Searching For Paradise

Description

In his sophisticated debut novel, T.L. Hughes draws on his New England upbringing in an Irish Catholic family to tell the story of his main character, Mike Hogan’s, cross country venture back to the small mill town where he grew up.

Mike and his two friends, disillusioned with trying to make it in Hollywood in 1984, have up and quit their respective eight-to-five working day jobs and have come up with a poorly thought out plan. They will drive to the East Coast of America in Luke Coppen’s 1964 Ford Fairlane and from there fly to London in order to find work overseas in the burgeoning music video business. Along the way, they’ll travel through Luke’s home state of Kansas and Decky Brady’s native Ohio. Mike has just lost the love of his life, Colette, so he feels like there is nothing holding him back in Southern California now.

Their ensuing adventure is filled with old friends, family, and acquaintances. As the three friends bounce from place to place, freeloading across the expanses of beautiful America, they see life again through those they once knew and loved and through new friends and experiences. In the process of it all, they rediscover the goodness within themselves that was always there.

Searching For Paradise is a coming of age story based upon a real life road trip across America, from California to New England. Filled with vivid imagery and resonating musical references to the artists and songs of the time, it is a love story of great depth and beauty.