PITTSBURGH, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — "The Backpack Years" is a rollicking tale spanning 13 countries and four continents, chronicling the youthful adventures of two people in love – both with each other and the world. Co-written, the memoir recounts the tale of a six-year adventure with travelers from two entirely different backgrounds – one ready to let loose and be free, the other escaping the pain and embarrassment of a complicated past.
Narratively weaving in and out like two different colored threads from the same tapestry, "The Backpack Years" offers deeply rich character studies braided into a single tale. Can these two navigate their way through red-tape, relocation, miscommunication, and a last ditch, make-or-break trip to try to save their relationship – or will this be their last adventure as a couple?
- Good-natured Stef leaves her straight-laced life in America to study abroad in Spain, letting loose and falling completely in love with two things: traveling and one handsome but dispirited man.
- Utterly exhausted and worn out in Australia, despite being young with a whole world ahead of him, James continues to flee his painful past in England – but unknowingly finds his future in an Irish pub in Sydney.
"For as responsible as I was, I’d also craved adventure for as long as I could remember" … "We never went abroad, and I knew few people who had…" –Stef
"I leaned against the bar, empty pint glass slipping through my fingers" … "I tried to yell, ‘Get me out of here!’ but my voice broke, and the words caught in my throat. No one could hear me. No one was listening." –James
"We approached the guys – ‘Y’alright? I’m James.’ James put his pint down to shake my hand. His English accent differed from Sam’s, and he looked at me with eyes bluer than any sky in Britain." –Stef
"Every time I was out, Stef was there, and we’d always end up together. I’d be drunk and rambling, and she had an uncanny way of finishing my sentences as though inside my head…"
–James
"As I watched the sky, the horizon lightened, and a scarlet sliver of sunlight traced the curve of the Earth. The plane continued east toward a new day." –Stef
"Then there she was, the best souvenir from my trip" … "Months before, I’d imagined a life in sunny Sydney outside the train window. Now it was dreary London. In my Sydney life, I had a surfboard, but in my London life, I had Stef." –James
"I didn’t know that no matter how happy our life would be, there would always be a void. An emptiness that nothing but travel would fill. On short vacations, we’d catch glimpses of our former, adventurous selves and long for the days of quitting jobs, booking one-way tickets, and not knowing what was about to happen…" –James
"For two people with a history of running away from problems, we knew that even through the worst of times, we’d never, ever, run away from each other." –Stef
"I found myself easily drawn into the stories of their travels, much as I would a novel, rooting for them as people as well as enjoying the view of the world they shared." –Rachel Deeming, Reedsy Discovery
"I absolutely loved this memoir and even if you’re not normally a fan of memoirs or non-fiction, I would still recommend this book. I think the authors did a beautiful job sharing their story…"
–Kendall Mead
"It’s been a while since I read a memoir. And this one didn’t disappoint. It’s the perfect time to read this because this specific memoir is part travel and part romance; a superb read for the summer…" –Breathing Pages
"This memoir reads like a great fiction book written by the likes of Liane Moriarty where the chapters alternate narrators. The escapades and adventures of James and Stef are funny and their quirky personalities come across well…" –Karen Pierce
Published by Tucky Buddy Books, the volume is now available via Amazon. And for information on interviews and book signings, or to read extended bios and audience reviews, please visit: www.TheBackpackYears.com.
Media Contact:
Stefanie Wilson
1-757-663-3286
341275@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Stefanie and James Wilson
