by – John W. Howell
The plan was to read an advance copy of Detour on the Eternal Road, do some drawings of Sam and do a pre-release promo post. Well, I “took a wrong turn in Albuquerque“, hit a detour and missed the print release.
So the road trip, of a post lifetime, passes through Albuquerque? Well, no, but it does pass through 1881!
Resa – John, Detour on the Eternal Road is set in the past, present and possible future of earth’s history and in the possible eternality of existence. You animate eternity’s goings on with non-haloed, wingless angels helping to guide souls to their eternal home. The adventures are informative, but mostly harrowing.
Yet, through “it all”*, the message remains uprightly positive. I’m not talking about the ending, per se, but the body of your story. Is this purposeful, or unconscious?
John – I have always carried a positive attitude regarding life. It is no surprise to me that this comes through in my writing even in the most dire of circumstances. You mention the ending which I don’t want to spoil for folks is an example of this positivity. It does rain a question about how much responsibility each of us has to take for the existence of evil on this Earth.
Hello! I’m Sam. When not on the road guiding souls to their eternal home, I’m at home on my cloud.
CLOUD WEAR is a custom wardrobe designed especially for me by Resa, who at this point remains earthbound.
Resa – Do you, or did you ever have a crush on Sam?
John – Sam is an agglomeration of every woman for whom I have had the honor of having feelings. Of course, I love her.
PRESENTING – CLOUD WEAR
1. Windy Day (sun dial on wrist) - 2. Grecian Ode - 3. Rock'n'Roll Angel - 4. Fortune Teller - 5. Dream Away - 6. Honey 7. Surprise! (all blue beads and earrings made from dew and raindrops)
Resa – Without preaching any religion, you metaphorize good and bad/evil with god and the devil. In the story our protagonists, Sam and James angels, are presented moral dilemmas.
What say you to the idea that I think you are speaking to man’s “better angels”?
John – I think you have figured out the fact that I believe there are angels that walk among us. I also believe we all have inside of us the ability to behave as if we have been anointed with title ‘angel.’ On the corresponding side we all can be perfect devils at times. The control of the dominate characteristic is left up to how we were raised and our perception of what constitutes goodness.
Resa – So John, this is the third book in the Eternal Road series. I’ve read the first two and this one seems, in its fictional light, more politically predictive than the other books. It seems a pejorative on the future, on behalf of mankind’s progeny. Can you speak to that?
John – Since my books are written in the present tense it might appear as if there is a perjoritive view as the reader moves through the action. Quite the contrary the story attempts to provide human kind with a tool that can be used to continue the species forever. Yes we have to look at nuclear war as a possibility, but the essence of the story which is repeated is that all mayhem is preventable.
The one pejorative view that I will raise my hand to is the increasing dependence the average person has on Government. I believe in the government being representative of the people and not an entity that exists for itself.
“Lincoln’s Bedroom” in the White House.
What does this have to do with Detour on the Eternal Road? We go to the White House?
Yes, but which wing and what rooms ?
Below – A Made to Scale Replica of the East Wing
The replica is 60 feet long & 20 feet wide. The Artists, Historian John Zweifel and his wife Jan, took 25 years to complete it. It includes all furnishings. The clocks tick, flags wave, phone rings and TV’s work.
On Its 200th Birthday in 1992 – This to scale replica of the East Wing of the White House was presented in a special issue of LIFE magazine.
1 - First Lady's Dressing Room
2 - President's Bedroom
3 - Family Sitting Room
4 - Yellow Oval Room
5- Treaty Room
6 - Lincoln Bedroom
7 - Lincoln Sitting Room
8 - State Dining Room
9 - Red Room
10 - Blue Room
11. Green Room
12 - East Room
13- Library
14 - Map Room
15 - Diplomatic Reception Room
16 - China Room
17 - Vermeil Room
On the Left: Legend to all 17 rooms in the East Wing
I think you can enjoy this book without reading its predecessors. However, certain questions will come up, such as this question I asked John after I read the first book.
Resa – “Eyes are mentioned on almost every page, mostly due to travelling, but I could not find the colour of Sam’s eyes. I also searched brown, blue, hair…no luck. Thing is, I was thinking of drawing Sam as an angel, maybe no wings. This way I could do a gown.”
John – “You are not crazy. You won’t find a color of Sam’s eyes since I very seldom describe the characters in terms of physical attributes. My reason for doing this is I would rather the reader form an image in their mind of what the characters look like. So you can make her eye color whatever pleases you. She is more your character than mine since you invested your time reading the book. “
So, if you are thinking of jumping straight to book 3, you might want to read a few of the Amazon reviews on the first 2: Eternal Road & The Last Drive. OR read my Out-of-the box reviews.
Or read the books.
Click covers of Eternal Road or Last Drive & go to John’s Amazon page, where you will find these, their reviews & many of his other books!
To buy a print copy of Detour on the Eternal Road click on the above cover.
To Pre-Order the EBook, click on Abstract Art Sam below!
John W. Howell
“it all”* – Read the book and find out!
Art Gowns 
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