People’s eyes sometimes glaze over when Nick Bates talks about climate change.

The BIOS oceanographer has had to resort to a different medium to get his message across — books.

Dr Bates will launch his first novel At The Sharp End of Lightning, tomorrow.

The book is an adult fantasy about a sea sprite searching for her lost love in the Sargasso Sea.

It’s the first in a planned series Dr Bates hope will get across his concerns about rising ocean acidification and slowing coral reef growth rates.

“In a way, I have struggled to get people to take climate change seriously,” he said.

One of the main characters is a boy with the blood disorder haemophilia — a condition that Dr Bates has. Haemophiliacs can bleed to death from a tiny cut because their blood doesn’t clot properly.

Dr Bates joked that his parents named him after Tzar Nicholas II of Russia. His son, Alexei had haemophilia.

“Haemophilia was not in my family so it came as a surprise,” he said. “As a child, the doctor said I wouldn’t live to be 16.

“That was a hard thing to hear. The doctor said I should be kept quiet. But I was pretty wilful and did what I wanted. I said, I am not going to hide, no matter what anyone says. I’m still here, now in my middle ages.”

Haemophilia has limited him to some degree.

“I have to be careful,” he said. “I don’t dive. I have been pretty determined that despite my boundaries, I would be a good scientist and understand the ocean and how the planet works. You have to transcend the difficulties you have in life.

“I have drawn strength from them. My writing builds on that as well, the way we transcend our personal experiences.”

Dr Bates grew up in North Wales. From his bedroom window in Colwyn Bay he could see the remains of a 13th Century palace.

As a teenager, his grandmother’s old stories about the site inspired him to write songs, poems and stories.

He eventually abandoned writing to become a scientist. The decision led to his move to Bermuda in 1986. He also lectures part-time at the University of Southampton in England.

He decided to publish his book independently because he wanted more control over the publishing process. He was thrilled to receive a positive blurb from the Kirkus Review, an organisation that does not often favour independent books.

They wrote: “Even the darker parts of the story sound poetic. Bates expertly blends the fantastical aspects with more true-to-life particulars.”

Dr Bates said: “I was so nervous after I submitted my book to them. They sent me back a response and I was biting my nails before I opened it.”

He thanked his wife Margaret.

“She encouraged me to write,” he said. “I could not have written without her help and support.”

• At the Sharp End of Lightning is available online at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and at the Bermuda Bookstore.

• Dr Bates will sign copies of his book tomorrow at Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute at 7pm. A lecture in the Tradewinds Auditorium follows.

• Tickets, $20 for members and $25 for non-members, are available on 294-0204 or from the BUEI gift shop.