We are excited to welcome local author Doug Walsh to Island Books in celebration of his upcoming release, Tailwinds Past Florence. Doug is an author, a bicyclist, and a travel lecturer, discussing his two-year journey on bike from Seattle to Singapore. The Pacific Northwest Writers Association-award-winning novel follows much of the same route he and his wife took, while incorporating fictional historical characters in a contemporary story. One of Doug’s goals with this book was to wrap a magical love story around an authentic bicycle touring experience.
In Tailwinds Past Florence, twenty-nine-year-old Edward Vaughn, after getting blacklisted from the venture capital industry, will do anything to avoid telling his wife what happened. Even if it means agreeing to her dream of bicycling around the world. Kara, tired of being married to a workaholic, was readying for a divorce. Now, she’s packing bags of a different kind. Together, they pedal away from Seattle, headed east on the open road across America, Europe, and beyond. Theirs is a decision that reverberates across centuries, shattering a continuum that bound their souls throughout time, and traps Edward in a battle with a past life over an eternal love. As the miles roll by, and the couple’s sordid secrets begin to surface, they encounter several men plucked from history, each one a vessel of Edward’s soul in a prior life. Of them, a 19th century art dealer proves dangerous, believing Kara is his ticket back to the past. Tailwinds Past Florence is a contemporary love story with a magical twist, landing readers in the saddle of a global bicycle adventure.
He will share photos from his own adventure, talk about how he was inspired to write a fictional love story instead of his planned travel memoir, and sign books! Join us for a wanderlust-filled gathering.
