In 1851, Maura and Patrick O'Connell, driven from their Irish home by a cruel English landlord, join the landlord's younger son, Laurence Kirkle, fleeing an abusive family situation, on a journey that takes them to the port of Liverpool on the first step of their quest to reach America.

Behind the Book

In my visits to schools kids were telling me that they could and would read very long books on their own—this was before Harry Potter days—simply because they enjoyed Stephen King or Michael Crichton. That interested me and surprised their teachers. It told me that if I could write a story that was truly compelling, I could write a long book. As a model I chose the Victorian novel, a long book with many short chapters, with a story that all but compelled the readers to turn the pages so as to see what happened next. That’s how Beyond the Western Sea came to be. Unfortunately, it was decided to publish the one book into two volumes. That has confused some readers. But the two books: Beyond the Western Sea: Escape from home, and Beyond the Western Sea: Lord Kirkle’s Money, are really one book and can be enjoyed best if read that way.