My Story

“When I woke up on the morning of December 6, 2014, I had no plans to write a book. When I went to bed that night, I was a writer. December 6th was my oldest daughter Kina’s wedding day and I was tasked with the fatherly duty of addressing the guests at the reception. During the talk about memories of Kina growing up, I shared information that I had hid and held inside for 30 years. As I spoke, I felt a huge burden lifting off my shoulders—one I had carried since she was a little girl. The guests were captivated by the story I shared, and the more I spoke, the better I felt. When I returned to my hotel room after the reception, I began to write my memoir, the intriguingly titled White Man’s Disease.”

Cruising Interrupted is Paul C. Thornton’s third book, a follow-up to the fun, upbeat, award-winning The Joy of Cruising. His cruise-themed books are a stark departure from his debut: White Man’s Disease, described as “gripping and inspiring” in the press release announcing it as the winner of the North Street Book Prize, about Paul’s harrowing brush with death, journey of recovery from trauma, resilience and ultimately transformation. White Man’s Disease is at once poignant, sad, tragic and funny. Despite their very
different subjects, at the heart of both White Man’s Disease and The Joy of
Cruising/Cruising Interrupted is passion and how passionate people do wondrous things.

Paul is originally from Brooklyn and Long Island, New York. He lives in Fort Myers, Florida with his wife Cheryl and considers cruising with their grandchildren life’s ultimate escape. Paul longs to cruise as much as the people he writes about in The Joy of Cruising and Cruising Interrupted.