Hi Friend!
Happy July!
I hope that your summer is great. July 4th was a blast here in the northeast. Great fireworks and BBQ.
I am excited to share an author feature with you this month. Friend and fellow author Luke Eckley published his second novel LIFE BOAT. It came out May 14th, 2023. I was lucky enough to have him agree to be featured this month.
Here is my interview with him:
Question: Tell us what Life Boat is all about.
Luke Eckley: Life Boat is about a man and his daughter, struggling to find hope in the wake of catastrophic loss.
Q: What inspired you to write this novel?
Eckley: The idea for the story was inspired by a sailing excursion I was on about five years ago. It didn’t exactly go well, but I learned a lot on the journey, and it was inspirational nonetheless. I pulled in a few other experiences from my real life, and they seemed to mesh into what I hope is an interesting read.
Q: You chose the ocean as a way for Cort and Lucie, his daughter, to connect and come back to themselves and life. Is there a specific reason you chose the ocean?
Eckley: Great question! Like Cort, the main character in Life Boat, water has always been a source of awe and inspiration to me. All bodies of water, especially the ocean, can be so beautiful and inspiring, and at the same time so daunting and intimidating. For those reasons, I thought the Atlantic Ocean would make the perfect setting for Cort and Lucie’s ultimate test.
Q: You have a lot of female characters in your book. What’s the trickiest thing about writing characters of the opposite gender?
Eckley: I found the most difficult aspect was tapping into female emotions, and especially those of a 10-year-old girl. It certainly helped that I’ve been married for over two decades, and my daughter (at the time I started writing this book) was 10 years old.
Q: Beyond being entertained, what do you hope readers take away from reading Life Boat?
Eckley: My experience seemed to be an example of the challenges we all face in life, and I thought the story might offer inspiration for someone struggling with grief. Pushing through the toughest aspects of life and finding happiness beyond them was the main message of Life Boat, and I hope that is the ultimate takeaway from the reader.
Q: If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
Eckley: I think one of the Hemsworth brothers (Chris or Liam) might make a good Thad. And for Cort, maybe I’d cast someone like Christian Bale or Chris Pratt.
Luke has been writing since 2014, and Life Boat is his second published novel. He lives outside of Pittsburgh, PA, with his wife and three children. Spending time outdoors with his family is Luke’s favorite activity.
For more information, please visit Luke’s author page at, https://www.anatolianpressllc.com or connect with him on Instagram at @author.lreckley.
Life Boat is available on the Anatolian Press website (noted above) or on Amazon. You can find it here.
Here is an excerpt of my review of his book:
Eckley expertly tells the story with vivid descriptions and dialogue that propels the plot. I was immediately drawn into the characters and the stories he built around them. He deftly crafted the story keeping me anticipating from start to finish. It is full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next.
You can find the whole review here and other great reviews.
Life throws curves, and sometimes the curves are so sharp and dramatic that recovery seems impossible.
On February 2nd, Cort and Lucie Palmerton are thrown a curve so devastating that it threatens their happiness, their health, and their lives.
Sensing Cort is on the brink of giving up, Lucie proposes a long-shot idea in a desperate effort to change their path. Her plan to leave everything behind, buy a sailboat, and explore the world, sounds nothing more than preposterous to Cort.
Lucie’s proposal ignites a small flame of hope. The flame grows, and convinced they’ve got nothing more to lose, the Palmerton’s make plans for their new life. After months of preparation, on a brisk November day, Cort climbs aboard their soon-to-be home, a 46-foot Catamaran named Sea Sleigh. As he and two shipmates leave the Rhode Island bay for an 8-day sailing lesson, the water beckons, and the horizon holds the promise of a brighter future.
But even in the middle of the Atlantic, curves exist. The ocean of hope becomes a catalyst for suffering beyond anything Cort has ever experienced, bending him to his breaking point and threatening to destroy everything. When Sea Sleigh’s course is unexpectedly altered, Cort finds himself in a perilous fight for survival and in jeopardy of losing it all, including his life.
Here are your August Book Holidays
2: National Coloring Book Day
9: National Book Lovers Day
14: Love Your Bookshop Day
31: We Love Memoirs Day
Until Next Time,
M.C.