Hello
lovelies! It gives me great pleasure
today to host John C. Waite and his new book, “The Tursiops Syndrome”! For other stops on his Goddess Fish
Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in
this post.
Be
sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $50 Nuts.com Gift
Card!!! Also, come back daily to
interact with John and to increase your chances of winning!
This
book is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY $0.99!!! See below for more details.
Thanks
for stopping by! Wishing you lots of
luck in this fabulous giveaway!
The Tursiops Syndrome
by John C. Waite
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GENRE: Thriller
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BLURB:
How
do you get a nuke into the heart of the city? Maybe a dolphin can help. From
Author John Waite, the tale of a police detective who matches wits with a mad
scientist and terrorists intent on destroying America. When detective Hickory
Logan joins Park Ranger Kevin Whitehead investigating the mysterious death of a
dolphin she finds herself sucked into a far deeper whirlpool. Can she and Kevin
stop the tide of terror that threatens to kill thousands or will they be fodder
for a nuclear fireball?
A
newspaper review described Tursiops thus: "The writing is, well,
wonderful. Waite has a gift for dialogue and story-telling, and his plot is
adventurous and perfectly paced. "
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EXCERPT ONE:
Red
Logan hunkered down next to the Humvee's left front wheel. He folded his lanky
frame in several places to assure that the vehicle shielded him from rifle fire
emanating from the house a hundred feet away.
A
furious fusillade had greeted A-Company, first battalion, 407th Special Forces
when their vehicles pulled to a halt in front of what was a rather strange
building for northern Afghanistan. In the early morning darkness it looked for
all the world like a California ranch-style home.
But
there was no BMW parked in the driveway.
The
firefight lasted less than fifteen minutes. There was only an occasional round
pinging off the slate-riddled soil and infrequent bursts of automatic fire
keeping the soldiers from charging the structure. Red wondered why the squads
weren’t using some of the heavier weapons. He knew the unit armament included
shoulder-fired missiles and a Carl Gustav 84-mm recoilless rifle but so far,
the big stuff had been silent.
The
tip had placed Azam al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda's chief organizer for nine-eleven, in
the house.
Numerous
such tips over the past two years had come to nothing. Most of them originated
in minds overly-motivated to garner the twenty million American dollars offered
for the capture of several of the world’s most wanted terrorists.
At
least one Osama bin Laden look-alike had been found dead. And it took weeks
before authorities identified the body.
The man had been killed and left in a house to which an Afghan citizen
directed U.S. forces. Not only did he not get the reward he sought, but his
countrymen also jailed him for mutilating the corpse by cutting off its hands
and feet.
Army
intelligence, a title Red thought oxymoronic, had considered tonight’s tip more
credible than most since it had come in anonymously. The tipster hadn’t
mentioned the reward. So the Special Forces unit had headed out in the predawn
darkness for a two-hour drive north from Kabul into the mountainous terrain.
“Red?”
The
voice belonged to the figure squeezed into the wheel well behind him.
He
could barely see Jessie’s sinewy shape, strangely gawky where the video camera
and its now-dark lights rested on her right thigh.
“Yeah,
what?” he whispered.
“Should
I get some video?” Jessie asked, cocking her left hand back over her shoulder.
“Hell
no. We're reporters, not soldiers. CNN's not paying us to get shot. Just keep
your ass down. There's nothing to shoot."
Before
he could finish his sentence, an amplified Afghan voice rang out from the
vicinity of the lead Humvee, imploring the occupants of the house to surrender.
The answer was a three-shot rifle volley, the rounds pinging off the hard-pack
and whining away into the darkness.
“Now,”
Jessie said, pushing past Red and swinging the camera onto her shoulder,
leaning on the Hummer’s hood.
“No.”
Red yelled, trying to pull her to the ground. But it was too late. The light on
Jessie’s camera flared brilliantly then died in a crash of glass and the harsh
double bark of a Kalashnikov. The rounds zinged away into the darkness, but Red
heard in the report the crunch of bone.
“Jessie.”
he screamed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GUEST POST:
I like strong women.
Hickory
Logan, a detective in the Pensacola police department, drives the plot in The Tursiops Syndrome. She takes no
guff, as readers will see in a couple of the action scenes that move the plot.
Her male counterpart is no slouch either. Together they face an ominous task
that takes them from Florida to coastal Mexico, to a Washington DC riverfront,
where the bad guys are plotting to detonate a nuclear device.
Hickory
becomes involved when on a morning beach patrol she finds a porpoise, (Tursiops
truncatus) stuck on a sandbar. She elicits the help of National Park Ranger
Kevin Whitehead who pitches in to save the distraught animal. Hickory’s
intervention leads to adventures she could not have imagined.
The
events drag Hickory and Kevin to rural Mexico and into the domain of Dr. James
Crabtree, a disillusioned marine scientist who harbors a love of dolphin and a
hatred for a federal government official who doesn’t like him, primarily
because he once stole the woman he loved.
Hickory’s
strengths come to the fore during the investigation when members of an eastern
terrorist organization try to steer them away from their objective.
The
pair make one almost fatal error and wind up prisoners, trapped on a large
research vessel headed up the east coast. Anchored on the Potomac, not far from
the nation’s capital, the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place. They
realize the terrorists are planning to detonate a nuclear bomb on the national
mall.
The
story covers an international gamut, opening in Afghanistan where Hickory’s
brother, a television correspondent, is covering an attack an American army
unit is conducting to capture a major terrorist leader. In the attack, his camera
person, a young woman, is severely injured and has to be airlifted out for
treatment.
It is
during the wrap-up of this seemingly minor engagement that the
Rangers
find evidence that the terrorists possess a nuclear arsenal. Hickory’s brother again
joins the action in the final chapters, and helps to close the plot’s circle.
Also
driving the plot is my affection for dolphins. I worked my last summer in high
school at the Gulfarium in Ft. Walton Beach. While my job was not working
directly with the porpoises, I was in constant contact with them. I spent a lot
of time in the main tank after hours with the contingent of dolphin. I hitched
rides by grabbing a dorsal and pectoral fin, and the dolphin that allowed it
seemed to enjoy the interaction.
When
a young male died, several divers shed tears, and we conducted a public funeral
for the porpoise. Several hundred people witnessed the event. And I have
featured dolphin in some of my poetic undertakings, such as the piece that
follows.
The Grin
or
Musings on the Mermentau
Verses penned while watching dolphin at play on the lower
Mermentau River.
To
what purpose
does
the porpoise
grin?
Our
fishy ocean kith
or
kin
gallivanting
about the bayou with
its
skin
lustrous
without Kerri
has
narri
a
carri
for
bad hairri
days.
But
the sea, don'cha know
is
cold, and damp its flow.
While
a lunch of live mullet
may
well fill a gullet.
Still
warm a dolphin's cockles
ain't.
And most, to see, need spectacles
(hence
their chirps and giggles).
So,
why the grin?
How
come the dolphin's chin
meets
jaw in ebullient leer?
Sure
ain't beer!
But.....
Observe
the noble porpoise
in
repose.
He
seems to drowse, perhaps
to
doze.
Then...
Tumescence
steals upon his dream
until
his libido begins to steam.
From
tiny folds he grows
quickly
coarse.
My
God, but, he's hung like a horse!
Perhaps
therein lies the purpose
to
the grin
of
the porpoise
(chirp...giggle).
#########
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR BIO:
Thousands
of author John C Waite’s words
flew past Alpha Centauri years ago, heading for the center of the galaxy,
perhaps sparking an arthropod’s grin in route. Waite, a degreed journalist and
retired Merchant Mariner has numerous writing and broadcasting awards to his
credit, and millions of words in print and broadcast media. Originally from New
Orleans he has called Panhandle Florida his home for fifty years, but still
retains a taste for things Creole and Cajun. A recreational and professional
sailor, his travels have covered the Caribbean, the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts, portions of south and Central America, Canada, Hawaii, Ireland,
Britain, and Europe. John resides in Pensacola, Florida. He is a father to
four, and grandfather to four. His books
are available on Amazon.
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CONNECT WITH JOHN:
Website:
Email:
johngllgskns@gmail.com
Facebook:
Twitter:
Goodreads Author Page:
Goodreads Book Page:
Amazon Author Page:
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BOOK BUY LINKS & BOOK SALE INFO:
**The Tursiops Syndrome is on SALE during the book tour for ONLY
$0.99!!!**
Amazon Kindle eBook:
Amazon Paperback:
Barnes and Noble Paperback:
The Book Depository Paperback:
BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
John will be awarding a $50 Nuts.com GC to a
randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a
purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this
blog. This does not cost you anything,
it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**
This contest is sponsored
by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish
Promotions. Prizes are given away by the
sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish
Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks to F&B for hosting. Had to be away most of the day but would welcome any comments or questions...johngllgskns@gmail.com.
ReplyDelete