Warm praise for new thriller by Larne’s ‘nautical novelist’

Thomas Jobling describes himself as a ‘nautical novelist’ as all of his books thus far have featured a strong maritime backdrop. Read here

Born by the sea, boats and boating were always destined to feature in Tom’s writing and although his books are fiction, much of their content is based on his personal experiences, afloat and ashore. Gifted with an eye and an ear to pick up on the life journeys of folk he has met, ‘A Letter to a Lucky Man’, builds on this background.

The book tells the story of Curtis Cardinali. Of Italian heritage, Northern Ireland born and bred, engineer and amateur sailor, his has been an intriguing life. From council house beginnings to leadership of industry, from the shop floors of hard-line unions to luxury spa hotel breaks with a growing family, throughout it all he had been lucky. Even a letter which broke his teenage heart turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was only ever ‘a letter to a lucky man’. But when the luck runs out Curtis’s life is rocked in a way he could never have foreseen.

Dave Selby, a columnist with nautical magazine Practical Boat Owner, said: “A Letter to a Lucky Man is not merely a deftly plotted read-at-one-sitting thriller, but a warm and human rite of passage - uplifting throughout.”

Tony Kennedy, chair of the John Hewitt Society, said in his review; “Thomas uses his experience of industry and his knowledge of the sea and dramatic headlands of the Antrim coast to spin a fascinating tale.”

As well as his novel writing, Thomas Jobling has been involved in a number of local literary projects. With the Larne Writers Group (now re-titled East Antrim Writers) he contributed to the production of a book of short stories titled ‘13’. The print run sold out with all proceeds donated to Marie Curie.

A recent project ‘Shaped by the Sea’ is an anthology of creative writing past and present, driven by another Larne author, Angeline King. Thomas’s contributions were a [very] short poem which found its way onto the front cover and a story titled ‘A Leap of Faith’ which recalled the voyages of the legendary Islandmagee ferry.

Hosted by Mid and East Antrim council as part of its St.Art programme, Shaped by the Sea was funded by the European Union’s Peace IV initiative. Copies are still available at Larne’s Book Nook.

Before Tom’s creative writing took him into the world of novels, as a member of the international Yachting Journalists’ Association, he covered yachting events and dinghy sailing championship for boating’s leading journals of the day. He also wrote a weekly column for Larne Times and Belfast’s Sunday News.

However, with a growing family the need for ‘real’ work beckoned, and thus the young Jobling found himself thrust into the world of plastics manufacturing. He became a member of the build-team producing Ruffian yachts out of Portaferry and GP14 class sailboats near Bangor as well as distributing DIY plastic materials to schools and thereafter into Ireland’s manufacturing industries.

Later, with the manufacturer and exporter Brett Martin his blossoming career took him into the construction industry, rising to the position of their national sales manager for Ireland. But still his need to write continued and he found time to provide features for Northern Ireland’s building journal of the time, Specify.

Unfortunately because of the current Covid 19 restrictions Thomas Jobling’s new novel has been forced to forgo a formal launch. ‘A Letter to a Lucky Man’ is however available on various platforms. Published by Leschenault Press (Book Reality Experience Imprint) it can be purchased (RRP: £9.99/ €12 +P&P) through book stores using its Paperback ISBN: 978-0-6489496-1-9. The book is also available in an alternate E-book format from all major online providers world-wide.

A limited edition of signed copies is currently available direct from the author. To pre-order your copy of ‘A Letter to a Lucky Man’ by Thomas Jobling go to [email protected] or call Tom on; 0780 969 1585.