Recently I was asked to give a talk, but first I had to offer a title. I called it: Climbing up, falling off the edge and climbing back up the cliff. Or something like that. The title is not anywhere near as important as the content, and neither should it be. It was all about … Continue reading A talk in writing
Category: Return Ticket
a City visit
Recently I attended an author night at the Joondalup City Library. In case you wondered, yes, I was the author. Did I arrive in time to hear myself speak? Only just. It was not easy getting there. First, there was the long drive, over 450 kilometres, all the way from the deep south of Western … Continue reading a City visit
Denial is ugly and stupid
As we now know because people have been studying such things for a couple of decades, in any large office we can expect to find a number of disturbed humans per one hundred of the species. Among the one hundred we might find at least one serious narcissist, a psychopath, a sociopath, a pathological liar, … Continue reading Denial is ugly and stupid
Reviews – small and casual
Just finished. I went through every emotion. Anger, Acceptance, Sadness, Envy, Understanding, Pride at knowing Jack the man. The list goes on and then I cried when I finished the book. I so wanted to have you sitting next to me as I read the book. Thank you, Jon, for opening my eyes. Such a journey: individual … Continue reading Reviews – small and casual
A Reading from Return Ticket
A life redeemed
The writing has about it clarity and beauty. Jon made much of his living since returning to Australia as a comedian. As you would expect, a dry Australian humour permeates the narrative and lightens the serious themes. Buy your Return Ticket to Jack Muir’s story; it is an entertaining and thought-provoking journey. Click on Thoughts Provocateurs for … Continue reading A life redeemed
A master class in kitchen organisation
Pic by Wayne Harrington Southerly Magazine Jon Doust’s Return Ticket continues the journey of Jack Muir from a private boarding school in Perth to the New Guinea Highlands and now on board a passenger ship heading for Durban, South Africa. Jack’s journey is bookmarked by washing up ─ hands thrust into hot water, raw skin, … Continue reading A master class in kitchen organisation
Another friend’s review
Return Ticket, the final novel in Jon Doust's semi-autobiographical trilogy, is an unexpectedly satisfying read. Unexpected, because there was no certainty that there would be any kind of homecoming at all for the Jack Muir whose wild exploits as a troubled young man we followed through its predecessor To The Highlands. Not surprisingly, that middle … Continue reading Another friend’s review
Two wise men
Whenever authors release a new novel, my guess is there are always one or two individuals they would like to read the work, above all other readers. In my case, there were two, who, unfortunately, have both left us. The first was my father, Stan Doust, an avid reader, who once said to me: “Sometimes … Continue reading Two wise men
2020 the year of the book
Great year to release a book, she said. I laughed. I needed a laugh. Clearly, it is not a year for book releases – no launches, no public appearances, no signings. Doesn’t matter if it was the best book you ever wrote, the one to get you in the literary hall of fame. Anyway, there … Continue reading 2020 the year of the book