The Pirates of Xingu

My newest project, just completed. Let me know what you think.



Set in the late 1800‘s - a century and a half after Blackbeard’s time - The Pirates of Xingu tells the story of two teenage brothers and their quest to rescue their sister from the clutches of a Brazilian pirate.

Their parents, Raymond and Maria de Souza Levalle, were murdered on the tiny atoll of Cayo Perdido by Osvaldo Dos Santos and the crew of the Corcovado. For eighteen long years the man, who Maria had left at the altar in favor of Raymond, had doggedly pursued the couple, single-minded in his vengeful purpose. The Levalles settled on Cayo Perdido and, secure in their isolation, fashioned a paradise for themselves and their children. It wouldn’t last long: in the summer of 1876, the pirate found them. Charles and William discovered the bodies of their parents as the Corcovado sailed away from the island. Through tears of grief they watched the ship disappear over the horizon. On board that terrible ship went the oldest of the Levalle children - their sister Gabriela.

The boys survived, living alone on Cayo Perdido for six years, and on the very day of the sixth anniversary of the attack they received a letter from Brazil and with it the news that the Corcovado had been spotted at the mouth of the Amazon River. It is on that day this story begins.

The Pirates of Xingu chronicles their dangerous journey aboard the Oro Perdido to the Amazon basin and into the realm of the mysterious Xingu Indians.  Along the way they encounter Captain O’Malley, Pierre, Old Four Fingers and Chang, a disgraced Shaolin monk.  Former members of the Corcovado’s crew, they too are searching for Dos Santos for reasons of their own. The race is on.

With the help of Ronaldo Gomes, a young Brazilian from Belem, the brothers finally find and rescue Gabriela - but their task is far from over. Not only is Dos Santo after them, but he is now accompanied by O’Malley, whose motivations remain unclear.  The crew of the Oro Perdido return to Cayo Perdido with only days to prepare for the pirate’s arrival.

Will Dos Santos and his crew finally finish what they started? Will he finally force Gabriela - the daughter of the woman who spurned him those many years ago - to marry him? Will he complete his revenge by murdering her brothers? And what of O’Malley? Why has he joined forces with the man who marooned him in Trinidad?

54,000 words; 240 pages

An Adventure for Young Readers

Delay of Game

My publisher - the referees in these matters - have called a penalty on me, and the penalty is a two month delay for Avery McShane and the Silver Spurs. I could challenge the call, but the ref's are right. They've determined that the cover for the book is 'too young', and I can't argue with them on that assessment. It is. I knew it when I first saw it, but I figured they knew what they were doing at the time so I rolled with it. They tested the cover with retailers, and the result was the penalty call. It's a harsh one, but it's better to get it right from the get-go. Right?

I think were going to eventually end up with something a little more sinister - probably featuring Loca, the demon dog, who plays a big part in the story. Of course, it'll be set in the jungle where everything happens. I'm guessing that it'll be a darker and scarier scene than the last one. It's an adventure story, but what's an adventure without danger and mystery. I can't wait to see the new version, and I will...after I sit out my two month penalty.