Travels with Myself (with apologies to John Steinbeck, or should it be Graham Greene?) is the story of my journey of discovery, to find myself and to become an author. This is also the narrative of the life challenges I have encountered in recent years – of love and loss and grief and struggling with mental health – and how those challenges have transformed me. For it to be interesting to you, to be of any value to you, this blog must be more than my personal journal. It must transmit personal meaning you can relate to. There should be universal experiences in my journey that will resonate with you, because you have had experiences something like mine, or may yet. Or perhaps I will describe things that are emotionally satisfying, or even funny. I think my journey may have a few lessons in it for others, or at least attract a little schadenfreude, or even empathy. No doubt John Steinbeck had something similar in mind as he narrated Travels with Charley (Graham Greene wrote Travels with My Aunt but both were books about discovery).

I think I have a story to tell and the will and ability to tell it. This is the essence of being an author. I’ve told a few tales before and attracted some readers, so now with modern technology (Blogs!) I may be able to reach an even wider audience. 

It may not always be obvious but I will try to bring some reference to the art and craft, and challenge, of writing. I make no claims to being a superior writer. The evidence of this, so far at least, is in the revenues I have made from my writing. (One of the reasons for maintaining a blog, apart from ego needs, is the chance of promoting one’s books. You can help me create the impression being a successful writer by buying my books; you may also like to recommend them to others. In this regard, feel free to visit my printer, lulu.com and buy a book.)

I hope you will agree that I have a way with words, that I have an engaging style and I have interesting stories to tell. And if you find these blogs entertaining please forward a link of this blog to all your reader friends.

I won’t overload you with a complete autobiography – only the last five years, or maybe ten. I doubt my life story would be that interesting to anyone other than me – but I do want to tell the story of my transition from what was, to what my life is now, and perhaps what it may become.

Often I will describe personal life events. Oh, I could generalize them and try to make them blandly homogenous, but I don’t think that interests most readers. This is not an academic journal, it is a personal narrative, and in my experience, people want to feel the emotion of the moment. You should nod your head in agreement, or empathy, or dismay, or perhaps you will want to dispute my claim. But in all things I seek to entertain and to educate, or at least make you think.

I am entering the penultimate phase of my life, after this it’s all downhill. I always knew this stage would one day come – I am a speculative thinker and a planner, I tend not to live in the present. I can’t say that this way of thinking has made me happy. On balance, it hasn’t.

They say all writing is autobiographical. Something of the author is bound to show through – his own life, his biases, his personality. I hope you enjoy me. Please leave a comment regardless.