ticket for one book review

Ticket For One

One woman’s transformative, inspirational and humorous trek through Greece, Turkey and Italy. 

Sometimes you have to let go of everything to find what you really want.

Greek islands, Summer…

Bronté finds herself backpacking through the Mediterranean, but it’s not all paradise.

Reeling from the end of her marriage, the loss of her job, and with no place to call home Bronté hadn’t hesitated to pack her bags when she unexpectedly won an airline ticket to her dream destination, with spending money included!

With nothing left to lose, she had set off into the unknown with no itinerary, no experience, and a hastily filled backpack. After losing access to her money on her first day, being poisoned on her second day, and finding herself sleeping on a beach next to travellers on the run from organised crime, her adventure takes her on an hilarious tour through the underworld of backpacking.

This is a story about transformation from helplessness to power, hopelessness to faith, and anguish to joy. Set against the backdrop of breathtaking Mediterranean islands, vibrant Rome, enchanting Tuscany, and captivating Turkey, Bronte connects with the beauty of nature to restore her shattered heart and confidence.  

But how will she be able to go back to normal life after this journey? Should she stay in the arms of her belly dancing boyfriend? And is the amount of Byzantine icons in a city a good indication of whether she should settle there? 

“I listened, I let myself go where my heart took me and it never took me ‘back home’.  It took me to a new one.”

“From a dark, gaping hole of plans that had fallen through, and a life that had never worked out the way I wanted I had trodden step by step, carrying nothing with me except what was required, staying constantly in the present. Somehow I moved forward just by being, just by stepping, just by continuing to look at the sky, talking to the people around me, and being out on the road each minute, each hour, each day. Although I had wanted to stay still, crying on a Greek beach waiting for someone to rescue me, I found that moving into the unknown was so much more interesting and, in the long term, truly fulfilling.” 

A compelling and candid story. An odyssey of self-discovery that fundamentally questions how to live and find happiness. 

Author Q&A with Bronté Dee Jackson

What are your top three tips for new and/or independent authors?

  1. I got my first book taken up by a publisher because I had won an award for my unpublished manuscript, a ‘first commendation’ from the Australian IP Picks competition, resulting in a wonderful review from the judges and the results being published in their magazine.  So my first tip for new or unpublished writers is to make sure that you are regularly entering and submitting your work to writing competitions.  
  2. Secondly, the feedback from my publisher about why my book was picked up was that I already had a significant online and social media presence, which is attractive to publishers as it helps them with the marketing.  I had started a blog just as I was finishing my book, specifically to create a social media presence for myself.  I was also very active on Linkedin as a professional (in my day job). Once my book was published I also started a Facebook page for the book, and now of course I am also on Instagram.  However, it was the blog/website which showcased my writing and could be used to market my books which were really attractive. I use social media as a tool for marketing, it is not something that I love doing or would probably bother/want to do if I wasn’t an author/writer, but it is invaluable if you are, so whether you love it or hate, see it as part of the work and discipline of becoming a successful author.

My second book I have chosen to self-publish as this process has become very easy and professional through Amazon, and frankly I did most of my own publicity and marketing anyway for my first book (as many writers do even when they have publishers) so I figured that this way all the rewards (royalties) for my marketing efforts would go directly to me! This is also where my social media presence and marketing has come in really handy as an independent author.  I have an established base of readers and can use my FaceBook book page, website/blog, email, Instagram, and Linkedin profiles to market my book easily. 

  1. Write like you don’t have an audience. As a new writer, I felt terribly intimidated whenever I thought about anyone reading my words and it made me doubt and second guess myself so I stopped thinking about the audience and wrote what I wanted to write, what I knew about, and for myself.  In addition, I am constantly surprised by who likes my books – men in their 60’s, 15-year-old girls, people that have never travelled anywhere, people that have travelled everywhere, avaricious readers of memoirs, and those who have never read one.  So my advice is to write about what you would like to write about, what is in your heart and your imagination and then worry about offering it in the market.  The market changes constantly and is defined by new entries so maybe the next one is yours!

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