Excerpt Tour and Giveaway: In One Lifetime by Graham Forlonge

 

In One Lifetime

by Graham Forlonge

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Non-Fiction - Autobiography 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

This book is an autobiography of a man who had over 50 mostly major PTSD events in his life. It recounts the trials, struggles, and lessons learned over a life span of 67 years. It recalls his childhood, time as lifesaver, police diver, police driving instructor, member of SWOS, professional NRL footballer, running Police Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC), Security Manager of the world renowned Porgera Gold Mine in PNG and world record holder of going around Australia in under 10 days on a motorcycle. The events accounted whilst a police diver as well as a Highway Patrol Officer includes plane crashes, train accidents, body recoveries and numerous fatal road accidents, some of which are major historic events in Australian history. It also includes native raids, murders, abuse and many more traumatic events while working in PNG. Some of the accounts are captivating and others highly emotional. His life and determination to succeed was mostly driven as a result of having been sexually abused over many years at the hand of his tutor as a child. It is a true Australian story and displays considerable endurance and survival skills.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

EXCERPT:

After my confidence-boosting experience in the first match, I entered the field in the second round a little too cocky for my own good! Word of my three tries and six goals had spread to the opposing team. I ran on, full of youthful bravado, ready to take on the rugby league world, with my head held high, completely unaware that I had made myself a target.

I ended up in Gosford Hospital with a fracture to a vertebra in my neck and was placed in a “Ned Kelly” plaster suit, which went from my neck to my waist right around my body and partly down my arms. I had to wear this monstrosity for a couple of months, unable to do anything physical. My billet family from The Entrance helped me greatly during those months and I was most thankful for their hospitality and love.

The doctors told me I was never to play Rugby League again - as if that was going to happen!

One day, I received a phone call from a good mate of mine and needless to say the topic of footy came up. He happened to mention to me that to be eligible to play in the finals with the Lane Cove Junior Club back in North Sydney, I had to play the last three games of the Junior Rugby League competition.

My decision to move back to Sydney was a difficult one. There was a storm going on inside my head: should I stay up at the Central Coast or move back to Sydney? I was engaging in so many pursuits that could have been construed as courageous, but was I being brave or foolhardy? What was I trying to prove and to whom? I felt a need to impress Mum and especially Dad, but they were not even with me to see all my victories and achievements. I knew that my parents didn’t really have any idea of what was going on in my life, so what was the point of it all?

The storm in my head told me that I needed to be a praiseworthy person, but more importantly, I wanted to impress my parents.

I moved back to Sydney.

Contrary to the medical advice, I went back onto the field and ended the season by scoring a try in the Grand Final, which we won against the Asquith Junior Leagues Club.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Graham Forlonge is a father, footballer, policeman, diver, security officer and the author of IN ONE LIFETIME.

In the 5-Star Review from IndieReader C.S. Holmes writes, "In the memoir In One Lifetime by Graham Forlonge, the author experiences murder, plane crashes, mine explosions, and more...on his way to healing from PTSD...Graham Forlonge’s memoir In One Lifetime is an expansively honest and brutally detailed submersion into aspects of trauma that left the author with a lifelong case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and is most touching when detailing his healing process."

It took 10+ years to write his memoir. Now, Graham works as a part time counselor for the underprivileged.

Connect with Graham Forlonge

Website https://grahamforlonge.com/

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19974143.Graham_Forlonge

Get your copy of In One Lifetime                  

AMAZON.COM https://amazon.com/dp/0228823358

AMAZON.CA https://amazon.ca/dp/0228823358

AMAZON.COM.AU https://amazon.com.au/dp/0228823358

BOOKSHOP https://bookshop.org/books/in-one-lifetime/9780228823353

INDIGO CHAPTERS https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/in-one-lifetime/9780228823377-item.html

BARNES & NOBLE https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/in-one-lifetime-graham-forlonge/1136260442

BOOK DEPOSITORY https://www.bookdepository.com/In-One-Lifetime-Graham-Forlonge/9780228823353

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY:

Graham Forlonge will be awarding a $15 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.