Blog | Books And Travel

Outback Nights And City Days In The Lucky Country. Australia With J.F.Penn

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | RSS

Australia is truly a land of two halves. There is nature in all its diversity — from the vast outback to ancient rainforest, from the coral reef to the desert; and then there are the great international cities, from Sydney’s Harbour Bridge to Melbourne’s coffee culture, where multi-cultural Aussies work and play in the Lucky Country.

It’s also the land of opportunity, with golden-haired surfers riding the waves on white-sand beaches, a rich mining industry and a great standard of living; but it also has a dark history of oppression, resulting in racism and inequality that still pervades the country.

In this episode, I explain my complex relationship with Australia, what I learned from living there for five years, and why I had to leave. It’s hard to encompass such a vast place but I also include some thoughts on where to visit, what to eat and how to navigate some of the Aussie cultural differences.

Australia gave me escape — for a while. Travels in the outback.
The dark side of the Lucky Country
Australia changed my mindset around what I could achieve
Australia taught me about home
Other aspects of culture, food, and drink Down Under
Recommended books

10 Unusual Things To See In Jerusalem

Unusual Places

Jerusalem is often in the news — and not necessarily for the right reasons. The combination of religion and politics might put many off visiting the city. That’s a shame because it’s an incredible place to visit. Not only is it the meeting point of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, it’s also a vibrant, energetic city that’s full of character and mysticism.

Because of the city’s religious significance, I set both Stone of Fire and End of Days in Jerusalem and it continues to inspire my writing.

Many ‘things to see in Jerusalem’ articles will focus on obvious sites to visit such as the Western Wall or the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – and you should make a point of seeing both. But if you want to experience a different side of the city, to see beyond the tourist front, then here are 10 strange, unusual and wonderful things to see in Jerusalem.

1. Razzouk Ink

Head to the Old City to find Razzouk Ink. No ordinary tattoo parlor, this family-run business has tattooed pilgrims for seven centuries. The practice of religious tattoos was common in Egypt where the Razzouk family originates. Tattoos allowed Christians to identify themselves as Copts in the Middle East, so they could access churches.

Pilgrims wanted similar tattoos to mark their devotion. They often had the date added to act as a ‘certificate’ that they’d visited the Holy Land. Tattooists would add extra dates to mark future visits.

Razzouk Ink combines the old stone walls and 16^th-century accounts by pilgrims with the sterility of the tattoo parlour. The family own stencil blocks that are 200-300 years old, which act as a guide for common tattoo designs. They still offer tattoos to pilgrims and visitors alike, with a flexible schedule. Find Razzouk Ink near the Jaffa Gate in the Old City.

Street in the Old City, Jerusalem, Israel. Photo by JFPenn

Walking The Camino De Santiago With Ashlee Cowles

Walking

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | RSS

“Solvitur ambulando: It is solved by walking.” St Augustine

We live in a mostly sedentary world, with our days seated at a computer working, and our evenings in front of streaming entertainment. This life shows in our physical and mental health, but since much of our modern malaise can be solved by regular walking in nature, how much more could walking hundreds of kilometers solve?

The Camino de Santiago, or The Way of St James, is a Catholic pilgrimage with a number of routes across Spain from southern France, southern Spain, and Portugal. The most famous is the Camino Francés, the French way, and in today’s episode, Ashlee Cowles talks about her background growing up in a military family and how that has shaped her transitory moves, why the Camino is like the Hero’s Journey and how that shaped the way she wrote her novel, as well as why embracing the pilgrim’s spirit and letting go of detailed planning was one of the most challenging aspects of walking several hundred kilometers. We also talked about the idea of pilgrimage when you are not religious — I consider myself spiritual but I don’t subscribe to any particular religion. The Camino is a Catholic pilgrimage but you certainly don’t need to be Catholic to do it. Any long walk is going to break you down in so many ways and everyone seems to be transformed by the Way.

Ashlee Cowles is the award-winning author of YA novels Beneath Wandering Stars and Below Northern Lights as well as Wisdom for The Way: A Camino de Santiago Guidebook for the Pilgrim’s Soul.

Growing up on military bases and moving a lot
On the Camino de Santiago and it’s history
How Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey is built into the geography of the Camino
On the different routes within the Camino experience
Beautiful historical sites just off the beaten path
Tips for dealing with the physical and mental challenges
The difference between a long walk and a pilgrimage
Recommended books about the Camino and pilgrimage

You can find Ashlee Cowles at AshleeCowles.com.

A Weekend In Lisbon: The Age of Exploration, Pastel de Nata, and Ginginja

Weekend Trips

If you need a European break with balmy weather, fantastic wine, and a relaxed attitude, Lisbon is a great place to go. A walkable central city with views of the River Tagus, it has fascinating glimpses into the Age of Exploration when the Portuguese explored the coastline of Africa and on to India and the Far East, as well as West to Brazil.

I visited in early September 2019, drawn to the city by its history and the need for some sun as autumn progressed further north. It was a book research trip for my ARKANE thriller series, so my choice of sites might be a little different from others! But we also enjoyed some wonderful food and wine along the way, so hopefully, this article will give you some ideas for your own weekend in Lisbon.

Traveling By Train Across The USA With J Thorn

Unusual Places

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | RSS

Traveling by train is fantastic because you can watch the world go by from the carriage, sometimes for days on end, and you have somewhere to sleep and wash and eat while you travel.

You can catch glimpses of places you might never visit as the train passes through and you arrive in the heart of the biggest cities relaxed and ready to explore.

In this interview, J.Thorn gives some tips about the best routes to travel with Amtrak in the USA and what you can expect from the service, as well as some thoughts on why train travel is so romantic and some book recommendations, plus we talk about our experience co-writing Sacrifice en-route from Chicago to New Orleans.

J.Thorn is a dark fantasy, post-apocalyptic thriller, and horror writer as well as a musician, podcaster, editor, and coach at TheAuthorLife.com.

Why J loves train travel and how it helps him write and see more of his own country
The Amtrak train network, where it goes and some of the best routes
The different classes of travel, amenities and what to expect, especially if you are used to train travel in Europe or other places where it’s more commercial as opposed to government-run
J’s best memories of traveling by train, particularly on the California Zephyr which runs west and south from Chicago
How we included aspects of our trip to New Orleans in our co-written supernatural thriller, American Demon Hunters: Sacrifice — it was a lot of fun!
The mindset you need to adopt if you’re going to enjoy train travel — relax! Enjoy the slower pace.
Recommended books about

You can find J Thorn at TheAuthorLife.com and on Twitter @jthorn_

5 Incredible Churches To Visit In Rome

Unusual Places

Rome boasts over 900 churches and visiting them isn’t a new concept invented by tourists. The Seven Pilgrimage Church of Rome tour dates to 1552. Filippo Neri led six or seven people on the first tour while around 6000 people did the tour a decade later.

For many, the most obvious churches to visit are St Peter’s Basilica and the Pantheon. The latter is a must-see destination for fans of Dan Brown’s thriller, Angels and Demons. This pagan structure dates to around 118 AD and later became a Catholic church. It boasts the single largest unreinforced dome in the world.

But what if you want something a little different from your ecclesiastical tour? Here are five awesome churches to visit next time you’re in Rome.

1. San Sebastiano fuori le mura (St. Sebastian Outside-the-Walls)

St. Sebastian Outside-the-Walls lies outside the Aurelian walls, hence the name. It lost its position in the Seven Pilgrimages list in 2000. Pope John Paul II swapped it for the shrine of Our Lady of Divine Love.

Saint Sebastian outside the walls — San Sebastiano fuori le mura, Rome. Photo Wikimedia by Livioandronico2013 CC BY-SA 4.0

This 4^th-century church stands over the catacombs where devotees interred St. Sebastian. The Emperor sentenced him to death in the 3rd century for his Christianity. He survived the first ordeal, execution by archery. The Emperor’s men bludgeoned him to death instead.

Sts. Peter and Paul lay in the catacombs too. Followers moved their remains to their respective basilicas. Scholars argue over the final resting place of St. Sebastian’s remains. Some say he’s now in St. Peter’s Basilica where he has a chapel, but others think he’s still in the catacombs. Visit the catacombs and see for yourself.

Saracens destroyed the original church in 846 AD. This version dates to the 13th century but suffered extensive damage during the Sack of Rome in 1527. Remodeling work in the 16th century explains its Baroque appearance.