The Road from Ruin

On January 9th, 2012 I found myself tent camping in Glendalough  state park when it was 10 degrees above zero. The house I  had lived in for over eight years got gobbled up by Bank of America in a foreclosure that never should have happened.  Sitting by a camp fire trying to warm up, I had to figure out where I could go next.   Then I received a timely call from a very wealthy woman .  She wanted me to write a book on her hot springs resort!  Without hesitation I broke down camp and braved it across the wintry plains feeling a bit more hopeful. Three days later, I arrived at her luxurious resort in southern Idaho and soaked in the springs, wondering where she was. 

She told me I could not stay there when I finally ran into her a few days later. She handed me $100.00 and told me to get my hair cut and go work at a McDonalds.  Then I found out why she dismissed me in such bomb drop fashion and this is where the Road from Ruin story really begins.

For the last four years I have chronicled experiences such as these and the evocative, unpredictable characters met along the way: from mountain top multi-millionaires in the Emerald Triangle of California to the wretchedly poor trying to survive in hot desert washes in Arizona.  Many bared their souls to me in impromptu and poetic ways during my travels-about how they too were taken advantage of by uncaring individuals and left on their own to fend for themselves.

Currently I am compiling more material for the Road from Ruin travelogue and will use the funds generated from this gofundme campaign to get it  properly edited, formatted, published and then promoted to a broader audience than I was able to do so on my blog.  

I have the media connections to do so having discussed my work on  CBC Radio Canada, KAEP The Peak 105.7 FM, KSCO AM 1080 Santa Cruz, Mad Max Morning Show 107.1 FM, Dave Wilson Show WIBC 93.1, The Planet 93.3 FM, Red 106.1 FM Ireland, Spin 1038 FM Ireland,WGN Radio Chicago, WCKG FM Chicago, BBC London, Capitol Radio London, WLW Cincinnati, WZEE FM, KSCO AM 1080, New Rock 93.3 FM and other radio programs around the world.

It truly is a unique story that I want to share and would make a most compelling movie or t.v. series.

Your contribution to this campaign will be much appreciated at present for the Road from Ruin travelogue focuses primarily on the loss of compassion and empathy in our world and how indifferent many are towards the suffering of others struggling to break free of poverty and neglect. The book will surely inspire those who read it to do what they can to help others less fortunate than themselves and how important it is to do so in these trying times.

I am a writer, musician and artist. My feature articles, art criticism, reviews and interviews have appeared in City Pages, Twin Cities Reader, Mysteries Magazine, Fahrenheit San Diego, High Plains Reader, New Dawn, Rain Taxi and elsewhere. 

Thank you so much for your timely help!

Sincerely,

Jaye B.