Welcome To Wonderwood

 Wonderwood

9-year-old Jacob craves adventure. His grandfather (Pop) and older cousin Jack, both treasure hunters and, at times, ghost chasers, have survived many narrow escapes while collecting a fortune in valuable relics, gold coins and rare jewels.

What could he do?         

Augie, Pop’s Scottish Terrier, wearing his red bow tie, has the answer, and, in exchange for his favorite treat, will guide Jacob to the ancient oak tree and its hidden passage, leading to a strange and classical world of mystical creatures, evil witches, talking animals, dangerous outlaws, brave knights, and, if he can survive to collect it, a priceless golden key.

Can Jacob meet the challenge? And Augie, what is HIS secret?  

                                                                        *****

Decided it was time to write a new book - this time featuring my youngest grandson (Jacob) & my little buddy (who is not spoiled at all) Augie - my Scottish Terrier. 

Kids today don't read the classic stories so, leaving behind my YA - Rackham series (I have book #4 of the series in the works) decided it would be good to have my NEW characters visit the classics & take part in the stories. It was a blast to write & Augie (who is already quite famous) was ready for the challenge. It's a smaller middle grade book, 114 pages - not overwhelming - & each chapter is an adventure, which leads to the next classic story. Great feedback so far.  

Here are some links if you want to check it out:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/.../wonderwo.../1142821697...

https://www.booksamillion.com/search?filter=&id=7614679483510&query=David+Ebright+Wonderwood+

Wonderwood: A Jacob & Augie Adventure: Ebright, David N: 9781732227781: Amazon.com: Books

#scottishterriers #scottiedog #classicstories #middlegradebooks #augie #belznan #kidsadventures

And here's Augie (he loves the beach) 

Jack Rackham's New Boat

 Most folks that follow me know Jack. My oldest grandson that is. He's the treasure huntin', ghost chasin', time travelin' subject of my JACK RACKHAM ADVENTURE series. Spent some time on the phone with him the other day. Awesome kid. Love him like crazy (& Isabel & Jacob too!). 

Now I'm 3/4 of the way through a new book - Isabel is the primary character (Jack makes an appearance), & this one is a bit scarier than the others. I mean, what's so scary about confronting ghosts, dead pirates, zombies, shape shifters, evil slave traders & going back in time after a dangerous trek through the jungle & swimming in an underground river. Child's Play. Had to kick it up a few notches. (Jacob's book is done, with another in the works, but I can't get the art work right.)

Anyway, Jack has his smaller boat, BAD LATITUDE which Pop bought for him when he was 15. Now that Jack's older now, & has lotsa money from treasure hunting he went n' bought his bad self a new boat - custom built in the UK - named it Cacique - if ya read BAD LATITUDE it'll tell you where that name comes from. 

Here are some pictures of the new ride. 

I mean the kid needs some space - 90' should work

Gotta have a place to hang out inside

& a little kitchen area

& a place to run the boat from inside in bad weather

 & a nice outdoor spot for lunch

& naturally a tolerable place to sleep.

Yep. The kid has come a long way since this picture was taken, a while before becoming a treasure hunter. That's the great thing about having grandkids, & being a grandfather writing YA Fiction. #havingablast  

  

 

 

How The Story Starts

 "Your first line sells the book. Your last line sells the next book."  Mickey Spillane

"Where's Papa going with that axe?" asked Fern. (From Charlotte's Web by E.B. White)

Does that sentence grab your attention? Do you really want to find out where Papa's going with the axe? Does it make you want to read more? Okay so I've already read it & I know how it works out. Charlotte's Web is a classic children's novel, though in a lot of ways it's pretty deep, with death being a major theme. But it starts out with a question about Papa's action.   

So opening lines - do they work? I decided to pull my books off the shelf & see how I started the three already-published Jack Rackham Adventures. I didn't want to post the last lines because they tend to give away the story endings. Sorry. 

Drumroll please - 

 BAD LATITUDE 

There was no escaping the hurricane's fury. Okay, not awful, it was my first book, but I probably should have combined it with the 2nd sentence where actual action takes place - The center mast snapped, toppling with a thunderous crash as the doomed ship listed to port, exposing its massive keel. Action instead of set up. At the risk of showing my bias, at least this opening might provoke some interest. A reader might be inclined to read further to discover what happens to the poor folks onboard this ship being destroyed in a hurricane. Maybe. 

RECKLESS ENDEAVOR 

A thick rope made of hemp & flax cinched his neck, biting into the skin while a thinner cord bound the gnarled hands behind his back. Somebody's in big trouble here. Who? What did he do? Is he going to die or get rescued? He certainly wasn't being treated gently, I mean, the rope IS biting into his skin. Not perfect, but hopeful. It might not be enough to grab, but it might provide a little tug. 

GALLOWS POINT 

Rachel couldn't breathe as she spun helplessly through brilliant pulsing light. Well, I stuck a gerund in there. I try to avoid them since they describe an incomplete action, so I'm not sure how this one got past me. Rachel is obviously unable to change anything about her situation - she's 'helpless' but is this opening sentence enough to make a reader go further? Hate to say it, but probably not. Hey, just being honest, here. Fortunately (in terms of story pacing) Rachel confronts her kidnapper, the dreaded pirate Calico Jack Rackham (he's dead of course) within the first couple of pages. So there's THAT. 

The good news? Most readers will go a little further than the first line so make sure the story takes off. 

BAD LATITUDE - Jack Rackham's 1st Adventure

I used to blog back in the day & had a lot of fun with it. Made a lot of friends as well. This is my first attempt at getting back into it - a whole new set up. So I'll plan on posting about my books, writing in general, pirates, ghosts, shapeshifters & lost treasure, sailing ships, haunted St Augustine, & maybe some baseball & grandkid stuff.

It (writing) started in my garage - had my laptop out there - was thinking about my grandson Jack, we had moved from Pennsylvania to Florida & he lived in Pa (still does) so I was missing him (still do). I tapped out "Jack spent summers with his grandparents in St Augustine." (Daydreaming at that point.) I ended up writing a story about how he came to visit - which morphed into a "chapter" then another & another & several months later I had the first draft - and made countless changes, even with plot & characters. 3/4 of the way through I decided it would be cool if he was the descendant of a pirate - a real pirate, Calico Jack Rackham. So I rewrote the whole dang thing & had a blast doing it. BAD LATITUDE did so well, & I had so much fun, that I started writing another Jack Rackham book - & then another. I'll post about them (& my Augie series & current WIP) in the future.

This is the back of the book copy for my first book, which still does remarkably well.

The seaside town of St. Augustine is haunted.

Everyone knows that.

For fifteen-year-old Jack Rackham, a descendant of the notorious pirate

Calico Jack, it was supposed to be a relaxing summer of great surfing, exploring

the Ancient City and adventures on his very own boat, Bad Latitude. His

discovery of a three hundred-year-old diary changed all of that.

When the secrets of the old book are unraveled, Jack enlists the help

of his best friend Kai, and together, they begin the dangerous search for

the hidden fortune buried beneath the abandoned burial grounds of

Rattlesnake Island. Digging under the light of the full moon, the boys are

unaware that a terrifying menace waits in the darkness, determined to

prevent their escape. Supernatural guardians of the island are clawing and

dragging their way through the snake-infested marsh grass, surrounding

the pair, working to create a deadly ambush, while offshore lurks a

mysterious ship, shrouded in an eerie green fog, flying the flag of the

long dead Calico Jack Rackham.

Before daybreak, Jack and Kai will face a desperate struggle for

survival, ultimately choosing between unimaginable wealth and

friendship. Will they put their own lives on the line to save one another

from the evil that stalks their every move, or will the promise of great

riches lead to tragedy and despair?

Healthcare - Redneck Style

I've missed blogging so I'm dipping my toes into the water again with a post that might be helpful during these trying times - a kind of public service. Lately stories about the new healthcare laws and how insurers are scramblin' to cut - reinstate or adapt coverage have dominated the news. The problems have been particularly difficult here in some parts of the south because the medical terminology is so . . .  different. As a writer, decipherin' language is important, so with some help from the internet I'm gonna take a brief break from Pirates, GALLOWS POINT & general storytellin' to explain the lingo so y'all can cogitate on it a spell.  

Benign - What you be, after you be eight.
Artery - The study of paintings
Bacteria - Back door to the cafeteria
Barium - what doctors do when patients die
Cesarean section - a neighborhood in Rome
Cat scan - searching for kitty
Cauterize - made eye contact with her
Coma- a punctuation mark
D & C - Where Washington is
Dilate - to live long
Enema - Not a friend
Fester - quicker than someone else
Fibula - a small lie
GI series - world series of military baseball
Hangnail - what you hang your coat on
Impotent - distinguished, well-known
Labor pain - getting hurt at work
Medical staff - a doctor's cane
Morbid - a higher offer
Nitrates - cheaper than day rates
Node - I knew it
Outpatient - a person who has fainted
Pap Smear - A fatherhood test
Pelvis - second cousin to Elvis
Post Operative - a letter carrier
Recovery room - place to do upholstery
Rectum - darn near killed him
Secretion - hiding something
Seizure - a Roman emperor
Tablet - a small table
Terminal Illness - getting sick at the airport
Tumor - one plus one more
Urine - opposite of you're out
Varicose - nearby / close by



Redneck Ambulance on the way to the Clinic

 

You Don't Know Jack. . . . YET

6 months have passed since I last posted on this blog. Hmph!


We are back (finally) from our lengthy stint in South Florida & currently living full-time (*sigh of relief*) in our own home here in the nation's oldest city. My writing room renovation is almost finished (nautical theme - big surprise) & the push is on to get into the flow again on GALLOWS POINT, the 3rd book in The Jack Rackham Adventure series.

Sneak peak photo above - All of the pictures in my writing room were taken by Deb & mounted on canvas. The yacht shown is 'Enticer' built in 1934 sailing out of Rhode Island. It is very similar to FDR's Sequoia & is currently for sale for $3.3 million. This was taken in St Augustine during a visit from "The HMS Bounty".

Sorry - Back to the post: 

Unfortunately, blogging will continue to take a back seat for a bit longer. I totally understand the importance for writers to maintain a healthy internet presence, but spare time comes at such a premium & something's got to give. There is hope, however - a little anyway.

A few days ago I chatted about my dilemma with my good friend (& book character) 'Pop' while we enjoyed fine hand-rolled cigars a we lounged on the deck of RECKLESS ENDEAVOR, his luxurious multi-million dollar schooner moored just off the seawall near St Augustine's municipal pier. I mentioned some of the specific questions that I get from readers about Jack & the rest of the characters in the JRA books,  many  that even I can't answer & asked if he had any thoughts. This morning he called with a remedy.

Now he refuses to actually blog, though I imagine it could be very entertaining if he did, but it seems he invited one of his favorite authors (he never mentioned who & I know better than to ask) over to the mansion to interview his grandson Jack. Guess I could have done that myself but maybe it's better to get an outsider's perspective. In any case, this will give me some material to plug in for a couple of blog posts (since he agreed to let me use it all, word for word, if I want), & some Twitter linkage (which I still struggle with) &, as a bonus, I'll finally get some reader questions answered.

Well, we're just gonna have to see where this ends up. Could be interesting . . .  & I wonder who is doing the interview . . .  Do you have any questions?

Sunday Stroll - in the old town

It's been almost a month since I've written anything. More than 3 since my last post. Almost zero time online. Lots going on. Getting to the final stage of my project in Miami. Pushing hard. Tired.

Six weeks ago my doctor (Dr Butcher) said I looked like crap. He ought to see me now. Dark circles under the dark circles. Guess that happens when you try to cram the work of 6 months into 3. More design changes in the works. The days seem really long but the calendar pages are flipping by way too fast. Can't believe it's almost February. Two looooong years. 

This engraving of bat wings on each side of the hour glass means "time flies". It's a marble insert on the face of a St Augustine tomb where a Catholic Bishop was once buried. He "moved" home to Cuba  about 100 years ago, 40 years after his death. Hope I get home sooner than that! (And not in a box.)

  
Last week Deb suggested we take a little stress-relief walk around our haunted seaside hometown. First stop was an old cemetery. Maybe she was tryin' to make a not-so-subtle point.

Next we visited the old drugstore where we buy our loose tea & organic Florida honey - but no drugs.

Deb wanted to get a shot of the old city gates. It was a gray day, not great for photos, but she managed to get a picture without tourists in the scene. Across the street, in the background, is the Castillo de San Marcos. That was our next destination. These structures are built with coquina.  

                 The Castillo pictures - same day (within minutes) 2 angles. 

Busy day at the fort. On weekends they fire cannons every hour using "Spanish" soldiers in full uniform. A few years back we were in our boat (our boat really is named Laffin' Gaff), 10 yards away from the fort's seawall facing the inlet when that cannon went off. Though my engine blew up. That incident blossomed into a part of the story in BAD LATITUDE - the night Jack & Kai were fired upon by the ghost ship.

The Bridge of Lions. This bridge was recently taken apart & hauled away. A temporary bridge was built in its place. The original was completely restored, trucked back in sections & reassembled. THAT would have been an awesome project to run. In RECKLESS (book number 2), Pop does some showin' off, sailing through this very drawbridge in his restored schooner Reckless Endeavor as they leave port in search of the Rackham treasure. 

We need to run a contest to see who can figure out where the name of the bridge comes from. (Hint: Granite statues.) The inscription P de L 1513 stands for Ponce de Leon who founded the city in 1513, making St Augustine the oldest city in America & the very first Catholic mass in all of North America.   

Now drawbridges are fairly common, but how often do you see pirate ships crossing through 'em?  

                                 Or doors with this kind of hardware?   

Seeing pirates walking the streets is no big deal - happens all the time. Certainly my idea of using a dead pirate as a character couldn't have been influenced by the history of a haunted town, a town ready to celebrate its 500th year.

Hoping to get back home soon - where inspiration lurks at every corner . . .  & where I work best as The Haunted City Writer.

It's just after midnight - I'm going to write. Tonight. Finally.





  

What's In YOUR Attic?

You've spent countless hours crafting stories - tweaking, revising & rewriting. Maybe it's been your life's passion. Maybe it's a passion that's been kept secret. Your insecurity, maybe a fear of failure or criticism from a twenty-something-year-old literary agent, caused you to ignore the publishing options & you never put your work "out there" for the world to see. And all of those stories & manuscripts lie tucked away in boxes, maybe in the attic .....

Alas, your days come to an end & after a suitable mourning period, perhaps ten minutes following the funeral, family members rummage through your home disposing of anything they deem worthless - like boxes of meaningless old papers. And so it is - your stories are gone forever.

What if you had a chance to hit the rewind button? Would you take your shot? Let's assume so.

Your grandkids have grandkids. One day they find YOUR BOOKS, yellowed & battered as they may be, but there they are. You've left something of your passion behind.

                                                               GALLOWS POINT (in progress)

Imagine That

Over the years I've written a bazillion letters, emails & narratives related to the challenging business of construction management, otherwise known as "my big boy job". There's never been anything remotely creative about any of that correspondence, other than touches of biting sarcasm, something I often struggle (with limited success) to control. I've always been one to get to the point & making friends, in business at least, has never been a priority. With that bit of background on the table, ME writing books for kids is still something I can't wrap my brain around. The two worlds are so opposite.

Today we visited The Baliker Gallery in Palm Coast to check out the sculptures of the very talented Paul Baliker. His work is incredible, especially the way he uses driftwood, like this:

And this:

There's more on the website, all very click worthy - so check it out. But there was a bronze piece that caught my eye ... & would look great in my writing room. (Deb? It's only $4500!!!)

This is named "Once Upon A Time". The kid is obviously readng a book (very cool) & his imagination, as you will "see" below is in high gear.

All from the pages of a "book".

Out of the blue, in July 2007 to be exact, I started writing. It was totally unplanned. There were no goals & zero expectations. It wasn't something I had to do. Nothing inside was screaming to get out, like many writers claim (or like the movie "Alien"). It just happened. Four years & two books later, grabbing a reader's imagination - & squeezing it with both hands - is my new brass ring.... or maybe it's bronze. Actually, it feels pretty good - finally having a goal. Guess that means I'm getting serious. Imagine that.    

If you're a writer - what made you take the plunge? Oh ... and what's the brass ring you're reaching for?



 

Click The Link - Whaddya Think?

Greetings from Miami. How 'bout that - a picture of Miami minus the traffic! We travel a lot. In fact, we're mapping out a couple of new adventures in the upcoming weeks, though the mode of transportation, in one case, is under serious debate. First on the agenda is a trip to The Dry Tortugas, about 70 miles offshore from Key West. I want to go by seaplane - Deb's thinkin' that a boat's the way to go, since she's not a great fan of small planes, especially the ones that land in the ocean. Time to negotiate. The 2nd trip planned is a little further south to the Virgin Islands - by boat. For the record, taking off & landing in a seaplane is a total rush. So how 'bout helpin' me out with a strategy.

Now I get lots of emails askin' about the Rackhams & their lifestyle. It's true they're loaded, have a few awesome boats, including an 82' schooner named Reckless Endeavor, & they've recently built a second home in the Bahamas. In fact, here's a picture - taken from a seaplane I might add. It's much smaller than the house in St Augustine, but it's comfortable. 

Where the Rackham tale is somewhat embellished in Reckless is the part about Nan being totally comfortable island hopping in a seaplane. Now the Rackhams have some very good friends, Eb & Flo, who own & operate The Last Resort - a secluded getaway in the middle of the islands. Flo pilots a yellow seaplane, 'cause it's easier & more fun to get around. In the story, Nan gets a kick out of cruising with Flo above the turquoise seas. In "real life" that's not quite true. The other day Flo sent Pop a picture of her new plane & he forwarded it to me to use for this post. (Sadly, the one in the book crashed in the Everglades, but at least it was insured.)

This plane's a real beauty, dontcha think? Congrats, Flo! Can you think of any reason NOT to wanna fly in one of these babies? So back to my dilemma. How do I convince Deb to forget the boat n' give the seaplane a shot?

Sidebar - I really like reader comments. This one was posted on my FB by Matt Keever from Houston:

Your book made me want to start talking like a pirate. The dialogue for Calico Jack is absolutely PERFECT.
I actually read all of it aloud, which made me laugh harder than I have in quite some time.
I'll write a short review of the book and put it on Amazon soon. Thanks for the great read, Dave.

(Thanks, Matt.)    

Okay - now about the seaplane .....  Click the link -  Dry Tortugas - Whaddya think???

A NEW POST - FINALLY!!!

Someday I'll grow up - but what's the hurry? My grandson Jack is convinced I'm a real pirate. Have no idea why he would think such a thing. Do you? As usual, he spent his birthday (last week) with 'Pop' & 'Nan' here in St Augustine. That's me n' Jackman in the picture below. The beard is real - grown specifically for this shot. Of course, Deb wasn't thrilled with it during the weeks leading up to this photo, so the beard was neatly trimmed to its normal length about an hour after this picture was taken.

Of course, we were well prepared for the kids' visit.

Say hello to Isabel. Everyone will get a better chance to know her once SPANKY AND THE SPECKLED BUTTER BEAN comes out. She's our lil' princess.

Okay, so I've been really busy & haven't posted for a coupla months. Have barely managed to visit & comment on my usual blog stops. But the kids returned to Pennsylvania & things are settlin' down. Well, not completely but I'm gettin' back into my writing projects & thinkin' it might be a good idea to start doin' some promotion on RECKLESS. (Ya think?)

So, you ask, what else is up? Okay, you didn't ask. Well, there are 3 more stores now carrying my books, including a really busy touristy spot in Key West! Hint: Ever hear of the famous Conch Train Tours? I also received some great feedback on RECKLESS from a terrific author.

Author & columnist Mark LaFlamme posted an awesome review of RECKLESS ENDEAVOR on Amazon. Kinda made me wanna read the book myself. I'll post his kind words here.

5.0 out of 5 stars A high-seas page turner, July 15, 2011

By Mark Laflamme (Maine) - This review is from: Reckless Endeavor A Jack Rackham Adventure

David Ebright knows sailing. He knows the value of young friendships and he sure as hell knows adventure.

In Reckless Endeavor all three are vital to the lives of Jack Rackham and his circle of friends. The adventure in particular is not slow to come. As he did with Bad Latitude, the first in the Jack Rackham line, Ebright gets right to it. He doesn't mess around with intricate knots or long looks at the weather forecast, he sails his readers right into the eye of the storm.

It starts with some history, a pair of pirates brutalized in wretched prisons hundreds of years back. In short order, that history will collide with modern day where Jack Rackham is just beginning a new adventure.

After rescuing a homeless teenager from a knife-wielding lunatic and uncovering the secret of Mary, the spirit of a thief trapped in St. Augustine's Old Jail for one hundred years, Jack Rackham puts to sea with his friends in search of another lost treasture, this time aboard the magnificent schooner, Reckless Endeavor. As a reader, I made the same mistake I made when I began Bad Latitude - I assumed it was a book written largely for young people and that it would be short on grown-up chills. Again, I was wrong. The Hardy Boys, I'm afraid, would not last a night with Jack Rackham and his friends. In addition to high seas spooks - freak whirlpools and long-dead pirates rising from the mist - there are adult themes all over the place. Homelessness, loyalty, betrayal, love and greed are among them. Ebright weaves them into his story without steering away from the action, and the result is a high-seas page turner.

Ebright spins an impressive piece of fiction, but there is also a good bit of history to be found here. One of its main characters, after all, is Calico Jack, an English pirate who designed the Jolly Roger flag and who made a career out of plundering across the Bahamas in the early 18th century. In Reckless Endeavor, Ebright brings Calico Jack back to life and introduces him to young Jack Rackham, who bears a suspicious resemblance to the legendary pirate. The meeting might leave Jack Rackham and his friends fabulously wealthy or it could turn them into so much chum for the sharks. There's only one way to find out, bilge rats. Batten down the hatches, beat to quarters and take some Dramamine if you have to. Reckless Endeavor is one wild adventure.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks, Mark. So there you have it. RECKLESS is a high seas page turner - as opposed to a run of the mill page turner!

Now for one more picture from last week which will show how, in our family anyway, the inability to properly enter adulthood with dignity is being passed along to the next generation. Here's my oldest son Mike (Jack's dad) at 6 feet & 180 pounds makin' my poor grandson tote him around on his new bike. Ol' Jack's got some strong legs.

See y'all again soon - promise.









Do You Text?

Deb loves the whole texting thing. She's just a youngin' - must give her an advantage. Me? Not so much. It's bad enough gettin' emails poppin' up on my cell phone. How 'bout you? You into it? Well, for people more MY AGE here's a brief tutorial. This should prove invaluable. Or maybe not.

TEXTING FOR SENIORS

Since more and more "Seniors" are texting and tweeting there appears to be a need for an STC (Senior Texting Code). If you qualify for Senior Discounts this is the code for you!

ATD: At The Doctor's

BFF: Best Friend Fainted

BTW: Bring The Wheelchair

BYOT: Bring Your Own Teeth

CBM: Covered By Medicare

CGU: Can't get up

DWI: Driving While Incontinent

FWBB: Friend With Beta Blockers

FWIW: Forgot Where I Was

FYI: Found Your Insulin

GGPBL: Gotta Go, Pacemaker Battery Low!

GHA: Got Heartburn Again

IMHO: Is My Hearing-Aid On?

LOL: Living On Lipitor

OMMR: On My Massage Recliner

TTYL: Talk To You Louder

WAITT: Who Am I Talking To?

WTFA: Wet The Furniture Again

WWNO: Walker Wheels Need Oil

GGLKI: Gotta Go, Laxative Kicking In

Any suggestions to add to this list? PTH (post them here). CWTR (can't wait to read).

Just Writin'

Plannin' 5 days of no work, no travel, no meetings, no internet, no phones - just writin'.

Startin' this THURSDAY!

Stress Management Technique #27

Just in case you are having a rough day, here is a stress management technique recommended in all the latest psychological journals. It really works. You might even smile.

Picture yourself lying on your stomach on a warm rock that hangs out over a slow moving stream

         Your hands dangle in the cool running water
         Birds sing sweetly in the cool mountain air
         No one knows your secret place
         You're in total seclusion from that hectic place called 'the world'
         The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air - a cascade of serenity
         The water is crystal clear & you can easily see .....
          ...... the face of the person you are holding underwater

Hometown Setting

Haven't been around much lately but thought y'all might like to see a music video filmed in my hometown of St Augustine, Florida. It's not a bad song either. I posted it on my FB page a few days ago.  

In the meantime - Still working to get the paper version of RECKLESS ENDEAVOR out. Had a problem with a link to the cover art - a reference to a name that doesn't go along well with the stuff I write. Anyway - that's solved to everyone's satisfaction so I'm waiting to see the revised proof copy before cutting it loose. While this is all going on, RECKLESS is selling well as an ebook on Kindle, better than expected since I've had no time to breathe, let alone promote. While that's cool n' all, I'm stumped trying to figure out why the first book, BAD LATITUDE (on Kindle since January) is outselling RECKLESS. Seems like BL will jump ahead almost 2 to 1 & then there'll be a surge on RE to go neck n' neck. I only check the sales stats once or twice a week (when I think of it), so maybe it's common for this to happen with multiple titles. Whatever. What do I know about how it all works? 

Back to the video. There are lots of backgrounds in the video that are right out of BAD LATITUDE (set in St Augie, naturally - or maybe I should say supernaturally). The lighthouse - which is haunted by Hezekiah Pittee & his dead daughters. The seawall at The Castillo de San Marcos overlooking Matanzas Bay, where 2 of my characters meet & eventually share their first kiss. Must be a good place for kissin'. The pristine beach (they blocked vehicle access for the video shoot - we're allowed to drive on our beach). Then there are the quaint streets which are perfect for late night zombie chases or, if you're not into that - you can just check out the shops & galleries.

RECKLESS starts out in St Augustine, but moves on to the Bahamas, naturally requiring a sail through the Bermuda Triangle - which leads up to an encounter with a dead pirate on a mission.  

So check out the video if ya feel like visitin' my town. 

There's also a good website - http://www.augustine.com/ that's worth clickin' on.

Hopefully I'll get back to blogging soon - need to figure out a theme.