Runaway Bay
by Amy Cogdell & Mike Hubbard
Runaway Bay is a new book being written by Amy with her father, Mike Hubbard.
Here’s how Amy describes the book:
When I was three years-old, a plane crash changed my life.
In 1971, my father intentionally ditched a small Cessna into a Texas lake—planning to start a new life with a new identity. After days of searching the authorities declared him dead, and my mother began planning a memorial.
Then, one day before the funeral, Dad reappeared to tell her that he was leaving.
Though I was quite young, I have vivid memories of those days and the years of dysfunction which followed. I was largely unaware of the emotional toll his abandonment had taken on me until I married, and my latent fears began to surface.
While attending to my own healing, I often found myself thinking about my father.
Where did his madness come from?
Was here any hope for our reconciliation?
A few years ago, I visited him and was surprised at his eagerness to talk.
“Amy,” he said, “I am coming to the end of my allotted years. I have Parkinson’s disease. I want to ask you - what should I do with the rest of my life?”
An answer suddenly popped into my head.
“Dad, let’s write a book together.”
Runaway Bay is the fruit of our work. The book takes its title from the real-life place where my father swam to shore after his crash. It is meant as a sign of hope for all sorts of runaways. The work is part narrative, part conversation, part mystical contemplation. It is a multi-faceted exploration of trauma, healing, and reconciliation from a Christian perspective.