ASCENSION: The Oasis Series
By Jeannie van Rompaey
Publication Date: 12th April 2016
Publisher: Clink Street Publishing
ASCENSION, the first novel in Jeannie van Rompaey's Oasis Series, explores with humour and compassion the way humans respond to change. The future worlds of Earth and Oasis mirror our contemporary society. The division between the haves and have-nots widens and the lust for power leads to corruption. But there are idealists determined to build a fairer, more egalitarian society.
Ascension is available for purchase from
About Jeannie van Rompaey
Born in London more years ago than she cares to admit Jeannie van Rompaey has travelled extensively in Europe and The United States. She now lives on the subtropical island of Gran Canaria with her husband, TJ, a historian and artist, and spends most of her time writing novels, short stories, plays and poems. She also paints and has had several art exhibitions on the island. The white walls of their villa are decorated with their paintings.
In true expat style ,Jeannie belongs to the British Club in Las Palmas and runs poetry and play reading evenings there. Poems Out Loud is attended by people of various nationalities, including Spanish, Swedish, Danish and German as well as British. A truly international group. Listening to poetry in another language is an experience not to be missed. Members read their favourite poems on a theme, chosen or approved by the group, accompanied by lots of friendly discussion and laughter. The wine and tapas in the bar afterwards make a good finale to the evening.
Her daughter, Anieka, lives in London and Jeannie makes frequent trips to see her, visit art galleries, go to the theatre and attend literary events. She loves the contrasts her life affords: the buzz of London and the quiet location where she lives.
What a wonderful life!
Jeannie was brought up in the village of Weston, Northamptonshire, in a thatched cottage with shop attached so that her mother could combine looking after her child with earning a living. All too often it was Jeannie who was expected to answer the shop bell and serve the customers. It broke her concentration from the stories she was writing. She’ll certainly never be a good shopkeeper but her passion for reading and writing has never faltered.
Has Jeannie’s life always been as idyllic as it appears now? Of course not. Everyone has ups and downs in life. But grief, unhappiness and suffering can be used in a positive way when writing fiction. Her novel, After, about the effect on the parents of missing seventeen-year-old twins, would not have been so deeply realized if she had not experienced loss herself. The theme of adoption in her short story, Recognition, would be unlikely to ring true if she’d had no personal understanding of the subtle connection between mother and daughter. It doesn’t mean that she can’t write about things she hasn’t experienced. Far from it. Just that both the adverse and the positive aspects of life contribute to her work and give it emotional depth. And often humour.
In spite of certain personal setbacks and her concern about the present state of our world, Jeannie considers herself an optimist. Her latest novels, the first two books in The Oasis Series, Ascension and Evolution are dystopias, telling of life in a damaged future world, but they have upbeat endings. She believes in the resilience of human beings to overcome difficulties and take a positive view of their lives.
Jeannie van Rompaey thinks of herself as an eternal student. Her formal education includes training as a teacher and attending Drama school and university. She has an RSA Diploma in TEFL and an MA in Modern English Literature. Her informal education never stops. When preparing to write she absorbs what is happening in the world around her like litmus paper, gathering ideas.
Jeannie has spent much of her life teaching, mainly in universities and language schools. Her passion for the theatre and interest in psychology has led her to run workshops in drama and creative writing. She also directs plays and is an actor and voice-over. As Jeannie Russell she is a member of the Guild of Drama Adjudicators and adjudicates in drama festivals in Britain and Europe. Next year she’s off to Frankfurt to adjudicate for FEATS – the Festival of European Anglophone Theatrical Societies and is looking forward to that.
Although Jeannie van Rompaey has definite opinions on many subjects, political, social and spiritual, she tries to avoid making her work didactic, overtly moralistic or sentimental. As a fiction writer she likes to create distinct characters with minds of their own. She enjoys writing books with multiple narrators to give insights into different viewpoints.
Apart from the about to be published first two books in The Oasis Series, Ascension and Evolution (12th April, 2016) Jeannie can offer three other published novels, seven short stories, two books of poems and eight plays. Themes include: the power of creativity, the complexity of relationships, adoption, loss, prejudice, mothers and daughters, sisters, speculations about the supernatural and the future of the planet.
Website - http://jeannievanrompaey.com/
Previous novels published:
LIFE DRAWING, a tale of modern witchcraft and sibling rivalry
AFTER, about the effect on parents when teenage twins go missing
DEVIL FACE, the story of a disfigured young woman with a temper
On their way:
THE OASIS SERIES
Book 1 Ascension Book, Book 2 Evolution, Book 3 Renaissance
SUNSHINE SKYWAY, a psychological thriller about a disastrous honeymoon in Florida.
LIFE DRAWING, a tale of modern witchcraft and sibling rivalry
AFTER, about the effect on parents when teenage twins go missing
DEVIL FACE, the story of a disfigured young woman with a temper
On their way:
THE OASIS SERIES
Book 1 Ascension Book, Book 2 Evolution, Book 3 Renaissance
SUNSHINE SKYWAY, a psychological thriller about a disastrous honeymoon in Florida.
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