Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Eternal Patrol Synopsis

While using his grandfather’s journal to search for a sunken ship containing lost Nazi gold, Dr. George Washington witnesses a meteor crash to earth. The impact opens a time gate and propels him back to World War II where he is taken aboard an American submarine, the Dorado, and thought to be a spy.

During present day, a marine salvage operation finds a World War II era submarine buried at the bottom of the Pacific. The location showed nothing but sand several days earlier. The crew decides to send down an ROV to investigate.

Onboard the submarine, George refuses to divulge information about the outcome of the war. He and the crew endure unusual contacts with enormous ships and are shadowed by submarines that make no sound. With a gun to his head, he releases his knowledge that the Allies have broken the German code Enigma.

Back in the present, the salvage crew finds a modern day transmitter attached to the sunken submarine. Only the device is encrusted with sixty years of undersea growth.
George discovers that he did not travel back to the past, the submarine traveled to the future. What appeared to be fellow countrymen are German spies posing as Americans about to travel through the time gate and alter the outcome of the war. Dr. Washington must follow them through and stop this tragic turn of events that will alter his past.

In an attempt to retrieve the transmitter, the small manned submersible becomes entangled in the wreckage of the sub. They send down a diver in a hard suit to free the ROV but a current pushes him a half mile from the site and he must walk the distance on the ocean floor. He is attacked by a giant octopus before he reaches the trapped crew.

Back in 1943, George is brought aboard another American submarine, the Corvina, where he is again treated as a German spy. This time he surrenders all his knowledge of the War. Only George’s version has WWII ending in 1953 after the Allies drop an atomic bomb on Berlin and an invasion of Japan killed over one million Allied soldiers. During his stay on this boat, George meets and befriends his young grandfather who is a crewman on the sub.

(Present Day)As the diver frees the trapped submersible, a live torpedo releases from the bow and floats upward toward the salvage ship. The men in the small vessel race to catch the ordinance before it reaches the surface and destroys their ship.

(Past)George convinces the sub commander to intercept the boat with the Nazi gold. Enroute, he discovers his grandfather sending the German crew on the Dorado vital details that would allow them to capture the Corvina. A struggle ensues over a handgun and George kills his grandfather. Faced with a future on a timeline that is not his, George helps the crew track down the Dorado. They locate the rogue sub only to come under attack by a Japanese destroyer.

(Present) The crew of the submersible tries to avoid the sinking wreckage of one of the research vessels hit by the torpedo. Still on the bottom of the ocean, the diver investigates the interior of the sub. He finds German military equipment mixed with American. As he discovers the name of the boat, he receives a radio transmission two hundred tons of ship is headed his way.

(Past)Chased by the Japanese destroyer and the Dorado, the Corvina uses its last torpedo to sink the enemy sub and escapes the destroyer by sailing through the time gate as the meteor impacts.

During the present day, narrowly escaping the impact of the torpedo, the diver makes his way back to the surface with the log book from the destroyed sub. As the crew reads the entries they see the details of a war that did not take place.
Trapped in the year 2010, George and the submarine crew begin new lives, with the captured gold bars, in a world where the war ended in 1945, and both the Dorado and Corvina are listed by the Navy as “On eternal patrol.”

If you would like to read the first three chapters of Eternal Patrol, send me an email. timepirate64@gmail.com

Mallory Premise

In 1924 with his love of climbing merging with the passion for his wife, George Mallory sets out with an expedition team to establish a route to the summit of Mt. Everest. With previous unsuccessful attempts behind him, this time Mallory focuses on his objective, prove he is worthy to be married to such a beautiful woman and reach the top of the highest mountain in the world.

The debate over if Mallory made it to the summit of Everest has been going on for over 80 years and the details of his last climb have been recounted many times. This is the story of what pushed him to become the one man who literally climbed the highest mountain in the world for the woman he loved.

If you would like to ready the first three chapters of Mallory, send me an email. timepirate64@gmail.com

Mallory Synopsis

This is a well researched historical fiction novel about George Mallory who may have been the first person to stand on the summit of Mt. Everest.

1916 - George Mallory has married Ruth Turner the most beautiful woman in the world. With an overwhelming need to prove he is worthy and show his devotion to his majestic wife, he volunteers to fight in the war.

During a battle in France, his leg is wounded and he is forced to use his rock climbing skills to escape capture by German soldiers. While recovering from surgery, he learns his long time friend and climbing partner, Geoffrey Young, has had his leg amputated from battle injuries. Knowing they will never climb together again, he struggles with separating his loss from his friend’s. George feels he has failed by not returning home as a hero and not proven his devotion to Ruth.

1921 – Sir James Mann Wordie lectures at the Alpine Club of London and recounts the hardships onboard the Endurance with Ernest Shackleton. After the presentation, Wordie offers Mallory a spot on an expedition to find a route to the top of Mt. Everest. George is enthralled at the thought of adding his name to the team of men that find the route to the top of the highest mountain in the world. This may satisfy his need to prove his worth for his beautiful wife.

June 1921 - Darjeeling India – Led by Howard Bury, the team followed by a train of coolies run into a minor setback when the expedition doctor dies from heart failure. While they buried Dr. Kellas next to the trail, Mallory sees the Chomolungma mountain range for the first time. He wrote in a letter to Ruth, “A whole group of mountains began to appear in gigantic fragments… peaks floating into the sky higher than imagination had ever suggested and there taller than all of them, Mt. Everest.”
Rongbuk Valley - George and his longtime friend Guy Bullock take 16 coolies and camp at 16,500 feet near a monastery, the last sign of civilization. He wrote to his wife, “We’re about to walk off the map. It’s beginning to get exciting.”

Wearing several layers of average wool street clothes, George and Guy scout the glacier for a route reaching an altitude of 23,000 feet. After a month of searching, no route could be found.

August 1921 – Mallory, Bullock and French Canadian Eric Wheeler along with three coolies reached the top of the North Col. The lack of oxygen and frigid temperatures take their tolls on the men. A continuous gale blows so hard it snatches their breath away. The turned up collars of their wool sport coats offer no relief from the frozen wind. George explains, “No man can live in this wind for more than an hour.” The expedition is over.

On the voyage back home, George kept to his cabin feeling like a failure. He recounts the route in his mind over and over until he realized they had inadequate resources.

Back home, as he watches his Ruth play with their beautiful children, he feels his failure at finding a route to the top of Everest somehow means he doesn’t deserve such a wonderful family. He explains to Ruth that he must accomplish something grand to earn the privilege of having her as his wife.

George spends the next year explaining to the Royal Geographic Society the expedition was inadequately resourced. Against George’s advice, the Society recommends bringing oxygen tanks on the next attempt.

April 1922- At a press conference days before the team is scheduled to leave a reporter asks George, “What do you hope to accomplish by climbing this mountain?”
George responds, "…it is no use. There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. We may learn a little about the human body at high altitudes… We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver… We shall not find a single foot of earth that can be planted with crops… There is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward…"

The reporter follows up, “Then why do you want to climb this mountain?”
George tells him, “Because it’s there.”

May 1922 – The expedition, led by General Charles Bruce, joined by Edward Norton and Dr. Howard Somervell, head straight for the East Rongbuk Glacier. Mallory and Somervell climb the icy slopes of the North Col in homemade hobnail boots.
They manage to erect tents on a narrow icy shelf just below the crest. That night they put together two plans for summit bids, one with oxygen and one without.

Their boots were no match for the blue ice. They had to cut steps with their ice axes which made for slow and exhausting progress. At 25,000 feet they set up camp. The coolies suffer from altitude sickness and are sent to a lower elevation.

The next day, roped together, Morshead, Norton and Mallory made slow progress across the Northeast Shoulder. Morshead fell and pulled the other climbers down with him. Mallory rammed his axe into the ice to stop their fall. With extreme strength he held his ground and kept them from descending to their death.

June 1922 - Frost-bitten and exhausted George attempts the North Col with 14 coolies. Five of the men roped together with Mallory at the front of the line while the other nine follow untethered. Over the gusting winds, they hear a loud explosion as large slab of snow breaks loose above the team. It washes over all the men and sweeps away those not on the rope. Mallory and those tied to him work their way to the surface. Despite frantic digging, they only recovered two of the men from back of the group. Realizing seven men had died under his direction, George felt devastated. The second expedition comes to an end.

On the voyage back to England, all George could think about was his failure and how he would look in Ruth’s eyes.

August 1923 – George decides to give up his quest to climb Everest and went on a speaking tour of America. Each time he lectures it reminds him of his failure.

February 1924 – George has put Everest far behind him and decides to concentrate on his family. The flame he once felt to prove his worth for Ruth is flickering out. He tries to replace his grand act with a focus on being a proper husband and father.

With all of his desires to climb completely flattened, he receives a telegram from General Bruce asking him to attempt another summit. Instantly, all the emotions he had suppressed rise to the surface. Ruth expresses to him his need to rid this mountain from his soul and wishes she could join him on the mountain.

George explains she will be with him. In his left chest pocket he will carry a British flag. In his right chest pocket he will carry her picture and leave it at the summit. This way all who climb the mountain after him will see the face of the most beautiful woman and understand what pushed him to be the first to climb Everest.

April 1924 – General Bruce led the third expedition this time joined by Andrew Irvine a young engineering student with little climbing experience. His main job is to maintain the oxygen equipment.

In Tibet, Bruce contracts malaria and places Norton in charge. Norton appoints Mallory as the team leader. They arrive in Rongbuk and are met with fierce winds and winter snow still on the ground.

May 1924 – A significant amount of fuel has been spent waiting for the weather to clear and they have not yet scaled the North Col. Most of the porters are suffering from altitude sickness and severe frostbite. With less time and so few porters, Mallory realizes using oxygen may speed their climb.

June 1924 – With a camp 5 established on the North Ridge, the porters refuse to go any higher. George sends them to a lower camp with a note for Norton which read, “Show’s crashed.”

Norton and Somervell climb higher and establish camp 6 on the North Face at an altitude of 26,700 feet. The next morning as they make an attempt at the summit they gasped for breath and feel extremely weak. Somervell suffers from a severe sore throat and cannot continue. He encourages Norton try for the summit on his own. The clear blue sky leads Norton to remove his sunglasses. 200 vertical feet from the summit, his unprotected eyes fall prey to snow blindness and he is forced to rejoin Somervell.

On the way back down to camp 5, Somervell feels the lining of his throat freeze and block his breathing. He sinks in the snow prepared to die and with one last heave of his chest aided by his hands he is able to cough out the frozen lining of his throat and breathe freely.

At Camp 5 Mallory gathers the oxygen equipment. With Noel suffering from altitude sickness he chooses Irvine to help him make the summit attempt. His last preparation before leaving, he places his British flag in one pocket and the picture of Ruth in the other.

On the climb up, Mallory and Irvine cross paths with Somervell and Norton. George realizes he has forgotten his camera back at camp. Somervell hands him his camera and tells him, “Bring back pictures from the top of this bloody mountain.”

At a large rock called the second step, George belays Andrew until they both stand on top of the rock. George asks, “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to touch the breath of God?”

“I don’t think that thought has ever crossed my mind. Why?”

George points to the summit 100 yard away as the wind blows a wisp of snow off the peak. “Because that is what we are about to do.”

Watching through a telescope from camp 6, Odell spots Mallory and Irvine 300 feet from the summit with nothing but gentle slope in front of them. As a cloud blows in and covers the climbers, Odell heads back down to camp 5. He announces to the rest of the team, “Gentlemen, break out the champagne for soon we will be in the presence of greatness.”

The next morning when Mallory and Irvine have not returned the team launches a rescue party. They search for two days but find no trace of their friends.

Ruth learns of the news two days before the newspapers break the story. She tells reporters, “George’s spirit was ready for another way of life and this was his way of going to it and it was beautiful.”

1933 – Irvine’s Ice axes is found on the ridge below the third step.

1953 – Hillary and Norgay stand on the summit of Everest.

1995 – George Mallory’s grandson, George Mallory II, reaches the summit of Everest.

May 1, 1999 - In an attempt to find Andrew Irvine’s pack which contains Somervell’s camera, an expedition team discovers the frozen body of George Mallory on the North Face. His British flag and picture of Ruth are not in his pocket.

If you would like to read the first three chapters of Mallory, send me an email. timepirate64@gmail.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Eternal Contol Premise

When a submarine does not return from a patrol and the navy has no evidence of what happened, they list that sub as "on eternal patrol."

This book is well researched and uses many of the details associated with two Gato Class submarines the Navy has listed as, "on eternal patrol." It also answers the question of what happens if you go back in time a kill your grandfather.

While looking for a sunken ship with a cargo of lost Nazi gold, Dr. George Washington witnesses a meteor crash to earth. The impact opens a time-gate and transports him back to World War II.

During a present day marine salvage operation, the crew picks up a digital signal from a modern Navy transponder. They find the signal is coming from a sunken submarine underneath 60 years of sand and marine growth.

Trapped in 1943, George is picked up by an American sub and treated as a German spy. To protect his historical timeline, he refuses to give advanced information about the war. Only when faced with an execution, he divulges the Allies have captured enigma machines.

While excavating the wreck, the crew accidentally release a torpedo headed to the surface on a direct course with their research ship. The diver still inside the sunken American submarine finds the ship’s log only the entries are all in German.

Treated as part of the crew, George builds suspicions that his fellow Americans onboard the sub may not be who they claim. One night while standing on the deck with the rest of the crew, he sees a satellite travel across the clear star filled sky.
He realizes, he has changed his historical timeline.

If you would like to read the first three chapters, send me an email at: timepirate64@gmail.com

Monday, January 26, 2009

You Should Pick Me For A Client

So you’re an agent and thinking, “Why should I pick this guy as a client?”


To start, I have not only written several manuscripts that are polished and ready to publish; I have a very comprehensive marketing plan to go along with them. I fully comprehend the need to go out and sell the book. At no point does my marketing plan include selling to relatives and co-workers. It focuses on my target demographic markets where I can get the most interest and traffic towards my book with the means available to me.


I have a day job. What does that mean? It means, I have an income to pay my bills, put food on the table and do my part to keep the beer industry healthy. Therefore, any royalties or advances I receive will go back into advertising and promoting the book.


Why would I do that? This is what you need to do to build a business. This is a business and the book is the product. Get your ad in front of one million people and you may get ten thousand (1%) to take an interest in your book. From that ten thousand, you will at best get one hundred to make the purchase. If you target your ads to your specific demographic, those numbers should change from one percent to ten percent. So, to sell thirty thousand copies, I will have to place ads in front of three million people in my target market. Outside of my target market, that ad will have to be viewed by three hundred million people which can only be done on a global scale. I believe my books are good but there is little chance of them being translated into Xhosa (African Click Language).


Another reason: I will not call you everyday. I have a life and understand you have other clients and a need to sell their books. You also most likely have a life filled with parties on yachts and super models wanting to make you dinner. The last thing you need is a phone call from me right as Sting is asking your opinion on his newest release.


I don’t have just one story I want to tell. For the foreseeable future, I can write two to three books per year. Not that I would do that, I’m just saying writer’s block is not an issue with me. Most of my books can be made into series. So if they are selling, I can make more.


I also make really good chocolate chip cookies.

Sunday, January 25, 2009