More than a decade after returning home from Afghanistan, Jake Freeman is still tormented by the emotional consequences of war. Desperate for a better life, he enlists the help of a VA doctor who prescribes a motorcycle tour of the Western States. Jake hopes an adventure like this can quiet the chaos in his mind, so he leaves his familiar world behind and rides his Harley north toward Bend, Oregon.

On his journey, he realizes it may take more than fishing in majestic rivers and dancing at great honkytonks to free him from the trauma locked inside his vault of memories. As he encounters fellow veterans and dangerous detours, he gets glimpses of what a meaningful life could look like. When Jake discovers he has been running away from the exact things he wants most, he decides to change course. However, healing isn’t a linear journey. Will his mental anguish consume him? Or will he be able to rise out of the past and follow a road toward a place where love and joy exist?

Author Bio: After high school, Aaron Anderson wasn’t ready to settle into college. So, he set out to see the world, embarking on adventures through the United States, Mexico, Canada, Europe, and North Africa by way of bicycle, motorcycle, train, and hitchhiking. At the age of twenty-two, Aaron returned to the US and worked on oil rigs in Wyoming. He later became a carpenter and eventually a real estate appraiser. However, his true passions have always been writing, exploring new country, and developing powerful friendships.

The culmination of a dream he’s had since childhood, Honkytonks and Fishing in the Wild West is his debut novel. His greatest inspirations for this labor of love were the relationships he formed with veterans. He hopes this story sheds light on issues surrounding PTSD and ignites a desire to serve those who have served us.