Roger Duncan Writes First Fiction Novel at 89

Roger Duncan, the author known for classic nonfiction sailing works such as "The Cruising Guide to the New England Coast" and "Eastward," has written his first book of fiction: "The Reluctant Patriot: A Novel of the American Revolution," to be published by Down East Books on May 1. A book review in the Portland Press Herald notes that Duncan, nearly 90 years old, spent every summer in Maine since he was 6 years old, and has lived there year-round since 1981. Though he's the accomplished author of no fewer than ten books of nonfiction, the fact that he waited until 89 to write his first fiction novel is inspiring...

About the book: drawing on true events and real people, it is the story of the wreck of a British schooner off the coast of Maine in 1775. Duncan has created a historical narrative, imagining the fictional life of the ship's pilot, with his usual vivid descriptions and crisp dialogue, a glimpse of U.S. history and 18th-century Colonial life on Maine's coast.