Welcome to my blog, a discussion of ships, writing, humor, and other things that interest me, and I hope, you. I sincerely appreciate your interest and thank you for stopping by.

Rick Spilman hosts the Old Salt Blog, which he bills as “a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea, whether from the deck of a ship or boat or from the pages of a novel.”

It is all that and more, spanning topics from Nelson in the Great Age of Sail to current events such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and challenges faced by women submariners.  With links to well over a hundred maritime blogs, websites, magazines, and industry and preservation groups, the Old Salt Blog is the place to be for anyone with an interest in ships or the sea.

I didn’t know Rick before I sent him a copy of Deadly Straits and requested a review.  To be honest, I figured it was a long shot; many of the books reviewed on the Old Salt Blog are non-fiction, and the novels he does review are primarily historical fiction.  I’d have been even less hopeful had I known at the time that he is a self-described “thriller skeptic.”

Yesterday, Rick sent me an email with a link to his review of Deadly Straits. I have to say it blew me away. Every author is happy to get a good review, and I’m deeply grateful to everyone who’s posted reviews of Deadly Straits on Amazon or their blogs (and hope they continue to do so).  However, I’m especially proud of  this review, coming as it does from someone with deep roots in the marine industry.

So, if you’ve got the time, please check it out, and have a look around the Old Salt Blog while you’re at it.  If you have any interest is the sea at all, you’re sure to find something you like.