is horrendous and Kalu knows that he needs to get his family away . . . and fast.

Luckily Kalu had been planning for this eventuality and he had several things in place should the family ever need to make a swift escape and unfortunately for them that time had come and they set off on the journey.

What follows is a terrifying trip littered with close encounters with Boko Haram which left me literally holding my breath as I was reading, not daring to draw breath again until I knew that all of the family were safe.

The Journey is a story of one families journey to escape the atrocities that are becoming all to familiar in today's world. I'm sure that we're all guilty of hearing about the plights of people so desperate to escape their home towns in search of a safer life and not giving it a second thought, myself included, but after reading Conrad's book it's definitely shone a whole new light on things for me. Imagine being so desperate that you would do anything to protect your loved ones, imagine not being able to trust anyone and imagine witnessing things so appalling that you'd have nightmares, this is exactly the situation that thousands of innocent people are in and the reason why they are so desperate to escape.

This is a book that, despite being harrowing, is also filled with a warmth of family love and hope for a better future. An outstanding true to life portrayal of humanity at it's best and worst and a book that will haunt me for a long time to come.

                                                       Author bio

Photo courtesy of Conrad Jones

Conrad Jones a 52-year-old Author, living in Holyhead, Anglesey, which I class as my home, before starting a career as a trainee manger with McDonalds Restaurants in 1989. I worked in management at McDonalds Restaurants Ltd from 1989-2002, working my way up to Business Consultant (area manager) working in the corporate and franchised departments.

In March 1993 I was managing the Restaurant in Warrington`s Bridge St when two Irish Republican Army bombs exploded directly outside the store, resulting in the death of two young boys and many casualties. Along with hundreds of other people there that day I was deeply affected by the attack, which led to a long-term interest in the motivation and mind set of criminal gangs. I began to read anything crime related that I could get my hands on.

I link this experience with the desire to write books on the subject, which came much later due to an unusual set of circumstances. Because of that experience my early novels follow the adventures of an elite counter terrorist unit, The Terrorist Task Force, and their leader, John Tankersley, or `Tank`and they are the Soft Target Series, which have been described by a reviewer as ‘Reacher on steroids’. 

I had no intentions of writing until 2007, when I set off on an 11-week tour of the USA. The Day before I boarded the plane, Madeleine Mcann disappeared and all through the holiday I followed the American news reports which had little or no information about her. I didn’t realise it at the time, but the terrible kidnap would inspire my book, The Child Taker years later. During that trip, I received news that my house had been burgled and my work van and equipment were stolen. That summer was the year when York and Tewksbury were flooded by a deluge and insurance companies were swamped with claims. They informed me that they couldn’t do anything for weeks and that returning home would be a wasted journey. Rendered unemployed on a beach in Clearwater, Florida, I decided to begin my first book, Soft Target. I have never stopped writing since. I have recently completed my 20th novel, The Journey, something that never would have happened but for that burglary and my experiences in Warrington.

As far as my favourite series ever, it has to be James Herbert’s, The Rats trilogy. The first book did for me what school books couldn’t. It fascinated me, triggered my imagination and gave me the hunger to want to read more. I waited years for the second book, The Lair, and Domain, the third book to come out and they were amazing. Domain is one of the best books I have ever read. In later years, Lee Child, especially the early books, has kept me hypnotised on my sunbed on holiday as has Michael Connelley and his Harry Bosch Series.

You can find out more about Conrad, his books and connect with him using the links below:

Facebook
Amazon
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Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour with these fantastic blogs:

With kind thanks to Sarah at Books on the Bright Side for the review copy and my stop on the tour.

The Hippo Hands Over . . . . to Joan Hugues

Today I'm  handing over The Hippo to debut author Joan Hugues. Joannie recently followed me on Twitter and after taking a look at her book, Growing Only Dandelions, I decided to follow her back, we started to chat as if we were old friends and it lead to her being here today!

So I'm delighted to introduce you all to Joannie who is going to talk about her journey so far and tell you a little bit more about her novel.

Artwork courtesy of Joan Hugues

Joan P. Hugues is a first-time author making her publishing debut with Growing Only Dandelions.  Joannie (name of preference) lives in the United States on Long Island within the state of New York.  She is married to Jay, her High School sweetheart, for over 25 years and shares three children together, Jason, Jake Ryan and Juliet.  Joannie’s children motivate her to achieve her dream of becoming a best-selling author.  She longs to show them that dreams can come true.  Not by talent alone but through perseverance.  Joannie works as a Paralegal at a law firm and is the founder and President of JT’s Law Foundation Corp., a not-for-profit charitable organization that advocates against child food choking through education. Additional information about JT’s Law is available here.

For pleasure, Joannie immensely enjoys drawing.  The book cover and author photo used for Growing Only Dandelions are pencil artworks created by Joannie based on images of her daughter Juliet. You can view a catalog of Joannie's artwork here.

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                                      My Publishing Journey.

My publishing journey has been a rough trek.  Putting pen to paper or, more appropriately, concept into words; and crafting what would be eventually called Growing Only Dandelions took me several years to accomplish.  The hardships in my own personal life or just LIFE getting in the way, stopped and stalled the writing process a number of times.  Each written word was scrutinized and reevaluated.  Editing constantly and finding those sheepish, vile typos.  Searching for the ideal word to properly convey the messages contained therein.  Finalizing my novel was such a sweet achievement that swiftly turned sour once I commenced my publishing journey.

Excited to become the next best-selling author, my publishing journey begins on the traditional route.  I submitted my novel to the big five publishers.  Crickets chirping for months told me to switch gears and back pedal into more realistic territory.  Next up in my travels are the independent and regional publishers.  Rejection letters never felt so generic and cold.  Continuing on this icy path with my feet slipping and sliding along the way leaving bruises on my ass, I venture into the dark scary alleyways of Writer Beware Type Publishers with contracts that remind you to keep your day job.  Two years elapse without any significant, viable publication offers on my beloved Growing Only Dandelions.  Frustrated and defeated, I randomly sought advice in a Facebook mom’s group.  A published author commented and encouraged me to self-publish.

My thoughts on self-publishing was Last Resort.  The Hail Mary.  The No One Else Wants Me route in my publishing travels.  But, this individual completely convinced me otherwise.  She told me how a publisher would have control over my book.  Perhaps changing words, title choice and cover design.  These words solidified my path and showed me that self-publishing was actually the only road to travel on for Growing Only Dandelions.  I could never acquiesce to a rewrite, title change or different cover design for my novel.  Every single aspect of Growing Only Dandelions was carefully and painstakingly selected by me.

Self-publishing is a bumpy road with lots of potholes to swerve around.  The unavoidable Royalty sinkhole is deep, dark and depressing.  The percentage taken by the Vendor used to assist with my self-publishing is slightly (said with sarcasm) in favor of the Vendor.  Thankfully, now that the book is published, I can sit back with my feet up in the air and watch those books fly off the shelves.  Oh, how I wish that was true! 

Next road in my publishing journey feels like a dead-end (i.e., marketing plan).  Find clever ways to convince people to read a spiritual book written by an unknown author among a landscape full of promising and established authors.  Impossible or I.M.Possible. The outcome of my publishing journey is ultimately up to me.  

 

Posts to Facebook.  Photos uploaded to Instagram.  Tweets on Twitter.  Constantly barraging social media with colorful anecdotes to entice people to read my precious Growing Only Dandelions. Hitting a road block in my publishing journey only to be detoured to a woman named Neats who graciously offered me an opportunity to be a special guest author on her blog.  Reason for her generosity? “I’m just doing what I love, spreading the book love, helping someone out and making new friends along the way.” to quote this kind-hearted, humble woman who has poured concrete into some potholes and paved the way for me to reach a larger audience. Thank you for allowing me to share my publishing journey. 

It's a pleasure to host you Joannie and thank you so much for your kind words, you've made me blush!  🙂

Below is a brief summary of Growing Only Dandelions.  It is meant to open your mind, touch your heart, and awaken your spirit.  

“Growing Only Dandelions” is an inspirational story of a woman who has a near-death experience that propels her on a spiritual and emotional journey.  This unconventional supernatural manuscript dares the reader to consider the possibility of a present and loving God through a narrative that triggers one’s imagination to question every action and inaction.

Bethany, a wife and mother, is enjoying a beautiful day at the beach with her family.  She falls asleep while her husband and son swim in the ocean. Awakened by the winds of an approaching storm, Bethany is alarmed by how dangerous the water has turned.  She frantically searches for her family before rushing to the water and jumping into it.  Bethany struggles against the treacherous waters and slams her head against a reef on the ocean’s floor.  Falling unconscious, Bethany says “I never saw a more brilliant light.”

Bethany opens her eyes in heaven and her spiritual and emotional journey begins.  She is escorted through a long corridor by a man insisting that she must see “Him” right away.  They swiftly walk alongside an endless stream of people shuffling forward slowly in a single filed line.  Some of them are curious and reach out their arms to touch the woman being chaperoned to the front of the line.  Upon contact, their “ugliness” (i.e., personal, shameful life event) is revealed to Bethany.  A person calls out to her by name.  Bethany recognizes that it is the voice of her estranged father.  Her hatred towards him is palpable.  He steps off the line and touches her wrist transporting her mind back in time to when her “ugliness” started as a young child from his abuse. 

Throughout the novel, Bethany is transported back in time to those milestone moments in her life that shaped her own “ugliness”.   Growing Only Dandelions highlights the presence of God through strategically placed relationships, purposely left “signs” and guardian angels, all of which are gifted to us through his grace.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to write such an insightful guest post and for stopping by today Joannie. I started reading Growing Only Dandelions yesterday and I'm already over half way through it. It's definitely touched my heart, I'm really enjoying it so far and I may even have finished it by the time this post goes up, so watch out for a review here sometime very soon! 😉


You can find out more about Joannie, her book, her artwork and connect with her using the links below:


Facebook
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Twitter
Instagram
Artwork