The Train Home (Post 103)
The Train Home (1999), is about two brothers known at school as the Pepperoni Twins because of their red hair and the family pizza business. They are not twins; in fact Jordy is ten and Jase almost twelve, but Jordy is bigger. Jase is a rebel and looks like a little tough, but happens to be a talented flute player. The family moved from Bandinangi to give him more opportunities. Jordy is good at sports, and the family gives equal value to the boys' talents.
Because of the hours their parents work, the boys catch the bus home, and on late pizza nights they go home to a schoolmate's place. Jase, however, wants to catch the train home as he sees that as cooler.
One day, Jase misses hearing an announcement at assembly because, as usual, he's inattentive. This results in him not being where Jordy expects when it's time to catch the bus. The boys miss the last bus, and have to catch the train. This was what Jase intended.
Because they're unfamiliar with the train system, they get carried past their station and panic when their tickets come up invalid. Stranded with no money, they can't contact anyone to help. A taxi driver refuses to carry them. A woman offers help, but they decline. She gives them the money for the taxi. They ask for her name to return the fare and she asks them to "pass it on".
Shaken by the situation, Jase resolves to stop being such a pain.
This story, as with most, has some ties with reality. There are no major passenger trains in Tasmania, so when I started taking trains in Sydney I was the one who got carried past my stop. The boys' situation of the elder being smaller than the younger (and their appearance) is based on a friend's sons, although the boys' personalities are different. The boys' names are the same as my cousin's sons'... but they look different and again have different personalities. As for the Bandinangi link... this is probably the only book in that very loose series that has no fantasy at all.
About the Blog
Because of the hours their parents work, the boys catch the bus home, and on late pizza nights they go home to a schoolmate's place. Jase, however, wants to catch the train home as he sees that as cooler.
One day, Jase misses hearing an announcement at assembly because, as usual, he's inattentive. This results in him not being where Jordy expects when it's time to catch the bus. The boys miss the last bus, and have to catch the train. This was what Jase intended.
Because they're unfamiliar with the train system, they get carried past their station and panic when their tickets come up invalid. Stranded with no money, they can't contact anyone to help. A taxi driver refuses to carry them. A woman offers help, but they decline. She gives them the money for the taxi. They ask for her name to return the fare and she asks them to "pass it on".
Shaken by the situation, Jase resolves to stop being such a pain.
This story, as with most, has some ties with reality. There are no major passenger trains in Tasmania, so when I started taking trains in Sydney I was the one who got carried past my stop. The boys' situation of the elder being smaller than the younger (and their appearance) is based on a friend's sons, although the boys' personalities are different. The boys' names are the same as my cousin's sons'... but they look different and again have different personalities. As for the Bandinangi link... this is probably the only book in that very loose series that has no fantasy at all.
About the Blog
Sally is Sally Odgers; author, manuscript assessor, editor, anthologist and reader. She runs http://www.affordablemanuscriptassessments.com and Prints Charming Books. (Sally is me, by the way, and I am lots of other things too, but these are the relevant ones for now.)
The goal for 2017 is to write a post a day profiling the background behind one of my books; how it came to be written, what it's about, and any things of note that happened along the way. If you're an author, an aspiring author, a reader or just someone who enjoys windows into worlds, you might find this fun. The books are not in any special order, but will be assigned approximate dates, and pictures, where they exist. If you enjoyed a post, or want to ask about any of my books or my manuscript assessment service, post a comment and I'll get back to you.
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