GERALD KNIGHT

Tell us a little bit about yourself, your hobbies and interests.

Sailing has been my passion since I entered the Peace Corps in 1967 and was sent to Namorik Atoll in the Marshall Islands. I immediately commissioned the construction of an outrigger canoe and with my first trip into the ocean I was hooked. Ten years later I graduated to a CAL-20. Later in life I sailed a Peterson 36 on 6 annual races from Chicago to Mackinac Island along with Chicagoland beer-can races too numerous to imagine. Now, older and years later I write about my experiences.

When and why did you start writing books?

I wrote a book in my twenties called "Man This Reef." It was a translated autobiography of a storyteller. It was about a man of that name who was a traditional Marshall Islands storyteller. I am fluent in the language of that country and wanted to translate their oral history into English. That book is out of print but my recent 4 books all capture the spirit of the man and his stories.

What made you decide to tackle writing as a career?

I have a CPA tax preparation firm, but I write my novels in the off-season. Unfortunately, I am convinced writing will never be a career for me because my books are too outside any popular genre.