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Coasting
(1) to sail along, or near, the coast between ports in the same country; (2) to roll along without effort, freewheel, usually downhill; and (3) (colloquial) to just let things happen. Her voyage on the Kooyonga brings Julie to the attention of two men, an ambitious drug dealer and the ship's Second Engineer. Both will claim her and she must choose which one succeeds.
"Coasting" is an Action/Adventure finalist in the 2014 Epic eBook competition.
"Coasting" is an Action/Adventure finalist in the 2014 Epic eBook competition.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
4 people want to read
About the author
David Andrews
4 books1 followerThe son of an itinerant worker I attended fourteen different primary schools before we settled for my secondary education and engineering apprenticeship. This was followed by a working lifetime involved in seafaring, as Chief Engineer, Engineering Superintendent, Classification Surveyor, and University Lecturer.
I sailed on paddle steamers, fishing boats, dredges, dry cargo ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers, passenger ships, supply boats and oil rigs.
My writing began as a form of stress relief from the 24/7 pressures of the offshore oil industry. For an hour each day I retreated into the world of my imagination and wrote fiction.
By the time I retired I'd accumulated a fair body of writing, but didn't know if any of it was publishable.
Sixteen years later, I've won two national contests in Australia, become a finalist in the annual EPIC contest, published nineteen stories as Amy Gallow and four under my own name.
Now, the future beckons...
I sailed on paddle steamers, fishing boats, dredges, dry cargo ships, oil tankers, bulk carriers, passenger ships, supply boats and oil rigs.
My writing began as a form of stress relief from the 24/7 pressures of the offshore oil industry. For an hour each day I retreated into the world of my imagination and wrote fiction.
By the time I retired I'd accumulated a fair body of writing, but didn't know if any of it was publishable.
Sixteen years later, I've won two national contests in Australia, become a finalist in the annual EPIC contest, published nineteen stories as Amy Gallow and four under my own name.
Now, the future beckons...
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 23, 2013
A Romantic Thriller
Two girl dancers, Julie and Terri, set off on a ‘ringbolt trip’ as informal passengers on a cargo ship travelling along the Southeast coast of Australia. Their objective is to spend time having fun while waiting for dancing work to become available. On board they meet Doug, the serious Second Engineer; Les, the Seaman’s Union representative, and the obnoxious drunk, MacDonald. Each man will play a crucial role in the story and the girls’ lives. Add smuggling, murder and a drug baron who controls Terri and is determined to enslave Julie, and the scene is set for an exciting story of action, jeopardy, and romance.
I found the two main backgrounds: of Australian coastal shipping at a time of transition; and of the night club dancer, fascinating. Both are populated by men and women who work hard and play harder. What happened to the principal players was important to me, and I enjoyed discovering what happened next. David Andrews clearly cares for his characters and has knowledge and experience of the worlds he portrays.
Two girl dancers, Julie and Terri, set off on a ‘ringbolt trip’ as informal passengers on a cargo ship travelling along the Southeast coast of Australia. Their objective is to spend time having fun while waiting for dancing work to become available. On board they meet Doug, the serious Second Engineer; Les, the Seaman’s Union representative, and the obnoxious drunk, MacDonald. Each man will play a crucial role in the story and the girls’ lives. Add smuggling, murder and a drug baron who controls Terri and is determined to enslave Julie, and the scene is set for an exciting story of action, jeopardy, and romance.
I found the two main backgrounds: of Australian coastal shipping at a time of transition; and of the night club dancer, fascinating. Both are populated by men and women who work hard and play harder. What happened to the principal players was important to me, and I enjoyed discovering what happened next. David Andrews clearly cares for his characters and has knowledge and experience of the worlds he portrays.
November 21, 2013
Having been born in the 80’s, I know very little about the 70’s – that being said, I was very interested in following a young woman as she seeks to make herself a life for herself finding work as a dancer on an Australian coastal ships. I kind of got suckered into learning more about the ships and how they used to be run than focusing on the story.
This character-driven novel focuses on a young woman named Julie, who drops out of University to try to become a dancer, learns about the harsh realities of working on the Australian coast, but falls in love with a man considerably older than herself who also works on the ship she’s on, but they quickly fall in love and plan to start a life together. However, her past catches up with her when they progress to the next stage of their relationship – even though Doug isn’t embarrassed, Julie decides to run instead.
I chagrin to call this novel a romance in the strictest sense, on account of that even though the crux of the story is about Julie’s relationship with Doug. Though I think the story is more character-driven than plot-driven, but for me the romance is more raw and rough than sensual and wish-fulfilling – even though I think that it would still appeal to the romance crowd, I also think that it depends on the reader’s expectation. What follows is also darker than typical romantic fare – however, I’ll keep my spoilers to a minimum.
In general, I found Andrew’s writing to be very smooth, and for the most part, the transitions seemed natural. My only complaint was that in addition to my being more interested in learning about the goings on inside of coastal ships than the plot, the ending seemed a bit rushed. In general though, I think this was a fine novel that exceeded my expectations.
This character-driven novel focuses on a young woman named Julie, who drops out of University to try to become a dancer, learns about the harsh realities of working on the Australian coast, but falls in love with a man considerably older than herself who also works on the ship she’s on, but they quickly fall in love and plan to start a life together. However, her past catches up with her when they progress to the next stage of their relationship – even though Doug isn’t embarrassed, Julie decides to run instead.
I chagrin to call this novel a romance in the strictest sense, on account of that even though the crux of the story is about Julie’s relationship with Doug. Though I think the story is more character-driven than plot-driven, but for me the romance is more raw and rough than sensual and wish-fulfilling – even though I think that it would still appeal to the romance crowd, I also think that it depends on the reader’s expectation. What follows is also darker than typical romantic fare – however, I’ll keep my spoilers to a minimum.
In general, I found Andrew’s writing to be very smooth, and for the most part, the transitions seemed natural. My only complaint was that in addition to my being more interested in learning about the goings on inside of coastal ships than the plot, the ending seemed a bit rushed. In general though, I think this was a fine novel that exceeded my expectations.
October 25, 2013
I must say that when I started reading ‘Coasting’ I received a cold shower. I was just ending a long series of American romance books, all easy reads, a lot of them with the chick lit lighthearted flavour. It was hard to begin reading a book that seemed to be so different. But a few pages into it, I forgot all reluctance. In fact, I forgot that I had other things to do that day. And I kept reading.
David Andrews’ novel is an intricate tale of romance brimming with despair, danger and triumph. The dialogues are smart, the writing is seamless and strong, beautifully polished. The author was able to maintain an amazing romantic element in a book filled with rugged characters predominantly male, by centering the story on Julie, a young woman who gave up her university ambitions after her father’s death and became a dancer, estranging herself from her mother as a result of her decision. In between auditions for a job, she befriends another dancer and joins her onboard a ship for a trip along the Australian coast. Julie becomes the focus of two men: an ambitious drug dealer and the ship's Second Engineer.
David Andrews has given us an amazing page turner that I just couldn’t put down. Not only the story was engrossing, but his knowledge of the sea and navigation helped creating a great sense of time and place. What a fantastic Australian story! Well done, David! Can’t wait to read more!
David Andrews’ novel is an intricate tale of romance brimming with despair, danger and triumph. The dialogues are smart, the writing is seamless and strong, beautifully polished. The author was able to maintain an amazing romantic element in a book filled with rugged characters predominantly male, by centering the story on Julie, a young woman who gave up her university ambitions after her father’s death and became a dancer, estranging herself from her mother as a result of her decision. In between auditions for a job, she befriends another dancer and joins her onboard a ship for a trip along the Australian coast. Julie becomes the focus of two men: an ambitious drug dealer and the ship's Second Engineer.
David Andrews has given us an amazing page turner that I just couldn’t put down. Not only the story was engrossing, but his knowledge of the sea and navigation helped creating a great sense of time and place. What a fantastic Australian story! Well done, David! Can’t wait to read more!
September 23, 2013
This unusual novel is set within the rugged male-dominated world of the Australian Coastal ships in the mid-1970s. Yet the story centers on Julie, a sheltered young woman, and much of it is told from her POV. After her father's death, Julie leaves university to become a dancer and becomes estranged from her mother by this decision. Unable to find a dancing job right away, she befriends another dancer whose boyfriend and his friend work on a coastal ship. While awaiting the next audition, the girls are smuggled onboard the ship for a trip along the coast.
Julie's experiences at sea and with the people she meets, including drug users/dealers and some new friends, make this a virtual coming of age story. Her life changes, replete with both despair and personal triumphs.
Some of the Australian ship-related terminology went over my head, but I certainly picked up the flavor of the seafaring life. Watching Julie cope with this new world made a solid reading experience. The book starts slowly and gradually builds, bringing you to the last few chapters that will keep you turning the pages until you're finished. Definitely a recommended read!
Julie's experiences at sea and with the people she meets, including drug users/dealers and some new friends, make this a virtual coming of age story. Her life changes, replete with both despair and personal triumphs.
Some of the Australian ship-related terminology went over my head, but I certainly picked up the flavor of the seafaring life. Watching Julie cope with this new world made a solid reading experience. The book starts slowly and gradually builds, bringing you to the last few chapters that will keep you turning the pages until you're finished. Definitely a recommended read!
October 10, 2013
While I have to admit that the book didn’t speak to me at first, Mr. Andrew’s writing still managed to pull me right in there with the characters after a few pages into the book. And after it picked up, it turned out to be a fantastic read that not only intrigued me very much, but also made me feel like I was right there on the ship with them. Julie (the main character) decides to become a dancer after her father dies and leaves the university to pursue her dreams but sadly enough things don’t work out as well as she would like them too.
I don’t want to say too much because I don't want to let any spoilers slip out, but after Julie boards the ship you’ll get to know her even better, you’ll get to feel what she experience and you’ll find yourself rooting for her in all she does.
I don’t want to say too much because I don't want to let any spoilers slip out, but after Julie boards the ship you’ll get to know her even better, you’ll get to feel what she experience and you’ll find yourself rooting for her in all she does.
October 11, 2013
First off, let me say this book does a great job of creating a very specific time and place. It's set on a ship in Australia during the 70s, and the author clearly knows a lot about the subject. Much like, say, Tom Clancy, he peppers the story throughout with details that made the setting feel authentic to me. Some people might find that the depth of information is too much, but it worked for me.
It did take me a couple of chapters to really get into it, but once it picks up, it held my interest to the end. It is primarily the story of a young woman named Julie and the interesting, sometimes shady characters she meets on board. I definitely enjoyed it. I came to care about the characters, and the last few chapters really flew by.
It did take me a couple of chapters to really get into it, but once it picks up, it held my interest to the end. It is primarily the story of a young woman named Julie and the interesting, sometimes shady characters she meets on board. I definitely enjoyed it. I came to care about the characters, and the last few chapters really flew by.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews