Chasing the Tide

Cast into a harsh adulthood before his time, David is haunted by the memory of his childhood sweetheart. Plagued by a mystery surrounding his parents, he find himself facing dangerous enemies, but finds solace in fantasy with the enigmatic Celia who teaches him much, but harbours a deep-seated unhappiness of her own. Lucky with money, but not in love, he follows his star, supported by the idealistic Harri, the kindly Griff and the gutsy Monica. Nothing is ever what it seems as his tangled past constantly returns to frustrate him. Challenged by conflicts between his ambition and his waywardness, life is often sad, sometimes dangerous, but also exciting as he shapes his own philosophy. Succeeding in freeing himself from the clutches of the sea, with Celia's help he eventually uncovers a web of deceit and fraud

About the Author :
Born in 1940 in the Welsh mining village of Fynnongroyw, Flintshire, Ken Davies was educated in the local primary school and at Rhyl Grammar School where his love of writing was encouraged by inspirational teachers. After gaining a GCE in six subjects at Ordinary Level, he heeded the call of the sea and spent the next ten years aboard merchant ships. Travelling the world influenced much of his thinking about the hardship and injustice endured by so many of his fellow human beings. He met his Norwegian wife, Signe aboard ship, and they were married in the Seamen's Mission in Marsden Point, New Zealand in 1966. Ken made a serious attempt to swallow the anchor and worked in factories and the construction industry in both Norway and his native north Wales. Finding these frustrating years, in 1972 he gained a place at Coleg Harlech. This was a sterling experience, studying Economics, Psychology, Sociology, Welsh History and Literature. Gaining a University of Wales Diploma, he went to University College of Wales, Bangor to earn a degree in Psychology and Linguistics, going on to University College of Wales Cardiff to study the development of language in bilingual and monolingual children to gain a doctorate in Psycholinguistics. After some teaching at Cardiff University, Ken moved into social welfare, gaining a social work qualification from Swansea University and a Certificate in Social Services Management from the University of Birmingham. Working with disadvantaged people, he managed a series of projects, operated his own consultancy, did freelance work for the BBC Children in Need Appeal, and taught for the Open University. Ken has published several articles on social welfare, Sociolinguistics and Maritime History, but wanting to use words to paint engaging pictures he pursued several courses in creative writing. As a result, he published a prize-winning short story and some poetry. His first novel, Chasing the Tide has been a labour of love, using contrasting images of life at sea, Academia and professional life as the context of a fictional tale of personal development, mystery, intrigue, fantasy and the quest for love. His fond hope is to have produced a serious work of art. He has three sons, one of whom sadly passed away in 2000, and lives in Croesyceiliog, near Cwmbran in south Wales with his wife, Signe.