Author & Adventurer
Thank you Bonnie Ferneau for inviting me to give a back story presentation of ‘Belhaven Blue’ at the Crystal Coast Country Club on March 8, 2025 in Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina. The attendees questions and comments were interesting and insightful. Stephanie and I also appreciate the delicious Inner Banks dinner!
I had a great time at the Carteret Council Book Fair in Morehead City today! I enjoyed meeting local authors, council members, and customers. The Council invited the authors to leave some signed copies of their books with the History Museum Bookstore in Morehead City for purchase in case you couldn’t attend the Book Fair today. I’d like to give a big shoutout to Kelly, Debby, and the other Council Members who organized this event- thank you!
This Fall at Cape Lookout has been one of the best fishing experiences of my life! I put over 220 hours on the Retriever’s motor in less than 3 months! I won’t bore you with the details of the 40 or so sea adventures I took this fall. But one adventure, in particular, stood out. After catching a few false albacore (“albies”) on my flyrod at first light, I then motored over to an area that previously held Big Red Drum. There were only four other boats when I first arrived (which eventually expanded to 16) and the game was on! Everyone seemed to be hooked up with a big drum except for moi! But persistence paid off and I eventually scored a 46″ Big Drum. Then an even cooler thing happened. A humpback whale decided to join the party and began feasting on menhaden for over 2 hours. It meandered throughout the fleet (including fishing guide Brian Horsley’s boat shown in the photo above) and then emerged less than 40′ from the Retriever! After the drum bite slowed and the humpback whale disappeared, I headed back to Beaufort. Halfway home, a school of albies started busting the ocean surface so, naturally, I cast a fly into that mayhem and hooked and boated an albie! Once I arrived home, I recounted my sea adventure with Stephanie over a tumbler of Buffalo Trace: busting albies, jumping dolphin, feasting humpback, voracious bluefish, and a stunning environment. As a marine biologist and avid fisherman, it simply doesn’t get any better!
I’m pleased to announce The Next Chapter bookstore in New Bern, NC has invited me to do a book signing for my new best selling novel ‘Belhaven Blue’ on Saturday, October 5th from 1-3 PM. Okay, okay, it was only a #1 Best Seller for about 5 minutes but it did hit the top spot at one point. Lol. Anyway, I plan to read a couple of passages from the novel and answer any questions you may have. Stop by- it should be fun!
I was invited to provide the back story of Belhaven Blue at the River Rat Yacht Club (RRYC) in Belhaven this past weekend. It was a pleasure to see old friends and meet new ones over a delicious pot luck dinner! Thank you RRYC members for the scrumptious dinner and for purchasing virtually every copy of the book that I brought!
My wife walked into RiverBend Cultural Arts Center in Belhaven yesterday and saw this beautiful display highlighting ‘Belhaven Blue’ and the cover art painted by Ellen Sullivan. I am excited to report that RiverBend has sold over $1,000 worth of books thus far! Thank you RiverBend and thank you Belhaven residents!
Grateful to the Cape Lookout Flyfishers Group for carving out time for me at their monthly meeting last night to give a presentation on ‘Belhaven Blue’ and to sign some books. The members purchased almost every book I brought! Thank you!
“Jason…finally had the opportunity to find time to read Belhaven Blue…couldn’t put it down…read in two sittings…PHENOMENAL!!!!” -Dale Britt, Big Rock Charter Boat Captain
“I recommend it not only for anglers who will enjoy the fishing background, but for anyone looking for a light summer book for reading on the beach or dock. The story flows easily and, as someone who grew up on the Pamlico River, it brings back some great memories, and, of course, I appreciated the inclusion of some conservation topics…Full disclosure, it does have a love story woven into it, but even crusty, old fishermen need their emotions moved every now and then.” -David Sneed, Executive Director of Coastal Conservation Association of NC
“Jason, I just finished your book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s a great story, with action and romance and a bit of magic! I enjoyed learning about the fishing world, and of course it was charming that it’s set in Belhaven.” – Karen Colvard, Belhaven resident
“Educational and informational, the reader not only is “along for the ride” with Sonny, they’re also able to really feel everything that happens with immense emotion. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time! I only gave it 5 stars because 6 wasn’t available!” -Doug Parsons, Tournament Fisherman
“I give Jason 4 out of 4 fishes for Belhaven Blue! -Bobby Brewer, Professional Fishing Guide
“I thoroughly enjoyed Belhaven Blue! I’m a college-level English instructor and can appreciate the level of knowledge, research, and revision that obviously went into this book. Please write a sequel!” -Sherry Talley Faithful, English Teacher
“Just finished your book! Loved it! Living on the Outer Banks made it special!” -Pat Reilly Smith, OBX resident
“I love this book! From the first pages, Belhaven Blue pulled me in. Characters to love and a surprising, heart-stopping adventure kept me turning each page…I fell for it, hook, line, and sinker!” -Stephanie, Raleigh, NC resident
“Gripping entertainment! The romance and intrigue drew me in, but it was the fish tales that were even more exciting. If you’re not interested in fishing, this book will change your mind. The story is well-written, fun, and interesting. I look forward to Caplan’s next novel!” -Mig, Durham, NC resident
“It’s a wonderful story set in a small coastal community in North Carolina. A fun and detailed adventure read for anyone who loves the outdoors, fishing, romance and intrigue. It will keep you turning the pages!” -ReadNC, Raleigh, NC resident
I’d like to thank those who attended the ‘Belhaven Blue’ book signing event last night in Beaufort, NC. I had a great time! Like the Belhaven attendees the previous week, many of you asked very interesting and insightful questions! I’d also like to thank Town Creek Marina for hosting the event and Dale Britt for attending. Dale is a multi-year Big Rock participant who generously allowed time for me to interview him while I wrote the book.
It was important for me to honor the two cities, Belhaven and Beaufort, that played such big parts in the book. For this reason, I chose those two cities for the first (and perhaps only) book signing events. For the next several months, I plan to now focus on one of my deepest passions…fly fishing!
Please join me at the Town Creek Marina in Beaufort, NC from 5 to 7 pm on Friday, March 29th! I can assure you this will not be a dull book reading session! Yes, I’ll read a couple of short passages from the book, but most of my time (15 to 20 minutes) will focus on the back-story of Belhaven Blue and answering any questions you may have about the book. You don’t need to stay for two hours! You could be in and out of the marina in less than 30 minutes if you wish. We extended the hours until 7 pm for people who may be driving a good distance from Beaufort.