I’ve been meeting some interesting authors and their books as I stay in and chat, but I have a feeling Bruce McLaren, author of Turbulence is the most like Tigger of all I’ve chatted with so far! You can see why I think so below!

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Bruce McLaren

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Bruce. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Thank you for letting me in the door. Normally I don’t get that far. You see I have a reckless tendency to run as wild as Pan, which does not go down so well in the jaded and stifled world of today. That said, it should come as no surprise I have brought my book, Turbulence, itself a work of unrestrained abandon, both unpredictable and ungovernable, a tale without any rules or boundaries. I am very pleased with Turbulence, for I see a lot of my own characteristics present in the story.

(Sounds like an aptly named novel then!)

Turbulence is highly amusing, but also takes on philosophical tangents that less formidable writers would not dare to touch. In this regard the book says something of the author, for I too am wild and free. If this blog likes Turbulence then it may like me as well. If I may be so direct this is a very attractive blog and I am as shallow as a puddle of water when it comes to a good-looking blog. I want us to dine this evening on intellectual fare. I want you to drink the wine of the words that flow from these pages and reel in their wit and good humour. My desire is for Turbulence to leave you hungry for more.

(That sounds rather like an offer I can’t refuse!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Turbulence?

Turbulence is one of those books that floats across genres, so it doesn’t sit nice and snug in any category, much to the annoyance of the big publishers! If anything, the one thing you can expect is adventure. From start to finish the story follows the adventurous life of a young academic as he flies around the world, encountering women in different places and at different stages of life. Sometimes the interaction is carnal and driven by the primal urge. On other occasions conversation heads off into more intellectual directions, with dialogue-rich discussions about religion, philosophy, aging, love, sex, addiction, marriage, divorce and death. So, if you are to expect anything from an evening with Turbulence then you had best get dressed for we are going out. Your horse is saddled and ready. We will be galloping across some diverse terrain.

(Oo! Sounds intriguing. I think it’s interesting the big publishers like books to fit a genre and Turbulence certainly sounds as if it has a genre all of its own.)

What else have you brought along and why?

Well, I didn’t bring wine, because I don’t drink. I’m not a puritan or a prude. As I said at the beginning I am closer to Pan in nature. The truth is that, and anyone who has read this far can attest, I speak and write like a reeling drunkard. I am drunk with life as it is. So, it stands to reason that I have not brought food either, for what is a meal without wine? Food doesn’t interest me much these days. Music, however, is another story. Music, the highest of the arts. The music that attracts me the most is powerful and passionate music. It can be a classical genius like Beethoven, thrash-punk maniacs like Municipal Waste, or twisted gangsta-techno like Die Antwoord, I don’t mind if it is played with full power and passion! But wait, I see you are disappointed about the food and drink, yes? Never fear, I have brought some of my friends. Two of my favourite writers. Malcolm Lowry and William Faulkner, will get completely smashed and out of control. Fortunately, Albert Camus and Friedrich Nietzsche are here as well to provide a bit of balance…

I honestly think I’m going to have to have a lie down after an evening with you Bruce. My brain hurts – and I don’t drink wine either! The thought of Albert Camus brought me out in a cold sweat as his name took me back to the perils of French A’Level all those years ago… Thank you (I think!) for staying in with me – it’s been quite an experience!

Turbulence

Thoughts of women filled my head from dawn to dusk.
Oh, Eros! Let me swim in your wine-dark seas!

A promising young academic flies off on an adventure, in search of romance, passion and love. Women dominate his thoughts and he thirsts for the erotic spark. Sometimes his interactions live beyond his wildest dreams, while at other times his fantasies and desires collapse and crumble before his eyes. The sum of his experiences leads to an explosive finale that will shake you to the core, just like heavy turbulence.

Intelligent and humorous Turbulence is an adventure novel that dares to dive into the realms of erotica and inspirational romance. Through a series of encounters with women the unpredictable anti-hero develops insights into philosophy and religion, aging, love, sex and marriage. The hard lessons of life cause his views to constantly evolve in the face of depression, divorce, alcohol abuse, failure and tragedy.

There is only one constant, turbulence, which is capricious and unpredictable and can hit at any moment. If you like air travel, then you will love this erotically charged adventure, both supremely triumphant and heart-achingly tragic in one breath.

Turbulence is published by Amsterdam Publishers and is available for purchase here.

About Bruce McLaren

Bruce McLaren is an Australian from rural New South Wales, who left home and just kept on going. He has an academic background in the archaeology and ancient history of the Middle East and Central Asia, regions in which he has both travelled and worked extensively. Bruce received his doctorate in Middle Eastern Archaeology at the University of Sydney and published the first examination of the military architecture of Bronze Age Jordan in 2003. He has excavated at numerous sites across the Middle East, dating from the Neolithic to the Islamic Periods.

Since he was a boy Bruce McLaren always wanted to write. A keen observer of the wide world around him and the experiences to be had therein, he felt an insatiable urge to convey the passions he felt through writing. Turbulence represents his first foray into the mysterious and magical world of contemporary fiction. Compared to the strictures of writing a doctoral dissertation, writing contemporary fiction, unfettered and free to let the imagination run wild, has been a true joy to him.

You can follow Bruce on Twitter @brucebond007 and find him on Facebook.