Yarns from an Old Salt

British writer Jack Owen served in the Royal Navy as a boy. Then wised up. He evolved into a local newspaper reporter and feed stop-press snippets to national media in England.

Part of that beat ranged from Broadmoor Institute for the Criminally Insane to Sandhurst Military Academy. Difficult to separate, sometimes. Then he spent half a century covering, and uncovering, crime and society in the Palm Beaches as a staff writer and freelance journalist. He also became an antiquarian book dealer where he found time to write two books about the rich little community of Palm Beach.

His 'Palm Beach Scandals – An Intimate Guide' debuted on 'The Joan River's Show'. He has several other books, mostly maritime, in print and pad format. This, a sample collection of essays, anecdotes and short stories, spreads a smorgasbord of snippets culled from his experiences.

More than one episode reflects his early years attending multiple schools. Some of those departures were caused by the Blitz, others by self-inflicted academic bombs. In that era Capt. W.E. Johns and his fictional RAF fighter pilot James 'Biggles' Bigglesworth, and C. S. Forester's sailing seafarer Horatio Hornblower, R. N. were 'approved' parental heroes to be read.

But, Richmal Crompton's eleven year old scalawag William Brown, together with his gang of schoolboy pirates, detectives and spies, were likely contenders as mentors.

Cats, dogs, grannies and grandpas along with crooks, cops, crazies and rum rats spice the stories presented. They may not bump anyone off the 'Top Ten' lists, but they are definitely good for beach, airport or doctor's waiting room reading.

They're as entertaining and honest as fisherman's yarns.