Literary fiction (with Adventure; Family)
Date Published: 11-28-2022
Publisher: By The Pure Sea Books
“The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step.” ~ Lao Tzu
Raiden, an emotionally troubled 40-something guy, is at a major turning point in his life. Rather than choose to face it head on, he undertakes an epic road trip adventure across North America, all with the aim of escaping the single most transformative event of his life – imminent fatherhood.
Searching for solutions in all the wrong places and faces, Raiden is forced to turn the mirror back on himself and shine the harsh light of reality not only on his quest, but into the very depths of his soul, in order to discover what it is he truly seeks.
While he does his best to find the answer, the impactful events he experiences along the way will reveal more about Raiden and his nature than the strange assortment of characters he meets on his overland odyssey.
Ultimately, The Journey is a story that no matter how far you run, your demons always follow.
“Mark T. Rasmussen rewards readers with a fascinating tale of transformation. 5-stars!” – K.C. Finn (Readers’ Favorite)
Interview with Mark T. Rasmussen
How
did you become involved with the subject or theme of your book?
Ooh,
good question. I was expecting my first child who was just a couple
of months away from being born when I wrote, The
Journey.
As a first time father, I was really ecstatic about becoming a dad
and couldn’t wait. But then I wondered, what if a father-to-be
wasn’t excited about the upcoming birth of his child? What if he
wanted to escape his predicament and flee, believing it provided him
the chance of a better life and freedom? From there the book took
shape and offered a glimpse into the mind of a man clearly torn
about his responsibilities from that of one desiring extrication. I
wrote the first draft (50,000+ words) in under a month, but it
wasn’t until I went back over it that the theme and subject became
apparent.
What
were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you
feel you achieved them?
I
think my goal for myself initially, was to just see if I could
actually write a novel. When I took on the NaNoWriMo challenge
(National Novel Writing Month), I wanted to test myself to see if it
was even possible. Once I’d hit that first goal, my next intention
was to (hopefully) make it entertaining enough that people would
want to read it. I wouldn’t know that until close to release.
Thankfully, that seems to be the case, with reviewers finding they
couldn’t put The
Journey
down – several even reading it in one sitting. That has really
surprised me. But other than that, I suppose my main and real goal
and intention, was to get into, and embody, the psyche of the human
male. One with clear mixed emotions. One who felt like he needed to
escape because he was worried about becoming his own despiteful
father. How well do I think I achieved them? I’d like the readers
to tell me. Overall, I am quite happy with where the story went,
and what it achieved. I’d like to think I was able to achieve my
aims and intentions. Hopefully my readers do, too. Early ratings &
reviews seem quite positive.
What
was the hardest part of writing this book?
Not
writing it, if that makes sense? The in between period where you’ve
written it, done several passes and drafts, rewritten it, edited it,
and then left it completely to ponder it some more, or sometimes
completely forgetting about it. Those parts when you are not
writing, not editing, and not thinking about it all, I find quite
difficult, because you never really leave it. It always seems to be
churning away at the back of your mind. Doing something else such as
stepping away from it, is very needed. All writers and authors need
that mental break – that’s often when inspiration will strike
most. If you’re too close to it all the time, your mind can fog
over and you can miss obvious things that don’t make sense, that
clearly don’t work, or areas that need improvement, to even parts
that can be deleted altogether. As writers, we’re always thinking,
plotting, scheming, analysing, even when it looks like we’re not
doing a single thing. So yeah, for me, not writing or thinking about
it at all, that’s the hardest part.
What
did you enjoy most about writing this book?
One
is that I could actually write a book or first draft so fast. But
not only that, but that I actually enjoyed it. The freedom and
release that came via NaNoWriMo’s challenge, at least for me, was
one of pure, unbridled exhilaration. I only had one to two hours
maximum each day in which to write, but somehow that small amount of
time proved more than enough and showed me exactly what could be
accomplished when you put your mind to it. That was easily the most
fun. And second, it was trusting my intuition. This story was not
planned or plotted weeks, months or years in advance. I simply sat
down on the first of November, not knowing where my simple idea
would lead me, and then just being guided of where to let the story
go, and to trust my main character’s path, even if I may have
railed against some of his choices. Stepping into Raiden’s shoes
and letting go, not forcing the story or his character arc, was very
liberating.
Where
there alternate endings you considered?
You
know, I want to say there was but I’m not really sure if that’s
true. While I had a rough ending to aim for, because I wasn’t
exactly positive with how or where it would end exactly, I never
really explored alternate endings. Once it felt done, it felt done.
While there’s somewhat of an open ending, the story and my main
character’s arc felt complete. You could argue that I could have
pushed him on further in his overland trek, or that we could get
more of a glimpse into the result of his final decision, but I
honestly never considered let alone explored, either of those
possibilities. It also would have felt forced and unnatural. The
ending was the end for me.
Can
you share some stories about people you met while researching this
book?
I
didn’t really meet people in any research capacity for my novel,
The
Journey
(No
matter how far you run, your demons always follow).
I called upon my own experiences of travelling the States many years
prior, along with my own life experiences during the writing of this
book. The only research I did do, was using online Maps and then
looking up places of interest nearby, some basic history of an area,
and real hotel names, bus schedules, and prices. Unfortunately, my
computer and online research tools don’t talk, but I’m sure
they’d have their own digital stories that they could share.
Sadly, they’re not much for conversation.
What
genre of books do you enjoy reading?
Literary
fiction first and foremost, that’s what The
Journey is.
I love great writing, writing that sucks you in with memorable
descriptions, characters, events and exquisite writing. To me,
that’s the pinnacle of the genre summit. Outside that, I love a
riveting action & adventure novel – a story that you move
along with. Probably explains why my book is a mix of both. Some of
my favourite books have a real travel component to them, where you
can’t help but get swept up along for the ride. Think The
Beach
by Alex Garland, Ready
Player One
(Ernie Cline), or Dan Brown’s Da
Vinci Code
for example. All three are completely different genres, but all
three move at a great pace and really draw you into their worlds. I
find if they’re written well and it’s a captivating story, I’ll
devour them in only a few days. Another genre I really love,
especially when it’s done well, is Historical Fiction. That slight
twist to the truth but yet steeped in factual history. They make a
great read! Outside of those three genres, and one I don’t read
enough of, is Fantasy/Sci-fi. The world building going on in a lot
of those great novels is staggering. So much effort must get put
into that world building alone, that I simply cannot comprehend how
much, or exactly what, those writers do. I am in awe of their
creativity and intelligence.
MARK T. RASMUSSEN is an Australian author born by the sea, cultivated in the city, formed via the world. Previously a professional journalist and editor, Mark now writes evocative, thought provoking subject matter for his adult novels and screenplays, and fun, captivating, thoughtful books for children. An avid adventurer, he currently lives in a remote Mexican seaside-jungle village with his beautiful & brilliant, author wife, and youngest son, finding it an idyllic piece of paradise to read, write, and love. For more info visit: MarkTRasmussen.com
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8 comments:
Hey, thanks for hosting my book and interviewing me, Avid Reader. I loved your questions. I hope your readers & followers enjoyed the answers, too, and are keen to know more about my book. Cheers, Mark T. Rasmussen
This sounds like a really interesting story. I can imagine many people feel the same need to flee in the face of parenthood.
Thanks Marcy. I think it is an fascinating story, maybe even compelling. A lot of readers/reviewers, were so captivated they read it in a single sitting (or day). Let me know if you have the same experience.
Thanks
Thank you
Thank you so much for sharing. this sounds like a great book!
You're welcome Sara and Jolanda. And Latisha, I hope you'll tell me what you think once you've got it and read it. I'd be really curious.
Thank you so much
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