VACATIONLAND BOOKS

When I first discovered Jody Clark’s books in January 2018, I was in a bit of a ‘sweet spot’. He had just released his third published work, so I was able to order and read all three just in time for his fourth book to come out in the summer of 2018. Some might think this was too much of one author, but to them, I’d say they’re wrong. Clark’s books are something special. They draw me in and make me think and laugh and feel things. And as an avid reader, I can assure you that I seldom encounter a writer who can do that over a span of books and time. To hold and sustain my attention is fairly rare.
So after reading all four books that were available to me (Livin’ On A Prayer, The Wild Irish Rose, and Books 1 and 2 of Clark’s ‘Soundtrack to my Life’ trilogy, The Empty Beach and Between Hello and Goodbye) I reluctantly hit a lull. I now had a solid year to wait for the final installment of the trilogy. And I felt like I was missing a best friend. The characters in these novels became important to me. Their happiness and their struggles mattered to me. I wondered how they were and how they’d fare when we met again. And I felt like a year was entirely too long to wait.
Some might think I’d have lost interest. That somehow my curiosity would wane and that this third book would be insignificant by the time it arrived. And with most authors, this would surely be the case. But not with Clark. He has a strong presence on his Facebook and Instagram pages and is constantly interacting with his readers in fun, inspired ways. He shares beautiful landscape, ocean, sunset and lighthouse photos from many talented artists and has a knack for pairing them perfectly with a song lyric or a meaningful passage from his writing. He’s very funny, too. Some of the memes he shares are the best in my news feed and that humor is on full display in his novels. I laughed the entire way through each of these books and it made the sadder, more serious parts bearable. And so, when The Ring on the Sill became available, I was ready to get it in my hands as soon as I possibly could.
This book worked its way into my heart immediately. I devoured it in a mere 24 hours, all the while vacillating between chastising myself for reading too quickly and racing myself to the finish. And it did not disappoint in the slightest. Like it’s two predecessors, this book had plenty of heart and humor, but it also had something else: It had a strength and mastery that I have yet to see in Clark’s other books. While each one was engaging and well-written, The Ring on the Sill gripped me in a brand-new way. Perhaps it was the desire to see what happened to each of the endearing characters that I felt as if I had come to know, or maybe it was an anticipation because I knew in my heart that this was quite possibly the last I’d see of them, but I was in deep. When I’m fully invested in a novel, I cannot put it down. It is my constant companion until the final page is turned. And this latest novel is the epitome of that phenomenon for me. A wonderful read from start to finish, with plenty of surprises, triumphs and heartbreaks along the way. I breathed a sigh of contentment as I read Clark’s final words in this series that is clearly written from his heart and as an homage to his younger years. And to be privy to the sharing of one’s heart through written word is a blessing. A gift that I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to appreciate.
What’s up next for Clark is anyone’s guess, but one thing is for absolute sure: I’ll be here waiting for whatever it is. Buy these books, let them into your mind and your life and be left all-the-better for them. I sure know I have. ~ AMAZON REVIEW