One of the absolutely best aspects of the internet is the ability to find all kinds of information at your fingertips. Those of you who remember life before the ‘world wide web’ know exactly what I mean; those younger can just roll your eyes and skip the next paragraph.

It continually amazes me that you can use search engines to find out just about everything you could possibly imagine with a few clicks of the mouse, a few taps of the keyboard.

Better still, you can find websites that not only inform, explain and entertain, but that also inspire, intrigue, delight, question, prod and challenge.

We all have sites that make our personal daily reading list, and one such for me is Jack Scott’s Perking the Pansies.

I first ‘met’ Jack when I came across his website late one evening. The name seemed vaguely familiar, and I remembered that my writing mentor (and publisher) Jo Parfitt had mentioned the site and its talented owner, writing about making a life with his partner Liam in secular but decidedly Muslim Turkey.

As with any new site, I bounced around several posts, laughing and learning as I went. But it was an eloquently haunting piece Jack had written about a local hate crime that did it for me. It was beautifully simple and simply beautiful.

I commented, started following and the rest, as they say, is history. Some of you may remember when Jack tapped me last July to reveal My Seven Links, my personally favorite posts from my then relatively young blog. 

He followed that up with an invitation to guest post (Over Time, Summer Redefined) on his highly successful blog while he and Liam took a well-deserved vacation last August. 

We’ve continued to stay in touch across several venues of social media: Twitter, Facebook, Klout and LinkedIn, not to mention email and commenting on each other’s and others’ sites.

Little wonder that his site would be one of the first that I visited on my virtual book tour back in early November. Jack happily hosted The Shepherdess of Dreams in which I shared how Jo and her Summertime Publishing company help writers make their dreams come true.

Now it’s time to celebrate Jack’s own dream, the recent sensational launch of his book, Perking the Pansies. It’s been a big hit on Amazon, and is selling well. All of the great buzz is richly deserved.

 

I eagerly wrote a review of the book, mentioning its ‘deftly woven images and accurately captured idiosyncrasies and human foibles’. His nuanced descriptions and keen eye for detail serve him well. Let’s face it: the man can weave a tale with the best of them.

Imagine my surprise when Jack asked to use this part of my review on the back cover of his book: ‘At turns hilarious, saucy, witty, heartwarming and incredibly moving, Perking the Pansies is chock full of odd characters and odder situations.’ I was honored and humbled indeed.

Jack Scott is a wonderfully talented writer, and the book is very, very good. He honestly portrays the excitement and challenges inherent in making a new life in a different country, all the while missing family and friends back ‘home’.

There are scenes that make you giggle, others that make you laugh aloud, and still others that grab you, make the tears run, take your breath away.

If you haven’t already done so, I hope you’ll check out the book and Jack’s site as well.

I, for one, cannot wait to see what Jack writes next.