Press Kit Contents

Press Release
Interview with Lynne Hinkey
About the Author
About Casperian Books
How hard can it be to run
a marina in the tropics?
Casperian Books is pleased to announce the release of Lynne Hinkeys debut
novel, Marina Melee.
Freshly divorced for the third time and fired from his allowance-paying job in
the family oil business by his father as a result, George Marshall is invited by his
friends Ricky and Katie May to join them on a sailing trip around the Caribbean.
A few weeks later, George and his friends stumble upon the idyllic island of So
Jorge, where they are welcomed by expat marina owner Tracker Doorn who
extols the virtues of Caribbean livingnot entirely without ulterior motives.
Determined to prove that he is more than a spoiled, womanizing, overage ado-
lescent, George buys the marina to show his skeptical father and family that he
has what it takes to achieve business success without their assistance and with-
out having to work too hard.
At times raucous, at times touching, Marina Melee is a fun voyage to the
Caribbean island of So Jorge, where living the easy life is hard work!
Marina Melee goes on sale nationwide June 2011.
For further information or to arrange an interview with the author, please e-mail
publicity@casperianbooks.com.
Author: Lynne Hinkey
Publisher: Casperian Books
ISBN-10: 1-934081-32-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-934081-32-7
Price: $15.00
Pages: 252
Trim: 6x9
Binding: Trade Paperback
Category: Fiction - General
Publication: June 2011
Wholesaler: Ingram
www.casperianbooks.com PO Box 161026 Sacramento, CA 95816 publicity@casperianbooks.com
Interview with Lynne Hinkey
What was your inspiration for Marina Melee?
When I first moved to the Caribbean from upstate New York I was nine-
teen with a middle-class, white-bread, sheltered background. I went
through a lot of the same culture shock my protagonist goes through dur-
ing my first years in the Virgin Islands (yes, the whole good morning
scene really did happen to me).
Throughout Marina Melee people tell George he has to read Herman
Wouks Dont Stop the Carnival, the expat Bible for living in the
Caribbean. I was rereading it after Id been in the islands for about ten
years and while I was doing a lot of work with marinas. The stories the
marina folks shared with me about mishaps and island characters remind-
ed me of the situations Norman Paperman runs into in Wouks story. I
thought the old adage that the more things change, the more they stay
the same is especially true in the islands and wouldnt an updated Carnival
be a fun story? The idea spun around in my head for years, but I didnt
actually write it until Id left the region and was living in Germanyabout
as far removed from the Caribbean mentality as it is possible to get!
Why did you choose to write from a male protagonists POV?
I wanted to write Marina Melee for a number of years, but every time I
tried, I wasnt satisfied with the results. I had published before, but only
research articles in scientific journals. As I quickly discovered, science writ-
ing and fiction writing are two very different beasts and I needed some
practice to make the transition, so I started a blog and joined an online
writing groupthe Internet Writing Workshop. Occasionally, I would
write a blog piece as my husband, or submit stories from a male protag-
onists POV. Those were the pieces I got the best feedback on. My moth-
er even called me after one blog post from Matt and said I should give
up writing and let him do it! Im not sure what it says about me, but I def-
initely feel my voice is more authentic writing from a male POV.
Did you incorporate yourself into the story?
Not as a character, but the story itself is a part of me; my experiences and
my love for the Caribbean and its people are woven into the story. The
biggest part of me in the story is my belief that home is where you find it.
No matter how long Im away, when I return to the Virgin Islands, I always
feel Im returning home.
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www.casperianbooks.com PO Box 161026 Sacramento, CA 95816 publicity@casperianbooks.com
About the
Author
Lynne Hinkey is a marine scientist who
spent donkey years in the Caribbean,
hanging around marinas and boaters.
She currently lives in Charleston, South
Carolina, with her husband, two cats,
and a dog. She is the author of a number
of short stories, essays, and travel articles,
and is a reviewer for The Internet Review
of Books. When not writing, Lynne is an
adjunct professor of biology at Trident
Technical College and the University of
Maryland University College.
About Casperian Books
Casperian Books is an independent publishing company located in Sacramento,
California. We publish a wide variety of fiction, including genre, mainstream, lit-
erary, and experimental works, by a variety of writers, both first-time authors and
seasoned professionals, who share our vision.
We are ardent supporters of small business and creative guerrilla movements,
whether they be in publishing, music, or film, and we believe in diverse voices,
different viewpoints, and departures from the status quo. Most of all, we believe
in good books.
www.casperianbooks.com PO Box 161026 Sacramento, CA 95816 publicity@casperianbooks.com