SYDNEY (PRWEB) November 24, 2021
Mary McMicking Lane takes readers back to the 1960s as she recounts the travels, experiences and learning of a young adventurous Australian who sets out on a journey into a new, and an often unfamiliar, world.
“With Passport and Pen: Tales Across Time” (published by Balboa Press AU) is a memoir of the author’s working holiday in England during 1965 and 1966. It details the many different jobs she had and the extensive travels that took her to Scotland to see people and places associated with her heritage, throughout Europe, to the Middle East and home via Hong Kong.
The story is told in two voices. The first voice, which accounts for two thirds of the book, is that of a young Mary and is presented in excerpts from actual letters and postcards written in 1965/6. The letters emphasize the importance of human relationships. They highlight her strong connection to family, a great friendship with her eccentric traveling companion Annette and the many like-minded people she enjoyed traveling with in her time away from home. The second voice, that of the older Mary now living in Sydney 55 years later, is present in a connective narrative and her reflections on the experience. It shows how time and maturity can influence one’s thoughts, attitudes and growth.
The author reflects how she came to see “changing course when plans aren’t working is important, spending large amounts of money is not necessary to enjoy travel experiences and having a good friend who is a kindred spirit is priceless.” She also says, “the book highlights how many good kind people there are in the world and how tolerance and empathy are important qualities to foster through life’s journey.”
Exploring time-honored themes such as adventure, memory, personal growth, self-reliance and family relationships, “With Passport and Pen: Tales Across Time” will appeal to readers who had similar 1960s experiences as well as young travelers of current times who embark on the same kind of adventure in a very different way. To purchase a copy of the book, visit https://www.balboapress.com/en-au/bookstore/bookdetails/822887-with-passport-and-pen.
“With Passport and Pen: Tales Across Time”
By Mary McMicking Lane
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 432 pages | ISBN 9781982292010
E-Book | 432 pages | ISBN 9781982292027
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author
Mary McMicking Lane, a retired teacher, first taught junior secondary school English and History in New South Wales and Tasmania. In a career lasting 50 years, she worked in both independent and government schools. After completing graduate courses, she became skilled in the education of both struggling and gifted students. She worked for two years in a Hobart Special School before retiring as Head of Learning Enrichment at a Sydney Independent School where she coached gifted girls.
Balboa Press Australia is a division of Hay House, Inc., a leading provider in publishing products that specialise in self-help and the mind, body and spirit genre. Through an alliance with the worldwide self-publishing leader Author Solutions, LLC, authors benefit from the leadership of Hay House Publishing and the speed-to-market advantages of the Author Solutions self-publishing model. For more information or to start publishing today, visit balboapress.com.au or call 1-800-844-925.