Product Description
by Mindy Dwyer (Illustrator), Matt McConville (Author)
In Book One, Jacks, a freshwater guy from Pittsburgh, PA, was never interested in sailing . . . not even a little bit. And just when he thought he had life figured out, ready to get married and start his dream job as a national chef, he is rudely bounced off of his well-planned path of rationality and pragmatism and launched on a hilarious yet poignant odyssey. Despite determined efforts to keep both feet planted firmly on the ground, he finds himself sailing out of Annapolis Harbor as a cook on a forty-foot sailboat, heading for the Virgin Islands . . . and scratching a hole in his head as to how in the hell that happened. He was sure of only one thing . . . it was more than the wind that blew him there. And getting his sea legs was the least of his problems. This is the story of a man searching for answers and finding clues in strange places and under bizarre circumstances. Along the way, Jacks encounters a cast of outlandish, endearing characters-including Pete, an ageless, mystical, retired marine; Jimmy, a guileless wannabe Rasta; Les, a humming, fig-eating philosopher king; Frank, the quintessential, gentlemanly captain; and Lou, who truly believes that misery loves company- and slowly but surely learns that moments of self-realization and truth reveal themselves when one least expects them
Author Biography
Matt McConville is a musician, performer, songwriter, writer, and chef. This is his first novel. Throughout his life, Matt has journeyed with ease and sometimes grace from the outer- to the inner-circles of society, has traveled like a gypsy, and has never been afraid to run away from anything. Along the way, he has climbed bridges and seven-hundred-foot smokestacks, washed dishes, waited tables, tended bar, managed dining rooms and kitchens, owned restaurants and bars, sold frozen steaks and seafood door-to-door off of the back of a truck, dabbled in mortgages and headhunting, been a corporate spy and troubleshooter, decorated very large cafeterias, and learned to bake great bread. In the meantime, Matt founded and is president of AMFM, Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians, a nonprofit that provides emergency financial relief for Annapolis-area musicians. He currently lives in Maryland with his wife and two daughters, plays music in overly sanitized bars and restaurants, and smiles wryly while driving the big YELLOW bus
