Blog Posts - Books by Eric Douglas

Shameless self promotion and Friday fun

August 10, 2012 By Eric Douglas

I wrote what????

Elizabeth Damewood Gaucher is encouraging friends, writers and readers of her Esse Diem blog to have a little literary fun. She’s creating an “Esse Diem meme” with pictures of her fans with their favorite books. I asked her if it would be too shameless of me to take my picture with one of my own books. Her reply: “I’m counting on you to do that!” Well, I’ve never been one to disappoint a friend…

If you want to know more about Esse Diem, which I highly recommend, or this meme, check it out: www.essediemblog.com

As I scan back through my most recent blog posts, I realize I’ve been talking about Wreck of the Huron a lot lately. I also know there will be more posts and comments on the topic. Unfortunately, that comes with the territory. While writing a book is hard work, promoting it is harder. That’s something most writers are unprepared for. They expect the world to beat a path to their door simply because they’ve strung a group of words together. The occasional “overnight success story” doesn’t help to disabuse writers of that notion, either.

One of the greatest thrills from writing is talking to people who have either read what I’ve written or are interested in reading it. There is nothing more humbling or satisfying than being asked to sign a copy of one of my books. Last night I signed a few at the South Charleston Public Library after giving a short talk on the writing process and this story in particular. It’s just the coolest feeling in the world. I’m working on a couple more places where I will sign books in the not too distant future and I’m really looking forward to it.

On the other hand, I realize I need to get out and have an adventure totally unrelated to this book or anything else I’ve written about recently; something to spark the creative juices. That’s my challenge for myself for the weekend. It’s time to get out away from the house and have some fun.

Maybe I’ll see you out there, too. I hope so.

If not, can I suggest a book you might like to read? 😉.

Writing historical fiction

August 9, 2012 By Eric Douglas

I have the first local book signing for my new novel Wreck of the Huron tonight and I’m giving a short presentation on the book. I’ve been thinking about what to say and it finally occurred to me that what I like best about Wreck of the Huron is the story behind the story.

I’ve always been a history buff. I think I’ve always been blessed with the ability to “see” history in my mind. Not the history of textbooks, mind you. I’m terrible at memorizing dates. But I’ve always been able to imagine how things looked or think of historical events in terms of the people involved. I remember reading a book about the Civil War when I was about 12 or so and actually getting mad at General George McClellan. The book described all the ways in which he failed to do his job and it made me angry.

The thing I’ve learned about telling stories is that when you try talk about something huge like the Civil War, it doesn’t make sense to people. That’s where textbooks fall short. Most readers can’t relate to those events in human terms. When you’re telling a huge story, and probably especially then, you have to do it with just a few characters and make them real. Done well, historical fiction can be just as informative and educational as traditional history lessons.

The very idea of “historical fiction” makes some people groan. I know that. They think back to high school history class and how bored they were. Historical fiction doesn’t have to be boring. My last two novels (Guardian’s Keep and Wreck of the Huron) both have historical settings and backgrounds but the main part of the story takes place in present day. I like to bring readers along through the past so they can learn what happened and why as the present day characters do.

When I first heard the story of the USS Huron and her sinking in 1877, I was intrigued and knew I wanted to use it in a story, but I was stuck for a long time on how to do it. I began writing the book, but then hit a wall and had to put it away for a while. I didn’t know how I was going to tell the story of the men on board and do it justice. And then I stumbled across the transcript of the official inquest into the Huron’s sinking. I quickly realized I could tell the story of the ship by letting the men who survived do it themselves. Now that Wreck of the Huron is complete, that section is my favorite part of the book. It tells the story in human terms.

My first exposure to the story of the Huron and the circumstances of her sinking happened because of a historical highway marker beside the road and some signs explaining what had happened on a quiet stretch of beach 135 years ago. When you consider how many historical highway markers there are out there, it tells me there is no end to good stories to tell.

You just have to find the right way to tell it..

Breathing underwater for the first time

August 2, 2012 By Eric Douglas

I still remember my first breath underwater. You might think I’d let that memory pass long ago. Since that first day, I’ve logged hundreds of dives and spent hundreds of hours breathing with a scuba regulator in my mouth. But that first breath was special.

I wish I could say it went smoothly, but it didn’t.

It was 1990 and I had just graduated from college with a degree in Journalism from Marshall. Like a lot of new graduates, I looked at my resume and realized just how bare it was. And, of course, I had grand aspirations of going to work for National Geographic, but that’s a different story. Anyway, I looked at my resume and wondered what I could do to beef things up a bit. I thought to myself, I could learn to fly a plane or learn to dive. I checked into both. Learning to dive seemed a lot more practical at the time.

So, that was how I found myself at the West Virginia State University (then college) pool kneeling in the shallow end with 40 or so pounds of dive gear on my back. I put my face in the water and looked around at my fellow students for a moment. We were all smiling behind our masks. And then it came time to breathe. I couldn’t do it. I choked. My throat locked up and I couldn’t inhale. I quickly rose up out of the water and spat out my regulator. After a few minutes of thinking through the process and telling myself I could actually breathe with my face in the water, I tried it again and was successful. The rest, as they say, is history. (Not really, but no one is interested in all that detail.) It has led to several books and a career in diving. Not bad for a goofy kid from West Virginia.

Last night I got to watch a couple new divers experience scuba for the first time.

“So how was it?” “Pretty cool!”

Local Charleston dive instructor Bob Sharpe was teaching a class and I was hanging around to get in the pool for a bit. It was fun to watch and brought back a lot of memories for me…from my own experiences as a diver and some of the students I taught along the way.

You never know if a new diver has just discovered something that will end up being a life-long passion or if they will dive a few times on their own and then move on to other experiences. It’s funny though, I often wear dive t-shirts or other logos (it makes up quite a bit of my wardrobe) and people stop me and say “Are you a diver? Me too.” Even if they haven’t been diving in years, they still identify with being a diver. And when they talk about diving you can still see that look in their eyes from their first breath. It is a look of excitement and wonder.

Tonight, I plan to spend some time in the pool with my daughters helping them learn to snorkel. Neither one of them has been all that interested in it to this point and I know better than to push it on them. Maybe next year, they will want to get scuba certified. Who knows? I won’t teach the class, but I know some very good instructors who will do it for me. I do want to be there, though, and watch that light in their eyes for the first time. I think they will say it was “pretty cool” too..

The adventure of scuba diving

July 28, 2012 By Eric Douglas

Sunken boat appearing through the gloom. This might just
show up in a story at some point…

When I’m diving, I’m often writing as well. I love the feeling of weightlessness and enjoy the fact that I can’t hear my phone ring while I’m underwater, but while part of my mind is focused on what I see in front of me (and a part of my subconscious is focused on the act of diving: controlling my buoyancy, monitoring my air supply, and swimming) another part of my brain is writing a story or thinking about an article. Often, I see things and think to myself, I could make a story out of that. I’ve gotten inspiration for several of my novels and short stories while I’ve been blowing bubbles.

My first job in the dive industry, in 1998, was working for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) as a technical writer. That job set me on a career path that has given me chances to see the world and make friends on nearly every continent. (Thank you Karl Shreeves for taking the chance on me when I didn’t have all of the credentials you wanted.)

Dad peering into the sunken boat near winter access.

Yesterday I was diving with my dad for my birthday. It took us about an hour and a half to get to the local lake where we both learned to dive. That gave us a lot of time to catch up and talk. We actually missed one turn because we were talking. And then we made a couple dives together.

Summersville Lake in West Virginia is a pretty good place to dive. Yesterday, even with the thunderstorms that rolled through the night before, visibility was probably 30 feet or so. There was particulate in the water making photography a little tricky, but on the whole conditions were good. Water temperature was in the upper 70s on the surface and low 70s at the first thermocline. We didn’t go deeper than that. There isn’t a lot to see, but it can still be fun. There are some fish, some rock structures to look at and a small boat to dive on.

While we were diving, I was thinking about an article I wrote for The Undersea Journal in (I think) 1999 about diving with my dad. That was the first time we ever got a chance to get in the water together. He learned to dive after I had moved to California to work for PADI, but he came to California and we dived together there. I wrote about it for the UJ and talked about how cool it was that you can share diving with your kids and your parents. I was also thinking about another friend of mine from PADI, James Morgan, who posted recently about taking his young sons snorkeling for the first time and how proud he was to be sharing his passion with his boys.

Diving has given me lots of things: travel, opportunities, and an escape. Probably the coolest thing it has given me, though, is a common ground with my dad and something we can share together. Who would’ve thought a father and son from West Virginia could end up sharing scuba diving as a hobby? I can’t wait until my daughters express an interest in learning to dive. I won’t push them into it, but when they tell me they are ready, I will get them in the water.

Last night, Beverly and I went to the Live On the Levee concert to enjoy some live music. While we were there, a friend stopped by for a minute and introduced me to his 10-year-old son. The boy was working on his scuba certification and would be finished in a couple weeks. The boy was excited about it, but you could tell the father couldn’t have been prouder.

I watched them walk away and thought, “There goes another father and son ready to blow bubbles together.” I hope it’s something they share for a lifetime.

Here are a few more pictures as well..

On my 45th birthday

July 27, 2012 By Eric Douglas

I was born in the“Summer of Love” and “Light My Fire” by The Doors was the Number 1 song on the radio the week I was born. I came of age in the 80s, graduating high school in 85 and college in 89.

When I graduated high school, I remember thinking that people who went to their 25th high school reunions were “old.” I did that a couple years ago. Funny thing is, I still don’t feel old. Not going to lie, my knee bothers me sometimes and there are times the music is too loud. On the whole, though, I still feel like I have a lot of living left to do.

I used to laugh at people my age who referred “mid-40s” as middle age. Statistically, men in the United States live to the ripe-old age of 78.2 years. Statistical middle age is 39.1.

I’ve been fortunate to say that I have had fun in every stage of my life and in every decade. None of it was perfect and less of it was easy, but it has been mine and there were plenty of laughs along the way. That’s all that matters…to me anyway.

So, Happy Birthday to me. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go scuba diving with my dad in Summersville Lake, WV. It’s where we both learned to dive—I learned about eight years before he did.

Dad will be 74 in about two weeks. Do you think I should tell him to slow down? I think he may be past middle age…

Inspiring rather than complaining

July 24, 2012 By Eric Douglas

Last night I saw a post on Facebook from Teresa, a high school classmate. She’s going back into the hospital for more radiation treatments and surgery on a brain tumor. From the sounds of it, this is something she’s been dealing with for several years now. When I read it, I immediately said a prayer for Teresa and her family. And her family is key to this. Every time she posts an update on her situation, she mentions her daughter and how difficult everything is for her.

Teresa is struggling with her own health. I’m sure she’s scared. But, she wasn’t complaining about her problems. She was just letting people what was happening. In yesterday’s post, she asked for prayers for her health and then said “I will pray, too that I can just be a mom and raise my sweet daughter!” She just wants to be healthy so her daughter won’t worry any more. As parents, we try to shelter our children from the bad things in life. But there’s no way to shelter your child from something like that. And you know that has to be hard on both of them.

In general, I’m an optimistic person and I get very frustrated when I hear people complain. People all around just seem so angry all the time. They complain, they criticize and they argue. And it seems to be getting worse. Earlier in the day, I heard an announcement that a professional wrestling show was coming to town. My first thought was that we have become a culture of professional wrestling. We act as if it’s normal to be angry; to yell and scream at each other, to take cheap shots and hit people with chairs.

And then I see someone like Teresa who’s going through some very bad times, but she isn’t complaining. I’m sure she gets down and complains from time to time, but that doesn’t seem to be how she lives her life. She’s just trying to do the best she can and do everything she can to get healthy.

I know nothing in my life is even remotely as stressful as what Teresa is dealing with. So, I’m choosing her as my inspiration. If she can keep working, trying and pushing forward while she deals with a brain tumor, I have no reason to complain about anything.

I will keep Teresa and her family in my prayers. And I will be thankful for everything I have.

I hope you do the same.

UPDATE: I just saw a few minutes ago that Teresa passed away this morning, April 23, 2013. My prayers go out for Teresa and her family. The following is a link to Teresa’s Caringbridge for her friends and family..