At Long Last

The old saying, “Better late than never,” certainly took on new meaning for me as I tried to get Islands in the Sand: An Introduction to Artificial Reefs in the USA from inside my head to the bookshelves. I actually began the project in early 2006 with the intent of having it out by the Fall. A number of unexpected events combined with the usual delays as I watched the months slip by. On the other hand, I did get Shades of Gold out in 2007, so it’s not as if I was being idle. Despite the delays, Islands has been a wonderful project that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I sifted through literally thousands of pages of documents and finally decided to narrow the focus of the book; thus, the “Introduction to Artificial Reefs” angle.

In its final state, Islands is a blend of history, narrative non-fiction, government policy, science, and eco-tourism considerations woven together in a reader-friendly style. It covers almost 150 years of artificial reef efforts within the United States and includes every region of the country. Among numerous people that I interviewed are, Dr. William Lindberg of the University of Florida, Mr. Thomas Maher, Board member of the Reefball organization, Mr. Stephen Frink, the well-known underwater photographer, Mr. Don Ferris of Scuba-NewEngland.com, Mr. Dale Shively, with the Texas Artificial Reef Program, and Mr. Dick Long, the founder of Drysuits Unlimited, Inc., who was instrumental in deploying the HMS Yukon in California. It has been fascinating to listen to behind-the-scenes stories and personal memories from people involved in artificial reefs that range in scope from sinking vessels to specially designed structures that are all shapes and sizes.

Islands in the Sand is available through the normal on-line bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble and also through Book Locker. The e-book version is also listed with Book Locker.

Islands is a great book to give as a gift for anyone who enjoys scuba, sportfishing, marine history, or any other water-related activity. As always, you can contact me for an autograph card for any of my books. I invite you to click on over to Charlie’s Books and if you’re a first-time visitor, please check the Short Story and Visit the Story Archive sections.

Happy Summer to Everyone and Happy Fourth of July in case I don’t have a chance to update before then.

Charlie