Author Niamh McAnally at Punta Gorda Library
Join us at the Punta Gorda Library on Wednesday, February 8 at 6:30 pm for the USA launch of FLARES UP: A Story Bigger Than The Atlantic by Irish-born author Niamh McAnally. Enjoy a glass of wine as you hear Niamh talk about this inspirational underdog tale of adventure. Afterwards, Niamh will be happy to sign copies of her book, which we will be offering for sale at the event.
Register online here. The author is managing registrations for this event.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Firefighter Paul Hopkins, 55, survives a brain hemorrhage. The experience motivates him to undertake the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge – to row 3,000 nautical miles across the Atlantic Ocean. He teams up with entrepreneur Phil Pugh, who is aged 65 but renowned for undertaking extreme physical challenges in honour of his disabled son. They encounter major financial and physical setbacks, which cause years of delays and put a strain on both their marriages. Finally, on December 12, 2019, in a fourth-hand 20ft wooden boat, they set off from the Canary Islands. Violent storms, 30ft waves and equipment failure leave both men seasick, dehydrated and sleep-deprived. Alone on the ocean, they are forced to examine their lives. Was the decision to undertake this challenge brave, selfish or foolish? After 70 days at sea they cross the finish line, determined to become better human beings. Will either of their wives be there to greet them?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Niamh McAnally is an Irish-born author known as The Writer On The Water. She is the daughter of the BAFTA award winning actor, Ray McAnally, and a former actor and TV director herself. She and her husband, Gary, spent 6 years living aboard their sailboat, Freed Spirit, cruising the Bahamas and the Caribbean before settling in Punta Gorda, Florida. Many of her stories are inspired by her travels on land and at sea including a year spent volunteering in remote islands in the South Pacific. FLARES UP was conceived in Antigua when she photographed Paul and Phil’s moment of triumph (Front Cover).
401 Shreve Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950
United States