Mingo's Cave (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781505491425)

Chuck Ball grew up in North Carolina. After High School, he worked his way around the world on a Norwegian freighter as a deck hand. This is when he began keeping a journal and thinking about becoming a writer. When he returned to the States, he went to Elon University. After graduation he worked on the grave yard shift of a milk carton factory and completed his first novel. He then became a reporter for a small underground newspaper. Eventually he succumbed to the need to have an income big enough for rent and food. He went to work in the corporate world. There he spent long years in 'quiet desperation' while raising a family. "The Caribbean always held an allure for me. I often looked at the beautiful travel pictures in the airline magazines as I did the corporate grind, flying from one sales meeting to the next. I wondered if I would ever swim in those warm turquoise waters". The chance came when Chuck was caught in a corporate 'right sizing'. "My son (pictured on back cover with Chuck) was working as a carpenter on the island of St. John in the US Virgin Islands. He suggested that I come on down. I couldn't pack fast enough and soon I left the cold, blustery States and stepped into the tropics. I was blown away. Everything was fascinating. The animals, the plants, the smells, the water, the culture. I could not believe I was waking up in paradise." Chuck worked with his son at an eco friendly resort and recorded his observations in his journal. "That journal became the essence of 'Mingo's Cave'. I did a lot of research too but most of what I saw and heard and experienced was in my journal." Chuck completed 'Mingo's Cave' and recently published "Hemingway's Heist" which is another island story focused on Key West and Eleuthera. When Chuck is not in St. John, Key West or Eleuthera he lives near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. "The people of coastal Carolina share some of the same characteristics as people on tropical islands in that they are extremely independent and resourceful. All these places face the challenge of struggling economies and exposure to hurricanes yet are some of the most beautiful places on earth." Chuck is working on his next novel; 'No Redeeming Qualities' which he hopes to finish soon. You can contact him at chuckballauthor@gmail.com