Author of Novel Set in Ocean City to Sign Books on Saturday

Bill Schweigart — author of "Slipping the Cable," a first novel about the battle of wills between a Coast Guard junior officer and captain — will sign copies of his new book 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday (July 13) at Sun Rose Words & Music (756 Asbury Avenue).

The story is set in Key West and Ocean City — in addition to the high seas.

Schweigart grew up in Woodbury Heights and graduated from Gateway Regional High School, but vacationed every summer in the south end of Ocean City.

The first week after school let out in June was a staple on his vacation calendar, and Schweigart remembers the island as a "magical place."

"i needed something to contrast the claustrophobic environment of the ship," Schweigart said of the Ocean City scenes.

His main character grew up in the picture-perfect setting of Ocean City, he said.

Schweigart’s writing career began in college when he won a writing competition and a check for a hundred bucks. From then on, “the hook was set,” as he casually uses nautical terms to describe the moment he knew he wanted to be a novelist.

Years later, after graduating from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, it was on a cutter - an ocean-going ship - where Bill’s story was born. The author was offered a publishing contract in early 2012 by Martin Sisters Publishing, LLC.

Schweigart’s story follows Kelly Sensor, the Coast Guard cutter Sentinel’s newest junior officer as he navigates the ship’s political structure dominated by his vengeful Captain Aregood. Sensor and Aregood’s battle of wills escalates until it puts the Sentinel on a collision course with disaster. When Sensor hopes to escape to Key West, paradise quickly becomes a dead end when Captain Aregood pursues him.

Schweigart, who now works for the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Infrastructure Protection, lives in Arlington, VA with his wife, Kate, and daughter, Sidney.

Visit Bill’s website to find out more about upcoming venues and dates for book signings and book launch events: www.billschweigart.com

Print and e-versions of Slipping The Cable, can be found at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com, as well as other online and bricks and mortar book stores wherever books are sold.

Information about the book and the author can also be found at the publisher’s website: www.martinsisterspublishing.com