http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=210035

Fiji: A Novel – the book that is making waves online. Picture: BALJEET SINGH

A BOOK on Fiji written by a father and son team is making waves online and cracking Amazon.com’s best selling list over the last couple of weeks.

The book titled Fiji: A Novel was co-authored by Lance Morcan and his son James and was published late last year.

Mr Morcan said he had been inspired by the work of American author James Michener, adding he wanted Fiji to have a story that did justice to its beauty.

Set in the early 1800s, the novel follows protagonists Susannah Drake and Nathan Johnson as the pair travel from Levuka to Momi Bay.

He said the two-year journey to write the novel was a challenging one as he had to co-author long distance with his son.

“He is based in Sydney and I’m based here in New Zealand, so we had to do the whole thing through Skype and emails,” he said.

Mr Morcan said they were both strong-willed which made the writing of the novel an interesting exercise.

He said they were in the process of taking the book to the silver screen.

“James and I are also screenwriters and film producers, and have put Fiji into development as a feature film with our production company, Morcan Motion Pictures,” he added.

Mr Morcan said the book was available at the USP Book Centre, however, they were looking at ways to get more people to access the book.

“We want to put the book in hotels and resorts for them to use as giveaways to their most valued customers and then in this way we can get more locals as well reading the book,” he said.

Critical acclaim for Fiji: A Novel has been pouring in.

Susan M Heim, author and editor of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series heaped praise on the novel.

“If you’re a fan of adventure, history, even romance, you’ll want to pick up a copy of Fiji: A Novel and brace yourself for the ride,” she said.

“It’s an intense story that will have you turning the pages long into the night.”

Historical author Joan Mcgrath gave the book a four star rating calling it “a wonderfully entrancing read”.

Fiji: A Novel is available from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Fiji-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B0057YCZM0/