Category Archives: 0001. Announcements

Thoughtful Words About My Books

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography), The Great Adventure

My books are all about journeys, dreams and adventures, and of wishing for something more out of life and then living and fulfilling those dreams.  Everything I’ve written stems from my youthful dreams of adventure, and in publishing my books I’m completing those dreams and taking them full circle.  I include everything I’ve learned along the way in my autobiographical books, children’s stories, adventure novels and self-help motivational books, so that you, too, can live your own hopes and dreams one day.  All-in-all, my books amount to the course I was never able to take in school, entitled: Adventure 101

I wanted to share a few thoughtful words written to me about my books by a dear family friend, who has known me since I was a young child.  She’s sent me two different notes about my books and I’ve included a few excerpts below:

“…I have enjoyed them immensely.  I have read books one through five.  I still have the novel and poetry books to read.  Please hurry and print more…!”

“…So many times in reading your books, I felt as though I was right there with you.  What a fantastic experience!  What a life experience!  Thank you for bringing it to the world.”

My hope is in sharing my journeys, dreams and adventures with you through my books, that you will also be able to live your own hopes and dreams one day!

Amazon Author Page: Mark D. Jones:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1&langFilter=default#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

My Latest Book: Book Eleven – A Puerto Rican Adventure

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

I’ve just published my 19th book overall: In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography): Book Eleven – A Puerto Rican Adventure.  This is the story of my many almost accidental travels and adventures while not knowing what to do with my life, from driving cross-country, to SCUBA diving in the Atlantic, and to my failures along the way as well.  Here’s the book cover details:

“I had just finished the adventure of a lifetime bicycling through England, Scotland, Wales and France in the summer of 1979, but had no inkling of what my future held.  I returned to Seattle with no job and little money to my name, didn’t own a car and was living with Jim on Queen Anne Hill.  My future was looking bleak.  I’d rolled the dice and gambled everything on completing my long held dream of traveling across the Atlantic to bicycle in the U.K. and France, all the while knowing I’d have nothing waiting for me on my return to the Pacific Northwest – yet I was willing to risk everything for a dream.

I’d once again enrolled in The School of Hard Knocks during a series of mini-adventures that would give me the adrenaline rush of adventure and take me to the top of the world again, yet set me up to fail due to my overconfidence in my own abilities and loyalty to others.  It was the story of my life all over again, from the highest highs to the lowest lows and everything in-between while pursuing adventure at all cost.

Sometimes in life when you’ve lost your way and have no clue about the future, the best thing to do is simply nothing at all.  That’s exactly where I was following my solo-bicycle adventure to England, Scotland, Wales and France in the summer of 1979, with no idea of the direction to my future or any concept of what I should do with my life.  My entire focus at the time was to procrastinate and delay making any decisions about a future I knew nothing about, thinking the longer I put it off the better.  This is the story of how I crisscrossed the U.S. on transcontinental trips, traveled to Puerto Rico to meet a friend I’d only just met to go SCUBA diving in the Atlantic and discovered new ways to fail miserably despite having the best intentions in the world to succeed…  Cheers!  Mark”

Here’s a link to the Kindle version (view this post online to see the link):

Here’s a link to the Paperback version (6″x9″ format, 143 pages):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1729133444/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i24

Here’s a link to my Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

My Book: Book Three – The Great Adventure (Part One)

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography), The Great Adventure

My Book: In Search of the Meaning of Life: Book Three – The Great Adventure (Part One)

Here’s an excerpt from the first part of my U.S. bicycle adventure of 8,111 miles in 1976-1977 with my friend Bruce:

“The idea of going on adventures captured my imagination ever since the sixth grade when my friend Dan first introduced me to J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy set in the fictional world of Middle-earth.  I dreamed of going off on an adventure like Bilbo and Frodo Baggins through the Shire and beyond, but how does one take an adventure in the here-and-now of the real world?  I didn’t know how it might be possible, but understood it was up to me to figure out a way to turn my dreams into my reality.  Adventure was never an offered class in my curriculum or coursework in school while growing up, but I was convinced there must be a way to go on great adventures in life…”

A link to both the Kindle Version (free to read with Kindle Unlimited) and Paperback Version (134 pages, 6″x9″ format) – view this post online to see the link:

Here’s a link to my Amazon Author Page – Mark D. Jones:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

 

My Book: Book Two – The Early Years (My Early Lyrics and Poems)

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

Here’s an excerpt from the second book of my serialized autobiography (currently 10 volumes): In Search of the Meaning of Life: Book Two – The Early Years (My Early Lyrics and Poems)

“Ultimately, my original lyrics and poems included in this volume collectively reflect a time of intense searching in my life, and are best viewed as having laid the literary foundation that would later culminate in the adventures, stories, novels, philosophy, songs and blogs I have written to date and plan to publish sequentially throughout 2018 and beyond – enjoy!”

Here’s the link to both the Kindle Version (free to read on Kindle Unlimited) and Paperback Version (198 pages, 6″x9″ format) – view this post online to see the link:

Here’s the link to my Amazon Author Page – Mark D. Jones (I’m currently editing my 17th and 18th books):

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

 

My Book – Book One – The Early Years (The Start of a Dream)

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, 05. Book One - The Early Years (The Start of a Dream)

Here’s an excerpt from the first book (of ten volumes to date) of my serialized autobiography: In Search of the Meaning of Life: Book One – The Early Years (The Start of a Dream)

“My journeys and adventures officially started the day I intentionally stepped off the well-worn path of life and onto the path less-traveled.  It was a deliberate and calculated decision and my life has never been the same since.  It has not been an easy life, for once the comfort of the path well-traveled is left behind, there are few signposts to follow and no maps to guide you.  Uncharted territory as they say and not without its pitfalls, danger and misfortunes.  I often wondered if this path would ever lead me back to the safety and comfort of the familiar again.  In some ways it has and in other ways it hasn’t, but The Great Adventure I began in 1976 has never really ended for me over all these many years.  I will be traveling this path less-traveled in my continuing search for the meaning of my life right up to the very end.”

Here’s the link to both the Kindle Version (free to read on Kindle Unlimited) and Paperback Version (76 pages single spaced, 6″x9″ format) – view this post online to see the link:

Here’s the link to my Amazon Author Page – Mark D. Jones:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

My Latest Book: Book Ten – England, Scotland, Wales & France (Part Two)

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

I’ve just published In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography): Book Ten – England, Scotland, Wales & France (Part Two) about my solo-bicycle adventure to the British Isles and France in 1979.  Each book of my serialized autobiography is a standalone book and doesn’t require first reading earlier volumes.  They are all free to read with Kindle Unlimited as well.

Here’s the link to Book Ten in Kindle format:

Here’s the link to Book Ten in Paperback:

https://www.amazon.com/Search-Meaning-Life-Autobiography-Scotland/dp/1722430893/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

About this Book:

This is the story of the second half of my solo-bicycle adventure to England, Scotland, Wales & France during the late spring and early summer of 1979.  I was living a dream of mine to travel overseas and see the British Isles and the Continent, and was now setting out to explore Scotland, Northern and Central England and Wales before returning to Seattle, WA, on a Pan Am 747.

The theme of my adventure so far had been the wonderful hospitality and graciousness of the British people in how they’d taken care of me and welcomed me into their homes.  I was now setting off on a journey of discovery through ancient and idyllic lands I’d never seen before and couldn’t wait to experience all they had to offer me…

About the Author:

In some small way, my hope in writing my autobiography and sharing my thoughts with you is to help you realize your own hopes, dreams, passions and desires in life as I have.  I hope this process of providing you with the lessons I’ve learned and the insights I’ve acquired along the many pathways in life I’ve traveled, will allow you to both gain from my mistakes and profit from the lessons I’ve learned.

Hopes and dreams flee the status quo for the dreamers, the ponderers, the thinkers, the doers, the adventurers, the risk-takers and the ones who understand the lives they’ve been gifted as being too short and precious to waste a single day of going through the motions.  Adventure now called me to somehow find a way to accomplish what had always been a childhood dream of mine, a dream to see and explore the Old World for myself!  Cheers!  Mark

Here’s the link to my Author Page – Mark D. Jones:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

My Latest Book: Book Nine – England, Scotland, Wales & France (Part One)

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

I’ve just published In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography): Book Nine – England, Scotland, Wales & France (Part One) about my solo-bicycle adventure to the British Isles and France in 1979.  Each book of my serialized autobiography is a standalone book and doesn’t require first reading earlier volumes.  They are all free to read with Kindle Unlimited as well.

Here’s the link to Book Nine:

About this Book:

This is the story of the first part of my solo-bicycle adventure to England, Scotland, Wales and France, where I gave up all that I was in Seattle at the time in May 1979 to follow my heart for the uncertain promise of becoming all I could be.  All I knew at the time was when I returned to Seattle I’d be homeless, jobless, carless and pretty close to penniless, but it was that important to me to remain true to my spirit of adventure and honor my commitment to myself to live a life of adventure, and somehow make all my hopes, dreams, passions and desires in life come true.  I didn’t want to live a life of regret having given up on my dreams of travel, so I stripped away all I was at the time for the chance of becoming so much more…

About the Author: Mark D. Jones

My heart told me this was what it wanted me to do and if I’d learned anything in life, I was sure that one of the most important truisms concerning meaning and purpose in life was to remain true to who we know ourselves to be – it’s originally finding out for ourselves what our calling in life really is and who we are as a person, that can be the most difficult part.

I’d learned over time, and through trial and error, that I was filled with a spirit of adventure and needed to remain true to who I knew myself to be.  It was this truth that allowed me to pursue my hopes and dreams of seeing the world, and let the chips fall where they might in dealing with the aftereffects of my decision.  I was committed to follow this spirit of adventure and once I made my decision to leave Electricraft Stereo and bicycle overseas, I never looked back!  Cheers!  Mark

Here’s the link to my Author Page – Mark D. Jones:

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-dbs/entity/author/B078RRS631?_encoding=UTF8&node=283155&offset=0&pageSize=12&sort=author-pages-popularity-rank&page=1#formatSelectorHeader

Cheers!

Mark

My Latest Book: Book Eight – A Book of Philosophy

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

I’ve just published my latest book: In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography): Book Eight – A Book of Philosophy.  Here’s how I describe the book on the back cover:

“Sometimes, the best way to find ourselves is to get lost in the process.  So lost, in fact, that we’re afraid we’ll never find our way back again, especially the direction we’ve only just come from.  It’s when we find ourselves alone and directionless in the quiet moments of our lives, in surroundings we know we don’t belong in and aspire to leave behind, that we can hear ourselves think without the distraction of the status quo calling us back to what had been our everyday reality.

My questioning began very early on in this odyssey on the road, and as this internal dialogue developed I wrote down all of these debates with myself on a yellow, legal pad.  This process of spontaneously writing my 152 philosophical questions and ponderings, laid the foundation for a resolution to the dilemma as to which way I should go with my life, seemingly giving me permission to follow my heart and my dreams…”

Here’s a link to my Amazon Author Page – Mark D. Jones:

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-D.-Jones/e/B078RRS631/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1526666933&sr=1-2-ent

I’m currently working my 9th book: Book Nine – A Bicycle Adventure through England, Scotland, Wales in France (Part One), telling the story of my solo overseas bicycle trip to the British Isles and France from May through July 1979, which should be available in June.

Cheers!

Mark

My Latest Book: Book Seven – The Seattle Years (Part Two)

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

I’ve just published the seventh book in my autobiographical series called In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography) and this is Book Seven – The Seattle Years (Part Two).  This is the story of my life from June 1978 through April 1979 and all the adventures I took part in during this 10 month portion of my life.  This story and a book of philosophy I wrote that follows it, formed the basis of my decision to embark on a solo-bicycle adventure through England, Scotland, Wales and France from May through July 1979 and to maintain my focus on adventure.  Here’s how I describe Book Seven:

“What do you do when life is good and seems to be getting better all the time, but you’re still not happy?  What happens when your life seems to be moving in a completely wrong direction?  What if changing the course of your life requires you to strip away all that you currently are for the possibility of achieving all you could possibly become?  What if remaining true to yourself – to who you are as a person and to your spirit of adventure – requires you to follow your heart into the unknown without a compass or map to guide you into the future?

These were the questions I began asking myself in the winter of 1978-1979, not knowing what my future held or the direction my life should take.  I didn’t know what my meaning and purpose in life was, or why I was even born to live this life in the first place.  All I knew at the time was I was lost and directionless again in life, in what turned out to be my desert place meant to find myself.  This is the story of how I got there and the process I took to begin finding my way out again…”

Here’s a link to my Author Page – Mark D. Jones on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-D.-Jones/e/B078RRS631/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1526666933&sr=1-2-ent

Book Nine – A Book of Philosophy will be out soon – enjoy!

Cheers!

Mark

Publishing Update – Two New Books Coming Soon

Posted on by under 0001. Announcements, In Search of the Meaning of Life (An Autobiography)

I wanted to keep folks posted as to my upcoming publishing schedule as I have two new books in the pipeline for this month: Book Seven – The Seattle Years (Part Two) and Book Eight – A Book of Philosophy.  Both of these books define the time in my life from June 1978 through May 1979 and set the stage for making the decision to follow my heart and bicycle around England, Scotland, Wales and France from May through July 1979.  The story of my overseas bicycle trip should be published in two parts next month if I keep to my timeline.

In July of this year, I hope to publish the story of visiting Puerto Rico in the summer of 1979 and then turn my attention to the story of my return to Michigan State University and my adventures through British Columbia and Ontario, Canada in 1980.  If I can finish that book by August of this year, then I’ll look into publishing a few photo books of my travels in September and October.

In November of this year, if I keep to my timeline, I hope to publish my motivational book Organizational Aerodynamics about looking at life from new perspectives to accomplish all your hopes and dreams in life.  I hope to begin publishing my novels in 2019, starting with the first book of my adventure trilogy Jonathan’s Dream (An Adventure Novel) and then follow up with all the other novels and children’s stories I have prepared and in the works! 🙂

Here’s the link to my Amazon Author Page – Mark D. Jones.  All of my books are published as Kindle books and paperbacks, and are free to read with Kindle Unlimited:

https://www.amazon.com/Mark-D.-Jones/e/B078RRS631/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1526666933&sr=1-2-ent

Stay posted and I’ll keep you updated with how my timeline’s working out – Cheers!

Mark