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Welcome to Morcan Books & Films, the blog devoted to providing a unique perspective and intelligent commentary on books and films. It includes commentary on our own books and films – i.e. novels and screenplays co-written by the Morcans, and feature films produced by, or in development with, Morcan Motion Pictures.
Lance & James
The New Zealand father-and-son writing team Lance and James Morcan, authors of some 35 published fiction and non-fiction books, today announced the likely release date for their next co-authored novel Anno 2021.
Interim cover image for Anno 2021.
An international action-thriller, its planned pre-Christmas (early December) release follows James Morcan’s successful adaptation of his first solo-authored novel, Anno 2020, to a feature film screenplay and subsequent new-release movie.
The younger Morcan, who is also an actor and director, acted in and directed the Australian-produced movie, which celebrated its world premiere at a red-carpet screening in Sydney last month.
“Anno 2020 is a mystery-drama whereas this novel (Anno 2021) is more of an action-thriller,” said Sydney-based James.
“Their common theme is that both cover the dramas experienced by individuals around the world caught up in the COVID lockdowns of those two unforgettable years, and they capture the zeitgeist of this troubled era as society gets ever more fractured.
“They are both controversial as we, the writers, don’t shy away from covering the contentious issues that divided nations during those years.
“Like the earlier novel, which was set in 17 different destinations on four continents, Anno 2021 will be truly global with a vignette of storylines and characters based in America, England, South Africa, Tahiti and New Zealand.”
Papamoa-based novelist-screenwriter Lance Morcan, who is also Story Consultant and Associate Producer on Anno 2020 the movie, said he and son James were already thinking about the screenplay adaptation of Anno 2021 while they undertook final editing of the novel.
“We are no strangers to this process,” said Lance. “We’ve adapted several of our co-authored novels to feature film screenplays and these are in early development with known and mainly American actors attached in some cases.”
As novelists, the Morcans are best known for their bestselling thrillers The Ninth Orphan and Silent Fear, and for their historical adventure novels White Spirit, Into the Americas and Fiji; their non-fiction books include Genius Intelligence, The Catcher in the Rye Enigma and Debunking Holocaust Denial Theories, which have all been regular visitors to Amazon’s bestseller lists.
Their books all appear under the banner of New Zealand publisher Sterling Gate Books and are currently exclusive to Amazon.
‘Attracting Chaos’: An Old Style of Filmmaking Meets a New Breed of Director in James Morcan’s ‘Anno 2020’
Maverick first-time director, James Morcan, harkens back to the havoc of pre-blockbuster Hollywood with his ‘Altmanesque’ and unruly, ‘Anno 2020’ (2024). Rhoyce Nova sits down with the best-selling author turned auteur to discover the method to his madness.
Andre Doc Williams filming on the deserted streets of New York City during lockdown.
“Think you know what 2020 was about? Think again,” teases the tagline of Anno 2020. A mystery drama based on Morcan’s novel of the same name, Anno 2020 is set in, and was filmed during, the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Described as, “A global kaleidoscope of interconnected characters seeking redemption, forgiveness, and answers amidst the chaos of Anno MMXX (Year 2020),” the film features a core cast of more than a dozen performers from around the world. Spanning seventeen cities in five countries on four continents, it was shot over two years amidst international travel bans on a nano-budget of US$6000. Set to premiere at The Ritz Cinema on April 7, Anno 2020 was a Quarter-Finalist at the International British Film Festival 2023 and won the ‘Best Experimental Film’ award from the Titan International Film Festival in Sydney.
Author-Director James Morcan, also appears in ‘Anno 2020’ as the disaffected, wheelchair-bound, ‘Byron’.
New Zealand-born Morcan may be a directorial debutante but as an author, he has considerable clout. The novel upon which the film is based is the first solo-authored title from the dozens of books he has written with his father, literary polymath, Lance Morcan. Among the duo’s oeuvre are two best-selling novels, White Spirit and Into the Americas, the gripping international thriller series,The Orphan Trilogies, and the new release horror, Silent Fear, which their production company, Morcan Motion Pictures, is developing into a feature film. Also slated for production is the author’s controversial non-fiction franchise, The Underground Knowledge Series, which spawned a popular YouTube podcast and one of the largest and most lively discussion groups on Goodreads. Also an actor of note, Morcan has appeared alongside the likes of Russell Crowe. Most recently he co-starred in three highly-rated features, After Armageddon (2016), and the Oz-Bollywood productions, Love You Krishna (2013), and My Cornerstone (2019), all of which he penned. His feature films have screened at cinemas in Australia, New Zealand, India, Italy, and Cannes.
Andre Doc Williams filming during the Black Lives Matter protests in New York City.
The making of Anno 2020 is seat-of-the-pants guerrilla filming at its finest. The fact that the ambitious project was even started, let alone completed, is a triumph of collaboration and experimentation. Morcan divulges how a conglomeration of suddenly unemployed headline actors and bored, under-utilised crew members helped to piece the film together while the rest of the world sat glued to their couches in their pyjamas. “People were in lockdown, and they really wanted something to do, so we just attracted people who… were primarily more actor-producers who just wanted to join us.” Explaining how he navigated the logistical and technical challenges of filming remotely in so many locations during travel bans, Morcan says that much of the filming was facilitated organically, adding that the timing was equally as important as the technologies they used.
People just said, ‘Well, I’ve got a film crew and they’re bored in Los Angeles or… I’ve got this red camera, or we’ve got friends in China,’” says Morcan, adding, “and it just grew and grew and grew to the point where we barely recognised it, you know, from our original plans.
Promising newcomer, Jessica Castello, during filming.
As the location shoots expanded across borders, so too did the cast. In Anno 2020, a melange of instantly recognisable faces and high-profile international artists appear alongside a band of promising, lesser-known, performers. American perennials, such as Star Trek’s, Kevin Scott-Allen, Brooklyn.Blue.Sky’s, La Rivers, and consumate veteran actress, Sheila Ball, join with seasoned homegrown talents like The Chronicles of Narnia actor, Greg Poppleton and Blue Murder’s, Gil Ben-Moshe, while esteemed Chinese American actress, Crystal J. Huang, and standout newcomer, Israeli actress, Lital Luzon, are among the multicultural cohorts who round out the cast. Quizzed on how he managed to attract such a stellar line-up of performers on no budget during a lockdown, Morcan explains,
It was basically like, you know, the cooperative theatre productions of yesteryear where everyone would get a slice of the pie,” adding, “It was about making everyone a type of producer… so everyone is getting something out of it.
True to this collaborative ethos each of the lead actors and key creatives on Anno 2020 received producer credits.
Crystal J. Huang delivers a measured yet moving performance in Anno 2020.
Anno 2020, despite its setting, is not about the Covid pandemic. Instead, it follows the cast of core characters as they navigate the relationship schisms, clashing beliefs, and core internal wounds that are made manifest by the forced confinement of the lockdowns. There are no hackneyed, ‘My boyfriend and I were separated by the travel ban’ narratives here, rather, in true ‘Altmanesque-ensemble’ style, a series of distinct narrative vignettes unfold and intersect. We see an alienated mother and daughter finding their way back to each other online when the mother is diagnosed with cancer and cannot access medical treatment. We see an aging gay man seeking connection with the family who ostracised him many years earlier, and we see a formerly-young man who realises he has wasted his life when he finds himself single and loveless while staring down the barrel of middle-age during lockdown.
Jessica Castello delivers a convincing, nuanced performance in Anno 2020.
Describing himself more as an ‘author-director’ with ‘actorly’ leanings, Morcan reveals his literary roots in the dexterous handling of the complex storylines, while the empathy his acting background fosters shows in the performers’ ability to feel safe to express their vulnerability. “I think author-actor is the key background for me,” says Morcan, adding, “because my style, I guess, is very act pro-actor.” In a nod to Altman’s signature style, Morcan encouraged his actors to improvise and integrate elements of their own lived experiences in their performances. As a result, Morcan reveals that 75% of the dialogue in Anno 2020 was improvised and that, going in, he deliberately underwrote the screenplay to foster overlapping dialogue and allow for ad-libbing. As Morcan puts it,
I got to know each actor and, and I thought, this is almost docu-drama style acting that will really suit people to put in their own trauma,” adding, “I know that sounds bleak, but… that’s the conflict of drama and people, but I had to check about, ‘Are you happy to explore something that’s really happened in your life?’
The tactic led to some startlingly moving moments, like when the character of ‘Esther’, played by Lital Luzon, who is easily the breakout performer of the piece, blurts out that she deserved to be abused by her ex-partners. Morcan says, “I tend to believe that big truths like that… will resonate at a deeper level.”
Israeli actress, Lital Luzon, performs with unparalleled intensity and authenticity in Anno 2020.
Judging from the intimacy of his actors’ performances, they seem to be revelling in Morcan’s loose and free directing style.
I think the thing people forget is that writing can be done at any stage. So, there is what we know of writing, but then if you think of the equivalent of songwriting, sometimes a band would just sit there. They’re not actually physically writing. And I think it’s a similar analogy for me with the filmmaking process, in that in the editing room, we’re rewriting.
Morcan reveals that the initial edit of Anno 2020 was eight hours long and he wanted to get it down to around two and a half hours. With the final cut standing at 2:25, the film is still on the long side by current standards. In cases like this, the old writing and filmmaking adage, ‘kill your darlings’ comes to mind, but a novelist and screenwriter of Morcan’s pedigree is well aware of this. One gets the sense that he has gloriously disregarded contemporary Hollywood conventions like certain renegade directors before him. Robert Altman’s Nashville comes in at around 2:40, and Lars von Trier’s Dogville runs just shy of three hours. Bold moves like this mark Morcan as a maverick movie maker who is determined to do things his own way.
Shaun Huff and La Rivers play a couple whose values clash during the pandemic.
While the performances in Anno 2020 are, on the whole, strong, the visual stylings are raw, rough, and ready. Do not expect high production values and finessed filmic finishes. The movie looks just as it was shot, randomly and chaotically with different cameras and camera people, and a collection of Zoom videos. Perhaps the film could have benefited from greater visual integration and a more interestingly rendered zoom interface, however, over-editing would be out of place in a film tackling topics of disconnection and alienation, particularly given its Cinéma Verité ethos. In the final analysis, the unfiltered visual language of Anno 2020 actually fosters the sense of connection we feel with the characters, as when the performers are addressing each other in the zoom windows, the fourth wall is thinned, without entirely breaking. In describing the style of filmmaking he wanted for the film, Morcan says,
We had this phrase like, ‘It’s not just realism, but ultra-realism’. That’s what we were going for,” adding, “The goal was… let’s say you were watching the movie and a friend of yours just popped in and looked over your shoulder, the goal was for them to say, ‘What documentary is this?’ because it feels so lifelike, you know?
Young actress Audrey Nitschke, who plays ‘Sophie’ in Anno 2020, is a talent to watch out for.
This kind of immediacy and authenticity lies at the core of Morcan’s style of directing, which he likens to the wild and free filmmaking techniques of the pre-blockbuster era in Hollywood. “I’m a big fan of 60/70s movies before there were these massive blockbusters,” says Morcan, adding, “Then I think so much money was involved that they were basically getting directors… to sign off on the script… but then what if something amazing happens that you go, ‘Gee, I wish I could have just done this, but you’re not allowed to… and that’s a restriction not only on directors but everyone.” Morcan says, “When you free a director, you’re freeing everybody.”
Morcan’s embrace of this off-the-cuff, seat-of-the-pants, 70’s style of filmmaking, paired with his ‘author-actor’ sensibilities, mark him as a new breed of auteur to watch out for. In his words,
I’m big on the planning, but for this movie, I think it shows that there are other ways to make films and the film industry has kind of forgotten about that,” adding, “like, with that sort of preparation, you’re trying to reduce any chaos, but Anno 2020 was almost about attracting chaos, chasing it, because that’s what made it dangerous. That’s what made it lively.
RHOYCE NOVA’S RATING FOR ANNO 2020:
“INNOVATIVE
INTIMATE
BRAVE”
Rhoyce Nova is an award-winning writer, director, and film critic who is passionate about elevating stellar independent cinema.
John Grisham’s latest offering, THE EXCHANGE, was not worth the wait in this book critic’s opinion. Presented as “The riveting sequel to The Firm, the blockbuster thriller that launched the career of the world’s bestselling author,” it pales by comparison to that earlier novel.
Sure, it picks up where The Firm left off, albeit 15 years later, but it’s so dialogue heavy it’s a virtual talkfest interrupted by a seemingly never-ending round of meetings, international flights, phone calls, more flights and still more interminable meetings. The repetition is mind-blowingly tedious and annoying. Drama, action, and tension are totally lacking. Very disappointing – especially as this critic is a long-time Grisham fan and considers The Firm one of his very best novels.
Ah, well…Grisham remains one of my favorite authors – up there with M. Connolly, D. Baldacci, N. DeMille, G. Iles, K. Follett, Sir G. Archer, L. Child, C. Iggulden, F. Forsyth et al. – and, as always, I do look forward to his next offering.
Meanwhile, for anyone still interested in the storyline for THE EXCHANGE, here ‘tis as it appears on the book’s Amazon page…
Mitch McDeere has cheated death and come out the other side. Fifteen years ago, he stole $10 million from the mob and disappeared. Now, with his enemies jailed or dead, he has fought his way to the top of the biggest law firm in the world.
When a new case takes Mitch to Libya, danger awaits: he’s soon in the biggest hostage negotiation in recent history with terrorists who have murdered and will murder again. Their demand is staggering: a ransom of $100 million must be paid within 10 days.
But this isn’t a random kidnapping – it’s personal. And no one, not even Mitch’s wife in New York, is safe.
ANNO 2020 the movie has echoes of SOUND OF FREEDOM in that it addresses a subject some would prefer remain hidden. Self-appointed censors tried to ban that film. Will they try to ban this one, too?
ANNO 2020 was directed by Kiwi director James Morcan who also adapted the screenplay from his published novel of the same name.
“All roads lead back to 2020”
As this trailer for my recently completed feature film Anno 2020 alludes to, I believe the year 2020 will go down one of the most important years in all of human history. So many of our freedoms were lost in the name of a virus to “keep us safe”…Freedoms that were taken from us by supposedly altruistic politicians who avoided any meaningful consultation with the public… This circumventing of democracy has set a dangerous precedent and spiralled into numerous other injustices occurring now… For many citizens, all the intricacies of 2020 are only now being understood in hindsight, for hindsight is always 20/20…
Anno 2020 has been a 3 year book-to-film passion project for me…It started with writing a novel during 2020 to try to personally make some sense of what was happening to the significantly altered world I was observing. Then over 2021 we shot that novel’s film adaptation in 17 cities, 5 countries and 4 continents (using creative techniques to film while the world remained mostly in strict lockdown). Lastly, over 2022 and some of 2023 was the massive editing process.
As we finally now present this one-of-a-kind, epic movie to the world, I’d like to thank my incredible team around the world who made it all possible. Many of their names are in the end credits of trailer, the rest are all listed on IMDb at https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13455748/
Distribution enquiries welcomed. -James Morcan, Director-Screenwriter
‘ANTIGRAVITY PROPULSION: Human or Alien Technologies?’ is a far-reaching exploration into the UFO phenomenon that covers all possible scenarios and discounts nothing.
With a foreword by advanced interstellar propulsion systems expert Grant Hayman and afterword by leading scientist and space industry veteran Dr. Takaaki Musha, one of the great enigmas of all time is examined with equal doses of open-mindedness and skepticism.
Director of the Advanced-Science Technology Research Organization in Yokohama, Dr. Musha is a former senior research scientist at Japan’s Technical Research and Development Institute of the Ministry of Defense, Japan. In his afterword, he writes: “This well balanced and unbiased book is long overdue for those searching for the truth about advanced technologies currently being concealed from the general populace by elite levels of governments.”
In her review of ‘Antigravity Propulsion’, former NASA engineer/manager Marcha Fox says, “I was particularly impressed by the unbiased, objective, journalistic views presented in this interesting book. The authors look at all angles and possibilities, allowing the reader to digest them on his or her own merits versus being nudged or sometimes shoved to the conclusions desired, as is the case of many such books.
“The authors assume that UFOs do indeed exist, a fact which is gradually being accepted as more evidence is released and credible witnesses continue to come forward. However, rather than assuming these strange vehicles are of extraterrestrial origin, the possibility is presented that perhaps not all of them are.”
(Marcha was employed by NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. She is now a sci-fi author of note).
Imagine our modern contemporary world. A world where giants, elves, dwarfs, ogres and trolls share an Earth we think only we inhabit. That’s the premise behind prolific English author John Morris’s intriguing STAR GAZER series of sci-fi novels.
The series includes two trilogies. The first one, titled Star Gazer First Trilogy, is mainly science fantasy and comprises The Gatekeeper and The Guardian, The Twelve Tribes and The Wrath of Gaia.
The first trilogy will especially appeal to those who share a desire for underground knowledge as it contains references to ancient technologies far more advanced than any currently in existence – technologies which may or may not have existed. That’s for the reader to decide.
The work is deeply researched and offers plausible answers based upon both known fact and folklore.
About the author
John Morris (68) is a self-published author whose life, he reveals, “crashed” about 20 years ago.
“I lost everything,” he says. “It took me a few months to come around, signing up for a BSc in computers to keep my mind active and find a new direction in life.”
Morris says he was fortunate to secure a position in Foshan, Canton, an hour or so from Hong Kong. He liked the place and the Cantonese people so much he decided to stay a while.
“Twenty years later and I’m still here! What a roller coaster. I became an entrepreneur involved with exporting containers of furniture to England and Australia. That ended with the crash of 2008 when everything imploded. Just my luck!
“I began writing a very badly-punctuated blog about my experiences, and got a lot better at writing with interest and humour. Fortunately, I secured the services of a very good content editor who taught me a great deal. So now I have seven books self-published, with five more in various stages of completion.”
Those five books include novels in the Star Gazer Second Trilogy.
Morris now manages his fiction book Imprint: Charlotte Greene, and although officially retired says he is now busier than ever.
In his Star Gazer series, he questions the origin of humankind, advising readers we have no direct palaeontological link with the great apes, and asking where we came from.
“Were we created by an alien race way back in prehistory? And what of myth and legend, of elves and dwarfs? Are they imaginary creatures, or vague remembrances of other lines of homo sapiens?”
For more about John Morris and his STAR GAZER novels go to the following links:
Critically-acclaimed American author Kathleen Buckley’s fans will be delighted to know her eighth historical romance novel, A Peculiar Enchantment, has been released this week – in time for Christmas book sales.
Published by The Wild Rose Press, Inc., the novel is available now via Amazon as a paperback and Kindle ebook and is sure to appeal to lovers of Georgian romances.
Ms. Buckley’s eighth Georgian romance out now!
Blurb for A Peculiar Enchantment:
What can you look forward to when your only relatives call you ugly, unbalanced, and a scandal? What would you do if your only friend was threatened? Dependent on her half-brother, the Earl of Lamburne, Adelaide knows. She wants to escape.
Gervase Ducane, invited to Lamburne’s home to court his daughter, is torn. He needs to marry well and soon but not this spiteful chit. Should he buy a commission instead? Seek a wealthy merchant’s daughter? As a marquess’s brother, he has at least a noble connection to offer an heiress apart from his good manners. And why is he only now meeting the earl’s delightful half-sister?
Ordered to stay away from the house party, Adelaide rebels. She will make her unwelcome, embarrassing presence known to avenge herself and her pet.
Sometimes when you least expect it, magic happens.
Readers resonate withA Peculiar Enchantment
The first reviews are in for Ms. Buckley’s latest novel – and, no surprises, they’re excellent!
Here’s a sample of Amazon reviewers’ comments:
★★★★★ “I really enjoyed reading this book since Kathleen Buckley put many of my favorite elements in it!… It is a story that I recommend happily and will probably read again.” –Karen M Hernandez
★★★★★ “I enjoyed this novel set in 1741 London…I thought the characters were outstanding (and) found the book to be a wonderful romance.” –Kindle Customer DVH
★★★★★ “This is an engaging, clean, historical romance occurring during an unexpected situation. After learning about the primary characters, their families, and supporting cast, the skillfful plot takes off with fervor.” -JustJeri
About the author:
Kathleen Buckley has loved writing ever since she learned to read. After a career which included light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a fascinating stint as a security officer, she began to write as a second career rather than as a hobby. Her first historical romance was penned – “Or word processed at least!” – after re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency romances and realizing Ms. Heyer would never be able to write another, having died some forty years earlier.
Ms. Buckley is now the author of eight Georgian romances: An Unsuitable Duchess, Most Secret, Captain Easterday’s Bargain, A Masked Earl, A Duke’s Daughter, Portia and the Merchant of London, A Westminster Wedding and A Peculiar Enchantment.
Captain Easterday’s Bargain was an Oklahoma Romance Writers of America IDA 2019 finalist, Historical Fiction category, and Most Secret was an Oklahoma Romance Writers of America IDA 2018 finalist, Historical Fiction category, and a 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist, Romance category.
While her ninth novel, entitled By Sword and Fan, is in production, this prolific author is already writing her tenth!
Ms. Buckley warns readers that no bodices are ripped in her romance novels.
“They might be described as “powder & patch & peril” rather than Jane Austen drawing room as they contain no explicit sex. However, they do contain the occasional den of vice and mild bad language, as the situations in which my characters find themselves sometimes call for an oath a little stronger than ‘Zounds!’”
When she began writing A Peculiar Enchantment, she says she knew it was going to be different from her first seven novels.
“The usual ingredients were there, but so was a little more humor, the magic of first love, the mystery of things that are not what they seem, and a cat. And love is the most peculiar enchantment. I think it’s on track to be my most popular book yet.”
As for her future plans, Kathleen Buckley says, “I’ll continue to turn tropes on their heads whenever possible, avoid ballrooms and include characters who are not aristocratic, rich, handsome or beautiful.”
Our Underground Knowledge global discussion group’s membership has topped 16,000 on Goodreads, confirming its status as one of the fastest-growing, most popular groups on the Amazon-owned site for books, authors, readers and all things literary.
The group has been designed to encourage debates about important and underreported issues of our era. All you need is an enquiring mind and a desire to gain or share underground knowledge.
So what is underground knowledge? Our definition is: Underground knowledge covers details, concepts and little-known events not usually reported in mainstream media (MSM), or, if they are, they’re underreported for various reasons. Nor are they usually covered by mainstream academia.
Our Underground Knowledge group is open to everyone no matter your beliefs or nationality, and all viewpoints are welcome. Undergrounders (our members) come from many walks of life and include award-winning authors, everyday readers, teachers and students, historians, scientists, military and former intelligence personnel, conspiracy theorists and agitators, Christians and non-believers, Islamists and Buddhists, and a lot more.Y’all welcome!
In Australia’s wilderness, Aborigines told escaped Irish convict John Graham if you want to live follow the Songlines. So he did… and he lived. John found sanctuary with the Kabi, a primitive tribe who had never seen a white man, and he marveled at their uncanny ability to navigate the landscape by following the mysterious Songlines – tracks left by their spirit ancestors from the Dreaming.
“Those who lose dreaming are lost.” -Aboriginal proverb
Here, we relate some of John’s true-life experiences from our epic historical adventure WHITE SPIRIT (A novel based on a true story)…
As his companion Mamba explained, “You know we sing to the land and its sacred landmarks because it is alive… The Songlines allow us to follow the paths left by our spirit ancestors from the Dreamtime. Our ancestors have told us it is so, remember? By following the Dreaming Tracks we walk in footprints of those who went before us and so we journey safely…and never get lost.”
Mamba continued, “The language of the Songlines is in the rhythm of the song, not the words. The rhythm is an echo of the sky and of the land below. Listening to it, or singing it, guarantees you always have a path to follow.”
Set in Nineteenth Century Australia, WHITE SPIRIT is based on John Graham’s remarkable true story. After escaping from the notorious Moreton Bay Penal Settlement, John finds refuge with the Kabi, a tribe of Aborigines who eventually accept him as one of their own. Attempts to recapture him are orchestrated by a variety of contrasting characters working for the all-pervasive British Empire. They include Moreton Bay’s tyrannical, opium-addicted commandant Lord Cheetham, the dashing yet warlike Lieutenant Hogan, native tracker Barega and the penal settlement’s captain, Tom Marsden.
My inspiration for this short story was the real-life abduction by Maori of a young white girl who happened to be one of two identical twins living in 19th Century New Zealand. The girl’s bereft father spent years unsuccessfully searching for his missing daughter.
That true story had a happy ending many years later after a chance sighting in Wellington saw the separated twins reunited. It turned out the abducted sister had been raised as a Maori by the tribe that had taken her; she’d had two loving husbands, both Maoris, and had children by them both; she spoke fluent Te Reo Māori and had no desire to return to her previous life.
In Once were Brothers, seven-year-old Daniel Thomas is abducted from the family farm in New Zealand’s Far North by Maoris opposed to the presence of white settlers. Daniel’s father devotes his remaining years to searching for his missing blue-eyed, blond-haired son. Until his death a decade later, he’s assisted in his search by Daniel’s identical twin brother Benjamin.
Twenty years later and now a family man himself with children of his own, Benjamin receives a tip-off that could confirm one way or another whether his brother is alive or dead.
![White Spirit (A novel based on a true story) by [Lance Morcan, James Morcan]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51dxTH5nP7L.jpg)
![Once Were Brothers by [Morcan, Lance]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jikg0GmPL.jpg)
Morcan Books & Films 