Cruise of the Roach Coach

About the Book

Julie is a 13 year old girl who recently moved to Southern California from Colorado because her father took a new job. She is smart, a prolific reader, and energetic. She loved to ski and, therefore, was not happy with the move, as her new home is not exactly a paradise for skiers whereas, she skied every week, in season, from her previous abode.

The parents of her new best friend, Lizzy, have a sail boat. When invited aboard for a week end trip to Catalina Island, she discovers a natural love for sailing and skin diving. Her parents and Lizzys parents meet socially and decide to do a bare boat charter in the Caribbean with Julie and Lizzy during their summer vacation.

The six of them have many adventures in two weeks in the Gulf of Honduras. Of the several islands where they anchor, the pivotal one is the little known Suk Suk. It is populated by blond, blue eyed people who are descendants of Henry Morgan the British Pirate. They live by fishing. They speak the dialect of Shakespeares time. There is some mental retardation due to intermarriage over centuries.

Julies mother is writing her Ph.D. thesis on early British colonies in the new world and the island is the perfect research tool for her. Lizzys mother is nurse whose presence is opportune at a difficult birth. Julies father is an engineer who helps the islanders set up a TV. Julie becomes infatuated with one of the island boys. They weather a near hurricane together.

The families also learn about other Honduran people and visit the Mayan ruins at Copn. The story is told through Julies diary and the log of the Roach Coach which she also writes. Her observations are wry and intelligent.

Although Julie is a fictional character, Suk Suk and her denizens really exists as described.

About the Author

As a professional engineer, my previous publications have all been articles in technical magazines and loaded with mathematical equations. I also have an MBA but, sadly, neither my undergraduate nor graduate schooling put much emphasis on writing fiction, which, I finally realize is what I want to do. I've taken a correspondence course in creative writing and a couple of creative writing courses in local community colleges.

My strength, in my opinion, is that I sail, skin and SCUBA dive, surf, ski, played football and ran track in high school, and am not a stranger to tennis, racquetball or golf, thus can write from some experience in many sporting pursuits. Further, having worked as a design engineer and in industrial management, I believe I can tell stories that will interest readers without introducing inaccuracies in how business is accomplished. One more item that I deem a plus, I've lived overseas for a few years and have traveled extensively in Africa, India and Egypt as well as Europe, Asia and Latin America.