Surf
The solid world fades before the fluid
reality each wave holds in its heart;
Escape with us, they whisper. Leave your truths
upon the sand, to wash away as all
such castles will. Yet I shall build anew.
Build until I once again grow weary.
Stephen Brooke ©2025
this is what surfing means to me and why I have no interest in contests and wave pools and such
Surfing has long been a part of my life, so it should not be at all surprising it has shown up in my fiction. These are the novels that reference it in some degree:
“The Middle of Nowhere” — in my first novel (a young adult), surfing is only mentioned in passing by a local artist and sometime sub teacher (golly, I wonder whom I based that on).
The three Cully Beach crime novels, “Shaper,” “Waves,” “Smoke” — the main character and first-person narrator is an aging surfer and surf-shop owner, known as ‘Shaper.’ I shaped a few surfboards myself in bygone days so I know at least a little of what I’m talking about.
The two Women in the Sun novels (written under the pen name Sienna Santerre), “One Summer in the Sun,” “One Christmas in the Sun” — teens in the late Sixties, some of whom are surfers and all of whom hang on the beach. The books are set in the Naples in which I grew up in that period.
“Asanas” — again, mostly mentioned in passing, as the characters reminisce about their younger days (and dating surfers).
Although several of my fantasy novels feature more-or-less Polynesians, I haven’t put any of them on surfboards. But there is definitely canoe surfing.
All available, of course, from Arachis Press (arachispress.com) in print or as free ebooks.
