SUNKEN TREASURE: LOST WORLDS!

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Sunken Treasure, Lost Worlds

The Risky Business Chronicles Book 1

by
Hep Aldridge

Genre: Action, Adventure 

His knowledge can make them all rich... or get them killed.

From the depths of the Atlantic off Cape Canaveral Florida, searching for
sunken Spanish treasure, to the Andes mountains of Ecuador chasing
the legend of a lost golden library, Dr. Colten X. Burnett
and the Risky Business team are on a quixotic adventure.

While trying to make an honest, well sort of honest living, searching for
remnants of the lost 1715 fleet, Risky Business Ltd. becomes
entangled in a mystery that covers two continents and may rewrite history.

The lure of uncovering a lost civilization, as well as the secrets it
holds, motivates the team on their dangerous journey into a cosmological unknown.

-Sunken Treasure Lost Worlds is the first book in Hep Aldridge's
action and adventure series about Dr. Colten X. Burnett and the Risky Business team

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Hep Aldridge, Author

Hep Aldridge is a certified scuba diver, cave diver and amateur archaeologist 
whose main area of interest is Pre-Columbian cultures of the Americas.

He has led or been part of archaeological expeditions to Mexico and Honduras,
making discoveries that have been reported in National Geographic Magazine.

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WATERPROOF BY LEE DUCOTE

WATERPROOF

Action and Adventure / Romance

Date Published: 9/3/2015

Publisher: Grave Distractions Publication

What happens when a Voodoo woman named Labriox Papillon spills her secrets to a young boy who is trying to capture treasure and his childhood crush? Adventure, South Louisiana legends, and love!

In Waterproof, Spencer LeJeune, a nerdy kid that grew up to a young attractive man, puts it all on the line to find the Spanish Treasure Barge and win over Toni Benoit’s heart. What starts off to be a reunited friendship turns into a suspenseful hunt for treasure and to outwit a fifth generation pirate from Spain.

Will Spencer win the heart of Toni and find the treasure before it costs him the lives of others and millions in silver and other treasures? Can Toni tame the treasure loving man and keep his focus?

WATERPROOF Excerpt:

Remnants of the crawfish boil from the night before littered the dock as Spencer pulled his equipment to his boat. Most of the shrimp boats had already left the docks to get an early run before the heat set in.

Spencer had been thinking about seeing Toni at the park and was questioning whether he wanted to stop by the clinic. He walked back to his truck to gather his side-scan sonar and laptop that was neatly tucked away in a waterproof case.

Lugging the equipment back, Dusty stopped washing his boat and called out to Spencer. He’d been cleaning the grease that had accumulated on the floor from his repairs. “That’s some sophisticated equipment for checking oyster beds?” His cigar was hanging out of his mouth.

Spencer smiled. “Hard to believe that you haven’t blown yourself up with that stogy around all these fumes,” he replied.

Dusty just laughed. “Where you heading today?”

“I’m running over to Hackberry Bay.”

“Hackberry, in area 13? Is that going to be open this year?”

“I don’t know—I just do the reports,” Spencer smiled.

Dusty had good reason to ask; the area had been closed to oyster fishing due to the oil spill in 2010. As the third generation of his family to fish the Barataria area, he had survived many storms including Katrina, and nothing was pushing him out.

“What’s the dive gear for?” he asked Spencer with a curious look.

“Oyster bed research and recreation, but mostly for oyster beds.”

Dusty shook his head in acknowledgment. “You going to the clinic to see that girl today?” he asked.

It threw Spencer that Dusty would know she asked him to stop by. He shrugged. “I’ve got a long day today.”

“So?” Dusty asked.

“Why would you think I would be interested in her?” Spencer asked, wondering if he was overstepping polite conversation.

“Shoot! As a little boy you chased that girl all over the docks and streets.”

Smiling, Spencer replied, “Well, that was a long time ago.”

“Huh!” Dusty grunted out a sly smile. “You mentioned her four or five times at the crawfish boil last night. But it’s none of my business. Be safe out there.” He turned to walk back to his boat. Spencer did the same.

Did I mention her too much last night? I did have a few more beers than normal. I hope I didn’t say too much. Standing there holding his duffel bag, he wondered, Did I mention the treasure?

As Spencer fired up his boat, he thought about how many times he and his dad had left the very same dock, and that thought stirred his childhood memories of returning in the evening. Dusk was Spencer’s favorite time, when the water would glow with the lights from other boats and oil derricks scattered throughout the basin. He spun his hat around and throttled down toward a northern bay called Adams, the four Yamaha 350s barely sounding strained as he jetted across the choppy water.
Spencer slowed his speed just as he entered Adams Bay and let the boat drift to a stop. With the sun beaming down, he took off his hat long enough to pull his t-shirt over his head.

To look at him now, you’d never know he used to be a scrawny kid. With a new city and a determination to never be picked on again, Spencer discovered a love of fitness in his late teens. He was well toned and had earned a defined six-pack while swimming and working out. He had even taken up surfing while on the East Coast and spent many days on the beach, drawing attention from quite a few girls. Still an awkward kid at heart, he ignored them for the most part.

In the heat of the afternoon, he made several passes along the shore, dragging the towfish and concentrating on the computer screen as the sonar took three-dimensional pictures of the bay floor. As he made his seventh pass, the sonar picked up on an object that was out of place. Could that be it? Is this what I’m looking for? He took a snapshot of the picture and turned the 42’ around to make another pass. Looking closer, he could see a square object extruding from the mud, no deeper than fifteen feet.

Spencer pulled out his scuba gear and snapped a bottle to the back of his buoyancy compensator. Blowing up the BC with air, he threw it over the side, picked up his fins and mask, and dove in after it. Once he strapped himself in, he released the air from the BC and kicked toward the structure that his sonar had uncovered.

Within minutes, the wooden structure came into view. It was long and square, sinking farther into the bay floor. Spencer grabbed on the end and pulled himself closer to the wood, his heart pounding and his breathing rapid. He fanned the soot from the wooden object and saw it was intact, but then he saw something small and shiny. The object was round and silver and pressed against one of the wood planks. Pulling himself closer, he saw that it was a screw. He had found a victim from Katrina—someone’s sunken pier.

He shot back to the surface, and breaking the water line, he pulled his mask down to his neck. “Well, hell!” Floating behind his boat for a moment, thinking that there would probably be many false alarms, he ran his finger and thumb together, realizing the water seemed slimier than when he was a kid.

Then he heard the faint sound of an outboard motor. That wasn’t unusual at all, but the longer he listened, he noticed the motor had a particular tick in the engine. Where have I heard that before? he thought.

Growing up around water and all types of boats, Spencer had learned to recognize boats by the sound of the engines. This motor had a familiar sound to it that he hadn’t heard since his childhood … the same sound made by Lebreaux’s motor on her old wooden skiff. As his mind registered the connection, his eyes widened and he spun in the water looking in all directions, but no boat was in sight.

He wrapped his fins around his wrist, climbed up the ladder on the back of his boat, and let his gear rest on the floor while he wiped the water from his face and hair, still looking for the boat, but finding nothing.

His dark skin shone with the water beading off, thanks to the sunscreen he had applied earlier. Putting his aviator sunglasses on, he saw a white crane flapping its wings in the water. That’s strange, he thought, and motoring closer, he could see the bird was in distress in only a foot of water. His boat resting gently on the bottom, he leaned over and grabbed the bird that was weak and out of breath.

“Well, buddy, with this broken leg you don’t have much chance.” With a smile, he looked around, and then back to the bird. “I guess we’re going to the veterinary clinic after all.”

About the Author

Lee DuCote has traveled the world researching cultures, people, and historical accounts to help create his stories. A native to Louisiana, he writes to give hope and encouragement to others, as well as to entertain and spark the imagination. Lee lives in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas with his wife and family and is the author of seven novels including Camp 80 that earned him an international book award.

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WELCOME AUTHOR GERI FOSTER!

Readers, please welcome my BFF and great author Geri Foster today to A Writer’s Life. Besides being a terrific writer and loyal friend, Geri is a bundle of energy that puts the Energizer Bunny to shame. She’s stopped preparations for her trip to the Romantic Times Convention long enough to share with us today.

Caroline: Geri, I love hearing tales about your life, especially with your dad’s mom. Tell readers something about your growing up.

Geri: I grew up in a very small, close-knit town called Picher, Oklahoma. I was the baby with two older brothers until my mother surprised us all by having my sister when I was thirteen. We moved to Kansas for about five years, finally landing in Buffalo, New York when I met and married my navy husband. Together we had two kids, both grown now and out on their own. I pray every day it stays that way. LOL!

Caroline: You left out your grandmother and the story of her using a broom to chase the bull. ☺  Who are your favorite authors and favorite genres?

Geri: Growing up I was rarely without a book. My family liked that because when it came to presents, they knew just what to buy. Learning to read was almost magical to me. It opened a different and kinder world than I lived in growing up.

I have always loved romance. There is nothing happier than ever-after.

Caroline: True, which is why we write as well as read romance. What’s your favorite way to relax and recharge?

Geri: I’m pretty hyper, so I tend to crash and burn, put out the fire, and start all over again. I’m a chronic multi-tasker, and I love being in over my head…until, like I said, I crash and burn.

I find a nice glass of wine at the end of the day pretty much clears my head and puts me to sleep so I can wake up and start all over again.

Caroline: Do you have a favorite quote that sums up how you feel about life?

Geri: God blessed me with the best friends in the world, and I thank him every day for that. So my quote is: There is no problem that FRIENDS cannot confront, combat, plot against, ignore, make fun of, drown in chocolate sauce, or run over with a car!

Also: Life is Good!

Caroline: How long have you been writing?

Geri: I’ve been working at my craft for about fifteen years. I’ve been writing seriously for about five.

Caroline: Where do you prefer to write? Do you need quiet, music, solitude? PC or laptop?

Geri: I’m one of those crazy people that can’t listen to anything when they write. If there is music, I want to sing or dance, if the TV is on, no matter what channel, I’ll stop and watch it. So, for me it’s being all alone with my laptop.

Caroline: I’m asking even though I know the answer: Are you a plotter or a panzer?

Geri: I Plot! I say that proudly because I write Action-Romantic Suspense. Without a plot it can get really scary. I need to know what’s going to happen and where I’m going. Also, it points out when and where I need to ratchet up the tension.

Caroline: Do you use real events or persons in your stories or as an inspiration for stories?

Geri: No. For some unknown reason the inciting incident comes to me first in a story. It just pops up. Then I plot from there.

Caroline: Do you set daily writing goals?

Geri: I shoot for ten pages a day, but consider five pages a good day.

Caroline: What do you hope your writing brings to readers?

Geri: Pure entertainment. I’m not a teacher, or a history buff or someone with a message. I do a lot of research because I have to keep my facts straight and know what I’m talking about, but I don’t try to educate anyone. I want my reader to feel my characters’ emotions, good and bad, and I want them to fear the goal won’t be reached, and I want them satisfied at the end. If I have that, then I’ve done a good job.

Caroline: What long-term plans do you have for your career?

Geri: To write more books. I even have three comedies I plan to put out there. J

Caroline: Would you like to tell us what you’re working on now?

Geri: Right now I’m finishing up OUT OF THE NIGHT which is the third book in the Falcon Series. OUT OF THE DARK and OUT OF THE SHADOWS were just released.

Caroline: What advice would you give to unpublished authors?

Geri: Write until you reach the end. Don’t start another book and don’t put it off, just finish the damn book.

Caroline: Tell us a fun fact readers wouldn’t know about you.

Geri: I constantly talk to myself. I rarely read instructions. I’m into Feng-Shui

Caroline: What’s something about you that would surprise or shock readers?

Geri: I’d love to skydive…just once.

Caroline: Is your book a series?

Geri: My books are a series called Falcon Securities. It’s about ex-military and ex- intelligence officers who become agents for Frank Hamilton who owns Falcon. They work exclusively for the President of the United States and the DOD

Caroline: Can you give readers a blurb about your book?

Geri: Here’s a blurb from OUT OF THE DARK:

After a Russian mission goes south, Falcon Securities agent John ‘Mac’ McKinsey is stranded with assassins on his trail. His boss arranges for him to hitch a ride with the corporate attorney Emily Richards, who is in Russia as a mediator for another company.

Emily Richards wants only to return home then on to a peaceful vacation with her best friend. When armed men invade her hotel room minutes after Mac arrives, Emily is forced to depend on Mac to stay alive. Anger that Mac has entangled her in a life or death struggle quickly turns to fear when the men pursuing them call her by name.

Together Mac and Emily engage in a tumultuous ride to escape with their lives and capture a crazed bomber and a vindictive drug lord. More difficult is tearing down their own emotional walls. Can they succeed and admit love is the most precious thing in life?

Caroline: How about an excerpt?

Geri: Here’s and excerpt of OUT OF THE DARK:

Emily Richards opened her hotel room, stepped inside, and secured the lock. From behind, a calloused hand clamped over her mouth, threatening to shut off vital oxygen. Her shocked scream crumbled into a muffled murmur.

Fear exploded in her brain.

The man’s arm wrapped around her chest and pulled her against a hard, muscular body.

Emily’s purse and briefcase dropped to the floor as she desperately tried to fight off her attacker. Her elbows jabbed his ribs, rewarding her with a grunt. She twisted frantically to break free.

“Be still,” a male voice hissed against her ear. The terse command shot her horror into a higher realm of terror. “Relax, it’s me, Mac. I’m not here to hurt you.”

Caroline: I know your books are available in both print and as ebooks. Where can readers find your books?

Geri: OUT OF THE DARK – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CB8GY9K

OUT OF THE SHADOWS – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CB4QY8U

Caroline: How can readers learn more about you?

Geri: FB: www.facebook.com/gerifoster1

Twitter: @gerifoster

Website: www.gerifoster.com

Caroline: Is there anything else you’d like readers to know about you?

Geri: I love hearing from my readers!

Author Geri Foster

As long as she can remember, Geri Foster has been a lover of reading and the written words. In the seventh grade she wore out two library cards and had read every book in her age area of the library. After raising a family and saying good-bye to the corporate world, she tried her hand at writing.

To her surprise, she won a couple of contests, hooked up with a really great critique group and her writing career was well on its way. She spent several years studying her craft and developing her voice.

Action, intrigue, danger and sultry romance drew her like a magnet. That’s why she has no choice but to write action-romance suspense. While she reads every genre under the sun, she’s always been drawn to guns, bombs and fighting men. Secrecy and suspense move her to write edgy stories about daring and honorable heroes who manage against all odds to end up with their one true love.

Thanks for sharing with us today, Geri. 

Readers, thanks for stopping by!