Dear Friends,
This summer is the 182nd anniversary (yes, one hundred and eighty-second) of the sinking of the Steamship Pulaski.
In the middle of the night, in the middle of the sea, a boiler exploded on the luxury steamship Pulaski with almost two hundred passengers on board. Over the next forty-five minutes, the ship floundered and sank as passengers and crew fought for survival. The stories of this ship often called the "Titanic of the South", and its passengers have only been told in part.
Until now.
Three years ago, a shipwrecked crew discovered the remains of the steamship a hundred feet beneath the waves, thirty miles off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina. While the team brought up the artifacts and treasures of this beautiful ship, I discovered the stories of its passengers.
For years now I have been researching and writing this novel, and yet how could I have known how timely it would be? As I wrote about those who were faced with tragedy and hardship, as I wrote about their resilience, courage, and endurance, how could I have known how very relevant this story would be today? With a dual timeline novel that plumbs the depth of the sea and the subject of how we survive the surviving, I am thrilled to announce my new novel’s title and publication.
—Patti
