Additional information
by J. Joseph Mawek (Author)
In the not-too-distant future, a natural disaster "sneaks up" on the international agency charged with observing and responding to climate change. Indications are topsy-turvy as sea levels and tides are falling, as opposed to rising. As the central characters are drawn into the disaster, readers of The Last Straw get an up-close look at how modern man deals with the challenges of a fluctuating planet and life-threatening climate change.
The Last Straw is also the story of how our social attitudes and values can surprisingly and dramatically change as our lives grow longer. It also explores new and future technology, both realistically and in the realm of science fiction. On the lighter side, it is a sea- faring adventure involving an enigmatic man of great longevity, skills, and personality; a globe-trotting couple who at times find themselves at odds; and a long-lost sibling with a dark past who brings them together. Geologists, climatologists, an oceanographer, and a world-class Elon Musk-like technologist dealing with latent homosexuality round out the cast of characters. Paralleling the story's global climate change theme along with ideas of enhanced futuristic technology and communication capabilities, the action extends from the eastern front of the Colorado Rockies to Falmouth, Massachusetts; Andalusia, Spain; Zug, Switzerland; and the Atlantic and Mediterranean waters of the Iberian Peninsula.Author Biography
The author, who writes under the name J. Joseph Mawek, wrote The Last Straw as a framework for a screenplay and subsequent film. If you would like to participate in the film production, please visit the film's Kickstarter.com project, which is planned for late Spring 2017. When not traveling, Mawek and his wife, Patricia, reside in the town of Port Washington, New York, which is located along the gold coast of Long Island's North Shore. Mawek is a graduate of Stony Brook University and Manhattan College where he published works of both fiction and nonfiction.
