ETTALONG BEACH, Australia, Dec. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- “When I unexpectedly received a parcel that contained letters that I had written to my parents from my boarding school days onwards, I took this as an omen and decided to set down my memoirs, originally thinking they might be of interest to my grandchildren,” John Burgess states. After several years and 1500 pages of data, he collated some of the material into a book titled “Life, Luck and Liaisons” (published by Xlibris AU).
Burgess had the benefit of growing up in what may have been the best decades in history – the 50s and 60s. Although New Zealand was far away from the action during World War II, many of his parents’ generation had been part of the ANZAC troops in Europe, North Africa and the Pacific. Post war, there was a strong sense of freedom and anticipation in a young country with a fast-growing economy. He benefitted from growing up in this period of optimism; it was reflected in his schooling, his early days farming and later, his sailing adventures in the Pacific and Indonesian waters, as recounted in this book.
“I had read 'A Good Keen Man' by Barry Crump when it was first published. Parts of my book evoke a similar time and way of life. I also relate my experiences at a leading private boarding school exposing a hierarchical cult that is no longer encouraged in those institutions but that many at the time were familiar with but were too afraid to divulge,” Burgess says. “Many readers will relate to the difficulties of father/son relationships, particularly when working together and, hopefully, readers will enjoy the tales of my sea heritage and ocean sailing on American yachts. Every Kiwi (New Zealander) has a relationship with the sea and would be interested in this aspect of my story.”
When asked what he wants readers to take away from his writing of this book, Burgess answers, “We should be ready to make the most of opportunities that come our way. There may be setbacks along the way, but if we believe in ourselves, we can enhance our own personal growth. Life is an adventure. Seize the day!” For more details about the book please visit, https://www.xlibris.com/en-au/search?query=Life%2C+Luck+and+Liaisons
“Life, Luck and Liaisons”
By John Burgess
Hardcover | 6 x 9in | 372 pages | ISBN 9781664101227
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 372 pages | ISBN 9781664101210
E-Book | 372 pages | ISBN 9781664101203
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
After he left school, John Burgess worked in livestock management and, later, on a cropping farm in New Zealand’s Southland, often in below freezing temperatures. During the long winter nights, before the advent of television and FM radio, he had plenty of idle time and he decided to enroll in a yearlong correspondence course with the London School of Journalism. He presented his first freelance effort to the editor of the New Zealand Herald’s supplementary newspaper, The Weekly News and was encouraged to submit a weekly article based on his rural experiences in both New Zealand and Australia. When he left New Zealand to join a yacht for a life of adventure, the editor asked him to continue to submit regular weekly farming articles, as well as writing about his travel experiences. Along the way, he wrote detailed letters to his parents — that boarding school training never quite deserted him. His mother saved those letters and it was the re-reading of those, as well as some of the newspaper articles written during the same period, that inspired him to set down this narrative of his early life.
Xlibris Publishing Australia, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider dedicated to serving Australian authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibrispublishing.com.au or call 1-800-844-927 to receive a free publishing guide.
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