L. J. Cluskey
After writing the blueprint for this book in the form of a short story, author L. J. Cluskey has published his first novel 'Stepping Off The Carpathia' after only making it a priority in his life recently, creativity, how mysterious it can be when prioritising!
The story begins in 1912 as the Carpathia docks in New York where we gain an insight into the lives of some Titanic survivors including Francesca Draycott, her fiancé George Edwards and her parents Vivienne and Humphrey Draycott. A few years down the line Francesca Draycott receives the dreaded news that her fiancé George Edwards, after playing a hero`s role at the battle of the Somme in 1916 has passed away in action, so near to the end of the war during the allied advance to victory in 1918.
As a few more years pass the story moves to Boston, Massachusetts and this is where Francesca Draycott meets Boston’s poet Ruben Edwards! Who happens to be George Edwards's brother. At the same time she also meets her future husband John Albert who is an actor. Ruben Edwards and John Albert both happen to be miners by day as well after both luckily returning from Word War I as American soldiers.
Ruben and his fiancée Anna with John Albert and Francesca Draycott then return to New York City to conquer Broadway in Manhattan on their creative quests. It is here that old acquaintances named Benjamin Hartley and Archie Knox enter into the story, along with Al Capone and his associates in a dramatic tale. At this point in the story there are also two Spaniards, Calero and Pedro Mendenez sent from Madrid who also join the adventure on their own quest!
The story also involves New York's poets that come from all over the world as the New York audience welcomingly call a certain poet the Boston boy! Ruben Edwards, where he has genuine competition on stage as a poet! In the form of Lars Winserheinen, the German commander. Entertaining on stage as well we have Frankie Fortune from the West Indies, his everyday name being Frankie Jamestown, the man the American crowd call their own as poetic spectators, Tony Kingdom of Mississippi in the USA, the man they start to call on stage the ruler, that is Irish born Terry King from the Republic of Ireland as well as Manchester, England and a certain namesake as a White Star Line employee, from Vancouver, Canada, Bruce Ismay!
The story culminates in 1925 as Ruben Edwards, Anna, John Albert and Francesca Draycott return to Boston, Massachusetts in a mysteriously fascinating storyline! I do hope you enjoy reading this original story, because as challenging as it was at times it was truly enjoyable to write!
Many Thanks
L. J. Cluskey
