My First Book... the Beginning

In My Father’s Shadow is a series of short stories chronicling the life of the author’s father. In these stories the author has attempted to capture the essence of what his father taught his brother and him, the time they spent in play, and the life lessons which has left an indelible imprint. In point of fact, it is a story about all fathers. Most average men, very few leaving a legacy of great deeds, but through small acts of kindness, love, and favor are elevated to greatness. Its every man’s story. The story begins with his father in the early 1900’s growing up in Tidewater Virginia during the Depression years. We travel with him to his time in the Navy during World War II, and post-war years building a quality of life for himself and family. The last chapter brings us to his last days and gives the reader the opportunity to reflect on his life. Also included are historical references to the time in which his father lived spanning a period of remarkable medical, political, and socioeconomic significance.

From my shelf to yours. Pages worth turning.

The Lifeboat

By

Charlotte Winter

It is 1912. A young woman, Grace, ensnares a wealthy, well-to-do businessman. They run off to Europe and elope. Only weeks into their marriage, they decide it is time to return to America upon a steamship. Mysteriously, the ship explodes, casting the few fortunate upon the sea in lifeboats. Grace’s husband perishes; luckily, she finds herself in one such lifeboat along with mostly women, a few men, and one crew member. It is way beyond overcrowded, threatening to swamp the diminutive vessel. There are inadequate provisions, little water, and virtually no food. Conditions deteriorate over days, which turn into weeks, and with it the fabric of humanity frays at the edges.

The brutal reality of being shipwrecked is that every man or woman must fend for themselves. The stress aboard Grace’s lifeboat becomes palpable. Allegiances form and break, leadership is challenged and changes hands. Mistrust is the only constant. Amidst this stew of angst and suffering, the survivors resort to thinning the numbers to compensate for overcrowding. They, in their own minds, justify the culling. It is survival, and survival trumps the laws of grace and civility. Is it self-deception?

In what must seem impossible odds, there is a rescue. But a rescue from what? For those who survived their ordeal find themselves confronted with a new threat…prosecution for murder. Untangling twisted motives and adjudicating the right and wrong of those who made their own laws creates a new drama.

No doubt, sitting in the comfort of our armchairs, it is easy to condemn. But what if it was you in the lifeboat? Could you suppress your instincts for survival and control your inner demons? Could you control those of others? This is a psychological thriller. Perhaps deeply troubling. But most certainly based in reality.