Earl Hollsopple lived on the edge of civilization in a deserted shack for nearly forty years. His life was one beautiful night of stargazing after another, until a helicopter flies overhead, and exposing his meager world. It is a sign; it is time for him to return to civilization.
Unknowingly, Earl’s journey parallels another he had deeply repressed, and that is his return from the Vietnam War. The lone survivor of a plane crash, Earl waits for rescue that never comes. He is left to find his way home alone.
On his quests, old Earl and young Earl learn lessons of survival, overcoming isolation and handling conflicts; his travels teach him not just about himself, but humankind. Reaching pivotal points in both journeys, Earl meets fateful loves, leading to destinies that are ultimately intertwined.
Everything in life circles until we are able to answer the riddles that plaque man and humanity. Only until we take the journey, solve the problems of our own existence, do we find our way home.
Excerpt:
The screen door swung open with the ringing of a bell. “Georgina!”
She loved to hear
her name shouted with such passion and exclamation. It made her feel
young and desired. Turning around, she beamed a crooked smile and once
again, she was a twenty-year-old beauty.
“Heya Earl.”
Georgina admired his coveralls and aviator cap. “What’s with the getup,
Earl? You look like you’re about to fly away.”
Earl swaggered to
the counter. “It’s time, Georgina, I’m leaving town.” His eyes shifted
around the shelves of dusty cans and tattered boxes. “I’m going to need a
few things for the journey.”
Georgina came around the counter and followed his eyes, picking out his purchase—can of stew, spam and sardines—before he had the chance to choose. “What do you mean you’re leaving? Where are you going?”
“Home,” he said.
“Where’s home Earl?
You’ve been living in that abandoned mine since I knew ya,” replied
Georgina. “How can you go back to nowhere?”
Earl grunted. “I don’t know. I just know it’s time to go.” He focused on the whiskey bottles behind the counter. “And a couple of those.”
“Well, hold on a
second.” Georgina stepped into a small, neatly organized office and
retrieved a dusty bottle of fine Scotch from the shelf. She returned and
presented it to him, accompanied with two glasses. “Let’s drink to your
journey and for old time sakes.”
Earl released a
boyish grin that Georgina always had difficulty resisting. “Georgina,
you are a woman who knows the way to my heart.”
“If only I could get you drunk, I might be able to bring you to your senses.”
She opened the back door to her garden oasis of native rocks, several
potted plants, and a faded awning to keep cool; a beautiful garden
tilled by a hardened woman. Earl was a mystery to her. She wondered what
brought him to the outskirts of civilization. Did he share a story
similar to hers of disappointment and lost love, or was it something
different entirely? As often as she had tried, she was never able to get
an answer to Earl’s past.
Buy Link:
Amazon
About the Author:
Inspiration
comes from watching way too much Monty Python. The abstract and the
absurd way of looking at normal life, not only offers humor, but
questions many problems in society in a light-hearted manner. If we can
laugh at ourselves, if we can laugh at life, problems do not seem quite
so difficult to tackle. In fact, problems are not as complicated as
they seem; everything is very simple. If you can laugh at it, write
about it and read about it, most likely one would think about it.
Author Jennifer Ott has written several satire fiction, Wild Horses, The Tourist and two non-fiction books Love and Handicapping and Ooh Baby Compound Me! She recently published, Serenidipidus and Edge of Civilization. She also is the host of the SuperJenius Internet Radio show on Artist First radio Network.
Jennifer Ott lives in Long Beach, California, enjoys the sun, the sand, the surf and lots of Mexican food.
Author Links:
Website
The Super Jenius Show
Youtube
Giveaway:
Author Jennifer Ott is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card on Rafflecopter and two print copies of Edge of Civilization on Goodreads! The rafflecopter giveaway is open internationally, the Goodreads giveaway is open to residents in the USA, CA, GB, and AU. Enter 3/14/14 – 3/28/14.
Goodreads Book Giveaway
Edge of Civilizaition
by Jennifer Ott
Giveaway ends March 28, 2014.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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