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Quiet Pride
In A Long Cast, you share with readers your experiences with family and friends over five decades of surfcasting on Martha’s Vineyard. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The stories were starting to evaporate as time went on. I could feel them slipping away, and I wanted to capture them so years from now the kids would be able to simply share the book with someone they cared about and say, “It was like this.”
For the last several years, my adult daughter would keep prodding: “You should write these stories down, Dad.” And I kept deflecting it. Then, when I turned 70, I secretly decided to give it a try so I could maybe surprise them in the end. But I stalled. It was just dry, boring details at first. But when I asked my fishing friends if there was anything they would like to share for the book, it became clear that they, too, wanted documentation for their family and friends to have forever. I sensed their quiet pride and an unspoken hope, and this is what gave me the motivation I needed to get it across the finish line. I used the Dedication page to give the rationale for the book.
Is there anything else you now wish you had included in A Long Cast? A memory? An experience?
No. Not at all. But if there was a Prologue, it would contain the reactions after it came out. Everything from the successful construction company owner who said, “Only read one book my entire life. But I read this one in two days.” I gave each of the twenty-five featured fishermen a copy when it came out. One guy, looking at his copy, said to the other, “Geez. Didn’t know he (me) could write.” The other fishermen replied, “Didn’t know you could read.” The wife of a fisherman texted and explained that she always wished him well as he headed out the door for his annual fishing trip, but never figured out why he liked it so much. Now she knew, she said.
Right after the book came out, he got really ill and had to stop fishing. One day, she was reading the book outside his hospital room and started to laugh out loud. He asked her what was so funny. She read him the two paragraphs, and he laughed so hard and long that they had to settle him down. “It’s true.” He kept laughing. “It’s true. That’s Ed.” (The fisherman in the story.)
Different fishermen would reach out and tell me which story they liked best, and everyone has a different one. A younger fisherman said he bought a copy for his dad and told him it was because of the piece on The Partner. Another told me it was Retie. I think mine might be The Car. I still laugh out loud when I read it.
What advice would you give someone who is considering writing their own memoir?
Don’t make it about you. Make it about the encounters and conversations and actions of others that have been illuminating, convincing, affirming, paradoxically true, righteous, courageous, challenging, grace- filled, perplexing. Don’t report facts, and details, and accomplishments. Tell the stories of who and what has enriched the journey.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from your book?
I hope the reader can also find one or two things in the book to be true.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
In 1971, a father and son ventured out of their apartment in New Jersey to the Island of Martha’s Vineyard to try their hand at surfcasting. That trip began a life of Spring trips to the waters’ edge in search of bluefish and striped bass. Fifty years later, Mike Carotta takes readers along for thirty straight nights and days of fishing.
This is not a How To book. It does not contain the secrets to a fantastic fishing career. Rather, hard fishing has a way of revealing lessons from the shore and the people who gather there-binding together strangers in conversations and gestures, failures and successes, new learnings, and, eventually, creating old friends.
Through it all, more than fish are caught-and shared. The result is a thoughtful collection of essays on life with some notes from the trade filtered in. Join Mike on his pilgrimage back to where the distance between heaven and earth gets a little thinner and the real “keepers” of the trip go far beyond the fish on the end of the line.
“I am not a good surf fisherman. There are no helpful fishing hints here. This is a collection of recollection: stories of saltwater characters, occurrences, and conversations. Like stars in the night sky, they are best enjoyed when you get some distance from the lights of other stuff.” – Excerpt from A Long Cast
A Long Cast: Reflections on 50 Years of Visiting the Martha’s Vineyard Surf
The book is part memoir, part meditation, and part fishing journal. Mike Carotta takes us through five decades of surfcasting on Martha’s Vineyard, but fishing is only the surface. Beneath the striped bass and bluefish lies a deeper story about fathers and sons, the friendships that form in salt spray, and the way a place can wrap itself around your heart. He writes about the rhythms of the tide, the cast of characters who gather every spring, and the sense of the sacred that can sneak up on you when you’re standing waist-deep in the Atlantic. It’s not a manual on how to catch more fish. It’s a love letter to memory, ritual, and the Island itself.
Carotta admits, again and again, that he’s not all that great at fishing, and that humility makes the book sing. The style is conversational and warm, the kind of voice you want around a campfire after a long day outside. I found myself laughing at his stubbornness about new techniques, nodding along when he described how old hurts can fester, and tearing up when he spoke of his father. He isn’t afraid to mix the mundane with the profound. One page has him fumbling with tackle, the next has him brushing up against something eternal.
I loved how he wove in the idea of “liminal space,” that thin place where heaven and earth feel closer. His way of describing the Vineyard at night, with stars overhead and saltwater in his boots, made me feel like I was right there beside him. By the end, I wasn’t thinking about fishing at all. I was thinking about family traditions, about the way landscapes hold onto us, about how we carry certain people with us long after they’re gone.
A Long Cast is not only for fishermen, though anglers will find plenty to savor. It’s for anyone who knows what it feels like to return year after year to a place that heals you. It’s for readers who like stories told straight from the heart, without polish or pretense. If you’ve ever stood in your own version of the surf, whether that’s a kitchen, a church, or a backyard garden, you’ll find yourself in these pages.
Pages: 182 | ISBN : 978-1611535334
A Classic on Fly Fishing
First Steps to Fly Fishing is the definitive book on fly-fishing and provides invaluable, and actionable, advice readers can use to the fishing technique or begin their fishing journey. Why was this an important book for you to refresh for modern readers?
There were a couple of reasons. First, the original book was considered one of the “go-to” books on fly fishing in its day. Its patient, step-by-step approach to one’s first foray into this sport/art is worth preserving in a world where many times people automatically believe that text from a hundred years ago must ipso facto be bad, inaccurate, outdated, or just plain wrong. Not the case here. The basics of fly fishing 100 years ago have, to a high degree of correlation, synergy with those of today (i.e., e.g. to catch fish you need to know how to read the fish, the water, the weather, the flora, and the fauna. How to present the fly, and so on.) So a proven voice from yesterday, matched with updated tech information from today to me represents value for today’s reader/fisherman.
What were some goals you set for yourself as the editor in updating this book?
To preserve a classic on fly fishing for today’s audiences while at the same time updating the work to reflect contemporary technologies and definitions in particular. To preserve as much as practical, Michael’s ‘voice’ — so as much as I could I left his words and phrasing alone unless my copy editor and I were concerned it might cause confusion for a contemporary reader.
What was something that was new to you and that you learned from this book while working on it?
I wasn’t aware just how pervasive the use of horsehair and silk was in fishing back in the day. On the other hand, bamboo rods were quite the thing back then and these days they are back-in-style — back to the future, as it were.
What were some parts of the book that were included specifically for the modern audience, and what were parts that needed no revisions?
There is quite a bit of new material in this book. Just a quick list of the new parts would include:
- The History of Fly Fishing
- The images of the flies
- The introduction by noted Fly Fishing expert Joshua Bergan
- The period-specific advertisement images
- The basic fly fishing knots and loops illustration
- All of the content on the contemporary fly collection list
- The Glossary of Fly Fishing
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads | Website
In 1924, Michael Temple wrote what for decades was the ‘bible’ on learning how to fly fish: “First Steps in Fly Fishing.” Now Cresting Wave Publishing has updated this classic for the 2020s! With an introduction by noted fly fishing expert and author Joshua Bergan, and additional material from Editor Kris Neely, “First Steps in Fly Fishing” is now the definitive book for your budding fly fisher.
First Steps to Fly Fishing
![First Steps to Fly Fishing: The 1924 Classic Updated for Today by [Michael Temple, Kris Neely]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51LICzWb5eL.jpg)
Nothing is as great as learning a little history about something before getting to the main content in the book. First Steps to Fly Fishing takes us back to 200 B.C., describing fly fishing as one of the most challenging, artistic and aesthetic forms of fishing. Their description of fly fishing make it look like an art where one has to use special techniques. Fly fishing may not be a new method of fishing, but fishermen today keep looking for ways to make it appear sophisticated. When writing about this kind of fishing between the years 1500 and 1800, the authors quote iconic figures in history, scholars and historians who have written about fly fishing. The narratives in the book are supported by historical writings and documents that are still used for reference today.
To help the readers familiarize with the main subject in First Steps to Fly Fishing, the authors include fun facts, historical evidence along with explaining the importance of fly fishing. The first chapter of the book is about rods, reels, line and other equipment. One good thing about this book is that the authors don’t just mention the equipment; they go into detail, talking about the pros of using the mentioned equipment, the challenges fishermen faced and how some equipment have evolved. The content in the book is evergreen. First Steps to Fly Fishing makes one appreciate antique things and classics.
Do you want to know how to fish like an expert? Is fishing a hobby that you want to develop? Do you want to learn about different fishing styles and how significant they are? Then this is the book that you need. The chapters on how to fish, where to fish and when to fish are eye opening and make fishing feel like the fun an enjoyable activity that it is. Authors Michael Temple and Kris Neely’s tone in the book is encouraging. Their words are stirring and give one the drive to not only keep on fishing but to also engage in other hobbies and activities that they love. One can read the enthusiasm in the author’s text and the love they have for fishing.
There are also stories in the book that have a personal touch, allowing readers to connect with the authors on a deeper level. First Steps to Fly Fishing is an illuminating instructional guide that provides fantastic tips and pointers about sports fishing, and how to go about implementing the concepts you have learned. First Steps to Fly Fishing provides a lot of great advice that is easy to understand and actionable. Perfect for anyone headed for the great outdoors.
Pages: 138 | ASIN: B08946S6ZZ
Real Life Experiences
The Perils of Isolation is a collection of short stories that are connected by your love of fishing. Did you write these stories for this collection or did you write them over time and decided later to publish them?
The Perils of Isolation is my first book. I wrote it while I was in the process of retiring after a 35 year career in upstream oil and gas. I took some advice from a friend, and wrote about things I knew something about. The three stories include some real life experiences, with a stretch or two!
The stories are connected by your love of fishing. Where is your favorite place to fish?
It’s a toss up between two places described in the book. Mik Muk Mac is set at the headwater of the French River, or Lake Nipissing in Ontario, Canada. It is still a remarkably wild and scenic place, but fishing has waned over the years as rod pressure has increased. The Tesla Terrorist is set in Labrador, Canada. My favorite rivers in Labrador for Atlantic salmon are the Eagle and the White Bear, both of which flow into Sandwich Bay. The only fishing allowed there is fly fishing, with a single, barbless hook. So, a large fish usually wins the battle, and escapes untouched… but that’s okay!
I really like The Tesla Terrorist story. Do you have a story that stands out to you from this collection?
The Tesla Terrorist is both an adventure story, and my first venture into science fiction, my favorite genre. It also is a bit of a political statement. Weldon Purdy, the mad scientist villain and the Tesla fanatic, destroys the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric installation. Muskrat Falls will be late and vastly overspent when it finally produces power. It will put Newfoundland and Labrador in dire financial trouble, and it will not meet the full power needs of the province as originally pitched.
Do you have plans to publish more short stories?
I just wrote a short story for inclusion in the first Science Fiction Novelists Anthology. It is called Lunar Salvation. I really enjoy the short stories of the true masters of the field, like Ray Bradbury. I have just started another sci-fi adventure novel called Robo Lord, which may evolve into a another series.
And Pegasus will be publishing Martian Hermitage soon, which will complete the Master Defiance series.
Author Links: Website | GoodReads | Facebook | Twitter
‘Mic Muk Mac’ is set in the wilds of Ontario, Canada, when a group of school friends go on an annual fishing holiday.
‘The Naïve Neftyanik’ is a story of Canadian oilman, Blake McTavish, whose contract is to set up his company’s operations in western Siberia. It’s a very different working environment but he goes fishing with some of his new-found, Russian friends.
Finally, find out what happens to a group of fishing friends on their trip to a remote area of Labrador, Canada, in ‘The Tesla Terrorist’ and how they survive the biggest electrical storm ever known.
Stranded on Thin Ice
Sharon CassanoLochman’s Stranded on Thin Ice takes readers through a day-long class on Murphy’s Law. Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Pre-teens Tanner and Richie quickly became fast friends on the day of an ice fishing derby. Tanner had bad luck at last year’s competition, but now has his eyes set on a brand new prize 4-wheeler and a fishing hut. Richie, a little less starry-eyed, is sort of dragged along for the ride with his uncle, at least at first. Reminiscent of John Reynolds Gardiner’s Little Willy of Stone Fox, the boys are thrown into a winter competition against big, burly, sometimes ornery grown men. They are met with one obstacle after another as they brace themselves against both the competition and the frigid, unforgiving weather conditions.
We meet loveable 12-year-old Tanner Phillips as he’s pushing his way through a mob of bearded, smoky-smelling men at Popper’s Bait Shop in an all-but-failed attempt to buy minnows. Tanner gets passed over time and time again as he juts his money out at Dom, the store owner. Tanner feels invisible to everyone over the age of 13. He feels overlooked by his father, the bait shop patrons, Dom, and basically everyone else in the world. He doesn’t feel like a little kid anymore, but he knows everyone else still sees him that way. He also feels that he is a failure in the eyes of his father. He made a pretty big mistake at last year’s ice fishing derby by letting a fishing pole get yanked down through the ice by a fish. He paid for it by staring into an ice hole empty-handed for the entire day, and still has not lived it down. He desperately wants to redeem himself and gain the approval of his father by winning the grand prize for the derby, a new 4-wheeler and a new fishing hut.
Tanner meets Richie Donald as he decides to just help himself to the minnow tanks. Richie is a tall, skinny boy in ill-fitting clothing. Not only are his clothes ill-fitting, but they are not a match for the frigid day he’s about to face. He is accompanied by a hateful uncle who doesn’t really want him around, but has been forced to spend time with him. He seems like he really needs a friend, and is lucky to have found Tanner.
It isn’t long before Tanner’s Dad has to leave Lake Oneida, leaving Tanner to set up the fishing hut and get started on his own. This is the first time Tanner will have to prove himself on derby day. It won’t be the last. Almost instantly, “whatever can go wrong” starts going wrong. Richie isn’t much help through most of the day’s obstacles, but they still work together to meet them head on. Together they face menacing competitors, an unrelenting winter storm, a fight against the possibility of frostbite, and of course, getting stranded on thin ice.
This fast-paced tale of determination, friendship, and redemption is great for readers of all ages. I cheered Tanner and Richie on from the edge of my seat as I watched them navigate through their horrific day. I also hoped for the redemption of some of the more menacing characters. Sharon CassanoLochman did not disappoint in either area. Comic relief provided by the boys’ dialogue keeps things from getting too heavy. The story is written brilliantly, and keeps interest piqued until the very end. I did not want to put it down.
Pages: 170 | ASIN: B07732BKVM
An Accumulation of Many True Events
David J. Shepard Author Interview
The Midnight Bite takes readers into a world of an avid fisherman, Johnny, who’s nearing the twilight years of life and seeks his ultimate underwater foe. What was the inspiration for this short and engaging story?
My Sister. This story is an accumulation of many true events in my life that take place in a fictional setting. The Midnight bite is real for several species such as the Mutton, Tuna, and Grouper. My fishing companion is my brother-in-law, who has a hard time waking up at midnight to fish. I was unable to go on the trip with him this year due to my health. Since I wasn’t there to wake him he slept right through an exceptionally hot Midnight tuna bite and was unable to deliver the fresh tuna my sister had requested. Since I’m the writer in the family she just mentioned that I should write a story called the Midnight bite.
What I liked most about Johnny was that he was relateable; he was flawed and wasn’t afraid to admit it. What were the morals you were trying to capture when developing his character?
Sometimes we see ourselves as too perfect and don’t take the time to listen to others or to what they are saying about us. We tend to tune people out and get ourselves in an emotional rut oblivious to new ideas and the story that others have to tell.
The story follows an avid fisherman and is filled with lots of fishing references. What has been your experience with fishing and how did that translate in the novel?
All of Johnny’s flashbacks and fishing stories are true events that have happened to me at one time or another. The part where he forgets his battery is a reoccurring nightmare I’ve had for years. There really is an AAHA and I do have the shirt and jacket to prove it. Our membership totals 9.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on a new book called “The Old Man” which should be available after the first of the year.
This is the story of an elderly man that intervenes and foils an attempted bank robbery by four gang members. The gang retaliates and swears revenge but they don’t know who they are dealing with as one by one their best ideas are spoiled by this older gentleman. Embarrassed and made a laughing stock on their own turf they devise a plan to eliminate the old man and save face.
My other books available on Amazon are:
They Don’t Know Jack
The Jack Henry Saga Begins
Summer Heat
The Jack Henry Saga Continues
Just a Man Named Jack
The Jack Henry Saga Concludes
The Jack Henry Saga, Complete
All three books in the Jack Henry Saga under one cover. Jack Henry, a man from simple middle-class roots embraces his life to the fullest. This series compiles his adventures into multiple stories about his life. As you journey with Jack you will witness his resolve about his God, family, friends, country and get to know and love this guy Jack. If only everyone had a friend like Jack.
Surrogate Sisters
Follow two sisters and one man on their life’s journey as they perform a great service to the future of mankind. What they discover is the true love trumps all things and finds its own way.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
![The Midnight Bite by [Shepard, David J.]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51baKuoVWsL.jpg)
Many saltwater fish are regulated. The Department of fisheries establishes weight and size measurements and open and closed seasons for all fish regulated or not, intended to manage the fishery for present and future anglers.
If there is an established open and closed season the season officially begins at 12:01 AM or one minute past midnight of the opening day. This is referred to by anglers as the 12:01 or midnight bite. It holds the theory that the fish are just as anxious for the season to begin as the fisherman and produces the largest bounty of the season.
This is a story about an avid fisherman who in his youth developed a love for a special breed of fish. His family grown, his working life over and his fishing buddy passing on, he now feels alone and returns to face his underwater foe, the one remaining constant in his life. Not for the Midnight Bite of the opening of the season but his own version of the Midnight Bite as a one on one confrontation with his worthy opponent. Along the
Along the way, he makes several discoveries that give him a new perspective on his life and the meaning of the Midnight Bite.
The Midnight Bite
The Midnight Bite (A Fishy Story) by David J Shepard takes the reader into a world of an avid fisherman, Johnny, who develops a love of fishing in his youth. However, it is one specific breed that catches his eye and this is where the story begins.
Once the character in the story realizes that his children are grown up, his working life is finished and his fishing buddy no longer wants to fish with him, he is aware that he has still not caught his ideal fish.
I liked this book as it threw me headfirst into the world of fishing. However, just because it’s a book about fishing doesn’t mean that it’s filled with fishing jargon. I found it very easy to read and the author has an immersive style of writing that makes you feel like you’re catching the fish alongside him.
It’s also an interesting read as you learn that the character is coming to terms with his own mortality through fishing and that’s what eventually drives him to seek out this breed of fish. It paints a very clear and refreshing picture of a man who is bitter, resentful and scared of his own life coming to a close.
It’s not until the 16th page of the book that you learn more about Johnny’s love of fishing from a young age. I enjoyed these flashbacks as it was interesting to read where his love came from, which was the days spent with his dad and family.
The author’s knowledge of fishing is clear throughout the book, as there are so many little details about the bait and fish that you feel like you’re learning while also exploring. It was eyeopening to realize that fishing can be more than a past time and become an art, in a sense. If you jerk the line too quickly, the fish will know something is up and therefore not choose to eat your bait. It was also interesting to realize that this man is a flawed individual who is open about his feelings of jealousy and resentment towards people who do better than he does. I really enjoyed reading his thoughts and perspectives on life.
The Midnight Bite (A Fishy Story) is an enjoyable and quick read for anyone who wants to learn a bit more about the complexities of life with a bit of fishing involved. Can’t get out to fish? Don’t have a fishing buddy? Well sit back and enjoy this book instead.
Pages: 72 | ASIN: B073Q6KD2Q
LITERARY TITAN 