As the photo below shows, three pallets of my novel, An Island Away, just arrived here in Aruba. This was a welcome sight as many stores have run low or sold out completely. More are on the way, too, because I’ll be hosting several events this month as well as in December.
For more information about An Island Away or to read excerpts, go to my website through the link here at my blog.
Thanks and happy reading!
My earliest exposure to stories of survival was probably Robinson Crusoe. I never planned on writing tales like that, but as fate would have it, I’ve written several. There’s a scene in An Island Away in which Captain Nathan Beck is adrift in the Caribbean for nearly a week. He ultimately comes ashore in Savaneta, Aruba. Another one is in MacMillan Judge, Privateer and will be published in the future. Young Mr. Judge lands in Spain.
In the modern age, it’s hard to imagine being shipwrecked on a desert island, or lost at sea, or abandoned in a jungle somewhere. But it does happen. There was the tragic case of the scuba divers left behind, as well as incidents of plane crashes where a survivor managed to find his way out. I took the opportunity to watch a few episodes of the television programs on this subject. There are a couple of guys who are survival specialists who do everything from build a fire in the rain forrest to ice fish in the arctic. It’s quite impressive and a testament to human ingenuity that they can use their opposable thumbs and brains to come up with food and shelter.
Of course, the real solution is to avoid disaster in the first place. As the old saying goes: prior preparation prevents poor performance. It seems that some people go aboard boats, airplanes, or simply walk into the woods with neither the equipment nor skills to deal with what awaits them. This is simply idiotic. I’m not sure why people volunteer for misery. They apparently can’t get enough. Of course, the resources of the nation are then mobilized to rescue them. I’m short on sympathy in this case, especially when the rescuers have to risk their lives to save someone who did something moronic in the first place. The cost? Forget about it.
Anyway, like I said in an earlier post, fiction is a place where things can be pondered without anyone getting hurt. The real world on the other hand will inevitably teach the lesson you didn’t plan on learning. Be careful out there.
Below is the 4th Excerpt from my novel, An Island Away. Captain Beck has survived the sinking of his tug, Patricia, and has been adrift for several days… page 45 …
When he first saw land, Beck had thought it was an illusion. It was dawn, and a mile or two in the distance he perceived what seemed to be cliffs. They stood above the sea, brown blotches with streaks of black among them. He stared with his itchy eyeballs for what felt like hours. When the cliffs grew bigger, he realized they were real.
He felt a smile crack the skin of his lips. He was close enough to swim for land. His muscles cramped, but he couldn’t scream through his parched throat. Thankfully, his life preserver kept him afloat, or he would have sunk to the bottom like a rag-covered stone.
The wind lent him its assistance. It pushed him in the general direction of the cliffs. The waves steepened as they approached more shallow waters that led to dry land. As his body hopped along with the waves, he did his best to steer toward shore.
Late in the afternoon, he was close enough to see the surf pour over the rocks. Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he wasn’t sure, but the currents pushed him parallel to the boulders. He heard the noise of rocks blunting the ocean. He saw birds playing in the updrafts at the edge of the cliffs. What he did not see was an appealing beach on which he could land safely. Those rocks would have shredded a man in excellent condition. After a week at sea, he would have felt only the first blow.
In the final light of the day, he realized he was passing by the tip of an island. It had to be Aruba because Curaçao had a lighthouse at its southern tip and Aruba did not. There was a beach in the distance, but it was tucked behind that fringe of nasty rocks. He drifted along, unable to swim against the current. Salvation had come and now it was going. The devil was laughing into the wind. He could hear his cackle echoing over the deserted beach.
Wow! What a turnout for the official launch of my novel, An Island Away. There was only one place where this could be held, Charlie’s Bar, Main Street San Nicolaas. I want to start by thanking Charlito (aka Charles III, that is Charlie, Jr.’s son) and Mr. Speziale for making the event a huge success. The bar had to be rearranged a bit, a steel band brought in, and everyone pitched in to get things ready. By 11:00 am people were literally waiting for the bar to open, even though things weren’t scheduled to begin until 12:30. The doors opened at 11:30 and the party began. Here are a few photos:
That’s Mr. Speziale and I, just before things got crazy. And here’s how people lined up.
I’m signing on a table we put on Main Street so there would be room for more people in the bar. In the photo above is my friend from college and her mother. Like so many people who love Aruba, they visit the island at least once a year. Then there was this lady, who reminded me of a character from the book, but she insists it wasn’t her.
It was tons of fun to meet people who have heard about the book and wanted an official “Aruba” copy. I want everyone to know I sincerely appreciate their support and look forward to hearing from all of you about the story. Yes, I am working on the sequel (with brief breaks to hang out at Charlie’s). Here’s a look at the band.
Their music kept everyone entertained. And here’s a few random shots of me with some readers.
One more for the fun of it.
You can find more photos and details on my website, http://www.danielputkowski.com, under the news heading. Or you can simply click HERE (yes, on the word “HERE”). Once again, many thanks to everyone for coming to Charlie’s as well as the staff at the bar who did a yoeman’s job of keeping everyone happy. I can’t wait to do this again. Don’t forget to email your comments about the book to my website.
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