New Release!

Click to see the Turtle Soup Video!

Awe-Struck Publishing and myself are excited to announce the release of contemporary romance, TURTLE SOUP. This envirommentally-friendly romance is a sweet short novel that will take you from the Georgia Aquarium to the island of St. Thomas. Find out what makes soft-hearted sailors cynical and why chasing dreams for someone besides yourself, never leads to happiness.

Buy It Now: www.awe-struck.net

Bonus Excerpt:

From TURTLE SOUP...

Jack Brandon barreled past the senior couple avoiding their stares. If his flight wasn’t delayed he would miss it, and all because of some shuffling old farts. The moving sidewalk carried him across the terminal double time as he fumbled for his phone.

A woman moving in the opposite direction caught his attention. She whisked past, light hair streaming like a kite tail. Her shoulder bag was a bright aqua that stuck out in the crowd. He threw a glance over his shoulder and saw that she was looking back, too.

For a zinger of a moment they made eye contact then his toes hit solid ground and he was falling. His cell phone spun off in a wild arc and came to rest several feet away in pieces.

“You okay?” Humiliation rolled over him as a pair of leather boots, strung up Victorian fashion, nudged his shoulder. He pulled himself up quickly though she offered a hand. Ignoring her, he moved off for his phone.

“I’m fine.”

“You sure?” The girl with the bag knelt and reached for the battery. Her jeans were fitted, her white blouse tied at the front. “I hope your phone’s okay.” She gave a little laugh as if she were making fun.

“I drop it all the time.”

“You don’t look that clumsy.” She passed him the pieces.

People stood around looking politely sympathetic. Jack felt the red rise on his cheeks. She had to have climbed over the hand rail to get to him so quickly. He grabbed his carry-on and stalked off not bothering to smooth down his chinos or thank her. He could feel her eyes on his back as he practically ran to catch the plane.

***

Electronic rights reserved by Awe-Struck E-Books, all other rights reserved by author. The reproduction or other use of any part of this publication without the prior written consent of the rights holder is an infringement of the copyright law.

Historical Adventure: THE PRIVATEER

"A thrilling romantic adventure, THE PRIVATEER is a fast-paced tale that grips you from the go. With love triangles, jealousies, (and) international trickery to plunder the resources of the New World, this historical tale by Danielle Thorne will leave you breathless."

--Between the Lines, Reviewed by Raakhee Suryaprakash

"Ms. Thorne has written a detailed historical piece that captures the era where marriage and secure social standards are honor bound…The dialog was perfect for this time period, sweeping you back in time. (I thought of Jane Austen novels in this respect.) The pirates are not the romantic heroes but the true-to-life dangerous men where violence is apart of their daily routine. The author betrays their viciousness with descriptions that will chill you."

--Karen Nutt; Goodreads

THE PRIVATEER

The reign of piracy is over in the Caribbean, or so it’s believed until diamonds are discovered in Brazil. Despite the cover-up, Captain Julius Bertrand begins to hear whispers. The Spanish guardacostas are dumping log books, and a new French pirate is on the prowl. Distracted by an avaricious woman he could never love, and the beautiful Kate O’Connell who doesn’t need him, he tries to untangle the web of mysterious cargo someone in the New World wants kept secret. When Bertrand’s pirating past returns with the explosive force of a sweeping broadside, he finds he must sacrifice everything his respectable life has brought him, in order to save what matters most.

Excerpt...

Agent Meeks had his fingers in a bowl of jicama and peppers. A plate of limes sat beside a tankard on an overturned hogshead. Bertrand slipped down across from him and took a lime.

"You found your way I see."

Bertrand did not smile but curled his lip. "I had business to attend to."

"The Colonel’s wife?"

"Hardly."

Meeks wasted no time. "The Colonel talks too much. I find my acquaintances on the Counsel like to pass along his anecdotes."

"What kind of anecdotes?"

"Tales of intrigue with the acting governor and Rogers."

"Bahamas Rogers?" asked Bertrand quietly.

"One and the same. A friend of yours?" This query did not receive an answer. "There’s no phantom pirate roving the Leeward Islands. He’s commissioned."

Bertrand stared to cover his surprise. Meeks continued. "He’s to challenge any ship in these waters, besides their own under the Utrecht and Seville treaties. He retains a percentage of what is returned by way of Havana, they believe." Meeks took a swig of his rum then cleared his throat.

This gave Bertrand the opportunity to search the room. Dubois gave him a discreet nod. They were clear. He urged Meeks on. "He returns the prizes himself?"

The balding man shook his head. "Evidently they do not officially recognize him. He pirates pirates, strips our merchantmen, boards slave ships, and has connections of some sort in Martinique. I doubt the Spanish get half of his take."

"Who transports for him?"

"I haven’t heard for certain. Two sloops are sometimes reported in his company--Jamaican redwood."

"Swift and dodgy. Do you have a name?" Across the room a rendition of God Save the King began along with a drunken promenade.

"No, but he sails with Africans on the books."

"Spanish ship. Spanish captain?"

"I would assume. I have heard otherwise."

Bertrand gave him a questioning look.

"Some rumors say he’s a frog."

"Do you believe it?"

Meeks shook his head. "I don’t know. A Frenchman sailing a galleon christened Relentless?"

"Why not send out a squadron?"

"Not enough ships in the West Indies. Not enough hands to man the half of ‘em." Meeks snorted in disgust. "Damned yellow jack," he muttered.

Damned parliament, thought Bertrand. They were silent while the chorus came to a crescendo. Bertrand gave Dubois a signal. He then turned quickly to Meeks. "What about these kidnappings along the coast? The slaves?"

Meeks shook his head. "I haven’t found a connection."

Before he could say more a loud crash interrupted every tête-à-tête in the tavern. A scuffle broke out, tossing chairs and caterwauling females. An overturned lantern shot a flame across the floor and before the majority of the patrons had the sense to flee, three inconspicuous gentlemen made their escape.

Bertrand and Dubois held a furtive discussion on return to the ship. Their coincidental arrivals to the notorious brigantine, Specter, did not attract any interest from the coxswain as he ferried them back alongside. A gunner did not place above master or boson, thus the seasoned crew was aware something existed between Captain Bertrand and the free mulatto, Dubois.

Smithy, the Specter’s ancient master, acknowledged Bertrand as he climbed over the bulwark. "There is a change of plan," Bertrand informed him, once they dropped down the nearest hatch to his cabin. "We will return home and push the Barbados voyage ahead. Send word to our suppliers and I will post a letter to Slugge."

"Is that all?" asked Smithy in a grizzled voice.

"Dubois will need supplies." Bertrand pinched the bridge of his nose. "And pieces of eight. See that he gets them."

The master nodded and ran his tongue over his lips. "On the books?"

"Off," Bertrand said. "Should word get out there’s a bounty, questions will be asked, rumors incensed, and everything we’ve worked for, all of the sacrifice and risk, will have amounted to nothing."

Smithy glanced up at the Union Jack snapping in the night breeze. He understood.

Buy It Now Link: THE PRIVATEER

If poetry interests you...

Popular editor, William Roetzheim, has included in his coffee table chapbook collection, one of my poems, Bury Me In The Mountain, Boys.This poem is a lyrical piece about find our way home before we cross over, and inviting our children to come with us. Joined by more poetry from Emily Dickinson and others, POEMS OF NATURE is a beautiful collection of peaceful, soul-searching poetry. I'm honored to be a part of it.

*Buy Now Link

*I get no royalites from this edition.