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Call of the Sea

by Philip V.G. Wallace

276 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1852; ISBN 1-4120-4045-0; US$24.00, C$27.00, EUR20.00, £14.00

A novel of deep love and fierce action set in the early 19th Century when Britannia ruled the waves and a handful of American skippers dared to meet her in battle.

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About the Book      About the Author      Excerpts      Catalogue Information

About the Book

Young Jonathon Coyne is plucked from his ship to serve in the Royal Navy leaving behind his pregnant lover, Liz Wade, who believes him dead. He survives the lash under the vicious Captain Hawkey, battles the Spanish under Lord Nelson and finally escapes. After a series of triumphs in the American Navy, during the siege of Baltimore, Jonathon Coyne, Liz, and their young daughter, Rachel, are brought together by a single bullet that changes their lives forever.

What readers say:

Master and Commander fans will love Call of the Sea for the authentic early 19th century seafaring details and thundering battle scenes. I loved it for the way the characters -- merchants, sailors, historical giants, warriors and lovers -- embody their times with every breath, word, and emotion. It's a great vision of the men and women whose sweat and inspiration gave birth to the U.S. Navy, nearly 200 years ago."

Richard Hunter, Author of WORLD WITHOUT SECRETS.

"Star-crossed lovers Jonathon Coyne and Liz Wade provide a human dimension to a time in history that inspired the lines "Land of the free, home of the brave." The pages flew as I read this tale of action and romance."

Mary McGahan, Historian and Author of RAID AT RED MILL.

"Anyone who has served in the U.S. Navy from Annapolis to the Persian Gulf will enjoy Call of the Sea. In Captain Jonathan Coyne, Wallace captures the bold spirit of the fledgling Navy as it takes on the mightiest sea power of its day."

William S. Norman, Captain, USN, Retired.

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About the Author

Phil Wallace's novel Call of the Sea reveals his lifelong passion for military history. As a novelist and painter, Phil's themes often return to the sea.

He was a guided missile battery officer at the height of the Cold War. Later, as an information officer at General Electric, Phil worked closely with scientists who developed and produced the Polaris missile fire control and guidance systems. While at GE, he created and implemented the first military training use of closed-circuit television connecting submarine crewmembers to an ultra secure "clean room" where scientists were assembling the Polaris inertial guidance system. In 1992, Phil participated in an Army War College seminar on world affairs. In addition, he is an accomplished cartoonist, who illustrated TIGER TALES, a collection of stories about the Flying Tigers in World War II.

As a filmmaker, he won the prestigious CINE Golden Eagle Award for Majesty of America, a documentary highlighting the natural beauty of the U.S. Phil's travel documentaries ran on the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel.

He also wrote and produced American Catholic Diary, a twentieth-century look at the Catholic Church in America. The film, sponsored by Our Sunday Visitor, debuted on the Catholic Television Network and was officially presented to Pope John Paul II in Rome.

Phil made his career on Madison Avenue. As an advertising executive, he managed national print and television campaigns for Amtrak, Campbell Soup Company, IBM, Johnson's Wax and Proctor and Gamble.

He has sailed the Chesapeake Bay, the Long Island Sound and the New England waters off Cape Cod and Block Island.

A graduate of Fordham University, Phil makes his home in Scarsdale, New York with his wife Ann.

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Excerpts

Ch. 4, p.37, L. 28.

"She looked down into his eyes and they said more than all the words of the evening. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed his lips. They were hard and already weathered. Still, their encounter with hers triggered every nerve in his body. Everything about her seemed soft, gentle and warm to him. Her dark eyes studied his face and, finally, shyness no longer mattered. His arms slowly pulled her closer; tentative lips reached for hers. They kissed long, tender and increasingly passionate kisses, losing themselves in this new intimacy. The candlelight chased shadows about the room and across their features. Cheeks flushed. Hearts raced. Fingers trembled. Then, she drew away. Both stood, breathing hard, neither looking at the other.

"I'm sorry, Liz."

"Don't be. I've never felt such a feeling before. I don't know what to make of myself."

"Me neither. I would never hurt you -- it's just the very touch of you makes me wild. Things happen inside me and it's hard to let go. Can you understand that?"

"Oh, I can, I can. Come tomorrow night. Stay 'til you must sail. There's plenty of room and we'll keep you out of the widow's sight."

He moved toward her again, but she held him back flicking a light parting kiss and turning a cheek.

"Tomorrow night!"

Ch, 27, p. 235, L.22.

"Lion was firing at will, splashing shots all around and into the hull with jarring thuds. Johnny's eyes were cold, almost glazed. He was fighting from instinct like a cornered animal. He became aware of Middleton's gaze.

"What?"

His eyes led the captain's across the scene on deck. Johnny rubbed the sweat and smoke from his brow. He looked out to where the enemy lay. He was lost in thought for a moment.

"Alright. Alright. Come about -- due west."

"Bill of Rights creaked through the maneuver. The frigate damaged in the first engagement four nights ago was now coming up on the port beam. The man-of-war on his tail, close enough for an occasional shot from her bow chasers. To the starboard, the distant frigate was now hurrying to replace the frigate crippled by Bill of Rights. This would close off the mouth of the Delaware. The sky ahead turned brilliant as the sun moved lower. Soon it would drop behind the hills on the shore ahead. 'Johnny, yer runnin' out of yer nine cat lives,' he thought to himself."

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Catalogue Information

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