Posts Tagged ‘historical fiction’

John warned to look out for his scalp in early encounter with First Nations people in ‘Into the Americas’ novel

Posted: July 9, 2020 in Into the Americas
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In the opening chapters of our historical adventure INTO THE AMERICAS (A novel based on a true story) we describe as follows the arrival of young English blacksmith John Jewitt in Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island, in the early 1800s…

John and his crewmates returned their attention to shore as The Boston entered Friendly Cove. Nootka village came into view and the drumming sound that had heralded the brig’s arrival earlier intensified.

Mowachaht villagers could be seen drumming sticks against the exterior of their lodges. To John’s eyes, those employed in such a way appeared to be working themselves up into a frenzy.

On the sandy beach in front of the village, warriors were in the process of launching some of the twenty or so canoes resting there. John could see the Mowachahts were intent on approaching The Boston and he hoped they meant the brig’s crew no harm. The fact that all were armed and most carried muskets did nothing for his confidence.

Dorthy, who stood alongside John, noticed his assistant’s interest in the activity ashore. “Them the Mowachahts,” the armorer said. “Savages every one of ’em, so watch your scalp.”

John hoped Dorthy was joking. The expression on his face indicated he wasn’t.

 

Into the Americas (A novel based on a true story) by [Morcan, Lance, Morcan, James]

INTO THE AMERICAS is available via Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YJKM51E/

 

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Meet Moilow – the end result of fifty thousand years’ evolution

Posted: June 30, 2020 in white spirit
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Behind the charred tree stump, a solitary Aborigine stood stock still, his spear clasped close to his side. Moilow had been standing there, unmoving, since dawn. He’d been about to give up when he sensed a presence in the rainforest beyond his hiding place.

Moilow

A respected member of the local Kabi tribe, Moilow was, in many ways, typical of others of his race. Intelligent, dark, deep-set eyes peered out from beneath furrowed brows; his broad nose protruded above full lips, and he wore a black, matted beard to complement his bushy hair, which he’d tied in a knot; his coal-black skin glistened and his near-naked, wiry frame oozed strength and robustness – the end result of fifty thousand years’ evolution in this unforgiving, inhospitable land; his chest and limbs were scarified as a result of his following the age-old practice of lancing the flesh with shells; and his nakedness was covered only by a skimpy loincloth fashioned from the skin of a dingo, the native wild dog that ranges over much of the continent. The loincloth, once yellow like the dingo that wore it, had browned with age.

 

You have been reading an exerpt from our epic, historical adventure WHITE SPIRIT (A novel based on a true story). It’s available as a paperback and Kindle ebook via Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWIRH9J/

 

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Amazon Hall of Famer lauds new release box set of short stories

Posted: April 10, 2020 in 5 Short Story Gems
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“Very highly recommended.” That’s Amazon Hall of Fame Top 100 book reviewer Grady Harp’s summation of 5 SHORT STORY GEMS: Once Were Brothers / Mr. 100% / A Gladiator’s Love / The Last Tasmanian Tiger / Brooklyn Bankster – a new release compendium of short stories that is currently exclusive to Kindle.

The Hall of Famer says, “Lance Morcan proves he is a master weaver of stories. This collection of tales, so appropriately called ‘GEMS’ in the bundle’s title, is a solid survey of Morcan’s gifts as a writer.”

 

5 Short Story Gems -3D cover

New box set for lovers of short stories… https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B086JZSK2T/

 

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Book launch: ‘5 SHORT STORY GEMS’

Posted: April 1, 2020 in 5 Short Story Gems
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Today marks the Amazon release of  5 SHORT STORY GEMS (Once Were Brothers / Mr. 100% / A Gladiator’s Love / The Last Tasmanian Tiger / Brooklyn Bankster) – a compendium of short stories written by New Zealand author Lance Morcan and published by Sterling Gate Books in 2019/2020.

 

5 Short Story Gems: Once Were Brothers / Mr. 100% / A Gladiator's Love / The Last Tasmanian Tiger / Brooklyn Bankster by [Morcan, Lance]

Box set of short stories is exclusive to Amazon.

 

The stories, which have also been released as standalone Kindle ebooks, are aimed at lovers of thrillers, adventure, romance and historical fiction.

Brief blurbs (and Kindle links) follow for each of the short stories featured in 5 SHORT STORY GEMS:

Once Were Brothers

ONCE WERE BROTHERS – Life will never be the same for young Benjamin Thomas after disaffected Maoris abduct his identical twin brother in this moving short story adventure set in Nineteenth Century New Zealand. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082Z5FBVZ/ 

Mr. 100%

Mr. 100% – When New York defense lawyer Madison ‘Mr. 100%’ Harley secures a Not Guilty verdict for a client who confides that he is guilty of the ghastly crimes he was accused of, he sets out to ensure that justice is done. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085Y89NYQ/ 

A Gladiator's Love

A GLADIATOR’S LOVE – In this short story set in Ancient Rome, dashing Greek gladiator Leonidas is one fight away from winning his freedom. Throughout his trials he is sustained by the love of Fatuma, a beautiful gladiatrix. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082S2MKN3/ 

The Last Tasmanian Tiger

THE LAST TASMANIAN TIGER – Outdoorsman Charlie Truganini can’t believe his eyes when on a trip into Tasmania’s wilderness he sees a Tasmanian tiger – a carnivorous marsupial considered by most Australians to be extinct. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082GGKR77/ 

Brooklyn Bankster

BROOKLYN BANKSTER – After ageing hippy Bill Hogan is taken hostage during a bank heist in Brooklyn, his captors demand a million-dollar ransom for his safe return. The problem is no-one knows who the hell Bill Hogan is. Does he even exist? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZTT23YK/ 

 

5 SHORT STORY GEMS can be viewed on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Short-Story-Gems-Lance-Morcan-ebook/dp/B086JZSK2T/

 

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Book launch: ONCE WERE BROTHERS – A poignant short story adventure

Posted: December 22, 2019 in Once Were Brothers
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Life will never be the same for young Benjamin Thomas after Maoris abduct his identical twin brother in this moving historical fiction short story adventure set in Nineteenth Century New Zealand.

 

Once Were Brothers by [Morcan, Lance]

This new release book is exclusive to Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082Z5FBVZ/

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Coming soon… ONCE WERE BROTHERS – a historical adventure short story

Posted: December 20, 2019 in Once Were Brothers
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Once Were Brothers

Once Were Brothers will be exclusive to Amazon.

 

The Thomas family’s lives will never be the same again when 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. Like his late father, Benjamin believes Daniel is still alive.

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. 

 

ONCE WERE BROTHERS will be released before Christmas. Watch this space!

For other books by Lance Morcan go to: https://www.amazon.com/Lance-Morcan/e/B005ET3ZUO/

 

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Book launch! ‘Four Historical Adventures (White Spirit / Into the Americas / World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel)’

Posted: August 30, 2019 in Four Historical Adventures
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Fans of our critically acclaimed historical adventure novels can now read them all in one discounted box set. Four Historical Adventures  spans nearly 3,000 action-packed pages. Each epic tale is set in the 19th Century and each has strong romantic themes.

 

Four Historical Adventures (White Spirit / Into the Americas / World Odyssey / Fiji: A Novel) by [Morcan, Lance, Morcan, James]

Box set launched.

 

Box set includes:

White Spirit (A novel based on a true story):

This epic novel is based on the remarkable true story of Irish convict John Graham who escapes the notorious Moreton Bay Penal Settlement on Australia’s east coast to find sanctuary with the Kabi, a tribe of Aborigines who eventually accept him as one of their own. John is torn between two women – one black, one white – and is forced to choose between them.

Into the Americas (A novel based on a true story):

A gritty, real-life adventure based on one of history’s greatest wilderness survival stories. It’s a tale of two vastly different cultures – North America’s First Nations people and European civilization – colliding head on in the early 1800’s in the Pacific Northwest. One reviewer says the action is relentless. Another describes it as a Romeo and Juliet story set in the wilderness.

World Odyssey (The World Duology, Book 1):

This novel follows the fortunes of three young travelers. Their adventures span sixteen years and see them engage with Native Americans, Barbary Coast pirates, Aborigines, Maoris and Pacific Islanders as they travel around the world – from America to Africa, from England to the Canary Islands, to Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Their adventures continue in Fiji.

Fiji: A Novel (The World Duology, Book 2):

A continuation of the dramatic adventures of the travelers who feature in book one in the duology, this novel is set entirely in Fiji. English missionary Susannah Drake wants to convert the Fijians while American adventurer Nathan Johnson wants to trade muskets to them. There’s conflict ahead. The unlikely pair soon have to depend on each other for their very survival.

 

To view Four Historical Adventures  on Amazon go to: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07X49D17B/

 

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‘Into the Americas’ the end result of 13 years of research and writing

Posted: June 12, 2019 in Into the Americas
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In researching and writing our historical adventure Into the Americas (A novel based on a true story) – a labor of love spanning 13 years – we first came across the centuries-old diary entries of young English seaman John Jewitt in early 2002. And we immediately became enamored with this intriguing slice of North American history.

However, it took untold drafts and careful study of the region – including consultation with the tribal peoples of the Pacific Northwest – before we finally felt confident we had developed the original bare bones historical account into the epic adventure novel it deserved to be in literary format.

As with writing any novel based on or inspired by a true story, we had a million agonizing decisions to make along the way. Decisions like what aspects of the historical events needed to be added to, fictionalized or given more layers, and what could be kept exactly as occurred but expanded upon or dramatized.

Even after all these years of focusing on the history we still feel John Jewitt’s story is one of the great true wilderness survival tales of all time.

Thankfully, readers seem to resonate with this novel and it continues to attract stellar reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

If you enjoyed Into the Americas, you may enjoy our other adventure novels White Spirit   (another novel based on a true story), The Dogon Initiative, World Odyssey and Fiji: A Novel.

-Lance & James Morcan 

 

Book: Into the Americas (A novel based on a true story) by James & Lance Morcan

Book’s Amazon review rating = 4.4 out of 5 stars after 187 reviews.

 

★★★★★ “Extremely well researched, the main character’s ‘coming of age’ is told with detached and stark brutality.” -Award-winning author Lee Murray.

 

Into the Americas (A novel based on a true story)  is available via Amazon as a paperback or Kindle ebook: http://www.amazon.com/Into-Americas-novel-based-story-ebook/dp/B00YJKM51E/

 

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In ‘WHITE SPIRIT (A novel based on a true story)’ an Irish convict follows the mysterious Songlines

Posted: June 11, 2019 in white spirit
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In Australia’s wilderness, the Aborigines told escaped convict John Graham if you want to live follow the Songlines. So he did… and he lived.

 

White Spirit (A novel based on a true story) by [Morcan,James, Morcan, Lance]

White Spirit  is available as a Kindle ebook and paperback via Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LWIRH9J/

(Book’s Amazon review rating after 90 customer reviews = 4.6 out of 5 stars)

 

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Fiji: A Novel strikes a chord with one Fijian national

Posted: May 28, 2019 in Fiji: A Novel
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Our adventure-romance epic Fiji: A Novel (The World Duology Book 2)  appears to have resonated with this Fijian book blogger and reviewer…

★★★★★ “As a Fijian, I find the old traditions of our people fascinating and just as great as they are crude and gruesome. The novel touches on most of these now extinct practices, in mad detail and it’s AWESOME! … Racial prejudice, religion, culture and family were the underlying messages … The adventure, fast-paced and nail biting … The romance, sizzling, exciting, forbidden … I give it 5 stars because that’s the maximum amount of stars we’re allowed to give.” -Random Writings Book Reviews (Suva, Fiji)

 

Book: Fiji - A Novel (The World Duology Book 2) by James & Lance Morcan

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.

 

Fiji: A Novel is available as a paperback and Kindle ebook via Amazon: http://amazon.com/Fiji-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B0057YCZM0/

 

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