Sunday, October 31, 2010

More reviews for FLOATING GOLD


Below are brief excerpts taken from some additional reviews for FLOATING GOLD. Previous reviews posted on 29 June.

I read FLOATING GOLD in a couple of sessions and my attention was clearly caught by the storyline and the detailed description of life aboard Elusive. Most engaging of all was the search for the treasure which had me rapt.
Margaret Muir has woven a tale worthy of a Hornblower epic.
John Livermore – Maritime Times of Tasmania

Muir crafts a spellbinding nautical tale that captures the reader’s attention and never releases it until the final page is turned. Her research and attention to detail are impeccable and her experience as a mariner enhances the adventure. FLOATING GOLD whisks readers back to the heyday of the British navy and readers find themselves living the life of a sailor and witnessing the awesome beauty and dangers of Deception Island and sailing the seas on a wooden ship in days of yore.
Cindy Vallar – Ed. Pirates and Privateers (www.cindyvallar.com/pirates.html)

There can be no doubting the calibre of the author’s writing. I found the book hard to put down and was kept interested throughout. There is a richness and sharpness to the prose that made FLOATING GOLD so enjoyable. I would certainly not hesitate in recommending it.
John Harding – www.thebookbag.co.uk

As sea-stories go, FLOATING GOLD ticks all the boxes. Ms Muir is adept at characterization, plotting and descriptions as well as showing that she knows one end of a ship from another. We are promised on the flyleaf “unknown dangers and unspeakable horrors” and I can promise some of these. Highly recommended and I do hope the first in a new series.
Rachel A Hyde – www.myshelf.com

FLOATING GOLD is an intriguing mystery featuring murder, spies and skulduggery. The plotting and pace are well maintained throughout and the penultimate chapter is page-turning historical fiction at its best. A book to be enjoyed by anyone who likes historical mysteries or cracking adventure yards about ships and the sea.
Marina Maxwell – Historical Novel Society

FLOATING GOLD - a well-crafted story full of interesting places with carefully and accurately detailed descriptions of now nearly-lost seamanship skills: I recommend this book to both the casual reader of a good story and to readers with an interest in sailing ships and seamanship.
Rob Thomas – T’gallant Lookout, Tasmania

The way that the author captured the language of the times, the mannerisms of the characters and sea terms was remarkable…giving the reader a real sense of what it was like during those years. An excellent novel. A great read, expertly crafted.
David Laing – Australian author

FLOATING GOLD is a historical seafaring adventure/mystery which will be a special treat for those who have salt in their veins, or those who enjoy a quest for an unusual treasure at a time when it was valued far beyond anyone’s dreams.
Rose Frankcombe - Stylus Magazine (ed)

I read FLOATING GOLD and found it to be an enthralling read which kept me wondering what the ‘treasure’ would be.
Bob Petrass – Maritime Times of Tasmania (editor)

Finally: Jon Stephenson – geologist, vulcanologist, member of the Fuchs/Hilary Antarctic expedition in 1958 wrote: ‘I enjoyed the story immensely and kept saying to myself, “this must be Deception Island”’. Jon was correct though the island was never identified by name in the story.
Jon Stephenson – Antarctic explorer and author – CREVASSE ROULETTE (2009)


‘Hundreds of billowing sails, resembling patches of morning cloud, were suddenly seen scudding around the rim of the world while, in the east, great golden spokes fanned across the sky like the helm of an ethereal ship rising from the seabed.’

FLOATING GOLD by Margaret Muir – published by Robert Hale Ltd (2010)
To order a copy WORLD WIDE POSTAGE FREE go to The Book Depository
Sunrise image from Google free images

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

New Chuck Tyrell Black Horse Western



The latest Chuck Tyrell novel, Hell Fire in Paradise, hits the stands in November. If anything, it shows the pure pluck of the pioneer woman. When I was a youngster, we often sat on Aunt Sarah Mills's front porch and listened to her tell of the days back then. When she was eight, Geronimo, according to her, appeared at her home in Forestdale, Arizona, with four horses in tow. He wanted to trade the horses to Aunt Sarah's father for her.

The town of Ponderosa, just a few miles from Paradise Valley, is modeled on the real life town of McNary, which was home to Southwest Forest Industries' largest sawmill for several decades.


The sawmill at McNary/Ponderosa

The heroine of my novel, Laurel Baker, loses her sons and her husband on the same day. Then a well-dressed man shows up wanting to buy her ranch in Paradise Valley. Laurel won't sell, and things go from bad to worse. But neighbors watch over neighbors, and good people band together.

I promise. Hell Fire in Paradise is a good read.



Paradise Valley looked like this.



The cover of Hell Fire in Paradise looks like this. Available from Hale or most online booksellers such as Amazon and the Book Depository.

Friday, October 15, 2010

NORTH SLOPE


I promised to keep those of you who were interested updated on my foray into self publishing and e-books having parted company with Hale. My first paperback is now available on-line at Amazon. I am with a group of writers who have teamed up to promote each others novels. The group is registered as Acclaimed Book Ltd., and can be seen on www.acclaimedbooks.com. Because my novel is set in Alaska in 1968, based on the discovery of oil in that country (State), I have begun my promotion campaign there. To date I have arranged for advertising in the Juneau Empire for a seven day run prior to Christmas. A book reviewer has agreed to read the book and a book shop has kindly agreed too, hopefully the shop will buy a few copies. I'm working on the old adage about big oak trees from little acorns grow, and hope that my efforts in Alaska will drive up sales in that country and light the fires for me. I will continue to harass bookshops over there as well as other States in USA. I have also begun a smaller campaign in UK. You can see more about my book, which was first published in 1980, but never went into paperback, on my website: www.michaeljparker.com Wish me luck!

Monday, October 11, 2010

KEITH SOUTER JOINS THE LIST

Hi there,

A quick self-introduction. I am a part time doctor, medical journalist and novelist in three genres. Since 2003 I have written twelve books for Robert Hale (one non-fiction, entitled  DOCTOR'S LATIN) and eleven novels.



I write westerns under the name of Clay More, crime novels as Keith Moray and historical crime as Keith Souter.



My forthcoming crime novel, due out in december 2010 is called FLOTSAM and JETSAM. It is the fourth in the Inspector Torquil McKinnon series set on the Outer hebridean island of West Uist.

Keith Souter