The Seed was Planted

January 21, 2015January 22, 2015 ~ rhondakalkwarf ~ Leave a comment

Last summer, I came in contact with journals written by the wife my father divorced shortly before embarking on his journey. Scattered through the boxes were copies of important papers regarding the boat and the official police report of finding it unmanned, aground. There were many letters between assorted attorneys and paperwork about the salvage of the boat. A preliminary report of death from the State Department was at the bottom of the box.

As I read through the paperwork, I realized, here’s a story. If I were to write it, I knew I would have to write it as fiction because there is so much I don’t know, no one knows. I would have to invent a lot of the story. The seed was planted.

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Lost at Sea

January 17, 2015January 14, 2015 ~ rhondakalkwarf ~ 6 Comments

In 1977, a man was lost at sea while sailing alone in the Bahamas. His boat was found, intact, but he was missing, presumed dead. No one knows for sure what happened. The seas in the area are known to be among the roughest for sailing. There were pirates around. Drug dealing was done from some of the islands near where his boat was found. The sharks were spawning. It was the beginning of hurricane season. He had seriously injured his arm which may have affected his ability to handle his boat. There was reportedly someone who had relentlessly pursued the vintage craft the man had lovingly restored. His life was not going well at the time and he could have staged his own disappearance. No one knows.

Follow the Journey

January 14, 2015January 19, 2015 ~ rhondakalkwarf ~ 1 Comment

Last summer, I happened upon information about a story I believe bears telling. Ten years ago, I discovered the father I never knew was lost at sea in 1977. Over the last few months, I’ve learned a lot about the man I never knew. What no one knows is what actually happened when he disappeared.

An abundance of information has come to me from several sources. It was serendipity, really. I still don’t know what happened to my father. What I do know is the information I have makes a strong basis for a good story.

So many people have been intrigued by my experience that I’ve decided to share my journey turning the information I have into a novel. By profession, I write non-fiction. I’m a personal historian. I’ve never written fiction. With my novel, I’ll be making up much of the story as I go.

In this blog, I’ll share the ups and downs, successes and failures as they happen. When we’re done, you’ll be able to read the finished product, knowing the backstory of how it came to be. Likely, I will turn to readers for opinions or advice as I go.

This, then, is my invitation to you: follow the journey!

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