Lary Bloom
Writer, Editor, Teacher
The Bloom Blog
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Thursday, December 22, 2005
The Intrepid Sailor
David Hays came back to visit this week from Chesapeake Bay, where he'll spend most of the winter on his little houseboat. He admits that living down there, where he knows no one except a helpful librarian, can be a little lonely. But he's getting a lot of writing done, which is a good thing. His work is always graceful and insightful, if not easily marketable.I helped him years ago with My Old Man And The Sea, the book he wrote with his son Daniel about sailing around Cape Horn in a small boat. This was in the early 1990s. At the time, agents and publishers were busy rejecting the manuscript because they couldn't figure out where it would go in a book store -- was it for the sailing section or the family section? I kept saying to David don't worry -- it'll go in the Best-Seller section. Which it did. The book spent 14 weeks on the New York Times list, and eventually was translated into many languages. After that, he wrote another successful book about becoming a Bar Mitzvah at age 67, which had the great title Today I Am A Boy.
Last night, we talked over dinner about his new book which, typically, defies category. At age 75, David understands this and has a good humor about it. "The mail is running a thousand to one against me," he said. "But the one hasn't come in yet."
Posted by:Lary Bloom at 4:35 AM
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