Blaggard's Moon by George Bryan Polivka

Coming in March 2009 from Harvest House is Legend of the Firefish author George Bryan Polivka's next novel. He continues his tradition of swashbuckling action in this next tale.

Summary:

From the author of highly praised Trophy Chase Trilogy comes this exciting swashbuckling tale of a pirate sentenced to die for the crime of mutiny.

As he awaits his fate, this pirate (none other than the delightful Smith Delaney from the Trophy Chase Trilogy) ponders his life and the events that have brought him to this fate.

In the process of remembering, and in grappling with mercy and justice as they have been played out in his life, a tale is spun, a tale of true hearts wronged, noble love gone awry, dark deeds done for the sake of gold, and sacrifices made for love. In the end, our pirate will come face–to–face with himself, with his own death, and with a God who promises grace where none is deserved.

Readers of Christian fantasy will once again be swept away by Bryan Polivka’s compelling storytelling abilities. As Publisher’s Weekly said of the author’s first book, “readers will be flipping pages eagerly.”

Read our review of The Legend of the Firefish here.
Read our review of The Hand that Bears the Sword here.
Read our review of The Battle for Vast Dominion here.

Talk Like A Pirate Contest

Most pirates routinely plunder and pillage and all that nasty stuff, and have earned the reputation of being an overall mean and grumpy lot with bad teeth. However, pirates are people, too!

Harvest House is pleased to announce the Talk Like A Pirate Contest—Reach Out to a Pirate and Win! Winners will receive copies of The Trophy Chase Trilogy by George Bryan Polivka, and other pirate-related books! Arrgghh! *The rules are simple me hearties! Write a short essay/message (200 words or less) on how you would positively impact a pirate’s life through one or more of the following actions:

a) Friendship/Fellowship (invite a pirate to an activity, outing, concert, church)
b) Prayer
c) Persuasion (as in persuading them to consider another line of work altogether!)

Arrgghh! All you have to do is write up yer message, and submit it between August 20 and Sept. 17 to: talklikeapiratecontest@harvesthousepublishers.com. Make sure to include yer email address and a good phone number (for verification and contact purposes only). Savvy?! We’ll make ye walk the plank if ye submit more than one entry, so if ye wants to avoid an untimely visit to Davey Jones’ Locker, pay attention ye land lubbers and follow the orders o’ yer fearless captain!

To effectively reach a pirate, you need to speak their language. So, your essay must be written in Pirate-speak! (hint: humor is good!) You can even choose a character from George Bryan Polivka’s Trophy Chase Trilogy to write about, or make someone up! Characters include: Fishbait McGee, Skewer Uttley, Conch Imbry, and/or Belisar the Whale—all notorious pirate captains of Nearing Vast (for ideas on pirate-speak, look up National Talk Like A Pirate Day, which is September 19).

Three winners will be selected, with the three winning essays to be posted on author George Bryan Polivka’s blogsite www.nearingvast.com/capspub on September 19. The winners (chosen by a scurvy band of judges whose honor and character are questionable) will receive a veritable pirate’s treasure chest of plunder, including: The Trophy Chase Trilogy (The Legend of the Firefish and The Hand That Bears the Sword, as well as the third book in the series, **The Battle for Vast Dominion). Other titles include When It's Fourth and Long by Josh Bidwell (punter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arrgghh!), and Captives and Kings by Craig and Janet Parshall.

*Official Rules (NOT just guidelines):
One entry per contestant. Three winning essays will be chosen by a panel of judges based on humor, level of persuasion, and overall creative writing skills. The three winning essays will be posted on author George Bryan Polivka’s blogsite on Sept. 19, 2007. No purchase, entry fee, donation or any other type of payment necessary. Must be a resident of the lower 48 Continental United States to enter (residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada or elsewhere not eligible). Employees and/or family members of Harvest House Publishers not eligible. Must be 14 years or older to enter contest and be able to provide proof of age. Retail value of winning entry: $67.95. **(The Battle for Vast Dominion by George Bryan Polivka releases in January, 2008, and will be shipped to the winning contestants at that time).

The Restitution by M.L. Tyndall trailer

New Wayne Thomas Batson title coming in August

Wayne Thomas Batson's next pirate adventure novel, Isle of Swords, is coming in August from Thomas Nelson. A brief summary:

A young lad awakens on an island, alone and brutally injured, with no memory of his past . . . Captain Declan Ross searches for riches that will free him and his headstrong daughter, Anne, from the piracy business forever . . . Bartholomew Thorne, an infamously ruthless pirate, seeks to destroy Ross and any who stand in his way of the legendary treasure hidden by a mysterious order of monks. With these intriguing characters and many more, Wayne Thomas Batson weaves a spell-binding adventure filled with high-seas drama where battles rage, storms brew, a long-dormant volcano awakens, and a sea creature slithers in the deep as pirates race for a cliff-top fortress.

Check out Wayne's blog here for more, including information on his new "Lost Scrolls" editions of the Door Within Trilogy which include extended and deleted chapters, plus more.

Read our interview with Wayne here.

Read our review of Book #1 The Door Within here,
Read our review of Book #2 The Rise of the Wyrm Lord here
Book our review of #3 The Final Storm here.