@TheobaldSprague Shares an #Excerpt from "The Other Side of the Ice" #AmReading #Family

Before grabbing a book and heading below, I took a stroll out on deck to try and gather in the towering strength and beauty of the mountains that surrounded our still and peaceful anchorage, perhaps the most stunning I’d ever seen. Low, shrub-covered flats quickly ran up to rocky foothills that rose straight up into the monstrous snow-covered peaks. It was an area waiting to be hiked and explored but, for me at least, only after a good night’s sleep. Sometime during the past day, we had crossed an invisible line that moved everyday thinking to a seldom-visited level.

We were anchored now in an area much more raw, powerful, and potentially threatening than we had experienced. On our way into this amazing paradise, we encountered, for the first time, charts that simply didn’t have complete soundings, no channel markers, no warning of shoals or hidden rock outcroppings. While we weren’t exactly flying blind, we were navigating in an area of greatly reduced information. Not for the first time in the trip the thought struck, “If we stick here, we are screwed.”

This new level of thinking and awareness was debilitating, a slowly circling feeling of expected isolation and self-reliance. No longer would a potential emergency be met with a simple call on the ship’s radio to the local Coast Guard or towboat. We were becoming increasingly isolated and as such were going to have to rely on our own wits. My hope was that this mounting sense of isolation would stay beyond the limits of the boat and not work its way inside. Time would tell. For the past two years, the talk had been to simply get to this area and then farther north.

I unexpectedly found my senses coming alive. My sense of smell was more acute, my hearing was finer, and my sight was more focused. It was a feeling, a new way of seeing life, that through the rest of the trip would reach far deeper than I could have imagined.

The Northwest Passage is a ship killer, and always has been.

At various stages of the journey, I found myself numb. Exhausted. Terrified.

How had it all started? What were we doing?

I was leading a crossing of the Northwest Passage, an 1,800-mile channel north of the Arctic Circle, connecting, in theory, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Hundreds of sailors had given their lives trying to do the exact same thing. We were a small boat with a small crew. Bagan is a fifty-seven foot long Nordhavn, and she was manned by six of us, three of whom were my children.

One thought and one thought only kept shouting in my mind, a thought that no expedition leader and, especially, no parent should ever have to think; a thought that held me in a cold, mental death grip, a thought that I still think about.

“Have I brought us all together just to lead us to our deaths?”

( TO WATCH THE OFFICIAL HD TEASER FOR “The Other Side of The Ice” [book and documentary] PLEASE GO TO: VIMEO.COM/45526226) 

A sailor and his family’s harrowing and inspiring story of their attempt to sail the treacherous Northwest Passage.

Sprague Theobald, an award-winning documentary filmmaker and expert sailor with over 40,000 offshore miles under his belt, always considered the Northwest Passage–the sea route connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific–the ultimate uncharted territory. Since Roald Amundsen completed the first successful crossing of the fabled Northwest Passage in 1906, only twenty-four pleasure craft have followed in his wake. Many more people have gone into space than have traversed the Passage, and a staggering number have died trying. From his home port of Newport, Rhode Island, through the Passage and around Alaska to Seattle, it would be an 8,500-mile trek filled with constant danger from ice, polar bears, and severe weather.

What Theobald couldn’t have known was just how life-changing his journey through the Passage would be. Reuniting his children and stepchildren after a bad divorce more than fifteen years earlier, the family embarks with unanswered questions, untold hurts, and unspoken mistrusts hanging over their heads. Unrelenting cold, hungry polar bears, and a haunting landscape littered with sobering artifacts from the tragic Franklin Expedition of 1845, as well as personality clashes that threaten to tear the crew apart, make The Other Side of the Ice a harrowing story of survival, adventure, and, ultimately, redemption.

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Genre – Memoir, Adventure, Family, Climate

Rating – PG

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Website www.spraguetheobald.com

LUCIEN & I by Danny Wynn #Excerpt #AmReading #NewRelease

It was around four in the morning in a packed pulsating club in Istanbul, when I caught Lucien’s eye.  The name of the club was 2019, as in the year, I’m pretty sure – “Twenty-nineteen” was what people called it.  He and I were dancing with the exquisite Azine, his Turkish ex-girlfriend – light brown hair, golden skin, stylish, the epitome of elegant femininity.  We all moved loosely, sweat-drenched, Lucien in that whirling psychedelic dervish way of his.  I was more or less in a transcendent state, one of those all too rare moments when the pure act of dancing makes you high, or higher, and fills you with euphoria.

I caught his eye and shouted above the blasting techno-soul, “I’m alive!”  He nodded and grinned his grin.  He knew.

- from Lucien and I (being released in autumn 2014)

How far would you go to add excitement to a life you felt was boring and meaningless?

For seventy-three-year-old Jaime, the answer takes him by surprise. Accustomed to a lonely life high up in the mountains on the western coast of Mallorca, his dull routine is suddenly shattered when a man parachutes from a plane and lands nearby. The plane crashes; the man lives.

It’s a drug smuggling operation gone bad. But Stefan, the man from the sky, has escaped with eight kilos of cocaine in a gym bag. Jaime brings Stefan home and is soon entangled in Stefan’s attempts to sell the cocaine and start a new life.

As they dodge Parisian drug dealers and corrupt Mallorcan police, Jaime’s search for excitement and Stefan’s resolve to find stability lead them both down dangerous paths.

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Genre – Literary Fiction, Adventure

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://www.dannywynn.net/

Will Shakespeare & the Ships of Solomon by Christopher Grey @GreyAuthor #Action #Fiction

Oak Island was lit with electric lights that could be seen from down the bay. Pulling into Chester at night meant that those lights were the brightest on the coast. Will was as surprised as Dorothy, but not because he didn’t know what the contraption was. No one had been excavating on the island for ten years, and yet there was a massive crane and pulley system, lit with floodlights and surrounded by trucks and tents.

He cursed, and Dorothy raised an eyebrow at him.

“Let’s hope they had a late night.”

Checking his watch confirmed it was still only three-thirty in the morning. Not even the most eager started that early.

“Who are they?” Dorothy asked, now recognizing the contraptions as they came closer.

“Treasure hunters.”

“I thought this was a secret.”

Will shrugged. “The promise of fortune makes people very persistent.”

As they drove down Lighthouse Road, the hoopla surrounding Oak Island seemed somewhat anticlimactic. It was a humble hill of shrubs and sand connected by a man-made bridge. Various rocks created several coves and bays on the small plot, and the largest feature was a massive excavation at the southeast end of the island. The notorious “Money Pit.”

Heaving a sigh, he directed Dorothy to park the car on the edge of the island and turn off the engine. Tapping the steering wheel absently, she waited for him as he considered the best approach. They weren’t going anywhere near the Money Pit; however, their hike would take them close enough. It was still cold, and they had no swimwear.

“I’ll be blunt,” he said. “This is no place for a lady. We’ll have to swim and go into ancient underwater caves. If the treasure hunters find us, we’ll have to get away with no clues as to where we were or why. Tell me now if you aren’t up to it. You can stay in the car and keep watch.”

“Sir Shakespeare, if you honestly think I’m going to let you go treasure hunting without me, then you really are mad.”

She got out of the car first.

“So mote it be,” he whispered under his breath.

Incensed that Shakespeare said the words “This is no place for a lady,” Dorothy sought not only to prove that women could be here but that it was better that they were. She’d grown up in an island colony, not some farmhouse in Nebraska. America may have its proverbial undies in a wad over the rights and privileges of women, but British colonies sure as hell didn’t. A woman worked just like a man, and, lest men like Shakespeare forget, it was the women who ran their bloody country when the U.S. troops were overseas.

This was no time to discuss it. Much more important matters were at hand, and despite Will’s demeanor, she didn’t believe he meant harm. He was only trying to give proper warning. After all, she was wearing the business suit she’d bought for this purpose. Had her father convinced her not to, she’d have been wearing slacks and a breathing top—like she always did. Often on the island, she wore nothing but a bathing suit. Stuck in recently purchased pumps, a long skirt that was tight around her hips, a button-up top and jacket, she felt more like a Cosmopolitan advert than a Bermuda Wilkinson. With a hat to boot, it was no wonder Shakespeare had warned her of their upcoming adventure.

She’d overreacted, perhaps, but the whole situation seemed wrong. Was this man really trying to protect her, or was she simply being used to get to the property? She’d play his game, but only because it was clear he thought she was naïve. They’d find what was on her property. She’d then give the treasure to the rightful owner, her father. Anything on land he owned belonged to him, and no ridiculous private club of history conjurers and criminals would take her father’s property from him.

We’ll see what sort of place a lady belongs, Sir Shakespeare.

In the fall of 1947, Will Shakespeare saw the world collapse around him. Shakespeare, a secret soldier for the Knights Templar, barely escapes the slaughter of his entire knighthood at the hands of a rogue militant arm of the Vatican in a small Montreal church. With orders to escort Templar business associate Dorothy Wilkinson back to her home in Bermuda, Will must locate and rescue the most important secret treasure in human history before it is devoured by a hurricane in the watery caves beneath her father’s property. The spiraling quest sends Will and Dorothy into uncovering dark secrets that make up the origins of the knighthood as they confront the traps and puzzles that masterfully protect the world’s most coveted treasure.

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Genre – Action, Adventure

Rating – PG

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Michael Reisig on Writing, Relaxing & Fishing - #AmWriting #GoodReads #Humor

Is there anyone you’d like to acknowledge and thank for their support?

My lady, Bonnie Lee. Without her remarkable first editing talents I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you?

I could tell you all kinds of humble, wonderful things, but it really boils down to, are you selling books? Because if you’re not, then writing is a hobby, not a job.

Tell us about your new book? What’s it about and why did you write it?

My latest work is really a series: “The Road To Key West” series – three books: “The Road to Key West,” “Back On The Road To Key West,” and “Along The Road to Key West.” They’re all about two guys who move to The Florida Keys to become commercial divers, tropical fish collectors, and the wild adventures they get themselves into. The Road to Key West series is an adventurous/humorous sojourn that cavorts its way through the 1970s/80s Caribbean, from Key West and the Bahamas, to Cuba and Central America. In August of 1971, Kansas Stamps and Will Bell set out to become nothing more than commercial divers in the Florida Keys, but adventure, or misadventure, seems to dog them at every turn. They encounter a parade of bizarre characters, from part-time pirates and heartless larcenists, to Voodoo bokors, wacky Jamaican soothsayers, and handfuls of drug smugglers. Adding even more flavor to this Caribbean brew is several complicated romances, lost treasures, and priceless antediluvian artifacts created by distant congregations. It’s basically a lot of my own history written as fiction.

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?

Louie Lamar. He was real man, and a great writer, who lived life to the fullest. Not a cardboard cutout who wouldn’t know blood from sawdust, or what it feels like to find yourself on the wrong end of a gun or a knife, like so many writers today.

When you are not writing, how do you like to relax?

I like to fish, spend time on a weapons range, go to the gym, be with my lady, and read, with my cat, Schooner, in my lap.

Do you have any tips on how writers can relax?

No, I don’t. Nobody really relaxes as a serious writer until they are a success. Then it’s up to you to find what eases your head and turns the words off for a while.

How often do you write? And when do you write?

Whenever I have time or the inspiration strikes me.

Do you have an organized process or tips for writing well? Do you have a writing schedule?

Nope. No schedule.

Sometimes it’s so hard to keep at it – What keeps you going?

Checks from amazon.com

Have you met any people in the industry who have really helped you?

Not many – that’s why I go out of my way to help new writers – because not many seasoned writers had time for me.

What do you hope people will take away from your writing?

How will your words make them feel? I hope they will experience a sense of adventure, and I hope that and the humor that I write eases life for a while for them, allows them to escape the real world for a while. That’s the greatest gift any writer can give his readers.

The Road to Key West is an adventurous/humorous sojourn that cavorts its way through the 1970s Caribbean, from Key West and the Bahamas, to Cuba and Central America.

In August of 1971, Kansas Stamps and Will Bell set out to become nothing more than commercial divers in the Florida Keys, but adventure, or misadventure, seems to dog them at every turn. They encounter a parade of bizarre characters, from part-time pirates and heartless larcenists, to Voodoo bokors, a wacky Jamaican soothsayer, and a handful of drug smugglers. Adding even more flavor to this Caribbean brew is a complicated romance, a lost Spanish treasure, and a pre antediluvian artifact created by a distant congregation who truly understood the term, “pyramid power.”

Pour yourself a margarita, sit back, and slide into the ‘70s for a while as you follow Kansas and Will through this cocktail of madcap adventures – on The Road To Key West.

IF YOU ENJOY THIS NOVEL BE SURE TO READ THE SEQUEL, "BACK ON THE ROAD TO KEY WEST" (To be released in late August or early September, 2013)

"Jimmy Buffett should set this tropical tale to music! The best Key West stories can only be written by those who have lived here, and Reisig expertly captures the steamy, seedy, beautiful allure of the islands. “The Road to Key West” takes readers on a hysterical journey through the humidity and humanity that only exists in the lower latitudes. And much like the Keys in the 1970s, it’s a hell of a trip.
—Mandy Bolen, The Key West Citizen

"The Road to Key West" combines the dry cleverness of Lewis Grizzard, the wit of Dave Barry, and Reisig's impeccable sense of timing. It's an action-packed, romantic, charming, hilarious take on the ‘70s and its generation. A must-read!
—John Archibald, Ouachita Life Magazine

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From the best-selling author of “The Road To Key West” comes a sequel guaranteed to take the reader even higher – another rollicking, hilarious Caribbean adventure that will have you ripping at the pages and laughing out loud.

“Back On The Road To Key West” reintroduces the somewhat reluctant adventurers Kansas Stamps and Will Bell, casting them into one bizarre situation after another while capturing the true flavor and feel of Key West and the Caribbean in the early 1980s.

An ancient map and a lost pirate treasure, a larcenous Bahamian scoundrel and his gang of cutthroats, a wild and crazy journey into South America in search of a magical antediluvian device, and perilous/hilarious encounters with outlandish villains and zany friends will keep you locked to your seat and giggling maniacally. (Not to mention headhunters, smugglers, and beautiful women with poisonous pet spiders.) You’ll also welcome back Rufus, the wacky, mystical Jamaican Rastaman, and be captivated by another “complicated romance” as Kansas and Will struggle with finding and keeping “the girls of their dreams.”

So pour yourself a margarita, and get comfortable. You’re in for another rousing medley of madcap adventures in paradise, with “Back On The Road To Key West.”

IF YOU ENJOY THIS BOOK BE SURE TO GET THE THIRD IN MICHAEL’S SERIES; “ALONG THE ROAD TO KEY WEST”!
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EDITORIAL REVIEWS

Michael Reisig takes us back once again to the Key West I wish I had known – and that others wish they remembered more clearly. Kansas and Will are back in “Back on the Road to Key West,” with their trademark penchant for sultry sarcasm and sun-drenched excitement. Once again Reisig captures the character of the Keys in a way that proves he’s been here – and perhaps done that. No one wraps us in humidity and surrounds us with saltwater like this guy, whose tales of the tropics draw us constantly back to their welcoming, yet provocative shores. -- Mandy Miles, The Key West Citizen

Having lived in Key West in the late '70's and early '80's, at a time when Mel Fisher still hunted the Atocha, shrimp boats filled the harbors, and ‘square grouper’ were still an abundant species, Michael Reisig's Back on the Road to Key West, transports me back in time. Will Bell and Kansas Stamps face an assortment of ruthless antagonists and chase adventure with the abandon of the era, and whether you lived it or not, don't miss the chance to now. Vivid imagery, strong prose and an exciting plot make this trip with the boys worth taking. Enjoy the ride!"
-- John H. Cunningham, author of the Buck Reilly Adventure Series

Stumbling their way in and out of trouble and fortune, Kansas Stamps and Will Bell continue to be the idols of what every true Parrot Head imagines real life in The Keys would be -- full of spontaneous adventure. What a great read!
– Bryan Crews, former president, Tampa Parrot Head Club

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WHAT IF YOU DISCOVERED A DEVICE THAT MADE PEOPLE TELL THE TRUTH?
Fast-paced humor-adventure with wacky pilots, quirky con men, bold women, mad villains, and a gadget to die for…

In the third book of Michael Reisig’s captivating series, Florida Keys adventurers Kansas Stamps and
Will Bell find their lives turned upside down when they discover a truth device hidden in the temple of an ancient civilization. Enthralled by the virtue (and entertainment value) of personally dispensing truth and justice with this unique tool, they take it all a step too far and discover that everyone wants what they have.

Seasoned with outrageous humor and sultry romances, Along The Road To Key West carries you through one wild adventure after another. This time, Kansas and Will are forced to wrest veracity and lies from con artists, divine hustlers, and political power brokers while trying to stay one step ahead of a persistent assembly of very bad guys with guns.
 

In the process, from Key West, into the Caribbean, and back to America’s heartland, our inadvertent heroes gather a bizarre collage of friends and enemies – from a whacked-out, one-eyed pilot, and a mystical Rastaman, to a ruthless problem-solver for a prominent religious sect, a zany flimflamming sociopath, and a Cuban intelligence agent. In the end, it all comes down to a frantic gamble – to save far more than the truth. So pour yourself a margarita and settle back. You’re in for a high intensity Caribbean carnival ride!

NOTE: Much of this book was originally published as a novel of mine called, “The Truthmaker.” But with the growing popularity of my “Road To Key West” series, I decided to rewrite it and publish it as “Along The Road To Key West.” – Michael Reisig

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Genre - Caribbean Humor, Adventure

Rating – PG

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