A THOUSAND MILES FROM NOWHERE, THE NOVEL-THIRD EDITION -ON SALE NOW WORLDWIDE!



NOTHING COMES BETWEEN ME AND A GOOD BOOK!











The third edition of my novel, ‘A THOUSAND MILES FROM NOWHERE’ is now on sale-in paperback and E-book. For those of you who don’t know, this is the new version, with some minor changes to the story including a new ending, a new cover and new genre! The above promo video is for fun as well as for promotional purposes-the moment this is no longer fun it is time to stop-Creativity is for pleasure not for pain so I'm attempting to enjoy the trip, every step of the way, even the sleepless nights! The video is accompanied by the track 'I just want to make love to you' by the great Etta James, the theme is, 'Nothing comes between me and a good book'! This will be my theme in general to promote the book; fun, quirky but with the message that most avid readers will understand; when you are fully immersed in a good story, the world around you disappears...
The novel is available to purchase on the following links below and more to come.







AMAZON.CO.UK
AMAZON.COM
AMAZON.ES
AMAZON.COM.AU
AMAZON.DE


The book is full of musical references which I shall mention in a later post: In the meantime here below is a pic of two great bands-Bluesweiser and Whiskey Dick, friends of mine, posing with the novel :) after an awesome gig!








Why, I hear some of you asking, would you publish your own novel three times in a row?
I first self -published on Amazon as an E-book only: This was a highly liberating experience, no matter what the outcome, just the mere fact of getting one’s writing out there for the world to see whether it be five, fifty or five hundred readers, it’s a positive step and an achievement.
It also gave me the chance to receive constructive criticism and the chance to improve on both this novel and future writing.
I then made contact with a small independent publisher who gave me the opportunity to reach a wider audience whilst also helping me make improvements to the original manuscript. On the publisher’s advice I changed the original ending to one that was slightly more romantic and ‘happier’, something that never felt a hundred percent right for me. The novel was marketed as a memoir, due to its high autobiographical content-this too was a mistake in hindsight on both our parts. So, despite having started other novels, written articles and poems, I haven’t truly been able to move on with my writing whilst ‘A Thousand Miles From Nowhere’ remained ‘unfinished’ in my mind, after so much hard work too.
So this leads us to what will be the third and final edition of my debut novel with a new cover and back to the original and more fitting ending (in my opinion at least). It is also now in the ‘Fiction’ category which again I feel is a better move- I know what is real (quite a lot!) as do those featured in the story but it was never written as a ‘memoir’ and was never in chronological order. I’d much rather leave it to the reader to wonder what is real and what is not (if really that was ever important to the reader in the first place) and ultimately just sit back and enjoy the ride.
For music lovers like myself, there are quite a few musical references within the book: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Spiritualised etc all relevant to the story. :)
Perhaps now, after this final edition I can breathe a sigh of relief and move on. It’s high time I get back to writing and take up where I left off on my works in progress whilst continuing to improve until hopefully one day I produce something completely different and better still…



A THOUSAND MILES FROM NOWHERE


"I looked at him with a mix of curiosity and disdain.
His eyes would change from a beautiful gold to sudden deep dark empty pools, devoid of emotion.
His skin was deathly pale, his body achingly thin, almost emaciated.
He must have once been attractive, before the drugs brutalised his body.
He was the dealer, the pusher man.
Both loved and loathed by all those who knew him.
I felt a moment of fear and foreboding in the pit of my belly; did I really want to do this?"



A journey of experimentation and sexual awakening set in Spain.

Saffron, a young twenty something, leaves behind the grey skies of the UK to embark on a road trip. Her mission: to blot out the pain of a devastating love affair. She encounters a country still in the grip of those first heady years of freedom, a fledgling democracy in place and where the peseta still reigned supreme.
What ensues is a journey of hedonism and excitement as Saffron embarks on a series of affairs and dangerous relationships.
From travelling Rock bands to polygamists and conmen on the run, nothing is ever what it seems.
Despite her intentions to 'Find herself' she is drawn instead to some less salubrious characters as well as certain mind altering substances that do little to clarify her thought patterns.
An attempt to open the doors of perception gives us a bizarre glimpse into the world of hallucinogens in a place aptly named 'Sodom and Gomorrah.'
No matter the twists and turns the story takes: travel, adventure, drugs, sex and passion; at its core is the absence of the one person who pushes the story to the end.

Love, loss, friendship and tears; from moments of darkness to laughter and comical encounters; Saffron eventually realises there is one person you cannot escape from; yourself.

Here are just a few of the positive book reviews the book has received:



on 1 June 2015
A unique little novella enthusiastically recounting a young adults memoir of youthful escapism travelling through Spain with several friends meeting new ones experiencing the cultures and living out new coming of age sexual and drug fuelled adventures! Compellingly the author self mocks as her heroine young Saffron (her younger self we assume) comes across in her way of dealing with the world and those around her with some arrogance and youthful naiveté however we get glimpses of the wiser older more compelling Saffron as she philosophises about different very meaningful life events like love, time, the meanings of being on this earth and enduring the rites of passage with creativity and knowing intelligence! Looking forward to seeing farther adventures down the road!



on August 28, 2013
From the very first paragraph in this book, I knew it was going to grip me.

Page after page... chapter after chapter... and I wished I was heading along on the road trip with "Saff" and her eclectic mix of "friends".

The story follows Saff as she is trying to come to terms with a broken heart. As part of her healing process, she finds herself in Spain... bombing along with various groups of people... exploring drink and drugs... and plenty of sex with hot men too!

There are some very colourful characters in the book, from Mat with his dreads and accompanying dog Norman, to Adam the long term friend. Saff gets into all manner of scrapes, but there is none of the normal travelling stories that you would find elsewhere.

I would recommend this book to anyone thinking of throwing caution to the wind and heading off on a backpacking holiday. It certainly isn't a sales pitch - far from it - but it gives plenty of inspiration and more than a few warnings.

Is this a travel book? Not really. Is this is a romance novel? Kind of but only slightly. Is this addictive? Most definitely.

If I had to say one negative comment, it was that the ending wasn't to my taste... but I am not your usual reader... so don't let that put you off.

Highly recommended for those of us that wished we'd travelled more as youngsters... and those that did it and want to relive it in full technicolour.


Top Customer Reviews

Format: Kindle Edition
I was given this book to Bete-Read. It's a well written book that grabs you by the hand and keeps you there through out the whole of the story. Excellent characterisation and descriptions breathe life into her narations. Saffron pulls you into her chaotic, often drug fuelled and later psychedelic world, and lends you vicarious view of her various experiences and escapades. A bitter sweet journey that leads from obsession to........... it's final destiny.


Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Before I begin to review this book I have to make a comment on the introduction. The author shares a list of the very personal songs that inspired her writing process, a soundtrack to her life during the events that take place. I decided to take this one step further and make a Youtube playlist of these songs that accompanied my reading of the book. It allowed me to get into the mind and emotions of the author in a way that I've never experienced before. I highly recommend this for anybody reading.

There are many great things about this book but what really hits you is how relatable it is for anybody who has lived half a life. The book evokes feelings of loving, losing and living. These feelings hit you from the very first page when we are introduced to Jed.

A Thousand Miles from Nowhere goes a lot deeper then many books of a similar genre, but it is not done through shock or tricks, it is done through the raw emotion of the author and her writing.

Saffron has an emotional depth thats can only come from her experiences documented in A Thousand Miles.

As a first time author Saffron excelled any of my expectations and excels above many of her first time contemporaries, she has created something that comes from a venerable, painful yet beautiful place.

A Thousand Miles is the birth of what I hope to be a long and prosperous career in writing.
I highly recommend this book for anybody unashamed to cry!!

By Julie Haigh TOP 1000 REVIEWER on 28 Mar. 2014
Format: Kindle Edition
This book starts off as nice easy reading, just like the author is chatting to you and telling you her story. Then it really gets moving. I 'got into' it easily as I also have a musical background and have had musician friends affected by similar issues; one who committed suicide and two who died as a result of alcohol and drug abuse. I really connected with this and felt everything the characters were going through. Very powerful writing, so much high drama, surprising and different content. I found it really gripping and on one occasion was reading until 2am. Some mind-blowing chapters, one particularly tragic scene. Terrible, and so unexpected. This is definitely not a comfy-cosy read-it's gritty and thoroughly engrossing. A no-holds-barred memoir/novel. It is based on Saffron's experiences but she terms this as a 'novel' so I'm not really sure how much is fact and how much is fiction so that makes it all the more intriguing. Near the end there was another tragic, tragic chapter, so moving, I was in bits. What a journey this book takes you on.

Format: Kindle Edition
I was given this book to Beta read and couldn't put it down! The author’s memoirs transported me to a hedonistic world in which she continually tries to find answers to her troubled love life. The troughs and peaks of her time in France and Spain introduce us to a many larger than life characters that will endear themselves in varying degrees. True friendships shine through and the old adage ‘you shouldn't judge a book by its cover’ rings so true. The author plays with fire and is addicted to the pain and self-destruction it brings. This book is skilfully written with vivid descriptions of drug induced visions – a clear warning to those who may contemplate in dabbling in LSD and the harsh reality of the consequences it may bring.
I did however, come to feel genuine affection for Saff and her many friends; each one a unique character, bringing love and laughter, pain and sorrow and a camaraderie to the group as a whole; ‘Friends for a reason, a season or forever.’

Format: Kindle Edition
This book had me gripped, the people Saffron met along the way were varied and so very interesting!! Sometimes the strong language made me blush but experiences need telling just like they were and not be as sugar coated. To have the nerve to just go wherever a trip takes you takes guts and Saffron had bucket loads. I read this book as part of a reading group but I would have happily paid for the privilege. Thanks Saffron.

Format: Paperback
I was fortunate to be given a copy of this book to read, prior to publication.

An unexpected change in Saffron's life finds her leaving England, with no great plan or sense of direction other than to enjoy a change in her life. With four others drawn together by the thread of friendship, they soon discover that friendship, travelling and living together in a small camper does not necessarily equate to harmony. Experimenting in various ways with the freedom of living, freedom of loving and trying to gain freedom from angst, does not bring the longed-for peace. It is at those times that we are given glimpses into the vulnerability of the author beyond the facade she tries to hide behind, as she reflects on her actions and how these might have affected others, particularly her family.

Saffron writes with an honesty that matches the intensity of the emotion she is desperately trying to avoid confronting. A compelling read, descriptively written, drawing the reader in as if they are experiencing her lifestyle and emotions.




on September 29, 2013
A pageturner full of curious characters, and with a great sense of humor. Very good psychological and emotional descriptions aswell as flowing nice language in gen
real.


on September 24, 2013
From the first to the last page this book is very intruiging, I couldn't put it down.
It took me on a real life, adventurous, exciting, funny and (at times) sad journey, and it was oddly easy to identify with the main character. An emotional rollercoaster ...this book left me with itchy feet and a feeling of nostalgia. Definetly a highly recommendable book for anyone who is looking for some serious but realistic escapism. I do hope Saffron Mello Castro will come up with a sequel ?





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