Sunset in Bali Indonesia.
My blogs are found on the Slow Bullets page.
Since leaving America in August 2006, I have traveled to twenty-one countries. A great deal has happened. I have written five full-length novels, the most recent being 12-12-12 published this past March, have had thirty short stories and seven poems published, and even composed a number of songs. In my travels I have experienced quite a lot and had a few ideas along the way. This site is to share my thoughts, photos, music, writings, travel experiences, and developing political and social commentary with you. I hope you find it interesting and informative.
THIRD-PERSON BIO
John Rachel has a B. A. in Philosophy, has traveled extensively, is a songwriter, music producer, novelist, a left-of-left liberal, and has spent his entire life trying to resolve the intrinsic clash between the metaphysical purity of Buddhism and the overwhelming appeal of narcissism. Prompted by the trauma of graduating high school and having to leave his beloved city of Detroit to attend university, the development his social skills and world view were arrested at age 18. This affliction figures prominently in all of his creative work.
While living in Japan in 2008, he wrote his first novel, From Thailand With Love. Then in November of 2009, he completed his second novel, The Man Who Loved Too Much. It was written over ten months, as he lived in and traveled through Japan, China, Nepal, India and Thailand.
While writing 11-11-11, he lived in Japan and Vietnam. 11-11-11 is the prequel to his new novel 12-12-12. The two are linked by characters and location. The clueless and basically powerless citizens of Pulnick, Missouri find it nearly impossible to eke out a meaningful existence in a world plagued by stupidity, superstition, gossip, political manipulation, and paranoid rumors about the end of the world. Does this sound familiar? The lead character for the two novels is Noah Tass, a bright young man in his early twenties, who ultimately is caught up in all of the ongoing insanity as he attempts to escape the bland hopelessness of his dreary life and begin a new, meaningful existence elsewhere. His bizarre journey is one of self-discovery and the kind of enlightenment one only achieves by confronting the weird and unexpected. Sounds serious? Actually there is much more laughing than crying. The events of these two novels are fictional, an alternative reality. But remarkably they ring truer than reality itself.
12-12-12 was completed January 2012 and was published March 18, 2012. While writing this dark satire, chock full unusual twists and biting political humor, the author lived in Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Indonesia and of course Japan.
The guy just can’t seem to settle down. His last permanent U.S. residence was Portland, Oregon where he had a state-of-the-art ProTools recording studio, music production house, radio promotion and music publishing company. During his ten years in Portland, he professionally recorded and produced many artists in the Pacific Northwest, releasing and promoting their music on radio across the U. S. of A.
