I'm wrapping up the manuscript within a few days and it will be all set to go to the copyeditor shortly thereafter. Sailing the Apocalypse is a novel of about 70,000 words, and is the first novel I've written in the first person point of view. This is a story I've really enjoyed working on and writing it has given me several ideas for other works or possibly sequels to this one. Anyone who has spent as much time on or around the water as I have could not help but run into some of the eccentric characters sailing attracts. The main character of this story is one of those, but like most sailors and boatbuilders, Terry Bailey is resourceful and independent even if he does take a lot of his ideas too far.
With "apocalypse" in the title, a lot of my readers will assume this book is another "post-apocalyptic" or dystopian survival tale like The Pulse or The Darkness After, but it's actually more "pre-apocalyptic" if anything. The Wharram catamaran featured in the story and on the cover is christened the Apocalypse by Terry and his family after they build and launch it. And it's purpose is to be their new home and escape pod from the doom that Terry is certain will soon befall his country. Readers of my other works will see a bit of the prepper mentality in this character as well, but he's much more off the deep end than I've recommended in my serious nonfiction titles on the subject or here on Bug Out Survival
Sailing the Apocalypse is available for preorder now in the ebook form for just five bucks from the usual retailers linked below, and the print version will be available about the time the ebook is released. Although the release date posted on Amazon and the other stores is February 15, the book should be available a full month earlier or by the end of January at the latest.
Amazon Kindle
Apple iBooks
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Your description of the catamaran in THE PULSE sounded good to me - one person described it to me as 'Sailer Porn', lol. I wouldn't mind reading more of the same - I'm a son of the soil, but the high seas do sound pretty cool. Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good way to put it, I guess. We sailors get pretty obsessed with our boats, to be sure! The catamaran in THE PULSE and REFUGE is a Wharram design as well, although a 36-footer rather than a 46-footer like the one in this new story.
ReplyDeleteYour comment makes me realize I should post something here soon about the actual designs with design data and photos of actual boats built to these plans. They are real designs and have been homebuilt by real people who have sailed them all over the world. I've built some of the smaller Wharram cats myself and have sailed on many of the various sizes.
The designer's website for anyone interested in the meantime is www.wharram.com
Click, clicketty-click (the sound of me ordering SAILING THE APOCALYPSE)!
ReplyDeleteGreat premise, reminding me of Theroux's THE MOSQUITO COAST... cautionary tales for the likes of myself, who tend to sail for the edge.
And Wharram cats... oooh yeh, Baby!
Looking forward to reading all night.
Dave Zeiger
(www.triloboats.com)
Awesome, Dave! Love your blog, too. Very cool that you made that connection to Theroux's classic. Certainly an inspiration for this project, no doubt.
ReplyDeleteThe print version and the ebook should be available by the weekend if all goes as planned!