Tag: Fishing

Thursday – A Little Personal – Serang – A New Book by C.S. Boyack

~ John W. Howell ~ 98 Comments
“I see we have Lisa Burton in the house.”
“Yes, kids. So you have the day off.”
Craig and Lisa
Craig’s Bust and Lisa

I am very pleased to again welcome Lisa Burton who as you know is C.S.Boyack’s Personal Assistant. She is also the host of Lisa Burton Radio on most Thursdays. Here is a link to the last show. Lisa is here to talk about C.S. Boyack’s latest book

So, Welcome to Fiction Favorites, Lisa.

Hi, John. Always a pleasure to visit you during these book tours. Craig has a new book out, and this one ties into the Lanternfish trilogy. But it isn’t part of the trilogy, if that makes sense.

Let me try again. Serang was a popular character in Voyage of the Lanternfish. Her origin is pretty amazing, and Craig decided to turn that into a book. It supports the Lanternfish trilogy, but isn’t part of the trilogy. It also helps quell that urge for more Lanternfish while he finishes writing the remaining tales.

Serang’s father was a fisherman, and he died when she was very young. Her mother abandoned her at a monastery, and she was raised by monks. She learned things she never would have learned otherwise, like reading, writing, and martial arts. She also adopted a lifestyle of service to others and sharing what she has.

Fathers are kind of a driving force behind Voyage of the Lanternfish. James became who he is, because of his father’s actions. Dan also had some father issues he dealt with, and even Mal dealt with some of this from the father’s point of view.

Serang never let go of her father, either. Her memories are limited to the idea that he was a fisherman. She and her master were helping a village, because the Emperor took nearly everything they have for his war. When she stumbled across some old fishing crocks, she used one to reconnect with her father – in a way. The crocks involve a kind of hand fishing, and you can see how they work in my poster.

The Goonch catfish is a real creature living in the waters of Asia. It’s amazing how real creatures were as good as fantasy creatures in this story. Nature is strange and wonderful, and Craig used them where he could. Some of them were enhanced for the fantasy elements of the story, and others are complete fantasy. In the case of the Goonch, he remained as he is in nature.

I thought the scene with Serang and the Goonch was wonderful. I insisted that one of our promotional posters reflect that scene. She wasn’t exactly weepy, but when she became an actual fisherman it was an important event in her life.

I hope your fans enjoy this poster, and feel free to add it to Pinterest or use it for computer backgrounds. And remember, this robot girl is an animal lover, so I practice catch and release.

Thank you, Lisa. This sounds like an excellent read and I certainly enjoyed having you over today. Lucy and Twiggy enjoyed your visit as well and were grateful for the day off.

***

Blurb:

Monastic life is all about duty, service, harmony. For Serang, a young girl abandoned at the temple by her mother after the death of her father, that life becomes all she knows. The monks give her purpose, and become her new family.

When political upheaval causes chaos throughout the land, Serang again loses everything and everyone she loves. Alone, she struggles to survive. She convinces a wandering monk to take her under his wing and complete her training. Thus begins her adventures through strange lands and her trials to become a confident, capable, independent adult.

This is a coming of age story set in a fantasy world. It’s filled with monsters and martial arts, difficulties, and dangers. The serious situations preclude the story from the levity of its predecessor, Voyage of the Lanternfish, but it provides a compelling look at the origin of one of the saga’s most fascinating characters.

Purchase Link http://mybook.to/Serang

Social Media:

Blog My Novels  Twitter Goodreads Facebook Pinterest BookBub

 

Views of the Neighborhood

~ John W. Howell ~ 68 Comments

South Jetty

Our local paper The Port Aransas South Jetty summed up the amount of alcohol consumed on the island last year. To quote “Drinkers at bars and restaurants in Port Aransas downed $11.4 million worth of adult beverages during the past year. According to the Texas State Comptroller’s Office, that figure is up 1 percent from the $11.3 million during the same period the previous year.” If we didn’t have help from the tourists it would mean every man, woman and child would have consumed $2,850 worth of adult beverages, and that does not include takeout. (Of course, my analysis is flawed)

So here’s the deal. Our island has been described as a”Drinking village with a fishing problem.” It is no wonder then that the numbers are increasing. The population has a job to do to keep the reputation alive.

Today I want to give you a little flavor of the salty side of Port Aransas. There is no better way than to show you some of the boats moored in the marina.

Here are two boats used for fishing excursions in the Gulf

Port Aransas

This photo shows a couple of boats that are privately owned and docked outside the owner’s condo. The one on the right is clearly a fishing boat. The one on the left is a large catamaran. Pretty convenient I’d say.

Port Aransas

here is a boat that could be a condo unto itself, but it too is parked outside the owner’s condo.

Port Aransas

Now for a couple of shots of the boats that you see the most of here. There are some fishing boats and sailboats scattered together.

Port Aransas

This shot shows more fishing than sail.

Port Aransas

There are boats here that are just for fun.

Port Aransas

Yes, that is a pirate ship. Next to it is a boat used for Dolphin tours. The fun part comes when the dolphin tour boat gets attacked by the pirate ship. They tell me the kids get pretty excited.

I hope you enjoyed the brief tour of the marina.