Graeme's travel journey

The book Tears in Thailand has been printed but I have run into problems with distribution in Thailand. Asia books wanted to change the cover, I didn't. So at the moment the book is only available on smashwords.com as an e-book. I have a lot more work published on this e-book site so feel free to peruse some of the highly acclaimed novels. I will be back in Thailand in May of this year and will be looking at setting up some independent outlets for the book in Phuket. A writers journey is never easy. While back home in Tasmania I have been writing book reviews for a local newsletter and a few small articles. I have also been tinkering with some novels but I am having trouble settling down to actually write. I think I need some motivation, some inspiration. While at home I have sent submissions of my work off to some high profile publishers with no response other than the computer generated reply. Why do they bother having a submissions section if they don't give some sort of f...

The book 'Tears in Thailand' is now completed. I have made two master copies, one with chapters and the other is an ebook copy. An enquiry letter has been sent off to Asia Books and I await their reply. I have every intention of trying to sell this book but if this fails then the readers of ebooks on Smashwords will benefit by being able to obtain this true love story. It takes a lot of time and work to write a book, to edit and proofread it. And it is always with a sense of relief that you reach that critical point. I say critical point because then one has to try and sell your story, to try and recoup some reward for effort. I am still in Thailand away from the winter in Tasmania and I must think of my next novel, my next story. What will I write? I am not sure, but at least I have time here in this magnificent weather to write. It is Sunday and a Thai family enjoys a drive and an ice cream as the sit on the side of the road in Kamala Beach. Note the side cart on the mo...

                                        Chicken and cashew nuts with vegetables and sauce                                                                    Barebecue fish If someone had told me three years ago that I would be spending half my time in Thailand I would have scoffed at the idea, but life has a way of changing, of steering you in a direction that you hadn’t foreseen. And this of course is the setting for my non-fiction book that I am now working on. I probably used the wrong word before in saying it was finished, what I should have said was that the first draft had been completed. On starting the proof reading and editing I found that I needed to weld the chapters together in a way that the reade...

I am currently sitting in my poolside room in Kamala Beach in Phuket with the air con on. The room is only costing me five hundred baht a night (twenty dollars Australian). Today it has reached thirty four with a high humidity that causes me to sweat no end. A swim in the ocean and another in the pool only soothes me for a short time. I have learnt the advantage of siesta time here, in other words rest up in the afternoon if it is too hot. The mornings and evenings are for moving around. It’s quiet here at the moment as it is the low season, but then I like it like this. I have caught up with a couple of fellow Tasmanians and enjoyed the local cuisine. Rice soup being one of my favourite meals, it is easy on the stomach and filling at the same time. I can buy it here for ninety baht (about three fifty Australian). Breakfast, eggs on toast, bacon and an orange juice cost me one hundred and ten baht ( a bit over four dollars). And the beer is usually eighty baht, sixty when it is...

Sitting in Tullamarine airport at the departure lounge I cast my eyes over the mixture of passengers, young and old, couples and families, all of them have their own reasons, their own story on why they are boarding this Boeing 787 bound for Phuket via Singapore. Before I seek a publisher for the book, I have to actually finish it, for it is incomplete. What happens to me on this trip will dictate what I write and how the book ends, if at all. It is an unknown factor just like the journey itself. I had left Thailand and my Thai girlfriend in February of this year with a pile of notes, photos and a stomach illness that was causing me a lot of distress. On arriving back in Tasmania I immediately tried to book in to see my doctor. He was away and wouldn’t be back for a week. I reluctantly took the late appointment. It’s not much fun living on a basic diet of eggs and bananas. When I was finally able to see my doctor and explained the symptoms, he immediately diagnosed ...

The items on the whiteboard are being ticked off as I approach the departure time for another trip to Thailand, which on this occasion has connotations for my future. Like many travellers I have put together a book on my experiences and I am seeking publication in Thailand. This book covers a wide journey that has led me to the north eastern city of Khon Kaen, to a small shop in a northern suburb. What is my destiny here in the land of smiles?