Wednesday, October 9, 2024

THE MAGICAL JOURNEY OF JOHN AND ADELE by Ancius M. Murray Excerpt & Giveaway

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE MAGICAL JOURNEY OF JOHN AND ADELE by Ancius M. Murray Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About The Book:

Title: THE MAGICAL JOURNEY OF JOHN AND ADELE

Author: Ancius M. Murray

Pub. Date: January 28, 2024

Publisher: Troubador Publishing

Formats:  Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 280

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/THE-MAGICAL-JOURNEY-OF-JOHN-AND-ADELE

John and Adele have been together for over two decades and have a son. Their relationship has been on a downhill trajectory for many years.

One evening, en route to their annual holiday destination, they run out of fuel in a remote location. To whom can they go for assistance? Suddenly, in the darkness, their lives take an unexpected turn. They meet three mysterious but benevolent strangers who offer to help them. In observing Adele and John, they pose to the couple an unusual challenge that seeks to address the core problems in their marriage. John and Adele find the proposal odd but intriguing. While it may have advantages, it could be risky and dangerous. But unresolved emotions and unhealed wounds, as well as long-buried memories can also have hazardous and unpredictable consequences. Will they dare to accept this challenge or not?

This unique novel, while aimed at taking a fresh perspective on relationships, is uplifting, relaxing, and is meant to be enjoyed.

 

The story of Ancius M. Murray 

– An Irish-Lithuanian trio using collaborative storytelling to provide a  toolkit for improving relationships

HOW THE AUTHORS MET

Marija and Mary Catherine were nominated by the Lithuanian and Irish governments to  attend the prestigious French Government School to study public administration in  Paris. At the same time Darius was working on his doctoral thesis in the Commission for  Atomic Energy there. They came together at an international reception and a strong  connection was formed. Each of them had an interest in cultural exchange outside of  their work and this cemented their friendship.

DECIDING TO WRITE

When they had finished their studies, they returned home but still stayed in regular  contact. They had a strong desire to work on an interesting artistic project as a team,  again outside of their professions. Twelve years later, inspiration struck. They hit on the  idea of writing a novel together. They would write a story about an ordinary couple  deciding to address once and for all the very serious problems in their relationship. 

Everyone has observed couples who are no longer happy in each other’s company.  Many separate without realizing the potential of their relationship and are quite often  left feeling very sad or bitter. The writers were sensitive to this and felt they had  something to say on the subject. 

But at the same time the three writers wanted the story to be soothing and pleasant,  where the characters’ only stress was confronting their own relationship. The dream-like  context of the novel supports them in this goal, but the readers have no idea if the  couple will stay together. 

THE WRITING PROCESS 

The next step was embarking on the practical aspects of this writing project. Linguistic  considerations were to the forefront. The authors used French as their working language  in speaking to each other on Zoom since the friendship between them had been  established in that language, and then wrote in English. Editing and developing a  recognisable and relaxing literary style was their challenge.

All three wrote simultaneously in diOerent countries with a general theme decided on in  advance. The writing was done on weekends and evenings after work. Sometimes they  travelled to each other’s countries to bring the chapters together and read to each  other. They analysed everything together line by line to be sure it represented the ideas  they wanted to communicate to the reader.

Darius was the designer of the novel’s setting and gave direction on chapter content. He  was also responsible for the computer work and all the technical details concerning the  manuscript.

Marija’s expertise with legal texts assisted greatly in avoiding repetition and in creating a  smooth, believable narrative. Making sure that character motivation was clear and  logical as well as in line with toolkit guidance being provided was her domain.

Mary Catherine provided the descriptions of nature and the scents and sounds  perceived by the characters. She created the emotional atmosphere for the different  scenarios in the story and reviewed the literary style evolving within the text. 

This work has lasted four years.

It was definitely not an easy task. They experienced writers’ block, as well as obstacles  in the story route. Sometimes they found it difficult to find a way through for the  characters to the novel’s conclusion that was meeting everyone’s expectations.

Then, after a break in the work and coming back to it with a fresh perspective, one of the  three writers would suggest a new direction that would resonate with the other two. That  was when they felt the magic of combining their contributions and moving forward, as  any single author would who pens a story and has no doubt of its value, direction, and  purpose.

Some chapters of this book were written individually by each author. After reviewing  them together, they were incorporated into the main story. Other chapters written as a  group were knitting sentences word by word into the tapestry that is now their novel,  'The Magical Journey of John and Adele’, a mixture of mystery, fable, and relationship  guide.

 

Excerpt:

 

In the Dark 

The beams of two headlights crossed the darkening sky which  hung over the motorway. An old silver hatchback streamed  through the hills rising towards the mountains, and through  sparse woods. The traffic emerging from the city had been left  behind hours before, and occasional passing cars were the sole  sign of human civilization in this remote countryside. 

Two passengers in their late forties, a man and a woman,  

were travelling in the car. Their boredom and the silence  between them seemed to be in tune with the monotonous sound  of the raindrops that were beginning to fall from the grey sky  and onto the windscreen. A brochure on the back seat, depicting  a luxurious spa nestled in a sunny mountain valley, seemed in  sharp contrast to the dull and dreary atmosphere inside the car. 

“John, there should be a filling station in a mile or so,”  

said the woman. “Are you sure we’ve enough fuel to get to our  destination?” 

“Don’t worry, Adele,” the man replied automatically, obviously lost in thought. Then, looking at her, he said  mockingly, “Why don’t you just tell me the truth? You want to  stop to buy some useless trinket, like a fridge magnet for your  endless collection, or one more coffee mug that says, ‘I love  Paris’. You want to do that, don’t you?” He smiled sarcastically. 

Adele did not want to venture further into territory that would lead to an unpleasant argument. She turned her head to  the window. 

Ten miles later, John took an exit heading to the mountain  

road. “Look, there we are. Only fifty miles before we reach the  paradise promised in your precious brochure,” he announced in  a bored tone. 

They continued to drive, observing the still, melancholic  

landscape. The disappearing light as the sun set made it seem  even sadder and more forlorn. 

Adele leaned towards John and looked at the dashboard.  

“Hold on, doesn’t this small yellow light mean that we’ll run out  of fuel soon?” she asked. 

“Don’t worry,” John said once again, firmly this time. But he  

was unable to hide the anxiety in his voice. 

The steep and winding road seemed to be intent on  

exhausting the worn-out car and its nearly empty petrol tank. A  second light, this one red, lit up on the panel. 

“Damned car!” yelled John. “This old engine burns petrol  

like a monster!” 

“John, I told you we should have filled the tank at the last  

station we passed! Why is it always like this? Can’t you deal with  a simple problem? You fill the tank; you drive the car!” Adele  crossed her arms and fixed her angry gaze on the road. 

“This so-called ‘simple problem’ could have been solved  

if you hadn’t dragged your feet over buying a new, more fuel efficient car, and despite us getting several very good offers, you  didn’t want to sell this thing!” John cut in, unwilling to admit his  negligence in not planning ahead for petrol. 

He accelerated, determined to continue the journey to its end. But the end came more quickly than he had planned: it  came at the next corner. The car spluttered several times before  John managed to pull it into a small area off the road. Then it  stopped still. They had run out of fuel. 

 

 

About Ancius M. Murray:

Ancius M. Murray is a collective pen name for an Irish-Lithuanian team (a physicist, a lawyer, a creative writer) who met by chance, and collaborated on this novel over the course of four years.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours, International.

Ends October 15th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/30/2024

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

10/1/2024

Daily Waffle

Excerpt

10/2/2024

Fire and Ice Reads

Excerpt/IG Post

10/3/2024

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/IG Post

10/3/2024

@callistoscalling

IG Post

10/4/2024

Edith's Little Free Library

IG Post/TikTok Post

10/4/2024

Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

10/7/2024

TX Girl Reads

Excerpt/IG Post

10/7/2024

Sudeshna Loves Reading

Excerpt

10/8/2024

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/IG Post

10/8/2024

Rajiv's reviews

Review/IG Post

10/9/2024

Deal sharing aunt

Review/IG Post

10/9/2024

Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's

Review/IG Post

10/10/2024

@shaunasbookjournal

Review/IG Post

10/10/2024

Brandi Danielle Davis

IG Review/TikTok Post

10/11/2024

@thepagelady

IG Review

10/11/2024

@just_another_mother_with_books

IG Review


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