Tales of Treasure
By HF Parkhurst
BLURB:
A four hundred year quest for a mysterious lost treasure; bloodthirsty Pirates; plundering Conquistadors; noble Indians; and a sinister and secret religious Order are the tantalizing ingredients stirred together in the turbulent, steamy, and exotic Spanish Main, of yesterday and today.
To the rhythmic background of classic R&B soul music, Harry Carlton and his new love Helen are unexpectedly thrust into a violent encounter with ruthless and malevolent forces and a rogue’s gallery of dastardly villains. These two, near their fifties, are not kindly white-haired grandparents ready to sit sedately in rocking chairs. Instead, they confront danger with bravery, and battle dishonesty and injustice with valor. They discover a priceless, lost artifact treasure of the ancient Indians of South and Central America. In the struggle to return the treasure to its rightful owners, they must outwit the assortment of murderous villains, and stay alive.
EXCERPT 1
September 1597
Impatient shouts from angry Spanish overseers mixed with the sharp crack of their whips. Snake-like lines of filthy, emaciated, near naked Indian slaves, almost unrecognizable as men, staggered across bowed gangways to the six ships moored at the stone quays. Their whip-scarred backs bent as they struggled under heavy barrels and chests. Sweat, tinted red with blood, dripped from the Indians as they labored by the flicker of torchlight into the growing darkness of the humid, tropical evening. Below decks of the Santa Maria de Castile, the galleon flagship of the six-ship flota, two men met in the closed confines of a fetid, airless cabin.
“Vicealmirante Don Francisco, the loading shall be completed by midnight. The ships will be ready to sail with the morning tide.”
“Excellente, Alonso,” Don Francisco replied. “Are those two insufferable priests satisfied with the storage of their cargo?” Seated comfortably behind a cluttered, ornately carved, dark oak table, the aristocratic Don Francisco sipped a glass of red wine while the handsome, broad-shouldered Felipe Alonso, Capitan of the Santa Maria, stood. Not of noble lineage, Felipe suffered the indignities of superiors like the Vicealmirante, in order to command a fighting galleon.
“Si, Vicealmirante. Padre Xavier and Padre Tomas will bless our journey and the ships when we sail.”
“They do not sail with us?”
“Padre Xavier informed me he and his fellow priests will remain. Their sacred work of converting the heathen natives to the one true faith is not completed.”
AUTHOR INFORMATION:
H.F. earned double finalist honors in 2011 Florida Writers Association Royal Palm Literary Awards. Born and raised in the northeastern United States, he’s lived in the south, southwest, and mid-west of the US, as well as Asia, Australia, and Europe. A student of traditional Chinese martial arts for the last sixteen years, he practices daily. After forty years as a successful, international architectural interior designer of offices and hotels, he sought a new creative outlet.
In a turbulent time of global conflict, he seeks to be an ardent voice of reason speaking against illogic and the darkness of injustice, violence, and hatred pursued by the irrational and fanatic zealot faithful, worldwide.
An Objectivist, his novels reflect his commitment to logical thinking and the right of free people to rationally choose a destiny in their own best self-interests. He enjoys spinning outrageous tales based on his fertile imagination and real life experiences. Married, he lives with his wife in Florida. Currently projects are two novel series: an Epic Fantasy and an Action/Adventure. Also in the works are sci-fi novels and short stories.
Website: http://www.hfparkhurst.com
Buy link: http://www.amazon.com/dpB00MZDS60Q
The author will be awarding a grand prize of a $50 BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour and a second winner $25 BN GC.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for the excerpt. I love discovering new authors!! Happy Holidays!!!
Love this cover.
Thanks for hosting. See my website for free signature plate and other novels. Enjoy reading
Sounds fantastic! I really enjoyed the excerpt.. thanks for sharing 🙂
Love finding new to me authors!
I like the premise, sounds exciting.
What a fascinating excerpt. After reading the blog, I want to read more and more.
Thanks for hosting!