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.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Wind River

Tom Morrisey will be back tomorrow with his unique take on the Dregs menu. You won't want to miss it. And as far as not wanting to miss something goes...please, please, please, for the love of good literature, go here to read the first chapter of Wind River.

Click on the book cover to find out more book info and here to visit Tom's website.


My Review:


Tom Morrisey enticed me with beautiful prose that opened a window into an unknown-to-me wilderness. With wordsmithing magic, Morrisey teased my mind -- flicking facts, thoughts and tension onto the periphery, then slipping out of sight until I was poised, waiting, tensing for the next cast. I was hooked early, but instead of fighting like the cutthroats, I surrendered to this novel.

I knew, from the first scene, the foreboding shadows of finality and frailty and perfect snapshot moments dissolving into tarnished reality, that something awful would befall the characters that I had already begun to love. Anything else will spoil the story web that Morrisey weaves, except to say that though there is a sense of foreboding, there is a stronger, underlying hope.

It is a rare gift Mr. Morrisey possesses -- the ability to weave a tense plot, the clarity to write a scene that can be devoured with all five senses, and the heart to create characters that clutch at the reader's soul.

If you are not reading Tom Morrisey and you love literary novels, you need to get Wind River regardless of your stance on Christian Fiction. Book lovers need to investigate Morrisey's novels. Those looking for a man's man read need to look no further. Fans of Lief Enger, W. Dale Cramer and Charles Martin should find much to like in Wind River.

My Best of 2008 List.....

The list author says:

"I scaled back on reading this year and still managed to read and review 94 books. I also watched 42 movies (six were so bad I couldn't write a positive review).

Several categories of books, two for films:

None-Fiction that Enriched My Life or Greatly Entertained Me.
Movies that Twisted my Brain.
Movies I Loved.
New Authors (to Me) I'm Going to Stalk.
New Authors I Recommend.
Books That Made Me Think.
Not Your Mama's Christian Fiction
Downright Fun
Tried and Still True Authors"

1. Hancock (Single-Disc Rated Edition) DVD ~ Will Smith The list author says: "Charming story. Lots of fun. One of my top guilty, just-for-fun '08 movie favorites."

2. Iron Man (Single-Disc Edition) DVD ~ Robert Downey Jr. The list author says: "Gotta love a sarcastic anti-hero. One of my top '08 movie picks."

3. Fireproof DVD ~ Kirk Cameron The list author says: "A touch of cheesy, but overall impressive. There are way worse movies to invest your time in. This one could really make you stop and think. A favorite 2008 brain-twist movie."

4. Lars and the Real Girl DVD ~ Patricia Clarkson The list author says: "This may be the sweetest movie I've ever seen. Bizarre and touching. Loved it. Top movie of '08 pick."

5. Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed DVD ~ Ben Stein The list author says: "Want your undies in a bunch? Look no further. Possibly the most controversial movie I've ever seen. One of my favorite Mind-Twister films of 2008."

6. Sicko (Special Edition) DVD ~ Michael Moore The list author says: "Not a new release, but it was a fascinating watch none-the-less. One of my favorite Mind-Twister films of 2008."

7. The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals by Missy Chase Lapine The list author says: "Great ideas when you want to make some positive changes. One of my best Non-Fiction that Enriched My Life picks."

8. Only Nuns Change Habits Overnight: Fifty-Two Amazing Ways to Master the Art of Personal Change by Karen Scalf Linamen The list author says: "Funny advice that covers all sorts of life changes you might want to make. One of my best Non-Fiction that Enriched My Life picks."

9. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Handwriting Analysis, 2nd Edition by Sheila Lowe The list author says: "Not a new release, but fascinating. One of my best Non-Fiction that Enriched My Life picks."

10. Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds--or More! by David Zinczenko The list author says: "This will mess with you. Really eye-opening. One of my best Non-Fiction that Enriched My Life picks."

11. Try Darkness (Ty Buchanan Series, Book 2) by James Scott Bell The list author says: "Bell just keeps getting better. Loved this. Better than book one. Fun, sweet, twisty. Solidly in Tried and Still True Authors category."

12. Wind River by Tom, Morrisey The list author says: "Nobody writes an outdoor adventure like Tom Morrisey. Tight and beautiful with tension that makes a story twang. Tried and Still True Author of '08. Looking forward to any '09 release."

13. Par for the Course: A Novel (Faith Words) by Ray Blackston The list author says: "Ray cracks me up. Quirky. I don't even like golf. But I loved Par. He's a Tried and Still True Author and Par lands in the Downright Fun category as well."

14. Havah: The Story of Eve by Tosca Lee The list author says: "Tried and True Author. It takes tremendous talent to write tales told by a demon and the mother of all humanity. Powerful books by a very gifted author. Havah also landed in the Books That Made Me Think long after I put it down and Not Your Mama's Christian Fiction categories."

15. The Shape of Mercy: A Novel by Susan Meissner The list author says: "Susan Meissner writes tales that transport. I recommend everything she's written. A Tried and Still True Author."

16. Symphony of Secrets: A Novel by Sharon, Hinck The list author says: "Sharon Hinck has a very distinctive and pleasant voice. She is solidly Tried and Still True."

17. Gallimore by Michelle Griep The list author says: "A solid, engaging and fabulous debut novel. Minnesota has given us some great writers, Griep is not an exception. I can't wait to see where she goes from here. A New Author I Recommend."

18. Fallen: A Novel by Matthew Raley The list author says: "Not only is Raley a New Author I Recommend, he's written a Book That Made Me Think...long after I finished. A very twisted story about church politics and humanity within the sacred realm."

19. Road to Nowhere by Paul, Robertson The list author says: "I can't believe I love a book about a road. But I do. The story still hovers months after I finished it. A Twelve Angry Men kind of story that is haunted with prejudice, selfishness and greed."

20. My Visit to Hell by Paul Thigpen The list author says: "Not amazing writing but the story is spooky and haunting. A Book That Made Me Think -- and still does."

21. My Name Is Russell Fink by Michael Snyder The list author says: "A book that charmed me from page one. And one that not only is Downright Fun...it also Made Me Think."

22. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not: A Memoir of Finding Faith, Hope, and Happily Ever After by Trish Ryan The list author says: "A Memoir that entertained and challenged me. A Book That Made Me Think and was Downright Fun in the process."

23. Wounded: A Love Story by Claudia Mair Burney The list author says: "Claudia Mair Burney is an author who is Tried and Still True, writes books That Make Me Think and writes Not Your Mama's Christian Fiction. If you haven't read Christian Fiction in awhile and you always thought it was pablum. Pick up a Ms. Burney title. Dare ya."

24. Zora and Nicky: A Novel in Black and White by Claudia Mair Burney The list author says: "Another Claudia Mair Burney turn you upside-down and shake-you novel. Everything I said about Wounded...ditto."

25. Embrace Me by Lisa Samson The list author says: "Lisa Samson has proven once again to be Tried and True. She's authored a Book That Made Me Think, and she writes Not Your Mama's Christian Fiction. Powerful book. Not pretty, but beautiful."

26. An August Adams Adventure: House of Wolves by Matt Bronleewe The list author says: "Crazy story. So much fun. Downright Fun."

27. Less than Dead (Bug Man Series #4) by Tim Downs The list author says: "I am going to Stalk Tim Downs. Not in a creepy way, but as in "How have I missed this guy?" I loved the Bug Man. Downright Fun in a creepy, fascinating forensic snark-fest. Sarcasm, humor, yuck. My kind of book."

28. It's Not About Me (Second Glances Series #1) by Michelle Sutton The list author says: "Michelle Sutton has written a gritty, real, "oh my" book that is full of hope and honesty."

29. The Death and Life of Gabriel Phillips: A Novel (Faithwords) by Stephen Baldwin The list author says: "Not Your Mama's Christian Fiction for sure."

30. The Rook (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 2) by Steven, James The list author says: "Another New to Me Author I'm Going to Stalk. Great suspense, great story, great characters. Glad I stumbled across him."

31. Crazy Fool Kills Five: A Fifi Cutter Mystery by Gwen Freeman The list author says: "New Author (to Me) I'm Going to Stalk. Or at least watch for new reads by Gwen Freeman. Chick-lit with a baseball bat upside the head."

Serials and Scenarios ~ Tom Morrisey

Thanks, Tom.

Did I expect to laugh out loud at some of these answers after reading his great, deep Wind River? No. Nice of him to share a lighter side.

If you haven't read chapter one of Wind River, do it. Click on his face to visit his website, and scroll down for my review.



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

One of my fiction characters? Probably Beck Easton, because he has it so totally together and I so totally do not. Plus the Beckster's younger than me.


If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

I would like to ask James Madison why he put those two extra commas in the Second Amendment. Ever read it? It makes sense without the first and third commas, but with them, it's gobbledegook.


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

Well, it always irritates the neighbors when I get up at sunrise to kill the goat. Actually, my only ritual is time; I have to write early in the day, well before sunrise, because the only thing worse than the phone ringing while you're writing is thinking that the phone might ring. And at five AM, it ain't gonna.


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

In The Departed, Jack Nicholson, playing a mobster, executes a woman gangland style, then leans over her and observes, "She fell funny."


If you were assured of writing a best-seller, what genre would it be? Give us a sliver of information, a characteristic or glimpse of a scene.

I would like it to be an Amish romance involving a Navy SEAL team preventing a corporate takeover in the end-times. That way it would contain the five story elements I see most often at writers conferences, and it would vindicate all those would-be novelists.


What period of history intrigues you the most?

World War II, because it was the great adventure of my father's life. I've visited some of the islands he was stationed on in the Pacific, and those have always been very powerful experiences.


What makes you feel alive?

High speeds and loud noises. Which is probably why I love my Harley.


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

When my wife is involved, it's through silence. As soon as she clams up, that's my cue to ruminate. Also, I think I'm like most people in that I can make myself impervious to reports of just about anything -- war, famine, natural disaster -- until you put a human face on it.


Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

In my day-to-day life I am editor at large for a scuba magazine, so I take very long trips all the time. The one book I always take with is the Bible (there actually are a few hotels that the Gideons haven't gotten to yet). Music and food are whatever is waiting for me at the destination; that's part of the adventure. And the person is my wife; I don't get to travel with her nearly enough. The yes really are the window of the soul, and when you see eyes full of sorrow or pain, it's impossible not to respond.


Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.

My brother is traveling -- like right now -- to Ireland, where my family is from. As long as he doesn't encounter anybody we owe money to, I'd like to go there sometime. So far, all I've done with Ireland is fly over it on the way to England.


Favorite season and why?

Winter. But you have to understand that I live in Florida, and winter is the dry season and the season with the truly mild temperatures that most parts of the world associate with late spring. It's the best time to do anything here (except go to the beach; that can be a bit chilly). And besides, when it's winter in Florida, you can remember what it's like when it's winter just about anyplace else, and get this smug, superior feeling.


Favorite book setting and why?

When I set Dark Fathom in Bermuda, the people there just sort of adopted me. I was traveling alone on research, but never ate a meal by myself. I'm currently working on a book set in Key West, and I've gotten much the same reaction there.


Which compliment related to your writing has meant the most and why?

Elmore Leonard was very kind to me the morning after he read my first novel. Unfortunately, I was never able to use his quote as an endorsement, because what he said is. "Hey, Tom, this is pretty good s**t..."


What criticism has cut the deepest and why?

I hate it when they rave about the book and then qualify it with "readers of Christian suspense will enjoy it." As if Christian readers aren't at grade level or something. A lot of Christian fiction today is more than ready for prime time, and I, for one, would like to be reviewed in the secular press without the qualifier.


What would you do today if you knew you had only a week to live?

I would start working on a short story, rather than a novel.


What is your favorite word?

"Finished." Unless it applies to my earning potential, my marriage or my credit rating.


What word annoys you more than any other?

"Nigger," because it is a word of pure hatred. And I think back on two people who were very kind to me as a young writer -- Gwendolyn Brooks and James Baldwin -- and I know in my heart of hearts that they each had that word thrown at them more than once by white-bread Midwesterners like me.... Wow. That they would turn around and pay attention to my writing, and invest their time in me, was one of my first lessons in the elemental principle of grace.


Super power you'd love to borrow for awhile?

I dunno. Is there a superhero who doesn't have to sleep?


Favorite chore

Isn't that an oxymoron?


Anything you'd do but don't because of fear of pain? What is it? Ex. Bungee jumping, sky diving, running with scissors.

If you have even a passing knowledge of my avocations, you know that this question absolutely does not apply to me.


Grammatical pet peeve…sound off.

"Employee's only behind counter." Employee's only what?


Societal pet peeve…sound off.

People using those Nextel phones with the walky-talky feature: the kind that make that irritating "Cherr-URP!" after every transmission. I know -- I just alienated every reader who is also a Nextel customer, but really ... it's 2008. If you don't want to call 'em, just text 'em, and spare the rest of us the cell-yell and the sound effects.


CREATIVE CORNER:


Pick one of the "story starters" below and give us a sample of your voice.

If Alex had known the body of the senator was in the bathtub, she would've taken Jim's offer for coffee.

Jim, of the stale-macaroni-and-cheese breath. Jim, who wore only black shirts and colored the frayed cuffs with pungent Magic Marker when they got too old. Jim, who thought scintillating conversation was telling you about how he cut himself shaving, and then showing you the little red-dotted squares of tissue stuck to his throat, just to prove he wasn't making it up. Jim, who seemed proud of the fact that he owned neither comb nor hairbrush. Jim, who asked on their first (and only) date how she felt about -- his words precisely -- "tongue kissing."

Alex stood in the doorway of the bathroom and collected her thoughts. As long as the water in the tub was really, really cold, having a dead senator in there might not be all that bad, after all.

Serials and Scenarios ~ Shame

Fiction lovers who love to dive deep into the inner workings of the soul....this is for you.




ABOUT THE BOOK

It's hard to appreciate the life you have when you're wondering about the one you might have had.

John Tilden's glory days are far behind him, and now it seems like all he has is the monotony of everyday living. He certainly thought there'd be more to it than his ramshackle Oklahoma farm and a mundane job coaching basketball at his old high school. He questions his fatherhood skills too: His oldest son won't speak to him, his younger son wants to quit the basketball team, and now his daughter wants to go out on dates. He loves his wife, but the marriage has settled into complacency.

With John's twentieth high school reunion approaching, he has agreed to play in an exhibition game with the old championship team. And his ex-girlfriend's back in town, newly single. What might have been now seems closer than ever.

If you would like to read the first chapter of Shame, go HERE


My Review:


I don't think my review can do justice to Shame. But I'm going to try. For starters, I was given the advanced reading copy via a pdf file and had to read it while attached to my computer. This is not my first choice in reading, I like to be able to cradle a book and curl up wherever I chose. The computer is just not the same.

Even though this was an annoyance, I voraciously devoured this story.

The characters became so real to me that I wept. But before I wept, I wrestled along with the inner struggle of John, and the unknown that lay sprawled on his horizon and the ties that kept him at bay. There were moments, basketball details mostly, where I didn't hang on every word, but the struggles, the tension, the story of what-if and what-might-have-been and what's-the-point pulled on every one of my emotional strings leaving most of them taut and humming.

Garrett writes with poignancy and fluidity, words filled with visuals and other sensory experiences that paint scene after scene in the readers' mind. In Shame, he aptly tackles the common human conditions, the ones we all have to face, eventually. The things we try to medicate, drown, and subdue, the haunting specter of relationships and regrets, and the reality of whom we are being the sum of our choices.

Shame will be on my 2009 favorites list. Fans of authors like Tom Morrisey and Wally Lamb may want to look into it. Readers who can't handle slower moving narratives or introspection might want to read more reviews and a sample of the writing before purchasing. CBA only readers may balk at some of the scenes, this is PG-rated inspirational fiction. David C. Cook has been publishing novels that are real, gritty, envelope-pushing and thought-provoking, and they get a double thumbs up from me.

My book-buddy, Kim, has a very different take on the book...go here to read her thoughts. Valid ones...because you all know how my brain quirks.

About the author:

Greg Garrett has published newspaper and magazine features, short stories, personal and critical essays, reviews, encyclopedia articles, novels, a memoir, and books of nonfiction during his thirty-year writing career.

Author of the critically acclaimed novels Free Bird (chosen by Publishers Weekly and the Rocky Mountain News [Denver] as one of the best first novels of 2002) and Cycling, as well as the nonfiction books The Gospel Reloaded (with Chris Seay), Holy Superheroes!, the spiritual autobiography Crossing Myself, The Gospel According to Hollywood, and the forthcoming Stories from the Edge, Dr. Garrett is a past winner of the Pirate's Alley William Faulkner Prize for Fiction, and a regional CASE gold medalist for nonfiction.

He was elected to the Texas Institute of Letters in 2005 for his lifetime literary achievements. Professor of English at Baylor University, Dr. Garrett was named the Outstanding Baylor Faculty Member for 1994 by the Baylor Student Congress, and received the university administration's outstanding professor award in 1996. He received his Ph.D. in English from Oklahoma State University, and recently completed the M.Div. at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, where he lives, writes, and serves as a lay preacher at St. David's Episcopal Church.