Paul Bomba is an overnight sensation that was 50 years in the making.

Five decades after first thinking about writing a book about growing up in Asbury Park, N.J., Paul published a historical novel in June 2023, a story of civil unrest in his hometown, titled "No Lifeguard on Duty."

His debut work earned six awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award for best first fiction book from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and a National Indie Excellence Award.

Now a resident of Lancaster County, Paul will talk about his book in his own neighborhood on Tuesday, Aug. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at the Strasburg-Heisler Library, 143 Precision Ave., Strasburg.

Paul said his presentation will answer three questions: "Why did I write a book? Why did it take me 50 years to do it? Why is the book 490 pages long?" Paul will also respond to questions from the audience.

Originally from Wilkes-Barre, Paul moved with his family to Asbury Park when he was 9, and he remained there until he attended Franklin & Marshall College. After working for The Hershey Company in southern Lebanon County for 27 years, he retired and moved to Strasburg.

While Paul's book is fiction, the events that inspired it are real. Asbury Park was embroiled in riots in July 1970, which injured approximately 200 people and caused millions of dollars in damage. Paul still vividly recalls Independence Day that year. The light show was not caused by celebratory fireworks.

"I was in my bed, and I saw red lights on the ceiling and heard sirens in the distance," he said. Even before the riot, Paul had what he called a "naive ambition" to pen a book. "I wanted to write a story of how cool it was to live in this town," he said of Asbury Park. "I loved this place. I had moved from a declining coal town in Appalachia to the beach, ocean, boardwalk, concession, and rides. As a 14-year-old, it was easy to understand why I would love it. When I saw those lights on the ceiling and heard those sirens, I knew something was about to change."

The general idea of writing a book stayed with him for the next 50 years. "I carried it around with me like sand in my sneaker," he said. "It was always there. It was reminding me of those times, the way sand in your sneakers reminds you that you are at the beach."

Over time, he realized he could still write about his hometown, but not in the way he first thought. "I started to think more about the events that led up to those riots and the aftermath of them," Paul said. "I decided if I ever do write this book, it has to be more than just about kids on the beach. It needs to be about race and social class."

Paul said he entered the process without an agenda to change anyone's mind. "I used historical facts and the facts of lived experience," he said. "I was there. I wasn't in the middle of the riots, but I knew people who were impacted by it. ... The language they speak and dialogue they have is real because I've heard those type of conversations." A college professor referred to Paul's work as a "fictionalized memoir."

"No Lifeguard on Duty" is centered around three friends who are living the beach life: a white, blue-collar, middle-class kid; a black, lower middle-class kid from the margins of the west side; and a young, wealthy tourist from New York City. The characters do not represent specific friends of Paul's but are composite characters of people he knew.

Many people know Asbury Park because of its connection to Bruce Springsteen. The Boss' debut album was called "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.," and he regularly performed at The Stone Pony in the town during the 1970s. There are some references to Springsteen in "No Lifeguard on Duty," and Paul said he included some "Easter eggs" for the rocker's most ardent fans.

Paul stated that he originally had no intention of publishing his book. "I put the pages in a binder and gave it to friends," he said. One of those friends, his college roommate John Conti, who still lives in New Jersey, responded two days after getting a copy. "John called and said, 'You can't throw this in a drawer. It's too good,'" Paul recalled. "John is someone who loves me but also someone whose opinion I respect."

Paul hired a firm to provide a cover design, as well as copy editing and proofreading. It was a big thrill when he received the first copy in the mail. "It was a great feeling," he said. "I am very proud of it."

Paul stated, "I would just say the book is more than a beach read, although it's a very good beach read. He called the book "accessible," explaining, "You don't have to get out your thesaurus. You don't have to go and do research on Asbury Park to understand what's going on in this book. You'll get enough of it there. Although you might (look it up afterwards) because it's interesting."

Paul is working on a sequel, and he hopes to have it completed by next summer. "In the feedback I have gotten through my website, people have said the characters resonated with them, and they want to see resolution to the loose ends in the first book," he said. "They became emotionally involved and want to see what happens."

Paul's wife, Flere, is a librarian at the Strasburg-Heisler Library. The couple's daughter, Kelsey, is a manager of a bookstore in Santa Monica, Calif., and their son, Jared, is a journalist who resides in Brooklyn. "I guess we are a family of the word," Paul said.

Go to http://www.paulbombabooks.com for more information or to purchase "No Lifeguard on Duty."