Coinciding with Amazon’s expansion of its kindle ebooks into Canada, our historical adventure-romance Fiji: A Novel has entered Amazon Canada’s bestseller list in the Historical Books category.

Amazon Top 500 reviewer, Great Historicals, has this to say about Fiji: A Novel in a 5-star review:

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. The Kindle version is less than a dollar! A quality book for sure!

Our swashbuckling historical novel has snuck into Goodreads’ list for ‘Best Humorous Books!

Here’s the link to that list. It makes for interesting reading and you’ll find some great books: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/312.Best_Humorous_Books

Fiji: A Novel currently sits at #91 (yay!) – and here’s the Top 5 on that same list as at 11 October 2012 PST:

1. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker’s Guide, #1)
   by Douglas Adams
2. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
   by Terry Pratchett
3. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal
   by Christopher Moore
4. Me Talk Pretty One Day
   by David Sedaris
5. The Princess Bride
   by William Goldman

And let’s not forget #91…

While we didn’t set out to be humorous when writing this novel, we found the period (early 1800’s) and the setting (Fiji/South Pacific) and the genre (historical romance/action-adventure) certainly allow for humor. They were bawdy, lusty days and we wanted to capture that in our writing.

As at today, I note our novel remains at #1 in Goodreads’ list for ‘Great Romance Novels’. One reviewer called it “a bodice-ripper”, but I think she exagerates… “A Fifty Shades of Grey” it ain’t!

-Lance

Our historical adventure-romance is currently top of Goodreads’ list for Great Romance Novels!

Here’s the link to that list. It makes for interesting reading and you’ll find some great books: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/17225.Great_Romance_Novels

And here’s the Top 10 on that same list as at 9 October 2012 PST:

1		Fiji: A Novel by Lance Morcan 4.00 avg rating — 95 ratings score: 698, and 7 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
2		Seduction and Snacks (Chocolate Lovers, #1) by Tara Sivec (Goodreads Author) 4.53 avg rating — 3,473 ratings score: 675, and 7 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
3		Point of Retreat (Slammed, #2) by Colleen Hoover (Goodreads Author) 4.40 avg rating — 15,296 ratings score: 564, and 6 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
4		Fifty Shades of Grey (Fifty Shades, #1) by E.L. James (Goodreads Author) 3.61 avg rating — 257,700 ratings score: 432, and 5 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
5		Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding, #1) by K.A. Linde (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 3,744 ratings score: 423, and 5 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
6		Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 4.23 avg rating — 761,722 ratings score: 395, and 4 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
7		Fifty Shades Darker (Fifty Shades, #2) by E.L. James (Goodreads Author) 3.97 avg rating — 153,733 ratings score: 344, and 4 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
8		Fifty Shades Freed (Fifty Shades, #3) by E.L. James (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 131,090 ratings score: 340, and 4 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
9		Slammed (Slammed, #1) by Colleen Hoover (Goodreads Author) 4.39 avg rating — 18,158 ratings score: 289, and 3 people voted	My rating: Added to my books! add my review
10		The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons 4.39 avg rating — 9,821 ratings score: 283, and 3 people voted	My rating:

September 16, 2012

New Zealand father-and-son writing team Lance and James Morcan, co-authors of the critically acclaimed historical adventure novel, Fiji: A Novel, say their book seems to have struck a chord with Indian residents of Fiji.

“Judging by the review requests and fan mail we receive from Indians based in Fiji, they seem to resonate with our novel,” says Lance. “I can only put this down to the fact that they are avid readers who take an interest in the history of their adopted country.”

Lance, who is a novelist and screenwriter, is based in New Zealand. He writes in collaboration with his Sydney-based son James. They are very aware of Indians close ties to Fiji.

“Indo-Fijians comprise more than one third of Fiji’s population, and most are descended from indentured labourers brought to the islands by Fiji’s British colonial rulers in the late 1800’s to work on sugar cane plantations,” says Lance. “These were complemented by the later arrival of Gujarati and Punjabi immigrants who arrived as free settlers in contrast to their counterparts who were brought under the indentured labour system.”

In the course of several visits to Fiji, Lance says he has observed the Indo-Fijians’ relationship with the indigenous Fijians has been an uneasy one. “It seems the cultural divide between the two racial groups is very wide. Many Indo-Fijians have left Fiji in search of greener pastures.”

Nevertheless, he says, Indo-Fijians seem to relate to Fiji: A Novel, even though it predates the arrival of Indians in Fiji. “I think it paints an authentic picture of the tropical paradise their forefathers came to.”

The novel doesn’t gloss over the cannibalism the Morcans claim was rife in Fiji.

“Fiji wasn’t called ‘the Cannibal Isles’ for nothing. The history books show Fiji was a melting pot of cannibals, warring native tribes, sailors, traders, prostitutes, escaped convicts and all manner of foreign undesirables,” he says. “It’s in this hostile environment our story is set.”

Published by Sterling Gate Books in late 2011, the novel is set in 19th Century Fiji and has been a regular visitor to Amazon’s bestseller lists. The publisher describes it as ‘a spellbinding novel of adventure, cultural misunderstandings, religious conflict and sexual tension set in one of the most exotic and isolated places on earth’.

The story is a fast-paced adventure-romance about an innocent young Englishwoman and a worldly American adventurer who are thrown together in Fiji in the mid-1800’s.

Lance says Fiji was inspired by James A. Michener’s classic novel, Hawaii.

“To our knowledge, there has never been a novel that truly does justice to Fiji,” he says. “I’ve felt a novel that captures Fiji’s culture, exoticness and beauty is long overdue.”

The Morcans, who are also film producers, are developing a feature film adaptation of Fiji through their film production company, Morcan Motion Pictures.

Fiji: A Novel is now available in both kindle ebook and paperback form via Amazon, and the trade paperback version is also available at Junglee.com. The links are: www.amazon.com/dp/B0057YCZM0/ and www.junglee.com/Fiji-A-Novel-Lance-Morcan/dp/0473194716/