Publisher:
Eternity 4 Popsicle Publishing
Pages: 224
Language:
English
ISBN-10: 0973356154
ISBN-13: 978-0973356151
Purchase at AMAZON
This is the life
story of Walter Crofter, an English commoner who ran from home at the age of
11. After two years living on the street, he ended up on a
Merchant Mariners boat in the service of the Crown.
On his first
voyage, he rescued a girl from pirates. A very important girl, who
stole his heart before she was returned to her home.
This is the story
of his life. What adventures he had at sea; what took him off the
waters, and what happened to him as he lived his life and stayed true to his
character.
Excerpt:
In my earliest
days, I remember my father, Geoff, being a bit forceful with other
people. I also recall my brother Gerald, nearly five years my
senior, and myself being happy. Or at least as contented as two
boys could be who were growing up in the late 1500s in England, and working
every day since their seventh birthdays. It was a time when boys
were earning coin as soon as they could lift or carry things. The
money could never be for themselves, however, but for the parents
to help pay the bills.
Father lived as
a crofter should. He was an upright man and sold vegetables
off a cart like his grandfather did, and he also dabbled in
selling fine fabric for the ladies of status.
One afternoon,
when I was eight years old, my brother came home and got into a heated debate
with my father about something. When I ran to see what was the
matter, they hushed around me, so I never got the full gist of the
argument. But whatever it was about, it was serious, and the
bickering continued behind my back for five straight days. When I
awoke on the morning of the sixth day, Gerald was no longer at home.
And he never came back.
Soon
afterwards, my father lost enthusiasm for his business and became generally
passive. I assumed this was because of Gerald's leaving, and only
on occasion would I see flashes of my dad's former self.
At the start of
my tenth year, our family moved closer to London. We
rented the bottom floor of a three-story building in which
several families lived in the upper floors. My father said we
relocated because he needed to be closer to more business opportunities.
But my mom didn't believe he'd made the right decision, since he
was now selling food out of a cart and not inside a
storefront. One night, she greeted him at the door when he came
home. She was wearing a frown and a dress that had seen better
days.
"Did you bring
in any decent money?" she asked him before he had time to take off his coat.
"I told you, it
will take some time. It's not easy to make good money these
days."
"Especially
when you let the ladies walk all over you."
"I know, I
know. But what am I to do when they aren't running up to me to buy
what I'm selling?"
"You at least
bring home some food for us?" My father had carried in a bag under
his arm.
"It's not much,
a few carrots and some celery." He handed her the bag.
"What about
meat?"
"We're not
ready for meat yet."
"That’s true
enough," my mother said. "But you should at least try to feed your
family. Walter's growing, and so are our other children."
"Leave me be,
woman. I'm doing the best I can for now." He sat in
his chair, leaned his head against the wall, and fell asleep.
That same
debate played out between my parents for the next two years.
Except for the summer months, when food was plentiful; then the arguments
subsided. But for the rest of the year, especially during the
winter, the same discussions about money continued on a daily basis, and they
were often quite heated. I lost two younger siblings during those
two years. One during my tenth winter and the other during my
eleventh winter. Neither of the children was older than six
months. I always suspected hunger as the primary
cause of their deaths.
About the Author:
Mike Hartner is a father, son, author,
patriot, geek (ret), and husband.
His love of all things genealogical led him
to writing, and writing has now led him to fiction and a large epic
saga.
He lives in
Vancouver, BC with his wife and son.
His latest book is
the historical romance, I, Walter.
Connect & Socialize with
Mike!
I received the information in this post from the author through Pump Up Your Book. I have not personally read this book but the blurb seemed interesting so I agreed to post this promo for my readers. For more info, see my FTC disclosure or Review Policy.
