Trading My Badge for a Boat Has Entered the Formatting Stage

I’m excited to share that Trading My Badge for a Boat: Finding Peace, Purpose, and a Second Career on the Waters of Tampa Bay has officially entered the formatting and interior-design stage.

The manuscript has been written, edited, reviewed, and turned over to the design team at Palmetto Publishing. They are now working on the interior mock-up—the part of the process where the words, photographs, captions, chapter headings, and page design finally begin to look like a real book.

This next step will give me my first good look at how the finished pages will appear. Once I receive the mock-up, I’ll review everything carefully before the design team formats the entire book. I’ll be watching the details closely, from photo placement and captions to page numbers, chapter openings, and overall readability.

It has been a long journey from retiring my badge to building a second career on the waters of Tampa Bay. This book tells that story—the good days, the hard days, the memorable customers, the fish that got away, and the lessons the water taught me along the way.

There is still work ahead, but this is an important milestone. The book is no longer just a manuscript sitting on a computer. It is beginning to take its final shape.

My goal remains to have Trading My Badge for a Boat completed by Christmas 2026. I’ll continue sharing updates as the interior design, final proofing, and publication process move forward.

Thank you to everyone who has encouraged me, followed the journey, fished with me, cruised Tampa Bay aboard Five O’Clock Charlie, or become part of one of the stories in this book.

We’re getting closer. The lines are in, the tide is moving, and this book is finally heading toward the dock.

Captain John E. Blenker