Thomas Jobling Author

Based in the Northern Irish, County Antrim port town of Larne, Thomas Jobling is a retired businessman, an experienced yachtsman and nautical scribe turned novelist. His debut novel, Chasing Shadows was published in 2014, and achieved success with readers from within the nautical world of competitive sailing. His second novel, again with a strong maritime backdrop, Arthur's Dead, was a thrilling but tragic love story and received very positive reviews, from as far away as Australia via their leading yachting magazine Afloat. Prior to these works, Thomas had written a 'how-to' planning and management e-manual designed to assist with the organisation of sailing regattas and championship level events. Such was the popularly of The Big Event that it earned the badge of a 'best practice' document with both the Royal Yachting Association and the Irish Sailing Association. A subsequent publication, Champions & High Achievers, charts the 'great and the good' from the inception in 1950 of the East Antrim Boat Club, on Larne Lough, up to 2013. It can be found on the club's website at www.eabc.club. Having been born by the sea, boats and boating were destined to become companions of Thomas's and he continues to enjoy his passion for all things afloat. Going freelance in the early seventies, he covered the marine scene by reporting sail-boat events for the leading UK and Irish yachting magazines as well as writing weekly columns for his local papers. However, marriage and an expanding family demanded that he found 'real' employment! To back-up his scribing he found himself building glass-fibre yachts, leading on to involvement with the plastics distribution business before moving into the construction industry selling plastic building products. Several decades later he had risen to the level of national sales manager... He has competed at the highest level within the sport of sailboat racing. Currently he races a quarter-tonner type of yacht, but at a more leisurely pace. During this period he also found time to serve as his club's Commodore, and thereafter as President of the Irish GP14 Association while he and wife Jane raised their family of three; two boys and a girl. Having taken early retirement from business he quickly re-kindled and re-developed his writing craft within the world of creative writing.