Paul Thornton
Grand prize winner, 2017 North Street Book Prize! Paul C. Thornton was raised in Brooklyn and Long Island, New York. The Joy of Cruising is a labor of love given Paul’s burgeoning passion for cruising, and the enjoyment he got out of interviewing, writing profiles about, and sharing the stories of passionate cruisers from all over the world. The Joy of Cruising is Paul’s second book, a stark departure from his first: White Man’s Disease, a “gripping and inspiring” award-winning memoir about Paul’s “harrowing” brush with death, his journey of recovery from a traumatic event, and ultimately liberation from a 30-year old “curse.” Yet at the heart of both books is passion, and how passionate people do wondrous things. Paul lives in Fort Myers, Florida with his wife Cheryl, and considers cruising with their grandkids life’s ultimate escape.
May 2019, The Joy of Cruising was selected medal winner, Florida Authors & Publishers Association President’s Book Awards! May 2018, White Man's Disease was named Finalist in the 2018 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. In February 2018, White Man's Disease was named memoir winner of the 2017 North Street Book Prize. In July 2017, White Man's Disease was awarded Honorable Mention, First Non-Fiction in the Harlem Book Fair Phillis Wheatley Book Awards, and in August 2017 was chosen as an "Official Selection" i.e., first runner-up, in the 2017 New Apple Summer E-Book Awards for Excellence in Independent Publishing in the Autobiography/Biography/Memoir category. |
The Joy of Cruising
Travel Non-Fiction
Winner, Florida Authors & Publishers Association President’s Book Awards, The Joy of Cruising is about passion. The Joy of Cruising is an anthology that takes a look at the magic of cruising from the vantage point of travelers passionate about cruising and the many ways cruisers act on their passion. Award-winning author Paul C. Thornton profiles travelers from all over the world with a passion for cruising and who act on that passion in creative and fascinating ways. From millennials to 90-something’s; from a Grammy award winner, Poker Hall of Famer, winner of the TV series Last Comic Standing, cruise ship Godmother, to “ordinary” cruisers doing extraordinary things, The Joy of Cruising will fascinate anyone who has ever cruised, aspires to take a cruise, or just loves travel. |
White Man's Disease
Memoir
Grand Prize Winner, North Street Book Prize, White Man’s Disease is set in the 80's. Sudden circumstances touched a number of lives and were the genesis of one man's journey from the depths of despair, to incredible highs, with a number of setbacks, victories, and subplots along the way, culminating in a cathartic event that takes place 30 years later. White Man’s Disease is poignant, sad, tragic, funny, and compelling throughout. White Man’s Disease is not overtly about race; nor is it literally about a disease--although medical calamity is a major subtext. White Man's Disease is a fish out of water tale of a 29-year old African-American thrust suddenly into an unfamiliar and mainly White world. It is a slice of life portrayal; young man in a corporate setting who seemingly had it all: gorgeous wife, beautiful kids, career success, health, looks, happiness, and ever-present smile, and virtually overnight was threatened with losing it all. In fact he did lose many of those things; some short-term, some long term; some permanent. Finally, it's a redemption story; liberation from the self-imposed "imprisonment" of 30 years ago, and rebounding from many of the aforementioned losses. |