Hi guys and girls! Welcome to WOW Wednesday. My guest today is John Emil Augustine, author of the
From the Abyss book series. John has lived a colourful life, performing with various bands - blues, gospel, prog rock; you name it, he's played it - and working as an English professor and a landscaper, among other things. Today, he's loving writing. With no more ado, here's John and his new book, From the Abyss II.
There will be a launch party with fun, games and stuff to win - just scroll down to the links...
Synopsis:
Having survived an
abusive marriage, thirty-year-old John Augustine finds himself venturing into
new territory. A girl with a son of her own lives far away, but decides to
uproot her life and make the move to be with John. However, John’s ex looms in
the wings, threatening his relationship with his new wife and her son, and even his own son. A greater threat
is John’s lack of time, as working two jobs and taking night classes leaves
his partner feeling alone and vulnerable in a strange town. Relationships
will take dangerous turns and chances will not return when John finds himself standing at a crossroads he could never have expected.
Links to click:
Book launch party - fun, games and stuff to win! Yay!
Review for newly released From the Abyss II:
From The
Abyss II grabs you right back to where we left off. There is something
soothing about John,
even in the middle of chaos. He is a man of circumstance,
but he doesn’t fold. He is a survivor here to tell his story in multi-colour
techno theatre. His story comes to life and you are there with him each step of
the way.
This story is told in a beautiful, eloquent way. There is so much
depth, but so much that is up for your own interpretation and that is what
makes this story even more appealing, wildly compelling and insightful.
I
already can't wait for the next instalment!
Brenda - 5 Stars
Reviews for From the Abyss
"As a 'guy', Augustine writes about stuff 'guys' don't typically talk or write about. Quite daring really... At first, I wasn't sure about this read. I was asking myself, 'Do I want to read about stressed relationships from a guy's point of view?' And then the author won this 'guy' over with literal, realistic story lines and statements."
G Mitchell Baker – 5 stars
"Heartbreaking at parts, full of life, in its best and worse, and a promise of a better tomorrow. Would definitely recommend for adult readers and especially to people at a crossroads, trying to decide whether to stay or leave."
Jennifer Loiske – 5 stars
"This is a good read, an in-depth look at the life of an abused man. A creature we don't often hear about, but one who is far more common than most know. Though easy to read, the author is unmistakably well versed. His writing reaches deep into the reader's heart, and I can only imagine it is because he, himself, has reached deep into his own while writing this book."
GypsyNana – 5 stars
All about John:
John Emil Augustine
grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and toured in his twenties and early thirties
with local and national acts; writing, arranging and performing with notable
jazz, blues, gospel, reggae, post-funk, prog rock and folk groups. John has also been a landscaper, mail
carrier, English professor and forklift operator.
Currently, he lives in Minneapolis with his wife and four boys. John is the
author of the From the Abyss book
series and has also recorded the album Chants
for Renewal, Presence and Awareness, which is available on Amazon, etc.
Unedited excerpt from the book:
Lindbergh
Field
My plane touched down in San Diego, and
I immediately texted two words once my phone rebooted: "Just landed."
It was a Thursday evening in May, 2005. The captain thanked us for flying as
the plane taxied across the sunny pavement. The scene from my window a few
minutes before had been beautiful as we made the final turn onto the runway
below. The city sitting on the edge of the ocean looked a lot like Minneapolis,
though Minneapolis was a river town. But the size of San Diego’s downtown, and
the sparse reflective skyscrapers reminded me of my own city. Only the extra
presence of the ocean, blue and sparkling through my tiny airplane window,
reminded me that I was not in Minneapolis.
What was I doing? I hadn't been on an
airplane since I was a kid. I didn't travel. People with established lives
traveled. Business people like the ones in the cheap suits surrounding me, the
uniform of self-proclaimed importance, traveled to places like San Diego. I did
not. This was not me at all. No one even knew I was doing this. My family
didn't know I was gone. My ex-wife and my son knew nothing of my trip. Only my
buddy Roland, whose house I was living in while he waited for the new occupants
to take possession, knew of my trip. I was otherwise homeless, and he wanted
his house to be occupied, so it was a mutually helpful arrangement. Except that
I would be away for five days. So I had to let him know I would be gone. He was
the only one who knew anything of my trip.
I sat in my seat watching everyone
scramble for their carry-ons in the overhead compartments. Mine was up there,
my only bag, but I wasn't in a hurry to get to a rental car or go find a second
suitcase in the baggage claim. I didn't need either. So I just waited. A reply
to my text came back: "I am here."
"Still on plane," I replied.
This was crazy. Like something out of a
terrible movie with a plot I abhorred. One minute, I had been tallying the
final grades for my last class of the semester, the next I was sitting on a
plane in San Diego texting someone I had never seen in person. Was I insane?
Stupid?Completely gullible? What ridiculous turn of events had put me here?
Like a fading dream, I almost couldn't remember. I should have learned my
lesson by now, by age thirty. I should have been wise to the trickery I was
perhaps subjecting myself to. Why wasn't I smarter than this?
Thanks for reading! Don't forget John's launch party!
Look out for next week's guest!
