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Oceans Apart: The Wanderings of a Young MarinerGlendalough Press
Publication date: May 2023 Available from Amazon Oceans Apart: The Wanderings of a Young Mariner is a story for anyone who’s ever been struck by wanderlust. Kevin McCarey's memoir portrays the life of a young man who, armed only with his own youthful intrepidness, finds himself sailing on American merchant ships to adventures beyond his wildest imaginings. It’s the characters he meets that ultimately illuminate what it means to explore the world: the Portuguese street girl he “weds” for a day -- the Italian villagers who steer him from certain danger-- the surly stevedore with a soft spot for Puerto Rico’s poor-- the bookseller in war-torn Vietnam who lives only for poetry. Just as revealing are the flashbacks to the author’s home turf, the Hudson River Valley. The stories of his flamboyant, half-cocked Irish-American family are as fraught and funny as the adventures overseas. McCarey shipped out during turbulent times, and his voyages range from delivering high explosives to Vietnam in floating rust buckets, to weathering a ferocious Atlantic hurricane in a dilapidated tanker. But for all the terrifying dangers, McCarey writes with a deep passion for the blue majesty of the ocean world. Oceans Apart: The Wanderings of a Young Mariner is a warm and compelling memoir; equal parts a rollicking sea yarn, an exotic travelogue and a classic coming-of-age story. |
Praise for Oceans Apart
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"The terrifying dangers of loose munitions in the hold during a roiling ocean, his encounters with colorful characters both at sea and in ports of call, his telling observations of human nature, the mindless routine life aboard ship that McCarey finds amusing - all of this the author recounts with humor and an uncanny ear for speech...rendering the stuff of life on the ocean in vivid and telling prose. A swashbuckling maritime reminiscence with picaresque edges crafted by a gifted writer."
- Kirkus Reviews “There is more to Ocean's Apart than wonderfully written sea stories, McCarey manages to convey the eternal youthful optimism, the sense of wonder and adventure that has seen many a boy go down to the sea, only to return a man." - John Kretschmer, NY Times best-selling author, Flirting with Mermaids “A pretty damn stunning read geared for a big audience.” - TC Boyle, NY Times best-selling author, The Harder They Come |
“It certainly kept me on edge. It’s a brutal take of conditions on a cargo ship loaded with explosives and trying to find a place to land in the Vietnam War. I kept waiting for the worst to happen and was grateful I was not aboard."
- Hal Holbrook, actor, author, Harold: the Boy Who Became Mark Twain “Using the philosophical lessons of poets, song writers and veteran mariners, Kevin McCarey helps us to understand the vagaries of life at sea. At times this compelling story is an emotional rollercoaster ride.” - Gary Jobson, America’s cup winner, author, An American Sailing Story “From the boisterous anarchy of his hardscrabble home in the Hudson Valley through his far-ranging exploits as a young seaman in the merchant marine, McCarey’s tales are festive adventures, lively and mischievous, soulful and sincere.” - Geoff Luck, Executive Producer, National Geographic |
“Crammed with situations both wildly funny and at times acutely dangerous, McCarey's enthralling story will capture his readers' hearts and minds as they travel with him through exotic sightings and harrowing experiences they will never forget.”
- Rosemary Daniell, NY Times best-selling author, Sleeping with Soldiers “McCarey is a natural story teller. His pacing, spot-on characterizations and tender wit make Oceans Apart an engrossing read.” - James Lough, author, This Ain’t No Holiday Inn “McCarey brings the journeys and the ships and the seamen to life with a good sense of humor, adventure and superb literary narrative.” - Robert Frump, author, Until the Sea Shall Free Them “The stuff of high adventure - thrilling and poignant, humorous and tragic all at the same time.” - Bill deYoung, author, Skyway |
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Moonglow BayGlendalough Press
Published August 25, 2021 Available from Amazon Moonglow Bay is a collection of fictional tales inspired by the filmmaker’s journeys from the ruins of Machu Picchu to the islands of the Spanish Caribbean, from a California fishing village to the mountains of Lebanon. And everywhere we encounter memorable characters ― some lost, some found, some delightfully eccentric, but all confronting the adventure of life with strength and compassion. McCarey’s stories evoke the fiction of Paul Theroux, Richard Russo and John Steinbeck. A down-and-out fisherman must reconcile with the teenaged daughter he deserted when she was a child. A boy, whose mother has descended into madness, is left with his Zorba-like grandfather in Puerto Rico. A grief-stricken traveler in the cloud forests of Peru encounters two French mimes who instill in him a renewed sense of wonder. A Red Cross volunteer in Lebanon is devastated by the sight of a fire-ravaged nature reserve—her childhood haunt. A young man plans his escape from an island of lost dreams off Cuba's mainland. |
Praise for Moonglow Bay
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“In Moonglow Bay, Kevin McCarey shares stories of lives widely lived and richly noted, colorful tales of distant worlds held fast to one another through acts of care and character. Here are far-flung outpost of humanity, filled with dreams and disappointments, misfits and misdeeds, that offer welcome ports of call to any of us tossed by the storm.”
- Geoff Luck, National Geographic |
"Kevin McCarey is an imaginative talent with a gift for the magical and mystical. His writing reveals a rich understanding of his characters - reveling in their humanity and their eccentricities."
- Vivian Schiller, National Public Radio |
"McCarey teases exquisite details from years of travel and weaves them into these moving stories of love and redemption, hope and healing. With richly drawn worlds and a cast of characters that will stir your soul, each self-contained story is the perfect length for those rainy afternoons when you long to lose yourself in a far-off land."
- Carrie Regan, author, Rumors of Savages |
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Islands Under Fire: The Improbable Quest to Save the Corals of Puerto Rico.Globe Pequot Publishers
Publication date: 9/21/2012 Link to purchase books Kindle version available on Amazon. Islands Under Fire explores how the need to protect our fragile marine environment can bring meaning and direction to a young person’s life. It’s also a portrait of a relatively unknown part of America: Puerto Rico and the Spanish Virgin Islands. This is the little known story of how the US Government, in particular the Navy, almost destroyed pristine coral reefs to provide a target for gunners. The author’s humorous look at his role in the sometimes absurd tale of how locals, politicos and mariners came together to save the reefs is a lesson for us all. The conservation efforts represent a perfect example of what highly-motivated citizens and political leaders can achieve when taking action to protect what they love. In the case of the Culebrans, their tranquil island paradise was being shelled into oblivion by the US Navy. The author, hired as captain of a small research vessel, led the underwater search for evidence of the coral reef damage that would be used to convince the US Government to stop its bombardment of the island. His role enabled the Culebrans to gather proof of the destruction that ultimately convinced everyone, including President Nixon, to stop the carnage. |
Praise for Islands Under Fire
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“Islands Under Fire held me spellbound from the first page. This is an exuberant tropical adventure regaled with gusto, and with exquisite prose that brings the colorful Puerto Rican characters to vivacious, chromatic life. McCarey’s keen-eyed observation and understanding reflect a deep affection for Puerto Rico and the people of Vieques and Culebra, whose Caribbean paradise suffered decades as a bombing range.”
- Christopher Baker, Lowell Thomas Travel Writer of the Year "This memoir, part travelogue and part natural history, is rich with humor, misadventure, and triumph. McCarey's writing is a pleasure, his penchant for simile and skill with dialogue particular delights.... Readers will learn about the history of Puerto Rico, its marine ecology, political landscape, and a bit about boats as well—all of which McCarey folds seamlessly into his fine seaman's tale... McCarey's maiden voyage into contemporary maritime non-fiction is an engrossing and joyful trip." - STARRED review Publishers Weekly |
“I think it's terrific -- funny, poignant, a good read.”
- Mitchell Burgess, writer-producer, Northern Exposure, The Sopranos “Kevin McCarey, an outstanding writer and renowned filmmaker, has a deep compassion for the natural world. His new book Islands Under Fire takes the reader on a wild, entertaining, and unforgettable ride. So compelling is the story that the lessons embedded in it about the vital need to conserve our marine resources and protect coral ecosystems are absorbed effortlessly. I urge you to read it.” - Chris Palmer, author of Shooting in the Wild. “Many of the books about the parlous condition of non-human life on earth currently being published engender such a bleak aura of disaster that the reader tends to be turned off. Islands Under Fire is an exception. Although it extols the urgent necessity of finding a new way of dealing with non-human life, it does not belabor the reader or preach at him. It gets across the message so skillfully imbedded in a damn good story that I for one could not put it down.” - Farley Mowat, author, Never Cry Wolf, A Whale for the Killing |
“In every phase of this fast moving, inspiring story, McCarey gleans his life's most essential moments, both hurtful and hilarious, nourishing himself for his next improbable adventure. Islands Under Fire is a new kind of narrative: part “Liar’s Club” and part “Lonely Planet”, bundled into one terrific book.”
- David Hamlin, executive producer, National Geographic Television "Kevin McCarey is an imaginative talent with a gift for the magical and mystical. His writing reveals a rich understanding of Puerto Rico and its people - reveling in their humanity and their eccentricities." - Vivian Schiller, chief of NBC News Digital “It is flat-out brilliant. I especially love the beauty of the ending. And McCarey’s ability with bringing characters to life is inspiring.” - T.C. Boyle, novelist, Tortilla Curtain, The Women |