Exhibiting Author David Schroeder

“In this engaging debut novel of historical adventure, the first of a planned series, a man fights the dangers of the Atlantic and a conspiracy of white slave trading.”

So begins a review from Kirkus Reviews of the novel “The Surfman” by Exhibiting Author David M. Schroeder.

“The Surfman” is the story of Jack Light, a member of the United States Lifesaving Service, whose members risked their lives to save survivors of shipwrecks off the dangerous Atlantic Coast in the late 1800s,  and heiress Elizabeth Harrison who leaps from a slave ship where she has been held captive. Jack Light pulls her to safety and at her insistence hides her until she can return to her home. But LeFrank, the captain of the ship, is bent on selling her to gain control of her fortune.

“The author is at his best when describing the sea and its dangers… His historical research is often exemplary; he doesn’t shy away from describing the brutal existences of those who live at the mercy of the sea, and he effectively portrays cramped urban conditions among the poor. He also disturbingly, if accurately, describes violence against women, but his female characters show considerable backbone, resolve and strength of character—not as warriors, but as survivors. A fine historical yarn, sure to appeal to many fans of maritime adventure.” — Kirkus Reviews

And Schroeder isn’t done with these characters. He’s currently working on a sequel to “The Surfman” that is due out later this year.

Where do Schroeder’s ideas come from?

“There is a restored lifesaving station at Indian River in Delaware and I toured the facility one afternoon and became interested in the history of the U. S. Lifesaving Service,” Schroeder said. “Their motto: ‘You have to go out, you don’t have to come back.’ Surfmen patrolled the beaches and rescued people from ships in peril. From 1878 until they became the U. S. Coast Guard in 1915 they saved 186,000 lives, yet no one knows of their existence.”