Jonathan Tromane

Author, Artist Copy writer and Creative

Welcome to the Jonathan Tromane website. Jonathan shares his time between writing - short stories, novels and occasionally poetry, and he is available for any copy writing that clients may require. He also enjoys painting, using acrylic paints. On this home page you will find his latest artwork and previews of books written and projects in progress. You can explore further by clicking on the buttons for the support pages. Enjoy your visit to the Jonathan Tromane Web site.

New paintings:

A different perspective of the Hastings Waterfront. Further along from the main jetty the waters edge is lined with mangroves and rocky areas. Jonathan presented this view as a soft sunrise to enhance the picture.

Moonlight - This is the second painting Jonathan has created featuring a moonlit scene. This time it is a lake within a forest with the moon clearly reflected in the calm waters. There are also three dead trees used to add some extra character.

The dragon - Jonathan's grand daughter loves dragons. This painting was a birthday present for her. It depicts the dragon from the "How to save your Dragon" film series. It now hangs in her room along with an earlier painting of a mermaid.

A short, short story

The structure of a short story is very important. The opening should be short, just one or two paragraphs but they must grab the reader to ensure he or she wants to read more. The story should then move to a crisis point that creates tension or suspense. There can then be a further crisis or crises before a climax, the highest point of suspense, followed by a resolution, end or denouement which provides a satisfactory explanation for what has just happened. The following story of around 1000 words has been structured in this way. Please read, enjoy and try to identify the structural elements.

TRUTH AND FEAR

I felt so cold that sleep seemed impossible. Even pulling the thin blanket up, right over my nose, did little stop me from shivering, despite being fully clothed. I could manage perhaps an hour of fitful dozing and then I would have to get up off the wooden platform with its thin, foul smelling mattress and walk round and round the tiny cell waving my arms, jumping, anything to stay warm. I kept telling myself it was the cold making me shiver but my troubled mind thought otherwise. Visions of what might face me tomorrow when burly guards manhandled me to who knows where, and to what fate. The fear contributed to my shivering. Fear of the unknown. Something I had never experienced before. It terrified me!

24 hours before – My name is Yuri Petrov, I am a journalist with an obscure publication known as the Kovietska Truth. It is popular amongst groups of Muscovites who disagree with just about everything Putin does. These people have everyday jobs, some in elite professions; lawyers, doctors even those in government circles, although I have no proof of that, and I dare not try to find out. We have to be so discreet. Just asking questions, even behind closed doors could put one in extreme danger.

The employees of the Kovietska Truth work out of a dingy little office in the back blocks of this huge city. It is carefully guarded and has a secret entrance. A lot of the time we work from our homes and communicate with encrypted emails and burner phones. Our objective is to communicate the truth to the Russian people. The truth about their beloved leader. At least that’s what they think he is. I feel ill every time I see his puffy little face, those cruel lying eyes, and how he has masses of Russian people hoodwinked about his activities. The crunch really came when he launched his invasion of Ukraine in February. So here I am at the Moscow Stadium at a rally initiated by him so he can bullshit the people on what is happening and why. There must be close to two hundred thousand people here. The event officially marks the eighth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea but it is blatantly obvious it is intended to rally the country behind the invasion.

To swell the numbers a number of outlets, including Reuters, have reported that state employees have been ordered to attend. Russia has a history of state employees being coerced to attend pro government rallies. Putin is speaking now and I have my phone on record and held low so the police, who are everywhere, don’t notice. There are many waving flags with the letter Z emblazoned on them. The Z has gone from being a military symbol to being the main symbol for the support of the invasion. As I carefully raised my phone and added some comments of my own to the recording I was thumped in the back and I dropped the phone. I panicked as I reached down to try and retrieve it. It had slid along the ground and I saw someone pick it up. As I pushed against the crowd to try and get it I was confronted by a police officer. He had the phone in his hand; he looked at it and then played with it. The bastard played back my recording. My last comments were derogatory so he seized my arm whilst calling for assistance. In seconds they had me handcuffed and being pushed through the crowd then whisked away in an armoured van. I was so distraught I threw up in the van and the officer spat on me then pushed my face into my own vomit. That’s when the fear really kicked in. Now I am stuck in this freezing cell.

As the night dragged on and the cold gripped me again I could not raise one positive thought.

In March the temperature overnight in Moscow is about minus two degrees. In my cell it might have been about six degrees. All I could do was wrap the blanket around me and keep moving. In my mind’s eye I pictured Putin with his thick rolled neck jumper and heavy parka, looking all cosy as he waffled on, justifying the invasion. The invasion has abruptly changed the world. Millions have fled; a new iron curtain is grinding into place and an economic war deepens as the conflict escalates. It is my job and of those in the world press to report the truth. The only glimmer of hope I have now lies with Ilya, Ilya Belsky, my cohort who had been nearby. Hopefully he got away. As for me, now I am waiting with the fear increasing. The grey morning light filtered through my pokey window as the door crashed open and I was manhandled out of the cell and along a stark stone corridor, no thoughts of escape were possible. One armed guard was in front of me, the other close behind. My heart pounded, my stomach churned as we approached a corner and I saw what looked like a garbage trolley ahead of me. Was I going to be dumped in that? I had no time to contemplate; everything happened quickly. I felt a sharp sting in my arm and everything went hazy. As I gradually lost consciousness, I think I said goodbye to this world and, God knows why, I saw Putin’s face .. and the bastard was laughing.

I awoke to the smell of dirty laundry invading my senses, at least I was warm; I could feel movement then a voice, a friendly voice came from my left. “Yuri! Yuri, you’re safe my friend.” I glanced toward that voice and my heart beat faster. It was one of our people, Stepan Semanov. I heard my own voice, husky … scratchy. “Stepan, where am I?”

“You are in a laundry van, on the way to a safe place. Ilya is there. We had guards in that prison, Pavel and Danil. They smuggled you out with the laundry pick up. You live to fight another day. We are close now, there is a plot to overthrow Putin. It won’t be long. The people will soon know the truth!”

I smiled, and as I drifted off to sleep I saw Putin’s pudgy face again. He was outside the Kremlin being pushed into an armoured car. He wasn’t laughing this time. I’m sure I saw a hint of fear in those dark eyes.

***

Projects in progress

The Van Bladen Deception:

When two young boys discover a sealed metal box in a dry lake bed and take it away to see what it contains thay unleash a deadly train of events that places them and various other people in extreme danger.

The events following the discovery attract the attention of ASIO intelligence agent Geoffrey Logan. When he starts investigating what has been happening he treads on the toes of his own boss and attracts the attention of an American billionaire and his associates. That group of high profile businessmen appear to be working on a major project to benefit all mankind but their leader and some of the group members appear to act in a manner that is questionable.

The action takes place in Australia and in the beautiful US city of Seattle.

V Four:

A Melbourne radio talk show host is targetted by a secret group to promote their activities in moving the government to improve the justice system: to make the penalty fit the crime. In doing so they open a can of worms that leads to lethal consequences.

PUBLISHED WORKS

The Twilight Years

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The Twilight Years relates Jonathan's experiences working in the Australian Healthcare system as a Caregiver. Jonathan describes the difficulties, pleasures and learning experiences in caring for aged and disabled people in their own homes. During his 10 years in this role he met many wonderful people and helped them manage various medical conditions - Parkinsons, MS. MND, Cancer Cerebral Palsy and more - as they did their best to enjoy their Twilight years.

ART - adventures in painting

Jonathan's other creative outlet is art painting, something he decided on out of the blue. He has virtually taught himself and experiments in different styles and chooses a variety of subjects, as the collection below reveals.

Jonathan uses acrylic paint because of the vibrant colours. The painting immediately below is called MOONLIGHT and was his first attempt.