The embryo of Belhaven Blue was created when my wife and I bought a rustic “Fishing Camp” in Belhaven in 2004. We bought the place as a sanctuary for friends and family to escape their hectic city lives. Happily, this vision panned out as countless visitors took a break from their chaotic lives and adopted our “Pamlico Way of Life” during their stay with us. Activities included fishing, crabbing, boating, corn hole, bocce, kayaking, wildlife searching, reading, and star gazing on the pier with two fingers of bourbon. Over the past 20 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to take friends and family on hundreds of fishing adventures onboard the Retriever on the Pamlico, Pungo, and Neuse Rivers, as well as the Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. Such adventures helped nurture the embryo into a novel. I hope you enjoy reading Belhaven Blue as much as I enjoyed writing it!