The Wheelhouse Café - a love story in the key of sea - Softcover

Lieblein, Yvonne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1596874406 ISBN 13: 9781596874404

Publisher: iBooks, 2015

Synopsis

It's 1994. Cell phones have yet to give seamen a bittersweet connection to the world they leave ashore, and Captain John Raymond has been riding the tides of loneliness for years. Lost in the choppy two-weeks on, two-weeks off rhythm of tugboat life, he feels most alone laying at anchor in New York Harbor because home is so close but seems a world away. The harbor is where John performs The Wheelhouse Café, singing over a marine radio in the wheelhouse. He doesn't know if anyone hears him . . . until he meets Arden McHale.

Arden is adrift when John finds her sobbing at the wake for Billy Mickelson, a tugboat captain lost at sea. She is terrified that her rejection of Billy's long-harbored love is the reason behind her childhood friend's tragic disappearance. Arden is also distraught that her go-to remedy of work marathons and round-the-clock cocktails fails to calm her waves of guilt and grief. Though John and Arden are from two different worlds, they share an intoxicating connection that threatens to derail Arden's budding romance with another man and makes John realize just how empty his life has become.

Soon after Billy's wake, Arden asks John to help protect her eight year-old nephew from his abusive father. John agrees to let the boy stow away on the tug until he's out of danger. During the ensuing adventure, the connection between John and Arden deepens as they talk over the marine radio set up in her apartment, and Arden swoons as she listens John sing in The Wheelhouse Café. But as John opens up to being heard and understood, Arden is faced with more questions than answers. Will she ever forgive herself for abandoning Billy? Can she let go of feeling responsible for his death? Is she capable of falling in love, especially with someone who's given his heart to the sea for so long?

Yvonne Lieblein is a poet, raconteur, creative producer, and communication strategist from the seaside village of Greenport, NY. Combining a story with a soundtrack is one of Yvonne's lifelong dreams, and her debut novel is anchored in music written and performed by her husband in the real Wheelhouse Café when he was a tugboat captain in the 1990s. Yvonne uses this songscape to capture the intensity, raw beauty, and isolation of life at sea. She hopes The Wheelhouse Café will inspire future collaborations between authors and musicians. 

About this title

From the Author:

I wrote THE WHEELHOUSE CAFÉ because I wanted . . .  
 . . . people to read more than just social media feeds, text messages and magazine articles. I believe reading books makes people's lives better and hope music is a hook to lure them back.

 . . . to honor the light bulb that stayed aglow for decades by making my sixth grade book-with-a-soundtrack idea a reality. 

. . . to spark a book-scoring sensation, especially with young readers who might read more books if they're pairing scenes with their favorite songs.

. . . to invent the story so determined to be told it relentlessly hijacked my attempts to write anything else. 

. . . to encourage collaboration between authors and musicians -- for creative inspiration and as a way to find new audiences.

I also wrote THE WHEELHOUSE CAFÉ to connect with people and discover ways I can make a difference in their lives. 

From the Back Cover:

"I'm just a sailor, dear,and I'm torn between the tides.There's a raging seathat's got a hold of me,and the woman on my mind."        - Captain John RaymondThe Wheelhouse Café is anchored by a songscape. Visit thewheelhousecafe.com to amplify your experience before, after, or while you read. 

About this edition

• Publisher: iBooks
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1596874406
• ISBN 13: 9781596874404
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 202