28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Injustice, and Tragedy

When I came across 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope  , I also discovered this TedX Talk (July 20th, 2013) with the author, Michael Bryant.

The theme was Redefining Success and Failure. Bryant states, "I thought I could run the world. I thought I could control everything that happens to me and I learned, of course, that it's not that way."

“A moving description of a painful yet wholesome path from hubris to humility.” says Toronto Star. 

                                   AND... Globe & Mail below: (Review page here)

“The story that fate handed [the author, Michael Bryant] on an unsavoury platter is not merely the stuff of fiction, it is the stuff of the greatest moral dramas in the literary canon. … By chastening him so thoroughly, by forcing him to bare his soul so openly, his angels have transformed him from a callow opportunist into one of Canada’s most compelling political figures. And a pretty good writer to boot.”

I love excerpts and I thought the Prologue was a great introduction to this true story....

PROLOGUE - Top Down

At dusk on the night that everything changed, my life was almost embarrassingly triumphant. I had an impressive new job. I had two glorious children. I was celebrating the 12th anniversary of the marriage that produced them. My parents and siblings were alive and well. At age 43, my future was featured favourably and often in glossy media.

Any day now , Hello! magazine was due to run its series on the perfect couple with the perfect kids, the perfect home, the perfect careers: he a political force shrewdly biding time, building connections and influence away from elected office; she an entertainment lawyer to the stars; the children enrolled and thriving in French immersion at Toronto’s toniest public school.

Fast forward, however, and you might think I’d become Job’s apprentice.

On August 31, 2009, on a strip of Toronto known as the Mink Mile— the ritziest stretch of high-end retail shops in Canada— I was involved in the death of a man. Later, I was charged with killing him.

In 2010, those charges were dropped and the legal ordeal ended. But so did my marriage. In 2011, my younger brother died suddenly in his thirties of a rare heart condition. We were holding hands when he passed away.

Until the night that everything changed, I was one of fortune’s favoured sons, and the inside of a jail cell seemed as unlikely a destination for me as the far side of the moon. Until then, by almost any measure, I was on a roll. Everything I’d ever sought out, ever dreamed of, ever imagined had become true in my life.

Bryant, Michael. 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope (Kindle Locations 86-99). Penguin Group (Canada). Kindle Edition.

*****

"I have read a lot of memoirs, from a lot of clean and sober addicts. This shows a perspective and insight that is uncommon. A gripping, gripping read. Anyone can identify with being "falsely accused" of something, legally or otherwise. Michael Bryant doesn't tell his story alone, he tells the story of his families hardship from being part of a front-page-story, the tragic life and loss of Darcy Sheppard and the dysfunction of a legal, mental health and criminal justice system from a rare birds-eye-view." ~ Review by Joe on goodreads.com

See purchase links for 28 Seconds: A True Story of Addiction, Tragedy and Hope

The Floating Man

Guest post by William Crawford

. . . This is an exciting adventure story with unexpected twists and turns. I found myself more than once thinking it was a true historical novel.

~ Review by James E. Liston - A machine that defies the laws of nature and man.

A government cover-up spanning two centuries and continents leaves a trail of death and destruction in its wake. The Floating Man is a mystery thriller where historical figures collide with fictional characters in a story of love, discovery, ambition, greed, death, and redemption.

When former investigative reporter John Hill takes over the Beaufort Sentinel from his mentor, James Campbell, he finds that his friend has literally fallen onto the story of a lifetime. The headline from 1830 screams out: Floating Man from France to perform Aerial Stunts this Saturday.

 

Who was Henri Richaud? How did he end up on a plantation run by Harriott Pinckney Horry, one of South Carolina’s most famous women?  As John and James search for this mysterious friend of Napoleon they find that virtually all historical references to him have been deleted. They enlist the help of John’s former investigative partner, Sheila Jefferson, now a staffer on the National Security Council. Big mistake. While romance ensues, alarm bells go off in a rogue cell of America’s labyrinthine intelligence apparatus. Their search for Henri Richaud soon turns deadly. For Sheila, an erotic obsession turns violent as agents from the “Program” are dispatched to keep tabs on our trio.

Follow the trail of The Floating Man. Join John, James, and Sheila, along with a cast of historical characters that includes Napoleon, Andrew Jackson, Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Nation, and Harriott Pinckney Horry and the slaves of Hampton Plantation as they try to stay one step ahead of their pursuers in both the past and present.

*****

“. . . Crawford writes with a depth and surety that takes your breath away—he never flinches when he dives to further complicate the plot, and comes out of it as cleanly as a razor-sharp Samurai sword through a hapless fruit. Yes, it's my own way of saying I enjoyed reading this book immensely, and I'm sure you will, too.” An incredible `cauldron' of hold-on-to-your-seat suspense ~ Review by Meghan

The Floating Man is available on Amazon - USA & Canada

To download a free excerpt, visit William Crawford's website - thefloatingman.com

Note from Seann - I know this is a guest post but I have to say this book is intriguing. Not only does William Crawford's book seem intriguing so does his life. Read about the author below. There are only two great reviews posted in this blog but there are many, many more on Amazon.

About the Author: A graduate of Northwestern University, William Crawford began telling stories at the age of five to his cousins late at night while on family vacations in the Great North Woods. This quickly progressed—if you can call two decades quickly progressing— to political satire. In 1996 the author created a parody on the OJ Simpson saga. My Search for the Real Killer, not by OJ Simpson became a minor cult classic. The author’s real ambition was to become a novelist. Over the years he developed several storylines. Once he retired from his safety position in government he turned that ambition into reality. The result is the Floating Man: a mystery thriller that takes place in both past and present, where historical figures collide with fictional characters in a story of love, discovery, ambition, greed, death, and redemption.

Sorry That You're Dead

Guest Article by Blake Jeckel

There aren't too many people Ruthie can depend on in this effed up world. But when the chips are down. When she's feeling low, there's always Shane and Bruce to lift her spirits up out of the gutter. Problem is, the brother duo is forever trying to take sibling rivalry to all new degrees of physicality, resentment that stems beyond tough love. It was never more evident than on this night, a hazy evening fueled by drugs, lust, and death!

"This was a great short story. I am wondering what happened after the very end. I've gotten to know this author's books. Please tell us what happened after this ending." ~ Review on Amazon by: I dig the Kindle!! - A good, but sad book

Excerpt: (Rating - R)

This day was doomed from the moment I rolled my sorry carcass out of bed. How could I make such a bold prediction? Well, right before that stupid ass alarm clock woke me from my far too brief, drug induced slumber, I stubbed my toe on the edge of the metal bed rail. Hurts like hell every time it happens, but only on this occasion, I goofed to the point of breaking the skin and drawing blood.

So like a fool on one foot I hopped to the bathroom in search of first aid, dripping blood over the carpet along the way — just more shit for my mother to bitch about. From there it was on to the kitchen, where I stumbled in search of something to calm the growing rumble in my belly, but unfortunately for me, there was nothing going on in this house in the way of food.

Let’s see, the refrigerator was virtually empty with the exception of a quarter carton of milk, expired breakfast sausages, and mixed match condiments. There was cereal in the cupboard, but after laying eyes on that pathetic scene in the ice box, I decided to say the hell with it and fix up a fat joint — the breakfast of true champions.

Everything about this day gave me the blues. The miserable looking clouds in the dull, gray sky. The repulsing aroma of cigarettes, mildew and piss drifting through the house. Everything. Well, almost everything.

Then there was the whole murder thing. Oh yeah — today was the day I officially became a murderer. And seeing how they tend to hand out lifetime sentences for such offenses, I figured my life itself was officially over.

Sorry That You're Dead is available on Amazon Kindle

Check out Blake Jeckel's other titles