Transit Installment 25

The Captain's Daughter Wows Everyone, Especially Dr. Jessamyn Quilter

Okay, you ask, where the hell have you been? I look back at the date of my last post, a little over a month ago and freely confess that I have violated the Prime Directive for an emerging Substacker: post weekly, post consistently.  True, I warned everyone that I would be taking a break, and kinda, sorta promised that I might stay in touch with a little blogging as I sailed the vasty deep on a ship much fancier than the Andaman Pearl. But as my Pennsylvania Dutch grandmother was fond of saying: “Man plans and God laughs.”

First laugh: Wi-Fi on the fancy ship was a joke. Although I wrote a couple of posts,  getting them out into the world was impossible. Last laugh: during the latter part of my voyage, even my good intentions were deep-sixed by COVID so crappy Wi-Fi made no difference at all.

Although I was the multiply-vaccinated, fully-boosted poster boy of reclusivity throughout  the pandemic, living a nearly pure, if not necessarily virtuous, digital existence, the virus with its uncanny ability to rearrange it's spike proteins apparently didn't get the memos. You know, the ones from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization declaring an end to the COVID Public Health Emergency.

I  guess it's inevitable that aboard a ship with room for more than 4000 passengers and crew, and no requirements for COVID testing or prophylaxis, somebody would track it in. Somebody did, I stepped in it, and Bob's your uncle. COVID's the ultimate social disease.

I'm much better now, thank you Paxlovid, so here I am,  beginning to pick up the pieces. My sincere apologies to those of you awaiting the next Installment of Transit, for the delay. Installment 25,"The Captain’s Daughter," is now posted under the novels tab.

And my apologies and sincere gratitude to M.E. Rothwell for recommending my Substack, “Marty Writes Stories," in the September 25 edition of "The Books That Made Us." Your wonderful generosity didn't go unnoticed; it was simply fogged in for a bit by COVID, and is greatly appreciated. Anyone interested in writing (and reading) must subscribe to BTMU.

Speaking of books, when we left Dr. Jessamyn Quilter in Installment 24 of Transit, she was managing the fallout of her conversation with First Officer Eric Reyes about his reckless sexual behavior among  the shipping containers with a handsome junior deck officer. In Installment 25, the Andaman Pearl has left port in Manila en route to Vietnam, crossing the South China Sea as a typhoon threatens from the north.  On a happier note, the Captain's Daughter, Lovely Bayani delivers a stunning recital in the ship's Saloon and awakens long dormant feelings in Jessamyn.

IRL, the release of Transit approaches, awaiting some final graphics and reviews for cover four. One of the early reviewers says the book is  "A visionary read that is at once action-packed and cerebral, the novel totally defies any expectations of genre, resulting in a story that is continually surprising and intellectually audacious." The reviewer completely gets the novel. I'll keep you intellectually audaciously posted.

As always, many thanks to all of you who support my work by subscribing to "Marty Writes Stories."  Please consider spreading the word. If you’re not a subscriber, please consider subscribing.  Everything is still free. Enjoy episode 25!