Serials and Scenarios ~ Morrisey's Pirate Hunter

Tom Morrisey promised a new novel and he has delivered. Read more about him and from him during previous Dregs visits here.





Description:

High Seas Adventure Meets a High-Tech Quest for Pirate Gold West Indies, 18th century Young Ted Bascombe is rescued by notorious pirate Captain Henry Thatch, finding himself caught up in a world of crime, adventure, and a daily fight for freedom.... Key West, 21st century Marine archaeologist Greg Rhode embarks on a treasure-hunting expedition in the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys, but he's as beguiled by a beautiful diver with different-colored eyes as by the lure of pirate gold...The Hunt Is On! Interweaving these two stories, pro deep-sea diver Tom Morrisey spins a multilayered tale of two young men's quests to escape their past by losing themselves to adventure on the high seas. Romantic and thrilling, this unique novel explores the timeless truth that "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

If you would like to read the first chapter of Pirate Hunter, go HERE.


My Review:


Tom Morrisey torques up the tension, tackles bitterness and rolls out an extremely readable and fascinating story in Pirate Hunter. Interconnected eras meld as heroic, but broken, men face weather, revenge, greed, evil and redemption. Tom Morrisey has secured his spot on my favorite author shelf.

Morrisey writes rock-solid and often beautiful prose while creating characters that are believable and plot lines that snap, zing and crackle with intensity. Man, woman, Christian, undecided, I can't imagine anyone feeling like a few hours with Morrisey is anything less than a very satisfying and well-spent chunk of time.

With diver and pirate lingo, historical bits and pieces, and three-dimensional characters, Morrisey unfurls two distinct yet silmilar tales. I grew to respect and admire the pirates as much as the modern day hunters. I also appreciated the soul-searching struggles of the main characters as they became open to the truth that wanted to set them free. Strongly spiritual, but not overtly preachy, plenty of adventure and a bit of blood without extremely gruesome scenes, heavy emotion without the trickery to pull emotion from the reader, Morrisey handles the story with excellent wordsmithing and storytelling. The only folks who may not dive fully into this story are folks who want blow-by-blow relational details where love is involved and those who don't want to deal with any technical details.

Pirate and Morrisey fans are going to want to check into this one.

Scribble and Scrambles ~More Random Scenes from Iowa

Creaky and crooked little bridge we crossed on our two mile walk. Perfect night for a stroll. Nice breeze. Low humidity and great scenery.


I'm reading a book I hope to post and review tomorrow. So far, very good, but I want to finish it.


Lily gets her turn in the "bathtub." Can you tell she really LOVES bath time?

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Eight-Legged Adventure of the Canine Kind

The dogs met their "vacay-nanny" today. We can't take them with us to the lake, so they have to stay home. The dog mommy asked around and found someone who might be the perfect stand-in.

Lily and Lola warmed right up to her. Lola spun around and chased her tail because she didn't have one of her skin-ripping, shin-splitting bones to ram into the patient might-be-the-next-best-thing-to-mommy. Lily sidled over and eventually ended up, belly exposed and tongue lolling, on her lap.

The home where they'll be staying has two resident boy dogs. A golden and a lab. We didn't meet them, but the scent-retrieval experts did not sound any alarms. As a matter of fact, both Lily and Lola spread out on the hard wood floors and snoozed while the grown-ups talked.

There was discussion regarding treats and plenty of them, car trips with the boys, and walks. I guess Lily and Lola get to have their own vacation while we're gone.

In case you're wondering, the picture is at the base of the walking bridge. Water jets shoot randomly out of the ground. Wet dog smell x 2! Got to love that.

Scribble and Scrambles ~ Forward Funnies

E-Mail forward ha-ha.

I got an e-mail called "Why Men Don't Live As Long As Women." and it was chock-full of stereotypical, tasteless, and often mean-spirited photos and comment. But since some of them made me laugh out loud....I must.

So here are a few of my favorites and I'll admit that a few of them seem like very clever, bad, but clever ideas that might even have hatched in my brain.

Scribble and Scrambles ~Weekend Happenings

Heard (and seen) around town.

Warning: Don't read too close to dinner. Not for the squeamish.

Scene: Mall parking lot.

Muffled and then increasingly loud voices. Unknown direction. Heads are not visible.

"I'm going to lose it." Spoken fully in Gaggle. The gurgly and intense 'I'm going to hurl voice' one uses when attempting to keep the contents of the stomach intact. "Cough. Cough. Cough." Wet with promise.

"You need to wipe his face off." Low guttural groan.

"I can't unless you hold his hands." Female voice, more controlled.

Intense gagging. Loud coughing.

"You need to hold his hands. Hold his hands."

Followed by, "I'm going to be sick!" "I'm going to lose it!" Extreme gagging.

We come upon the scene, two aisles over, wherein a female stands working away with a canister of wet wipes. A car seat is perched on the trunk of the car. A child, standing in only a diaper, is barely held onto by bending man. More gagging.

As we drive away man holds child and ralphs projectilely next to the vehicle.

Oh, the glamor of parenting.

Super Cinema Saturday ~ Confessions of a Shopaholic

My Review:

I almost didn't watch this movie. One of my friends detested it and I trust her judgment and consider her tastes and mine to be pretty similar. However, she has read the book and loved it while I have not read any of the Kinsella novels.

I'm writing my review from cluelessness over how the story played out in the book and without comparison between book and film.

I loved this movie. Aside from a handful of a-words, several oh God's, I believe an s-word and a scene of a couple in bed (just there, not doing anything) this is a clean and charming movie. A scene of credit card bill totaling performed while tossing back shots of tequila ended up being a bad idea when a wrong letter is mailed to the wrong person -- which could make for a great discussion opener on the consequences of drinking. I think I can recommend it for family viewing, not only because of what it lacks (sex and over the top innuendo and crudeness) but for what it portrays. The main character (Fischer) has a big problem that she has to come to grips with once her life falls down around her darling half-off boots. She struggles and lies and makes some really poor choices but sucks it up and chooses to grow up, becoming an excellent and charming role model in the process.

Isla Fisher is an expressive actress and her character Rebecca Bloomwood reminded me of Elle from Legally Blonde, a smart-cookie bubblehead with a big, sweet heart. Hugh Dancy is aw-shucks with a British accent hunky. The elements of romance aren't totally believable, this is chick-lit translated to chick-flick after all, but sweet and fun. The plot line has predictability since it follows those genre guidelines. A lot of physical humor, some fun special effects (talking/gesturing mannequins), and lots of color and textures make it visually appealing. We rented it because my daughter wanted to see it. I liked Confessions so much that I watched it a second time when she invited friends over to view it. Out of four picky females and one male, the consensus was that there will be some copies purchased for personal film libraries, including us, we will be buying this movie.

Bottom line. If you've read the book, keep looking at reviews to determine if this novel to film will work for you. If you haven't read it and are looking for a fun, sweet film reminiscent of Legally Blonde, you could do far worse.

Serials and Scenarios - The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn - Liz Johnson

Here's Liz -- Unleashed with the Dreaded Dregs ?





Fiction character you would most like to be, marry, or most identify with and why?

It’s hopeless. I’ll never find a man, because wouldn’t you know it, real men rarely live up to Miss Austen’s heroes. But that hasn’t stopped me from compiling a list of the top three fictional characters I’d like to marry. Not all at once, mind you. But if one should be unavailable, I’d be pleased to move on down the list.

1. Nat Eaton – The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
2. Gilbert Blythe – Anne of Green of Gables by L.M. Montgomery
3. Mr. Darcy – Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen



Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

I don’t know if it’s a ritual so much as a bad habit. :) I like to get into my pajamas, prop up pillows behind my back, and plot my laptop on my legs. It’s bad, bad posture, terrible position, and the place that I write better than any other.


Pick one…..Pink iguana, purple cow, periwinkle giraffe. Which one and why? Can be negative or positive.

Purple cow. Hands down. :) Purple is my favorite color and I was born in Iowa. Lots of cows there. :)



Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

Definitely one of my favorite word pictures is in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. When Harry stumbles across Ginny and Dean “snogging” in the corridor, a monster roars to life in his chest. It’s the perfect picture for what it really feels like when you suddenly realize that you’re head over heels for someone. And I love it when Harry and Ginny finally kiss and the monster “purrs.” So perfect.


What period of history intrigues you the most?

The Civil War era has always intrigued me. I love the fancy dresses and uniforms. The balls and the women who stayed at home, waiting and wondering about their men. I’m enthralled by the idea that brothers fought brothers, and all to preserve their way of life. I was reading about the war several years back and saw some statistics about the number of lives lost. Over 600,000 casualties. More Americans lost their lives in the Civil War than in any other war America has ever fought … because both sides were Americans. What causes a man to go to war against his neighbor? I just find the reasons for the war and the different battles so interesting.


What would you write if there were no rules or barriers? (epic novels about characters in the Bible, poetry, greeting cards, plays, movies, instruction manuals, etc.)

Movies. Really good, really funny movies. But I don’t think I have much of an aptitude for that style of writing. Maybe I’ll take some classes on it. :)


How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Definitely humor. I love to laugh, and when something or someone makes me chuckle, they’ve found a place in my heart. Books, movies, songs. All of it. If I genuinely laugh, it’s nearly a given that I’ll really love it.


Favorite chore

It’s not that I love sweeping. I just love going barefoot around my house. So when the hard wood floors start to get dirty, I can really tell. It kind of grosses me out. So I love it when they’re clean and swept and barefoot ready.

CREATIVE CORNER:
Frizzy hair, purple scarf and a book – make a scene.

Jill Dalrymple just wasn’t going to finish her paper.

Peeking over the edge of the leather-bound tome propped on the library table, she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the handsome man on the far side of the opposite table. He glanced up, blue eyes zinging, and her eyes immediately dropped back to the page in Shakespeare’s collected works. Smoothing her hand over her obnoxious perm, she sighed. How had she ever let her roommate talk her into trying a home perm? Was it 1986 or something?

But the real problem was that she’d never finish her report if she didn’t stop sneaking peeks at Mr. Blue Eyes. Nope, she needed to go back to her dorm room if she was going to get anything done. Packing up her book bag, she hurried toward the door.

“Wait! Wait!”

Heads popped up from behind research books across the wide open library. Several irritated students shushed the commotion, but Jill didn’t stop until she felt a hand on her arm.

Spinning around, she came face to face with the blue eyes she’d been admiring all night.

“You forgot this,” he said, holding out her purple, knit scarf.

“Thanks …”

“Fred.” His smile brightened, and their fingers brushed as she took back her scarf. They both looked down at the contact at the same time.

“Thanks, Fred.”

He nodded, his blond hair falling onto his forehead. “See you here tomorrow?”

“Umm …” She brushed her wild hair over her shoulder. “Sure.”

Summary:

Myles Parsons is just another inmate in Kenzie Thorn’s GED course until he kidnaps her, offering only a feeble explanation–that he’s actually FBI Special Agent Myles Borden. Terrified, Kenzie doesn’t want to believe his story of being undercover to protect her. Moreover, she can’t believe that someone might really want her dead.

But just when Myles thinks he has her out of harm’s way, his plans start to fall apart. He attempts to take Kenzie to a safe house—but the stubborn woman won’t go! So together they must uncover the clues that will reveal a most shocking perpetrator. All the while Myles tries to keep his distance from Kenzie … but finds himself falling in love.

My Review:

The Kidnapping of Kenzie Thorn adheres to the suspenseful romane genre -- boy meets girl, sparks fly, hearts burst, some big miscommunication or issue rips the couple apart then comes the longed for happily ever after conclusion. Add the elements of faith or inspiration and you’ve got a Christian romance.

I have to admit that romance isn’t my favorite. I tend to lean a little more toward realism and the issues that wreck budding fictionalized romances often make me crabby. Really. And, no matter how nice it is to hope for, real men rarely speak romance. Romantic suspense is a much better fit for me. That said Liz Johnson has created the classic, must-have romance characters and scenarios but added a few fresh elements that made Kidnapping an enjoyable read. A nice twist or two ramped up the suspense and the ending was very satisfying. Her storyline is creative, her writing is solid and the faith elements are strong.

Those of you who love romance should look further into this novel. Chickens need to be aware of a little intensity and some blood. Non-romance fans may decide to investigate further into it after checking out the story premise.