‘The Orphan Factory’ reveals how 23 Chicago orphans are groomed to become elite spies

Posted: July 24, 2013 in The Orphan Factory
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Book two in The Orphan Trilogy is a prequel to The Ninth Orphan. It’s an epic, atmospheric story that begins with 23 genetically superior orphans being groomed to become elite spies in Chicago’s Pedemont Orphanage and concludes with a political assassination deep in the Amazon jungle.

With an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 Stars on Amazon, The Orphan Factory is a coming-of-age spy thriller that sets a frenetic pace. Join Nine, the ninth-born orphan, as he flees his Omega Agency masters and goes on the run across America.

As Amazon review site My Scribe World says, “Buckle up for another wild ride in The Orphan Trilogy.”

Here’s an excerpt from The Orphan Factory (The Orphan Trilogy, #2):

The special agent reached into his pocket and pulled out a color photograph, which he handed to the orphan. Nine could tell by its faded color it was old. It was a portrait photo of a dark-haired, green-eyed woman. Nine instinctively knew the woman was his mother, and not just because she was wearing the same ruby necklace Kentbridge had given him a few months earlier and which he now wore around his neck. 

“Sebastian,” Kentbridge whispered.

After a moment, Nine tore his eyes away from the woman in the photograph and looked into his mentor’s eyes.

“Sebastian,” Kentbridge repeated, a little louder this time. “That’s your real name. Your mother named you that when you were born.”

Nine suspected Kentbridge was playing mind games with him. He’d expected that as he was aware Omega’s strategy for dealing with any form of internal dissension was to either terminate the subject or else reprogram them. Given he was still alive – and knowing they’d already invested too much in him to kill him – reprogramming him was the only option. Even so, the information he was being given about his past was so arresting he found it impossible to ignore. “Wish I’d never been born,” he cursed absentmindedly as he studied his mother’s image once more.

“You weren’t born,” Kentbridge reminded him. “You were created. There’s a difference.”

Nine thought on that, but no witty reply came to him.

 

“Your life has a purpose, Sebastian,” the special agent continued. “You should be grateful for that, believe me, because most ordinary citizens just drift through life with zero direction.” Kentbridge nodded toward the fishermen beneath the bridge and council workers enjoying a morning tea break beyond them, indicating he considered them ordinary citizens.

Having had a taste of the world beyond the orphanage and Omega, Nine didn’t agree. However, he remained silent.

“I want you to know I take full responsibility for what happened.” Kentbridge said. “I’m not angry at you. I was at the time, but now in the cold light of day I can see what motivated you to bust out of here.”

Nine noticed his master was talking to him for the first time ever like an adult. He didn’t know whether that was part of the reprogramming or whether his bid for freedom had earned him some respect. Whatever the case, gone was the patronizing tone Kentbridge had always used when talking to him and the other orphans.

About time!

Nine gave Kentbridge his full attention.

“I take total responsibility, Sebastian, because in hindsight I can see my mistake. I never told you or the other orphans the purpose of the Omega Agency. Or what we are fighting for.”

What we are fighting for? Nine thought that was obvious. World domination to line the pockets of Naylor and his cronies. 

“It’s not about greed,” Kentbridge said as if reading the orphan’s mind. “We are the resistance. The last bastion of hope for freedom.”

“Then who are the bad guys?” Nine retorted with more than a hint of sarcasm.

“The fascists. They took over this country straight after World War Two. Kennedy was the last president who knew anything about this. All those who followed him have been in kept the dark.”

Kentbridge was certain all of the US presidents since JFK had been puppets. The lack of any real decision-making power presidents had was reflected in a long-running joke within the agency: One could place a monkey in the White House Oval Office and everything would run just fine.

Nine looked skeptical.

“I’m serious,” Kentbridge insisted. “Why else do you think we are permanently at war in various regions all over the world? And why is it the citizens of this country, one of the richest on earth, get poorer each year?”

The special agent had long-since realized America was not the unified country most people thought it was. Due to his position, he was aware of the extremely fragmented, corrupt and sick state of the nation. He also knew that sickness was entirely due to the conflicting agendas of the various shadow organizations that had infiltrated most Government departments and agencies. Within each power group – be it Congress or the Military-Industrial Complex – there were huge divisions as each of the secret factions strived to be top dog. 

Kentbridge explained all this to Nine.

The orphan thought about the Nexus Foundation, and wondered where it fitted in. As long as he could remember, Omega had been fighting or at least competing with Nexus, and he’d always wondered why. Now that Kentbridge was being so open, he decided to ask. “And what about Nexus?”

“Nexus has taken advantage of the malaise that has beset this once great nation. When the Constitution was still respected and followed to the letter, an outfit like Nexus could never have gotten off the ground and there’d be no need for an agency like Omega. Nexus sees us as a threat to its ends and is determined to destroy us, you see.”

Again, Nine wasn’t convinced, and his expression reflected that.

“Think about it, if Omega stood for anything but liberty and the greater good, why would any well-meaning, patriotic group try to prevent us from achieving our goals? I mean, there’s a whole raft of destructive agencies out there Nexus could target. Why pick on us?”

Nine had to admit it was a good question.

 

To order The Orphan Factory (The Orphan Trilogy, #2), or view the Amazon reviews, go to: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M9WWKW/

For more about this and other Morcan novels go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/SterlingGateBooks

 

Happy reading! – Lance & James

 

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‘The Ninth Orphan’ merges fact with fiction…but where does the fiction end and truth begin?

Posted: July 23, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan
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Book one in The Orphan Trilogy explores a plethora of conspiracies involving real organizations like the CIA, NSA, MI6 and the UN, and public figures such as President Obama as well as the Clinton, Marcos and Bush families. It exposes a global agenda designed to keep the power in the hands of a select few.

The novel’s antagonists are members of a shadow government acting above and beyond the likes of the White House, the FBI, the Pentagon and the NSA. Timely considering recent intelligence released by whistleblower Edward Snowden.

Could something like this ever take place? Or is it taking place right now?

___________________________________________

In The Ninth Orphan an orphan grows up to become an assassin for a highly secretive organization. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, he is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, the mysterious man’s life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past riddled with the darkest of conspiracies is revealed.

___________________________________________

Here’s an excerpt from The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1):

Nine glanced at his reflection in a nearby wall mirror. Perplexed green eyes stared out of a pale, serious face which was framed by dark, curly, slightly longish hair. His was a face that didn’t look lived in.

Handsome in a dangerous sort of way, he had the appearance of a man permanently at war with his inner demons. Despite this, he looked slightly younger than his thirty one years. Only his eyes revealed any sign of his true age; they were haunted – as if they’d witnessed one too many tragedies.

After drying himself, Nine approached the table, selected a scalpel and proceeded to make a three inch incision in the fleshy portion of his left forearm. Although he’d never operated on himself before, the incision was quick and neat. Even so, the blood flowed freely and immediately soaked the towels beneath his arm.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he cut through the flesh until the scalpel’s wickedly sharp edge came into contact with something metallic. “Got you!” he hissed through clenched teeth. Using a pair of tweezers, he clamped the metallic object and extracted it from his flesh. The blood-stained object, which was almost two inches long, was a miniature tracking device in the form of a microchip.

Placing the device on a towel, he selected a surgical needle and thread, then proceeded to stitch himself up. Nine found this part of the operation even more painful. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he struggled to sew himself up using one hand. Only by jamming his wounded arm between his hip and the table was he able to compensate for not being able to use both hands. Ten long minutes and thirty stitches later, he was done.

As a final act, he bandaged his wound. Limited as he was to using one hand, this took several attempts before he got it right. Nine straightened up and took several deep breaths to fight off the pain and feelings of nausea he was experiencing. He shuddered involuntarily.

Nine was knowledgeable enough about human anatomy and medicine to understand the nerve hypersensitivity he felt was an entirely normal post-surgery symptom.

Despite the pain and light-headedness, he gathered his things – including the tracking device, surgical instruments and bloodstained towels – bundled them into his backpack and checked out of Baguio Mountain Hotel. In the establishment’s car park, he headed toward a rental car and jumped in. After starting the engine, he wrapped the microchip in several sheets of tinfoil before driving off…

…Twenty three red dots flashed at various places on a digital map of the world. The dots represented the locations of the Omega Agency’s field operatives. Carrying out high-level black ops on all seven continents, the twenty three operatives included males and females of almost every race.

The red dots confirmed only two Omega operatives were currently in Asia. Seventeen, a blonde female, had recently landed in Luzon, the main island of the Philippines. Nine’s dot, which only a short time earlier had mysteriously vanished before reappearing, indicated he was also situated on Luzon.

Omega director Andrew Naylor and veteran agent Tommy Kentbridge studied the digital map grimly. Neither looked happy as the two dots in the Philippines rapidly converged.

Physically at least, the two officials were chalk and cheese. Naylor was a short, but dapper man in his late fifties. His skin was badly pock-marked and he had a lazy eye which people found disconcerting as they could never be sure if he was looking at them or someone else. Unfortunately for him, his personality matched his appearance.

Fifty-three-year-old Kentbridge looked like someone who could take control of any situation. At six foot one and with a commanding presence, he quickly earned the respect of all who came into contact with him.

 

An audible groan from Naylor confirmed what Kentbridge already knew. The director was seething at the latest turn of events.

Kentbridge had seen enough. The results of the past few hours had made him sick to his stomach. Hiding his concern, he swiveled his chair and surveyed the Omega Agency’s headquarters. It was a hive of activity as usual. Scientists, IT specialists, political analysts and other high-ranking officials were on duty. Sworn to secrecy, each was the best in his or her chosen field.

Although it looked like the interior of any corporate headquarters, Kentbridge knew appearances in this case were highly deceiving. For a start, these headquarters were located one mile below ground, hidden beneath a long-since abandoned hydro dam in south-west Illinois.

The secret facility was not only off limits to the general public, it was completely off the US Government’s radar. In fact, like everything else connected with Omega, knowledge of its existence was beyond any government.

 

The Ninth Orphan (The Orphan Trilogy, #1) is a regular visitor to Amazon’s bestseller lists. It’s available as a kindle ebook and trade paperback.

To order this novel, or view the 85 Amazon customer reviews, go to:  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

 

Happy reading! – Lance & James

 

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Happy birthday Ernest Hemingway!

Posted: July 22, 2013 in Books in general
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Hemingway

The great Ernest Hemingway (born July 21, 1899) would be 114 years old were he still alive today.

In the Arts & Culture section of the award-winning political website truthdig.com (recommended!) columnist Allen Barra pays tribute, of sorts, to the American author and journalist whose economical and understated style had a major influence on 20th Century fiction.

Judging by the critical comments of many truthdig.com subscribers, not everyone agrees with Barra’s summation of the life and times, nor the legacy, of Hemingway. Not sure I do either.

Nevertheless, ‘tis a worthwhile read…if only to remind us what it was that set Hemingway apart from the rest of us ‘would-be’ writers.

Here’s the opening stanzas of Barra’s article:

Pauline Kael, reviewing the film “Islands in the Stream” (1977), wrote, “There may be a time for a Hemingway revival, but this isn’t it. His themes don’t link with our preoccupations, and … the movie version of his posthumous novel, seems to belong to another age.”

Thirty-six years later, as we approach what would be Hemingway’s 114th birthday Sunday, his image is more vibrant now than in the last years of his life. The same could be said for his friend and drinking partner, F. Scott Fitzgerald.

This year belongs to Fitzgerald, with Baz Luhrmann’s glittery and successful film version of “The Great Gatsby” catapulting the novel onto best-seller lists.

The previous couple of years, however, were an unofficial Hemingway celebration, with books about him continuing to be a light industry. “The Letters of Ernest Hemingway, 1907-1922” was published by Cambridge University Press; soon we will have a complete set of volumes containing his entire correspondence. (Hemingway would never have seen the point in this. As he told a biographer of Fitzgerald’s, “I write letters because it is fun to get letters back, not for posterity. What the hell is posterity anyway?”)

“Hemingway’s Laboratory—The Paris in Our Time” by Milton Cohen, a study of the writer’s early prose experiments, was published in May 2012 by the University of Alabama Press. That summer marked the paperback release of Paul Hendrickson’s critically acclaimed “Hemingway’s Boat: Everything He Loved in Life and Lost.”

And, who’d have thought it, Hemingway in the 21st century has re-emerged as a pop (Papa?) icon. Just about everything Hemingway wrote, from his novels to eight collections of short stories to several memoirs and works of journalism, is still in print. That’s more than 25 volumes. Can that be said about any other serious American author?

Character actor Corey Stoll did a terrific turn as the mid-1920s Hemingway in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris” in 2011, with English actor Tom Hiddelston contributing a letter-perfect Scott Fitzgerald. Allen, who won an Oscar for the screenplay, did his homework. Every line out of Stoll’s mouth sounds like the distilled Hemingway of our collective memory:

“It was a good book because it was an honest book, and that’s what war does to men. And there’s nothing fine and noble about dying in the mud unless you die gracefully. And then it’s not only noble but brave,” he says.

And, “No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.”

Last summer, HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn,” directed by Philip Kaufman, received 15 Emmy nominations. The most in-depth film portrait of the writer featured ferocious performances by Clive Owen as Hemingway and Nicole Kidman as his third wife, the great war correspondent Martha Gellhorn.

All the books about Hemingway have told us everything except why we continue to care so much.

With the exception of his first novel, “The Sun Also Rises,” which still reads with the freshness of an open wound, I can no longer read the big books on which Hemingway’s reputation has so long rested. “A Farewell to Arms” and “For Whom the Bell Tolls” seem stilted, stagey and Hollywood-cornball melodramatic. (I applauded the scene in “Silver Linings Playbook” when Bradley Cooper throws a copy of “A Farewell to Arms” out the window because “She dies. I mean, the world’s hard enough as it is, guys. Can’t someone say, hey let’s be positive? Let’s have a good ending to the story?”)

Like most people I know, I find all of Hemingway’s later novels unreadable. And not just the later works. “To Have and Have Not,” published in 1937, didn’t survive a rereading. According to film director Howard Hawks, Hemingway confessed that he wrote it only “because I needed the money.” Hawks supposedly told Hemingway, “I can take the worst piece of crap you ever wrote and make a good movie out of it.” Hemingway’s worst piece of crap, Hawks decided, was “To Have and Have Not.”

I agree. The novel is dishonest hackwork; Hawks’ film with Bogart and Bacall was first-rate hackwork. 

                   

How it must have galled Hemingway over the last 17 years of his life that when the title “To Have and Have Not” was mentioned, it was not his words people remembered but those written for Lauren Bacall by Jules Furthman and, of all people, William Faulkner—particularly “Anyone got a match?” and “You know how to whistle don’t you? You put your lips together and blow.” (Hemingway might have taken some solace in 1948 when John Huston pilfered the ending of “To Have and Have Not” for “Key Largo.”)

The reputation of “The Old Man and the Sea” (1952) hasn’t fared much better than the marlin the old man drags back to shore. Dwight Macdonald scored easy points when he said it was “written in that fake, biblical prose which Pearl Buck used in ‘The Good Earth,’ a style which seems to have a maligned fascination for the middlebrows—Miss Buck also got a Nobel Prize out of it.” Macdonald knew very well that at his worst, Hemingway was in a higher class than Buck and that “The Old Man and the Sea” isn’t Hemingway at his worst.

“Across the River and Into the Trees” (1950) and “Islands in the Stream” (published posthumously in 1970) are worthy of comparison with Buck, and I’m not sure Hemingway comes out ahead. His later fiction is pretty much summed up by a remark he made about John O’Hara, recorded in A.E. Hotchner’s “Papa Hemingway” (1955). When Hemingway first read O’Hara, “It looked like he could hit. … Then, instead of swinging away, for no reason he started beating out bunts.”

For the full article, go to: http://www.truthdig.com/arts_culture/item/happy_birthday_hemingway_20130718/

And while you’re there, check out archived articles on whistleblower Edward Snowden, Detroit’s bankruptcy, Trayvon’s shooting and more. They’re definitely worth a read.

Footnote: Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) “…his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s, and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954. He published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works. Three novels, four collections of short stories, and three non-fiction works were published posthumously. Many of these are considered classics of American literature.” -Wikipedia

 

Happy reading! – Lance

 

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‘Fiji’ is a spellbinding tale of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension

Posted: July 21, 2013 in Fiji: A Novel
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This historical adventure-romance is set in the early 1800’s in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth. It is poignant and romantic, but it’s also true-to-life, bloody and reflective of an era long since gone. As one reviewer said, “Fiji: A Novel is not for the faint-hearted!”

 

 

As the pharaohs of ancient Egypt build their mighty pyramids, and Chinese civilization evolves under the Shang Dynasty, adventurous seafarers from South East Asia begin to settle the far-flung islands of the South Pacific. The exotic archipelago of Fiji is one of the last island groups to be discovered and will remain hidden from the outside world for many centuries to come.

By the mid-1800’s, Fiji has become a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It’s in this hostile environment an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves.

Susannah Drake, a missionary, questions her calling to spread God’s Word as she’s torn between her spiritual and sexual selves. As her forbidden desires intensify, she turns to the scriptures and prayer to quash the sinful thoughts – without success.

Nathan Johnson arrives to trade muskets to the Fijians and immediately finds himself at odds with Susannah. She despises him for introducing the white man’s weapons to the very people she is trying to convert and he pities her for her naivety. Despite their differences, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them.

When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, Susannah and Nathan are forced to rely on each other for their very survival.

           

  Here’s an excerpt from Fiji: A Novel:

The guilt Susannah had felt moments earlier suddenly returned tenfold as she remembered the erotic dream she’d had. She quickly nodded, to indicate she’d slept well before diverting her eyes from Nathan’s and looking toward the shore. It was then she noticed giant sand dunes along the shoreline. She gasped at the sight of them. They seemed to be reaching for the sky.

Noting the object of her interest, Nathan said, “Those are the famous sand dunes of Sigatoka.” He added, “I saw them on my arrival in Fiji.”

“How wonderful,” Susannah enthused, momentarily forgetting her antagonism toward Nathan.

Susannah wasn’t the only one fascinated by the mighty dunes. The Italian artist was frantically setting up his easel further along the deck, anxious to capture the scene on canvas before it disappeared from view.

                

As the passengers admired the dunes, a deserted Fijian village came into view. Its bure huts had recently been smashed and burned to the ground. Smoke rose from the still-smoldering ruins, and there was no sign of life.

A Welsh deckhand sidled up to the young couple. He nodded toward the village. “That’ll be the handiwork of Rambuka,” he proffered with some certainty.

Susannah studied the distant village then glanced at the Welshman. “Rambuka?”

“Aye. His warriors are the scourge of this coastline. They call them the outcasts.” The deckhand pointed toward Viti Levu’s distant highlands. “They live up there somewhere.” Nathan and Susannah studied the highlands. Dark storm clouds hung ominously over them. “Cannibals, all of ‘em,” the deckhand added before wandering off.

               

Alone again, Nathan smiled at Susannah. In her usual haughty manner, she gave him a quick glance before looking back at the shoreline. Nathan asked himself why he was persisting with such a young woman who, he could see, was clearly on a different planet to himself. Try as he may, he couldn’t come up with a sensible answer.

“I do not envy the task you and your father have set yourselves here in Fiji,” Nathan said probingly. Susannah looked at him sharply. Pleased to see he had her attention, he continued. “I fear you may be facing an uphill battle.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

“Well,” Nathan paused, thinking on his feet as he went. “Fiji ain’t called the Cannibal Isles for nothing. From what I’ve seen, these Fijians are some of the most savage people on earth.”

                   

 

Fiji: A Novel is available via Amazon as a kindle ebook and trade paperback. For more information go to Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/

 

Happy reading! – Lance & James

 

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‘The Orphan Trilogy’ a high octane thriller series with an edge

Posted: July 20, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory, The Orphan Trilogy, The Orphan Uprising
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Books 1, 2 and 3 in our conspiracy thriller series The Orphan Trilogy (The Ninth Orphan / The Orphan Factory / The Orphan Uprising) have an average Amazon reviewer rating of 4.6 out of 5 Stars.

Readers seen to like the fact we merge fact with fiction, illuminating shadow organizations rumored to actually exist in our world. The trilogy reveals a shadow government acting above and beyond the likes of the White House, the FBI, the Pentagon and the NSA. It has a poignant, romantic sub-plot.

4 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0056I4FKC

The Ninth Orphan: An orphan grows up to become an assassin for a highly secretive organization. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, he is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, the mysterious man’s life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past riddled with the darkest of conspiracies is revealed.             

4.7 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008M9WWKW/

The Orphan Factory: This coming-of-age spy thriller novel is a prequel to The Ninth Orphan. It’s an epic, atmospheric story that begins with twenty-three genetically superior orphans being groomed to become elite spies in Chicago’s Pedemont Orphanage and concludes with a political assassination deep in the Amazon jungle. Embark on another frenetic journey with Nine, the ninth-born orphan, as he goes on the run across America.                                               

5 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BFC66DM/

The Orphan Uprising: In this sequel to The Ninth Orphan, Nine’s idyllic lifestyle is shattered when his son Francis is abducted by operatives in the employ of the Omega Agency, the shadowy organization that once controlled every aspect of his life. Desperate to find Francis before Omega can harm him, Nine soon finds he’s up against his fellow orphans – all elite operatives as he once was – who are under orders to kill him on sight. He must call on all his former training and skills.

 4.4 Stars

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGGM05U/

The Orphan Trilogy: This controversial, high-octane thriller series is available via Amazon as a box set (3 books in 1) at a discounted price. It explores a plethora of conspiracies involving real organizations like the CIA, NSA, MI6 and the UN, and public figures such as President Obama, Queen Elizabeth II as well as the Clinton, Marcos and Bush families. The trilogy also contains the kind of intimate character portraits usually associated with psychological thrillers.

 

Happy Reading! — Lance & James

 

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She came to convert the heathens, he came to sell muskets to them. There’s lust ahead in ‘Fiji’.

Posted: July 11, 2013 in Fiji: A Novel
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The tale of a young missionary torn between her love for God and her love for a man in 19th Century Fiji. It’s a tale of lust, action, adventure, romance…and more lust!

 

“Fiji a perfect combination of romance and action.”

Susannah wants to convert the natives, Nathan wants to fleece them. It’s a recipe for conflict. In the mid-1800’s, Fiji was a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables. It’s in this hostile environment in our story that an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer find themselves. Despite their differences, there’s an undeniable chemistry between them. When their lives are suddenly endangered by marauding cannibals, they are forced to rely on each other for their very survival.

Our historical adventure-romance has been called “a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth.”

Here’s what other reviewers say about Fiji: A Novel:

“A gripping and graphic story of historic Fiji.” -Great Historicals

“I give it 5 stars because that’s the maximum allowed.” -RandomWritingsBookReviews, Suva

“An intense story that will have you turning the pages long into the night.” -Author Susan Heim

“A perfect combination of romance and action.” -The Kindle Book Review

 

Fiji: A Novel is available via Amazon as a trade paperback and kindle ebook. The Amazon link is: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/

 

Happy reading! – Lance & James

 

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Goodreads members rate ‘The Orphan Trilogy’ the Best Trilogy/Book Series EVER!

Posted: July 5, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory, The Orphan Trilogy, The Orphan Uprising
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Our controversial conspiracy thriller series, The Orphan Trilogy (The Ninth Orphan / The Orphan Factory / The Orphan Uprising), currently tops yet another list on the international literary site Goodreads.com…. This time it’s #1 in the Best Trilogies/Book Series EVER! list.

The Orphan Trilogy a hit with readers.

As per below, The Orphan Trilogy heads off competition from two Harry Potter novels (in 2nd and 3rd place), The Hunger Games (4th) and The Mortal Instruments Boxed Set (5th).

The Orphan Trilogy      Harry Potter and the Deathl...      Harry Potter Boxset (Harry ...     The Hunger Games (The Hunge...     The Mortal Instruments Boxe...

The full list (top 100) is worth a look with works by the likes of C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Dan Brown and Cassandra Clare represented.

For the full lineup in the ‘Best Trilogies/Book Series EVER!’ list go to: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/10685.Best_Trilogies_Book_Series_EVER_

So what is it about The Orphan Trilogy that resonates with readers? As the authors, it’s hard for James and I to be objective. Maybe Amazon reviewer Historian Remy Benoit hit on it when she said: “This is high action…with enough truth in it to rattle you.”

The Orphan Trilogy certainly merges fact with fiction. Okay, so only half it may be true. But which half? THAT’S THE QUESTION!

Here’s the storyline for this series:

Twenty-three orphans with numbers for names from 1 to 23.
Number Nine wants to escape from ‘the orphanage’.

Meet Number Nine – an orphan, a spy, a lover…a master of disguise, an assassin, a shapeshifter…a freedom fighter, a human chameleon, a reformed contract killer.

He’s all of the above. He’s none of the above.

Nine is enslaved by the Omega Agency, a shadowy organization seeking to create a New World Order. When he tries to break free and live a normal life, Nine is hunted by his mentor and father figure, and by a female orphan he spent his childhood with. On the run, his life becomes entwined with his beautiful French-African hostage and a shocking past is revealed…A past that involves the mysterious Pedemont
Orphanage in Chicago, Illinois.

Standing in the way of Nine’s freedom are his fellow orphans – all elite operatives like himself – who are under orders to terminate him. Nine finds himself in a seemingly infinite maze of cloak and dagger deception. Time and again, he must call on all his advanced training to survive.

But can the ninth-born orphan ever get off the grid? To find out you’ll need to go on a tumultuous journey around the world to such far-flung locations as the Arctic, Asia, Europe, the Amazon, Africa and South
Pacific islands. The frenetic cat-and-mouse chase moves from airports to train stations and hidden torture prisons, taking the reader on a page turning, frightening non-stop action ride into the world of corrupted power that goes beyond conspiracy theories to painful reality.

Fast-paced, totally fresh and original, filled with deep and complex characters, The Orphan Trilogy
is a controversial, high-octane thriller series with an edge. Merging fact with fiction, it illuminates shadow organizations rumored to actually exist in our world. The three novels explore a plethora of conspiracies involving real organizations like the CIA, MI6, and the UN, and public figures such as President Obama, Queen Elizabeth II as well as the Clinton, Marcos and Bush
families.

The Orphan Trilogy exposes a global agenda designed to keep the power in the hands of a select few. Nine’s oppressors are a shadow government acting above and beyond the likes of the White House, the FBI, the Pentagon and the NSA.

One of the Omega Agency’s black ops employs MK-Ultra mind control technology on genetically engineered agents to facilitate the agendas of those in power. When Nine successfully deprograms himself from MK-Ultra, all hell breaks loose. But to gain his freedom he must bust out of the Pedemont Orphanage and break into Omega’s other orphanages and underground medical laboratories around the world. In the process he uncovers chilling scientific experiments taking place on children.

Could something like this ever take place? Or, is it already taking place somewhere in the world right now?

The trilogy also has a poignant, romantic sub-plot. It contains the kind of intimate character portraits usually associated with psychological thrillers.

Book/Film/TV references: The Manchurian Candidate, The Saint, The Da Vinci Code, Bond, Dark Angel, The Jackal, Mission Impossible, Salt, The Pretender, Bourne, The Island, Taken.

This unique, unpredictable and epic spy thriller series covers everything from political assassinations and
suppressed science to young adult romance and accelerated learning techniques.

Buckle up for a nail-biter to the very end.

The Orphan Trilogy (The Ninth Orphan / The Orphan Factory / The Orphan Uprising) is available on kindle via Amazon at:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGGM05U/

 

Happy reading! – Lance

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‘Fiji: A Novel’ tops another readers’ list on Goodreads!

Posted: June 25, 2013 in Fiji: A Novel
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Our historical adventure-romance Fiji: A Novel has topped another readers’ list on the international literary site Goodreads.com – this time for the most popular works of fiction that have a country in the title.

Fiji: A Novel currently occupies #1 position on the list ahead of E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India (at #2), Agatha Christie’s Murder in Mesopotamia (#3), Michael Crichton’s Congo (#4) and Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn (#5).

For the top 100 on this list go to: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/32783.Countries#12884662

Meanwhile, Fiji: A Novel continues to attract 5-star reviews. This one, by Amazon reviewer Great Historicals, remains the most popular review with readers – and my personal favorite!

★★★★★ A gripping and graphic story of historic Fiji       February 27, 2012

By Great Historicals

Ever since I read the Mutiny on the Bounty Trilogy as a teen, I have been drawn to exotic stories about the South Pacific. Fiji immediately drew my interest and I was more than pleased with this fascinating novel.

If you like your stories straight up, told like it really was, and without any sugar coating, then Fiji is sure to please. This novel transcends gender and will appeal to both male and female readers. The characters in the story fascinated me, evolving and adapting to their circumstances and surroundings. The underlying romance that weaves itself through the story is beautifully written and credible as the couple move from intense dislike to meaningful love.

This book had a bit of everything – sex, violence, humor, historic detail, and plenty of twists to keep one reading. A warning for all readers – in keeping with the authentic tone throughout, you will come across scenes of ritualistic slaughter and cannibalism. A fabulous novel, beautiful for its blunt rawness, exotic scenery, and fascinating storyline. Definitely one to pick up and read…A quality book for sure!

 

Fiji: A Novel is available on Amazon in both kindle and trade paperback form via these links:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/ & https://www.createspace.com/3671234

 

Happy reading! – Lance

 

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A serial killer targets the Deaf in upcoming 3D feature film SILENT FEAR – inspired by a true story

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Our upcoming 3D feature film SILENT FEAR is underway!

The contracts have been signed off to produce a stunning multi-million dollar 3D feature film, SILENT FEAR, a claustrophobic British thriller which is in development now.

Pictured celebrating the formalising of contracts are (above from left) the Producers Brent Macpherson, of Stretch Motion Pictures, and Ronel Schodt, of Shotz Film & Video Productions, screenwriter Lance Morcan, and Sam Manuatu, New Zealand Sign Language interpreter for the meeting. Absent was Sydney-based screenwriter James Morcan.

Brent and Ronel are currently working feverishly behind the scenes and will announce major developments accordingly. An official New Zealand-UK co-production is likely for this production.

Inspired by true events, SILENT FEAR has the makings of a chilling murder-mystery thriller.

Here’s our logline for the film:

Detective Valerie Crowther is assigned to investigate the murder of a student at London’s Wandsworth University, an international institution for the deaf. Her investigation coincides with a student contracting a deadly flu virus, which results in the university being sealed off from the outside world. When more deaf students are murdered, it’s clearly the work of a serial killer. The stakes rise when Valerie becomes the killer’s next target and the deadly virus claims more lives.

Stretch Motion Pictures will launch a website with additional information relating to SILENT FEAR in due course – at: www.stretchproductions.co.nz

Watch this space for more updates about this exciting feature film production! -Lance & James

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Image  —  Posted: June 17, 2013 in Morcan Books & Films, Morcan films
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‘The Orphan Trilogy’ – fact or fiction? Maybe whistleblowers Snowden & Assange know the real truth

Posted: June 12, 2013 in The Ninth Orphan, The Orphan Factory, The Orphan Trilogy, The Orphan Uprising
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In writing our conspiracy thriller series The Orphan Trilogy (The Ninth Orphan / The Orphan Factory / The Orphan Uprising) we merged fact with fiction, upsetting more than a few people in the process.

Just how many truths are contained in this controversial series is open to conjecture, but one thing’s for sure: the can of worms opened first by WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange and more recently by Edward Snowden indicates The Orphan Trilogy may be closer to the truth than a lot of people in high places would care to admit.

Edward Snowden…villain or hero?

Snowden, the former defense contractor who blew the whistle on the National Security Agency’s intrusive domestic surveillance program, is – depending on whom you listen to – being hailed as a villain and a hero for exposing the US Government’s contentious spy activities.

In The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin condemns Snowden as “a grandiose narcissist who deserves to be in prison”. In the New York Times, David Brooks says, “By deciding to unilaterally leak secret NSA documents, Snowden has betrayed basic levels of trust and cooperation, a respect for institutions and deference to common procedures”.

A polar opposite viewpoint is given by The New Yorker’s John Cassidy who describes Snowden as a hero… “In revealing the colossal scale of the US Government’s eavesdropping on Americans and other people around the world, he has performed a great public service that more than outweighs any breach of trust he may have committed.”

At least 50,000 Americans agree with the “hero” accolade. That’s how many signed a petition that reads: “Edward Snowden is a national hero and should be immediately issued a full, free, and absolute pardon for any crimes he has committed or may have committed related to blowing the whistle on secret NSA surveillance programs.” The petition urges the Obama administration to pardon Snowden.

Many of the concerns Snowden raised before fleeing to Hong Kong, and many of the bombshells Assange dropped before he holed up in the temporary sanctuary of London’s Ecuadorian Embassy, are highlighted in The Orphan Trilogy.

Julian Assange…villain or hero?

Without debating the rights and wrongs of the actions of the likes of Snowden and Assange, we do share many of their concerns about ‘Big Brother’ and the morality of US affairs – both domestic and foreign. These concerns are highlighted in The Orphan Trilogy, which covers the corrupt banking system, Bilderberg, government control of media, MK-Ultra and CIA-sanctioned mind control experiments, and much more!

Ensure you have clearance to read this book!

Perhaps the final word in this debate should go to the man himself. As Edward Snowden explained to The Guardian:

The NSA has built an infrastructure that allows it to intercept almost everything. … If I wanted to see your emails or your wife’s phone, all I have to do is use intercepts. I can get your emails, passwords, phone records, credit cards. I don’t want to live in a society that does these sort of things. … I do not want to live in a world where everything I do and say is recorded.

Related links:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BGGM05U/

http://www.youtube.com/user/SterlingGateBooks

Security clearance notwithstanding, I recommend The Orphan Trilogy to you! -Lance

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