“Lately I’d thought about death a lot, and he kept buying me drinks, so I kept talking about it. I blame my job. I work in television news.”
Chatelaine Magazine – November Best Book
Zack Curtis truly dreads his thirtieth birthday. Estranged from his family and friends, he hopes his trip to Italy will lift his spirits and inspire him to have a happier life. However, he soon offends an elusive mobster who threatens to turn his dream trip into a nightmare. From the spendor of Amalfi, to the grandeur of Rome, to the pageantry of Siena during its Palio Festival, John Meyer presents a unique travel memoir that masterfully combines a love story with an exhilarating adventure. Brimming with wit and humor, Bullets, Butterflies, and Italy is a literary travelogue enlivened with passion, jealousy, betrayal, and hope.
Available in ebook and print.
Canadian residents are eligible to order my paperback as a signed copy, if they prefer…
Simply choose the PayPal/Credit Card option. Or the “John Meyer Books” seller option at Amazon.ca.
(Note that if purchased directly from Amazon.ca, an Amazon warehouse fulfills the order and won’t feature any message from the author. )
International readers, the book is available as an ebook at most Amazon distributors, such as Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.com.au. And as an ebook at all international versions of Kobo, Apple, and Barnes & Noble.
…this is no Eat, Pray, Love. Instead it sets a fast and furious pace with destination unknown – but that’s the point.
This is a fiction travel memoir like none other, likely because there are no other books quite like this one! John Meyer takes you way off the beaten path in Italy with adventure, wit and engaging characters… This book is original, refreshing and addictive!
If anything can reinvigorate your love for travel, this can…A fabulous hybrid genre that shows the vulnerability and courage in travelers to treat everyday like their last.
I loved the descriptions of Italy it really felt like you were travelling alongside the protagonist. Having spent some time in Italy myself, I can tell the author really did his research as it’s a great portrayal of not only the geography of Italy, but the culture and big personalities as well. The characters were believable and intriguing and the plot twist managed to genuinely surprise me.
This author managed to really capture the essence and heart of Italy… The writing was clever and descriptive with a fantastic ‘tongue-in-cheek’ storyline to match. I loved the story, message and the balance of love and adventure but most of all I loved the raw honesty of the main character who says (what) we are all really thinking.
…John Meyer offers a twist on the classic the travel memoir by adding the bullets of a thriller and the butterflies of a romance… Issues concerning mortality, the meaning of happiness and the pursuit of dreams are confronted with humour and vigour. Local descriptions, the memoir aspect of the book, contribute to Zack’s discovery of the “Dolce Vita” that is the ethos of Italy.
I loved that this book combined not only a love triangle with danger (yay romance!) but also detailed descriptions of Italian culture, architecture and art history… A new genre: a “travel guide” combined with a great storyline… a story that can only happen when you find yourself in a strange country with a strange language.
This is a wonderful love story intertwined with adventure, danger, fear and so many emotions when we’re strangers in a strange land. If you’ve ever found yourself in a lost in translation situation you will love this book. If you’ve ever wanted to travel, you will get on a plane.
Great Read! Great sarcastic humour combined with a love for travel, this book entertains it all. I’ve never been to Italy, but now can’t wait to see these sites first-hand. The character is easy to relate to and the story line takes on interesting twists and turns.