Non Fiction / Memoir
Date to be Published: 10/15/20
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
It's 1973. Our nation is torn apart by the Vietnam War, and the massacre of unarmed students at Kent State. The Vice President has resigned for bribery and tax evasion. The President is being investigated for engaging in criminal activity.
At twenty-three, David Reed has become embittered by political strife and corruption. Disenchanted with his future, he wants out. Along with new friends, Rusty and Susie, David leaves everything he knows to cross the United States with little more than his bicycle and a camera.
The trio gets more than they bargain for, with menacing animals, extreme weather, and astonishing encounters.
Uphill and Into the Wind recounts an odyssey that spans 5420 miles on bicycles. It chronicles the sudden and surprising glories of nature, the raw beauty of the land, and the majesty of the mountains. But that is just the start. Through it all, the three are changed forever, in ways they did not expect, by their long journey into the unknown.
Interview with David Reed
For those interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where should they start?
Start by taking a walk at sunrise, or sunset. Go outside! Get into nature. My book is a non-fiction, adventure memoir from the 1970’s. We spent 5 months living outside, on the land, crossing the United States on bicycles and on foot.
How did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
When my Dad passed away I found a short memoir he had written. It was then I knew I needed to write my own. After 50 pages I realized my bicycle odyssey was the story of a lifetime: what I needed to write about.
What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?
I just wanted to get my story out there: it’s an incredible adventure. Friends whom I shared snippets with have loved it.
Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Uphill and Into the Wind recounts an odyssey that spans 5420 miles on bicycles and two months on foot. It chronicles the sudden and surprising glories of nature, the raw beauty of the land, and the majesty of the mountains. But that is just the start. Through it all, the characters are changed forever, in ways they did not expect, by their long journey into the unknown.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
Reliving the experience. I had seven journals from my trip, and re-connecting with those memories was so much fun.
Can you tell us a little bit about your next books or what you have planned for the future?
I am a twin. This is our story, a twin’s life. My sister and I shared the same thoughts, finished sentences together and even shared a twin language. We attended school together, until our parents separated us. Even with different paths, we remained close.
Jackie had a successful career, met the love of her life and retired extra early. She was living the dream, until something happened that changed our lives.
How long have you been writing?
As a Landscape Architect, I have been writing and delivering presentations for almost forty years. As a memoirist, I have been writing for seven years.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Uphill and Into the Wind?
Rusty, Susie and David did not know each other before planning this trip. Rusty is a seasoned outdoorsman at twenty-two, with shaggy ginger-blond hair, abundant freckles and a scraggly auburn beard. He speaks with a thick New Juhsey accent.
Susie, the youngest of the trio at nineteen, has never ridden a ten-speed bicycle, or been away from home before. She has beautiful long black hair parted down the middle, and a beatific smile. Susie is a new Christian.
David has graduated from college, spent two years as a stone mason’s apprentice, but at twenty-four is disenchanted with his presumed future.
If you could spend the day with one of the characters from Uphill and Into the Wind, who would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character, where you would go and what you would do.
There’s no hesitation, it would be both Rusty and Susie. After all the months and miles, we became like triplets. After all the years, we are still fast friends. We would rise early, well before the sun, hike along the trails of the Great Swamp, and watch the morning light ignite the scarlet maples as wood ducks dabble in the shallows and deer browse warily in the distance.
About the Author
David Reed has spent a lifetime studying the natural world, from his youth in the woods, his University training, his apprenticeship as a stonemason, and his travels on a bicycle, to his career as an award-winning landscape architect.
A career highlight includes re-designing four major gardens in San Diego’s jewel, Balboa Park.
A visual storyteller, David has guest lectured at the San Diego Museum of Art, Rutgers University, Kansas State University, The New School of Architecture, and other venues. His professional work has been published in Sunset Magazine, Garden Design Magazine, and Building Stone Magazine.
Uphill and Into the Wind is David’s debut memoir. But his work has been published in A Year in Ink, the San Diego Writers, Ink Anthology and awarded at the Southern California Writers Conference.
David believes that life is “out there,” in the forest, and on the land, not inside the box.
He currently resides in San Diego with his wife and family.
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2 comments:
Thanks for taking time to share your book with us and it's always a pleasure in our family to learn about a new one.
This sounds like a great book.
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