Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I should have been a seal, a tern, a seagull, a sea captain. A musician was a very strong possibility but I was too realistic and selfless to have pursued such a career as a drummer and guitar player. I wanted to get married and raise a family; you can do both, but its hard on a musicians salary unless you work two jobs and your family comes second. My family comes first. I love boating like music, always have. I haven't figured out what the allure is, but it's always been there and like music, it's captivated me from an early age. I love being outdoors, in the back yard, in the woods, on a ski slope, but mostly on the water. Lately I've been writing non-fiction about some of those experiences; the latest book title being, Lubber's Log (Llumina Press).

Describe your book ‘Lubber's Log’ in 30 words or less.

It's a boating basics adventure story of a couple's moving up to a bigger boat and all the good and bad, fun and funny new experiences that come with such an undertaking .

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Actually it came quite easily because it was a daily account of our challenges written into a log I kept.  At the end of each day I'd summarize its events and later fill in the details. By year's end I had the framework of a manuscript replete with factual tidbits.

But to answer your question I’d say that sometimes when I chose a time to write and it wasn't the right time, when the words didn't come easily and the pen got heavy, I just dropped the pen and returned to the palate when my head was clear and I had something interesting, humorous or enlightening to say.

What books have had the greatest influence on you?

None in particular.  I always enjoyed the boating classics like Melville's Moby Dick, Hemmingway's Old Man and the Sea, Nordhoff and Hall's Mutiny on the Bounty. But I'm a big fan of most of Nelson DeMille's books like Plum Island, The Lion's Game and The Gatehouse. They're all page turners. David McCullough's historical accounts in books like 1776 and John Adams also interest me a great deal because of the way he makes his subjects come alive.

Briefly share with us what you do to market your book?

I have taken a number of steps in book promotion and marketing, however I'm still coming up the learning curve.  Some of these steps have involved the following:  sending books out for editorial reviews; developing a website for my book and starting a blog; posting to forums and blogs; writing articles on boating subjects with links to my blog and website; enhancing SEO (search engine optimization) of my website and blog incorporating meta descriptions, meta titles; advertising in local newspapers;  sending notices with press release and other relevant information to bookstores and potential interested parties; giving away books to family and friends; sending post cards and emails to acquaintances; designing bookmarks and business cards with references to website and publisher; enrolling with BookBuzzer Author Pro to help with book promotion management advice and Freado (largest book winning site) which uses interactive games to enhance book recognition; creating author profiles on Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble; posting daily on Twitter, sometimes more.  Will be setting up a Facebook Fan Page when I figure out how to do that.

How do you spend your time when you are not writing?

I'm an active boater with my wife, friends and family in the summer and early fall. I play snare drum in a colonial period fife and drum corps in a nearby town and am active in performing in parades and musters in the Spring and Fall.  I love my two grandchildren dearly and my wife and I try to spend as much time as we can with them at home and on the water.  When I'm not writing and marketing my book I'll pick up any one of the 5 guitars in my house and play.  It relaxes me even though the strings might hurt my fingers after a long hiatus between sessions; it's worth the pain.  Oh yes, my beloved Red Sox.  I love baseball.

What are you working on next?

I've started an account of my recollections of my mother's life leading up to final four month stay in a nursing home where we both met a collection of some of the funniest characters I've ever met.  So much is written about the tragedy of old age and infirmity including dementia, it's time someone wrote about the lighter, humorous and tender side of life at the end of the journey.