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Return of the Gunboat |
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Return of the Gunboat is a novel set against the backdrop of the Ohio River in 1895. Chuck Clegg has brought his fictional characters to life in a tale of adventure and intrigue using the history of the times. The book is available locally in New Martinsville at Witscheys and the The Book Store. It is also available on Amazon. The story follows Captain Jack Dulin’s as he, along with his crew set out on what they believe to be a routine job on the river. But events soon spin out of control as Jack tries to find answers and not get him or his crew killed along the way. The adventure is further complicating as Jack finds himself drawn to a dark haired beauty, her name is Ell. The adventure brings men from Jack’s past back into his life along with the painful memories of a battle fought during the Civil War. Clegg manages to keeps his readers wondering what comes next as his characters travel the river trying to find answers with mystery and adventure along the way. Return of the Gunboat has the ability to make it readers eager to turn pages in search of answers and a smile at the humor he has added along the way. Each of the stories characters come to life on the books pages giving its readers the feeling, if they met them on the street they would know them. Return of the Gunboat brings to its readers what the author believes life and times may have been along the river in the late eighteen hundreds. Wheeling, West Virginia, and industrial giant of the times is home to several of the characters in the story. The city that was once the capital of the state has a rich history of manufacturing and culture in the years following the war. Chuck Clegg’s, storytelling skills were once compared by a friend to a modern day Mark Twin. With his rich imagination and love of the people who may have lived and work the Ohio River the author paints a rich adventure on the river. Many stories have been written about the Mississippi River in the history of our country. Cleggs believe through his writings the Ohio River played a large part in the growth of America as men and women moved west. Storyteller Chuck Clegg has lived most of his life near the Ohio River. Growing up in Wetzel County along Fishing Creek he spent his summers playing in the green waters that flowed into the nearby Ohio. His imagination is rich with what life must have been like in the early days of the Ohio River. He has studied the rivers history and mans early efforts to tame the great river since they first tried to control its waters in 1885. During the late eighteen hundreds the U. S. Corp of Engineers began building dams on the river to increase its year round water dept. His stories remind us of the struggles and hardships men and women faced to turn the river into an important water way of America. The book’s cover was designed and created by local artist Earl Yost. The books cover incorporates the image of the famous Wheeling suspension bridge in it design. Debbie Ice, author of Vicissitudes: the ups and downs and changes experienced in a lifetime… used her editing skills to format the book in preparations for it publishing. Return of the Gunboat is Clegg's first published novel. He enjoys writing and telling stories of the history of the Ohio Valley. Later this year his second book in these series will be released, it is titled, Lincoln's Gold. |
