Eclectic Leanings – Musing from a Writer’s Soul: Essays, Creative Nonfiction, and Short Stories

Purchase links: Kindle, paperback, Nook, Apple, Kobo

Delve into the mind of a writer who explores diverse topics such as politics, conch fritters, and Whale Bob, a magical fish that can never be caught. Award-winning author P.C. Zick offers up a collection of her writings, which span the course of more than two decades. The collection contains her columns, blog posts, editorials, creative nonfiction, and short stories. Many of them won recognition at state and national levels. Eclectic Leanings offers a little bit for all reading tastes. The pieces begin with her first published essay in 1998 about her mother. She writes about birth, Alzheimer’s, and death as she recounts personal stories. Exploration of the aftermath of 9/11 and her own personal 9/11 express universal grief for tragic endings. But there are lighter moments as well when she encounters a woman and her sperm doll. Her quest for the perfect conch fritter ends with metaphors for life and waiting for a revolution results in a bouquet of flowers. She recounts her journeys to Morocco, Panama, Italy, Chile, and good old Route 66 in the U.S.A. There are sighs and tears and laughter within the pages of Eclectic Leanings. And hopefully, thoughtful musings from the writer will turn into civil and considerate discussion even when we disagree.

Odyssey to Myself – World Travel Guide and Memoir

Purchase links:  Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Apple, paperback

My odyssey to myself began with a trip to Morocco in 2004. From there I visited Italy, Panama, and Chile. In between my international travel, I rode down the Mother Road, Route 66, with a good friend and our grown daughters. Odyssey to Myself is a compilation of essays about my inward journey while enjoying the changing landscapes of the outward journey. Odyssey to Myself is a world travel guide for trips to Morocco, Italy, Panama, Chile, and down Route 66 in the United States. The compilation of essays show Muslim women dressed in hijabs and working in Casablanca. Moroccan history and food provide a colorful backdrop as the author explores her place in the world.

Take a trip to Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tuscany, Bocas del Toro, and Santiago as P.C. Zick writes about her experiences traveling outside the confines of her small world. Observations about life and culture bring to life the sights, sounds, and smells of the ancient alleyways of Fes, the masters of Italy, and the strategic location of Panama. The people of Morocco, Italy, Panama, and Chile come to life through the experiences of the author as she absorbs the cultures so different from her own.

“I survived from child to adult held together with paper mache and scotch tape. Only those closest to me knew the depth of my self-loathing and insecurities. No wonder when my world crashed in 2001, I crumbled into a pile of rubble with no skills to cope or face the pandemonium in life.

However, Odyssey to Myself isn’t a maudlin account of a sad, pitiful life. This book is about survival, and the places I traveled to find a better version of my original self.

I survived through writing and traveling. Through both odysseys, I found my place in this world. I learned and lost and laughed, and then I let love triumph. If only I’d known it was that simple.

I learned to accept that we all have our path to travel in this life. People pass through and leave and some even come back again. It’s all supposed to happen exactly as it does, even though some of it may be horribly tragic. Other times, there’s happiness and peace.