YE GODS! THE CHUPACABRA IS HELPING ANIMALS AGAIN!

The rescue organizations that are tentatively scheduled to receive the donations.
Subject to change based on response and approval by the organization.

 

Part of the plot in Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons has to do with animals needing mercy from abuse. In the story, that abuse sometimes comes from neglect, but more often from the misuse of animals for "entertainment" like dogfighting or cockfighting.

As much as I love the Caribbean, and especially the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, one of the dark sides of the region is the prevalence of unwanted animals. Spay/neuter programs have limited success in cultures where emasculating a dog is seen as cruel, but dumping a litter of puppies alongside the road is acceptable. Even where dogfighting is illegal, authorities have a blasé attitude about enforcing those laws.

Needless to say, animal rescue organizations in the region have an uphill battle. The people involved in these operations are true heroes. My friend Guillie Castillo Oriard works with CARF--Curaçao Animal Rescue Foundation--and somehow, even seeing the horrors, she maintains her optimism and enthusiasm.  In this article, she discusses the plight of the animals eloquently. I admire her ability to not use many, many four-letter words regarding those who abuse animals, and to refrain from extracting a bit of "eye-for-an-eye" vengeance on behalf of the animals she works to protect. And she's not that different from all the many, wonderful, and brave individuals who volunteer their time, homes, money, and lives to this worthy cause.

I don't have the heart or the stomach. I know myself enough to know I'd be tempted to start exacting revenge. I'm a curmudgeon enough without seeing first-hand the horrors "humans" can bestow on man's best friend and other animals. So, I'm doing what I can, little as that may be, by donating 100% of the proceeds from e-book sales of Ye Gods! to different rescue organizations each month for the next year.



The e-book cover for
Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons

You may ask, "Why donate the profits from ebooks instead of print?" The ebook cost ($4.95, a little higher than the norm for ebooks, but it's for a worthy cause!) is 1/3 that of the print book ($15.00) so wouldn't that be better? The math of book publishing means, from that $15, the printers costs have to be paid, then the publishers costs, then I get my share from that. I actually make less per print book than I do on ebook sales, even at 1/3 the price. That means the recipient organizations get more, too. That doesn't mean I don't want people to buy the print book. I hope those who do purchase the ebook because it's for a good cause will enjoy it so much they'll want the print book for themselves, too. (Or am I the only one who does that?) The second consideration is that many of the organizations who will benefit from the ebook sales are in the Caribbean where shipping costs can make the purchase of print books exorbitant so ebook sales might do better.

The tentative schedule of what organizations will benefit when is below. Ye Gods! is available as an ebook through online book sellers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

MONTH       ORGANIZATION (*indicates the date/month for this organization to receive proceeds has not been finalized and may change)

May              CARF-Curaçao Animal Rescue Foundation

June              Charleston Animal Society

July               St. John Animal Care Center

August          St. Thomas Humane Society

September     St. Croix Animal Welfare Center

October         Tazewell Animal Rescue Coalition

November      Charleston Animal Society

December       Morningstar Animal Rescue

January           *Pet Helpers, Charleston, SC

February          Animal Rescue Foundation of Rincon

March              St. Croix Animal Welfare Center

April                Broome County Humane Society

Big News on the Writing Front!

Marina Melee is being featured Monday at The Fussy Librarian!

The Fussy Librarian is a new website that offers personalized ebook recommendations. You choose from 30 genres and indicate preferences about content and then the computers work their magic. It's a great place for readers to discover new authors writing in the genres and style they want and for authors to connect with new readers. Give it a try!

How hard can it be to run a marina?

George H. Marshall III has it all, and he wants to get away from it: women, a busy social calendar, and his so-called career in the family oil business. Determined to prove to his parents that he is more than a spoiled, womanizing, over-aged adolescent, George buys Porto da Vida Marina on a small island in the Caribbean. What could be an easier road to business success than running a marina on a tropical island? 

As mishap piles on disaster, George realizes his new life in paradise isn't all about sitting under palm trees sipping umbrella drinks. Between his wayward staff, the governor's hot-to-trot wife, a lift truck possessed by jumbies, and a host of other island disasters-natural and human-George finds that living the easy life is hard work.


AND MORE BIG NEWS!

Ye Gods! A Tale of Dogs and Demons is scheduled for an April 1, 2014 release from Casperian Books!

Is it real or a myth? Dog only knows.

Author Jack Halliman sails to Puerto Rico seeking a cure for writer's block, but instead finds a dead body. When a second corpse turns up, Jack becomes one of two suspects. The other is the chupacabra.

Now Jack has to find out who--or what--is responsible for the killings before he lands in prison. Again.

As the conniving mayor, a dogged detective, and a voodoo practicing 14-year old drag him deeper into the investigation, Jack discovers that separating reality from myth is no easy feat. The lines between men and monsters, monsters and gods, and in this case, between gods and a dog, are thin and blurry.
 

Sailing Away - Virtually

Matt and I plan to sail away one day - escape the drudgery of being "dirt-dwellers" as Cap'n Fatty calls us land-lubbers. We'll cast off the lines and head back to my home, the Caribbean. For me, spontaneously packing up and taking off for an adventure with a half-thought through plan is perfectly reasonable. That's how I ended up in the Caribbean to begin with. Matt's not quite so...flexible. He's the planner in this family. He has to research his moves, everything from buying a tablet (the Asus Transformer Prime topped his list) to buying a car, or moving to Europe. I like to be surprised by what I find, he likes to know what to expect. Somehow, we've learned to balance each other out. I know when I'm over his comfort level on the "winging it" approach to life, and he knows when he's reached my tolerance threshhold for planning. So, we've found a compromise on sailing away. We'll wait until he can retire with his full benefits (only about 8 more years). That will give him plenty of time to research destinations and boats, for both of us to get more sailing experience, and to gradually lose all our "stuff" that so securely ties us to shore.

To keep my wanderlust in check, I live a vicarious sailing life by following some of my favorite sailing bloggers and reading about their sailing adventures. For any of you looking to sail away from the rat race, here are some very fun blogs and books to dive into.

One of my favorite sailing adventures, Motion of the Ocean, by Janna Cawrse Esary, is an hilarious account of her two year long honeymoon sailing across the Pacific. On her blog, she shares her "path to publication" and provides some great advice to aspiring writers.
http://www.byjanna.com/

Cap'n Fatty Goodlander writes about his and wife Carolyn's sailing adventures circumnavigating the globe. His tales range from rip-roaring comic adventures (Chasing the Horizon), to moonlit romance (sprinkled liberally throughout all his writing - Fatty is nothing if not madly in love with Carolyn and willing to shout that out to the whole world), to swash-buckling encounters with pirates (Red Sea Run), and even practical advice on "How to Inexpensively and Safely BUY, OUTFIT, and SAIL a Small Vessel Around the World." (You can be sure that last title has become Matt's and my guiding light for our eventual escape!)

For those of you who think, "Boy, I'd love to just sail away, but we have kids. We could never do that," here's the blog for you!   Bringing Baby Home - all about one family's sailing adventures with a boatload of kids! Lots of great pictures and fun posts.

Well, those are my favorite spots to get an sailing fix. Take a look - I think you'll enjoy these sites!