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Finding The Right Photos
‘On to Plan C’ is a riveting travelogue that chronicles your unforgettable post-pandemic journey, capturing the essence of exploration, resilience, and beauty. Why was this an important book for you to write?
After having international travel sidelined for two-and-a-half years, it was imperative for me to get back on the road. While my first two books focused on past travels, I wanted this one to center on the current state of travel. Seeing how travel had changed and how it had stayed the same was an interesting draw as well. This is also the first collection to include my photography. I liked the challenge of finding the right photos to enhance the narrative. It meant this book took a little longer to edit, but it was worth the effort.
As you transitioned from one unique location to another, how did you keep your narrative cohesive and maintain the balance between cultural insights and personal experiences?
While each journey is told in a separate chapter, I was aware that it was all part of a collective. As such, I refer back to prior chapters or experiences now and again and also look ahead at times. I also included the thought process of my travels. I begin in Fiji, for instance, because that was the first trip canceled in 2020 (and I had a flight credit about to expire). I next headed to Europe as two previously planned trips for that summer, sailing up West Africa and a trip to Russia, had both fallen through, leading to the Plan C of the title.
I’ve always tried to balance insights and experiences with my travel writing. I find facts and figures interesting, though I try to avoid going on and on as readers might not find everything as interesting as I do. And, for me, a large part of travel is personal encounters, so including snippets of dialogue and sharing adventures helps flesh out the writing and bring the reader along with me.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
I wanted this book to capture a moment in time. We had all gone through this seemingly endless pandemic together, and I wanted to focus on the return to normalcy. For me, that entails getting back on the road, including long- and short-haul flights, baggage claims, shuttles, taxis, hop-on hop-off busses, trains, and longships. I wanted to show how much of this has returned to normal, though with a few modifications here and there.
What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?
That the world is back open and ready to be explored. It’s still a good idea to do some research to keep up with ever-changing requirements, though most have now all been lifted. If you’re still deciding whether to explore, then I hope my travelogues and photos will provide a vicarious inspiration.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website
Biography
Jeremiah Gilbert is an award-winning travel writer and photographer based out of Southern California. His travels have taken him to over a hundred countries and territories around the world. His photography has been published internationally and exhibited worldwide. He is the author of Can’t Get Here from There: Fifty Tales of Travel and From Tibet to Egypt: Early Travels After a Late Start. He can be found online at http://www.jeremiahgilbert.com.
On to Plan C: A Return to Travel
On to Plan C by Jeremiah A Gilbert offers a captivating travelogue that chronicles the author’s and his wife’s remarkable journey, marking their first significant international excursion since the onset of the pandemic. This literary gem documents their ingenious “Plan C” after their original travel plans were disrupted by the challenges posed by Covid-19. Their adventure commences in the idyllic tropical paradise of Fiji before leading them to the vibrant tapestry of Europe. Along their path, they explore the iconic cities of London, Bergen, Copenhagen, and Berlin, culminating in an unforgettable European river cruise that meanders through the picturesque landscapes of the Netherlands and Germany, offering glimpses of charming villages, resplendent vineyards, and captivating Christmas markets. Emerging from the depths of the European winter, the author and his wife find solace in the embrace of a warmer climate during a three-week Caribbean cruise. Setting sail from Bridgetown, they embark on an enchanting voyage through the jewels of the Caribbean region, immersing themselves in its unrivaled beauty and allure.
The author enriches the narrative with stunning photographs revealing his remarkable skill behind the lens. These captivating visuals provide a profound context to the written words, allowing the reader to embark on a visual odyssey alongside the author. Immersing myself in this book, I relished the opportunity to experience the author’s perspective as they embarked on their first post-pandemic adventure. Overall, the author’s experience proved to be an engaging and enlightening read. The book’s prose consistently shines with its ability to transport readers to remarkable destinations. Gilbert’s descriptions offer valuable insights into the island’s allure. Take, for example, the author’s account of their visit to Great Stirrup Cay. In describing the island’s geographical features, the author paints a vivid picture of its northern part, which boasts sandy beaches and snorkeling havens, while the southern counterpart holds a helicopter airfield and remnants of a bygone US military installation and satellite tracking station. Elevating the memoir further with a touch of creative flair and emotional resonance adds an extra layer of enchantment to the storytelling. Furthermore, while the encounters with people along their journey were not extensively detailed, this only serves to ignite the reader’s desire for a deeper, more profound human connection within the captivating narrative.
I found On to Plan C to be an effortlessly readable and captivating account. I was particularly enthralled by the mesmerizing travel photography that accompanied the text. I highly recommend this travelogue to those who want to be taken on a thrilling adventure.
Pages: 250 | ISBN: 8196316135
Literary Titan Gold Book Award October 2022
The Literary Titan Book Awards are awarded to books that have astounded and amazed us with unique writing styles, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original ideas. These books deserve extraordinary praise and we are proud to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and writing talent of these brilliant authors.
Gold Award Recipients
Captive Attraction by Patricia Crumpler
Visit the Literary Titan Book Awards page to see award information.
21st Century Knight
Waiting ‘Round to Die follows a man who is facing an existential crisis and embarks on a journey to find meaning. What was the inspiration for the setup to your story?
Life. My life. Other people’s lives. All the people in the Target by my house buying things they probably don’t need. I was living this life, surrounded by the trappings of ‘success,’ and I just kept asking myself—what’s the point? Was the point to fill my 2,000-square foot suburban home with Restoration Hardware furniture? Because I did! Do I win now? Do I get an award? Is this the legacy I am going to leave for my child? And, honestly, I wanted to flee the life I’d built for myself, but my familial obligations kept me anchored in place. So I fled in my head. And when I fled, I took my dead uncle with me, because I knew deep down inside that things would be better if he was there.
Glen Grant was a fairly famous writer in his own right. You should look him and his Obake tales up. Once I had Glen and the narrator on the road, I sent them off to find the meaning of something. I guess it’s at least alluded to that the narrator wants to find the meaning of life, but I feel like he really just wants to find meaning in life. He got no meaning from being a husband. No meaning from being a suburbanite. No meaning from his money. He had some meaning from being a father, but his child no longer needed him. So, he’s out there looking for that meaning in the kind of life he dreamed of living, not the one he just sort of fell into.
The protagonist is an interesting character with unique dimensions to him. What were some driving ideals behind his character’s development?
When I was a kid, I watched the movie version of the musical Camelot a lot. Like, basically any time I possibly could, I would watch Camelot. And when I watched Camelot, I dreamed of being Lancelot—I think a lot of kids could identify with that. Lancelot was the best. He had the shiniest armor. He was played by Franco Nero, who was a very handsome man. Arthur was great, but Arthur was flawed. Arthur lost his woman. Yes, Lancelot took his woman, and in doing so Lancelot quit being perfect, but he was still the most badass knight in all of Camelot. Just watch the scene where he flees the castle after Mordred catches him with Guinevere—he basically takes out the entire castle guard by himself!
Why do I mention this? It’s because Lancelot had purpose. The narrator in my book has no purpose until he takes to the road, and I guess that’s the driving ideal, if you will. That search for purpose. The guy wants to find something to hold onto. A reason to keep on going. So he goes out looking for it. And I think that’s what makes him relatable. If you just take a cursory look at the narrator then maybe you won’t like him. After all, this is a guy who leaves what seems to be a perfectly fine life to go out and essentially ‘party’ his way across the country. But if you take a deeper look, that’s not really the case. The guy is basically a 21st-century knight errant on a quest. While he doesn’t necessarily have to physically fight—I mean, there are a couple fights, but they’re basically things he tries to flee—he is still roaming, searching for something else. Something more. That longing is what the character was built on and it is the foundation for everything that comes after.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The major themes were purpose and meaning, but there was another one that was very important and that was love. For all intents and purposes the narrator is in a loveless marriage. He’s not getting anything from his wife, so that’s not the love story. Somewhere deep down inside he does still love Claire, even though he hasn’t seen her in two decades. But that’s not the love story either. The love story is the love between the narrator and his dead uncle.
Obviously this is not a romantic love, but I don’t think that renders it any less important. Glen was this guy’s mentor, his confidant. In a lot of ways Glen was his best friend. The narrator can only assume that, had Glen still been alive, he would not find himself in the place he ended up. But, as is usually the case, life had other ideas and it took Glen away from him. But it gave him back! And the story culminates with the two men standing on the beach at the end of their trip and the narrator finally telling his uncle he loves him. Soon after, he disappears. My actual Uncle Glen, the notable writer, died in a hospital bed in Honolulu in 2003 and I don’t know that I ever really got the chance to tell him just how important he was to me. I was thankful to sort of have the chance to say it in this book.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I actually have a collection of short stories I am hoping to have published before the end of the year. One of them is kind of an outtake from when I was writing Waiting ‘Round to Die. It was just something I started writing while I was writing the novel, and it didn’t really fit into the story I told with the book, but it definitely has the same tone and feel to it. The other stories are a little older, and perhaps a little less longing, but they tie in nicely with the new story, so I would love to get those out there as soon as possible.
I’m also working on a longer piece of fiction called Summer of ’85. I like to call it my ‘80s movie because I feel like the plot would work really well in a John Hughes movie. It’s about a kid growing up in a small lumber town in Oregon who somehow discovers rap music, before it really became mainstream. I’m about 2/3 done with the first draft. Hopefully it will be available sometime towards the end of next year.
Author Links: Goodreads
A nameless man, existing perilously close to the edge, flees his suburban home for the open road in a last-ditch effort to connect with the life he once lived. On the road he finds his long-lost uncle who takes him on a continent-spanning adventure where they meet Civil War generals, a legendary Navajo, and a rotating cast of characters who may, or may not, have the answers to the questions the man is asking. Over the course of thousands of miles and through countless towns and bars, they hastily push toward the western horizon and the promise it may hold.
Obadiah Hunter Art
Obadiah Hunter Art by Obadiah Hunter is a heartfelt and humorous recount of his life as an artist and a globe trotter. It begins in New England, where Obadiah spent his teenage years, recounting the moment he decided he wanted to paint for the rest of his life. Traveling fifty countries, from the ‘90s to the ‘10s, Obadiah carries his few belongings, his paints, and a vision that inspires kindness and curiosity in the people he meets. He dwells on the struggles, such as the time he slept in a capsized boat, and the highlights, like meeting his wife. He even injects little bits of humor, like the time a gang of kids ambushed him with water guns. Mr. Hunter’s book was a relaxing and heartwarming read.
I found myself smiling at the bits and pieces of ordinary life that Obadiah Hunter injected into his story. He writes conversationally, taking readers on the journey with him, always making sure to return to those moments that made the greatest impact on him. I found myself getting lost at times, realizing that the story wasn’t necessarily told in chronological order. At times the memories could be prosaic—rundown showers and the meal he had at a bar, but these are grounding features that allow the reader to connect with the author and understand that this is not all about grandiose adventures; sometimes the beauty is in the humdrum of life. I stuck around for the ride, seeing the world through his eyes and imagining these exotic countries I haven’t had the privilege of seeing yet.
My favorite painting was his Luang Praband Waterfall from Laos. His landscape scenes are exquisite. Particularly, I found myself enthralled with the Laos and Sonoma landscapes later in the book. There’s a scene for everyone in this book. Whether you read memoirs, art books, or want a conversation starter for your living room, The Stories and Plein Air Paintings of a Globe-Trotting Traveler is an excellent art memoir.
Pages: 126 | ASIN: B0B8JX7YDY
Ecuador Bursts With Brilliance
Stories from Ecuador provides readers with wonderful details about Ecuador and your time spent there. Why was this an important book for you to write?
Moving to Ecuador was life-changing. It was the biggest leap I’d taken at that point, and I sought to capture as much of my time abroad as possible. So I constantly wrote about my adventures in the country. I also composed the pieces almost immediately after they occurred—while everything was still fresh in my head. I didn’t want to lose perspective.
Upon returning to Minnesota, I read the vignettes to reflect on my year in South America. But as I scrolled through the pages, the concept of turning my collection of narratives into a book took shape. I went for it after discussing it with my dad. He was even the person who created the title.
“Stop overthinking it,” he insisted. “Call it ‘Stories from Ecuador’ and move on.”
When I committed to this undertaking, finishing it became more and more important to me. Not only did I wish to achieve the goal of writing a book—something I had never done—but I further wanted to tip my Twins cap to the individuals who enriched my experience along the way.
Is there one location in Ecuador that you highly recommend people visit?
Ecuador bursts with brilliance from the torrid flats flanking the Pacific coast to the lush rainforests dominating the eastern third of the Republic. Although my preference was to explore the tranquil municipalities tucked within its central mountain range, I highly recommend getting off the mainland. People must visit the Galapagos if they can afford the costliness of the archipelago. The exotic wildlife and vibrant colors on the islands are without equal, while the volcanic landscapes take tourists back to prehistoric times.
What is one thing you learned from your time in Cuenca?
I learned how to be a teacher. Aside from the 130-hour TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) workshop in Quito before my arrival in Cuenca, I had no classroom training. I’ll never forget how a teenager capped off one of my first classes at the Centro de Estudios Interamericanos.
“¡Por fin!” he yelled. Finally!
And I couldn’t blame him. I didn’t know how to conduct effective lessons during those early days, so I’m sure the 120 minutes ticked by sluggishly.
Yet after I got some sessions under my belt, I figured things out. I made a lot of mistakes and eventually learned from them. In fact, during my final teaching cycle, a dozen students treated me to dinner at a local restaurant to say thanks. Despite my growing pains in Cuenca, I developed several useful activities (especially group exercises), which I continue to carry out in my Spanish courses in the Twin Cities.
What do you hope is something that readers take away from your book?
I want my book to entertain readers and inspire them to visit Ecuador as well. The country left an enduring impression on me, and I hope the same happens to others.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
State of Revolution
State of Revolution details the author’s fascinating journey through New Jersey. Frazza was highly interested in the history of his home state of New Jersey, he was especially fascinated by the historical monuments that were from the Revolutionary War. After he explored nearly 650 historic locations, he created the Revolutionary War New Jersey website.
Author Al Frazza successfully shows both his trials and triumphs on his journey. It is refreshing to read about the author’s passion for learning more about the history of his hometown. I enjoyed reading about the author’s process and even though he was unsure if he would be able to complete this journey he continued on.
It’s inspiring to see the author take his lack of experience as a historian and create a website that is dedicated to teaching others about the history of the New Jersey Revolutionary War. While I enjoyed this enlightening book, I would have liked to have seen some of the pictures that the author took on his travels to be incorporated in the book as I think it would enhance the reader’s experience.
Frazza does an excellent job of teaching readers about history while keeping the reader entertained with compelling storytelling. I was engaged from the turn of the first page. It was like I embarked on my own journey through New Jersey. This is an excellent book for anyone who wants to travel, readers who are interested in history, and anyone living in New Jersey that wants a fresh perspective on the state.
State of Revolution is a fascinating travelogue that colors an intriguing memoir with interesting historical facts. Author Al Frazza has written a fantastic book for anyone who wants to broaden their horizons and learn something new about a place and a person they might not have known about otherwise.
Pages: 198 | ASIN : B09TD6R471
The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel, and Turmoils
![The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel, and Turmoils by [Vally, Z]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51Uc1oiICvL._SY346_.jpg)
The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel and Turmoils, written by Z. Vally, is about Alexis Theodorou, a 24-year-old woman from Britain. Alexis is visiting the dreamy location of Cyprus to attend college. Her charming and witty persona mixed with her good looks helps her to live in the new country, and soon she finds work as a housekeeper- even if that occasionally comes with its own set of troubles. Soon, after a few mishaps with work, she meets a handsome Swede by the name of Sven where she begins a whirlwind romance. But this romance soon comes with its own turmoils, and Alexis soon learns that the biggest obstacles in life are often the ones within ourselves. Will she be able to overcome her inner battles to marry the man of her dreams?
The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel and Turmoils is a romance novel guaranteed to warm your heart and put a smile on your face. Filled with quirky nuances, questionable intentions and breathtaking moments, this story will be your perfect summer fling.
The romance between Sven and Alexis is slow to start; however, it gives the story time to build on Alexis, her personality and the exciting characters within her work and personal life. I loved the character Molly and her carefree spirit. Her ability to hitchhike and find fun was impressive and I could easily imagine her as the perfect friend to travel overseas with.
The language is beautiful, and the magical landscapes are easily envisioned with the rich description of the sights and sounds. At times the novel goes into depth about the history of the city, adding to the vivid imagery. You can feel the sun on your face, taste the delightful food prepared and smell the salty tang of the crisp blue sea. It is easy to get caught up in your thoughts as you imagine a holiday where you can experience such serenity and beauty. At times the story was a little slow, but this was overturned through comedic moments and important lessons learned by the characters.
The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel and Turmoils also gives the reader a taste of life as a student abroad, as they battle the ups and downs of college, finding work and meeting new faces. There are also the barriers that come with being overseas; from not understanding parts of the language or being questioned by the law for seemingly innocent activities. The characters struggle to find suitable work and come across problems such as dodgy roommates, unsavoury bosses and misleading men.
Many readers will be able to relate to the sorts of lessons that Alexis experiences. From learning to stand up for yourself and being able to leave a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable, to making foreign friends in new countries, The Green Line Divide: Romance, Travel and Turmoils will be relatable to all those who have travelled or lived in a new destination or country. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light and romantic novel, set in a dreamy holiday destination.
Pages: 195 | ASIN: B00SF5I61M
LITERARY TITAN 