Books Brain

Debut Author and Geophysicist Embarks on Voyage to Discover Sunken Treasure and Independence

In his thrilling new novel Roof of Hell (published by Trafford Publishing), author Roger Alidade embarks on a life-threatening treasure hunt in the isolation of the Bering Sea and Pacific Ocean as two individuals search for answers to their personal questions of life path and history.

When a small jade Buddha figurine snagged by a Dutch Harbor fishing trawler in the remote Aleutian Islands surfaces in public, its existence sets off a treasure hunt for Imperial Japanese wealth looted after WWII, but a ticking time bomb, the mighty volcano Mt Shishaldin rumbles and spews gray ash high into the sky, threatening all who dare enter her shadow.

In the middle of this race appears Eric, a successful corporate geophysicist and salvage expert for a multinational conglomerate who has just walked away from the perfect corporate life when the burning desire to get back in the field and escape the ever-entombing office overcame him. Fortunately, he has agreed to help a mysterious Japanese-American lawyer from NYC named Naomi, who is also at a life crossroads, on her quest to recover her heritage – a heritage that can only be found in a lost submarine linked to the jade figurine.

As Eric struggles to make sense of the few available bits of information about the location of the Japanese sub, he chides himself for running away from the good life, especially because this adventure may end up killing him. However, he soon becomes resolved to enter the fight when the highest tech salvage ship in existence, the Mediterranean, a ship often commissioned by his old company, shows up in the harbor. With the help of the aging captain of the creaking Arctic Sun and his illusionary side kick, Frankie, Eric and Naomi head into the treacherous dark waters and hidden shoals around the smoldering Mt. Shishaldin. Of course, their uncertainty about who they really are becomes magnified by the disappointing results as they search in vain.

Low on fuel, daring to get even closer to the deadly volcano, can the crew of the Arctic Sun find this mysterious treasure? Or will it continue to elude explorers for years to come? Will Eric and Naomi survive if their heavily armed rival ship, the Mediterranean, captures them? And will they escape the arctic waters before the volcano blows and unleashes a tsunami of epic proportions? Find out in the startling conclusion of Alidade’s masterful thriller Roof of Hell, a book that surpasses the archeology and action of Indiana Jones and Clive Cussler’s Dirk Pitt adventures combined.

Alidade had worked for more than 30 years as a geophysicist in energy exploration, covering virtually every continent, sea and ocean around the world. In his free time, he enjoys photography, studying ancient civilizations, and combining the two into his travels. Roof of Hell is Alidade’s first official fiction publication.

Trafford Publishing is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.trafford.com.

In the vein of Touching the Void and Between a Rock and a Hard Place, NOT WITHOUT HOPE (William Morrow; One Day Laydown March 2, 2010; Hardcover; $25.99; 246 pages; ISBN: 978-0-06-199399-2) by Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman is the true story of the headline-making tragedy that took the lives of three men (two of them promising NFL players) – a tale of survival and determination, friendship and loss, love and hope against unfathomable odds – told from the remarkable young man who alone survived.

What began as a relaxing fishing party became a harrowing tale of death and survival against almost impossible odds. On Saturday February 28, 2009, 24-year-old personal trainer, Nick Schuyler and three football friends – Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, 26, Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith, 29, and Will Bleakley, 25, a teammate from the University of South Florida – sailed away from Tampa Bay for a day of fun in the Gulf of Mexico.

But 35 miles off the coast of Florida, their 21-foot boat flipped, hurling the four athletes into the rough water. For more than 12 hours, the foursome gripped the boat as the temperature dropped to 60 degrees and the waves climbed to more than 10 feet. Donning the life jackets Bleakley bravely retrieved from inside the overturned craft, the friends passed the time swapping stories of loved ones and memories from the gridiron. Yet to Schuyler’s horror, he watched as one by one, Marquis then Corey, and finally his best friend Will succumbed to hypothermia brought on by the choppy seas and cold temperatures. As the hours lengthened, Schuyler held two of the men in his arms as they passed, powerless to save them, and watched in horror another (delirious from the cruel effects of hypothermia) tear off his life jacket, and dive beneath the icy surface never to be seen again.

Left alone – cold, despondent, in pain, and exhausted – Schuyler remained at sea for more than forty hours (holding on to the sharp propeller, hoping against hope and clinging to the thought that he couldn’t bear to have his mother attend his funeral) before the Coast Guard miraculously rescued him. NOT WITHOUT HOPE is much more than a story of survival. It is an inspiring story of friendship, resolve, and courage.

Nick Schuyler’s ordeal made national headlines and the book’s publication will coincide with the anniversary of the tragedy. Since the tragedy, Schuyler has formed the Nick Schuyler Foundation, which supports a number of charitable causes, including the U.S. Coast Guard, which helped save his life.

Nick Schuyler lives in Tampa, Florida, where he is still a personal trainer.

Jere Longman is a sportswriter for the New York Times, whose previous books include the New York Times bestseller Among the Heroes: United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back; The Girls of Summer: The U.S. Women’s Soccer Team and How It Changed the World; If Football’s a Religion, Why Don’t We Have a Prayer?: Philadelphia, Its Faithful, and the Eternal Quest for Sports Salvation; and The Hurricanes: One High School Team’s Homecoming after Katrina.

SOURCE William Morrow/HarperCollinsPublishers

Historian Details Centuries of History on His Search for the Meaning of the Holy Grail in New Book

In his new nonfiction, “Finding the Holy Grail” debut author Sean Mac Aodhagain covers countless centuries of history surrounding the legend of the infamous Holy Grail and its major influences on the people of today’s world.

Open to the first page and embark on a voyage on your own quest of discovery. Glimpse the mythical lives of some of the most renowned individuals who have helped weave the fabric of our cultural collective and ideas about heroes, salvation and even faith. To feel the symbolic, cultural and religious power of this divine relic and quickly become intoxicated with its historical relevance, one needs only read Mac Aodhagain’s introduction, where he states:

Throughout all the quests, the searching, surmising, and guessing
that has gone on since Jesus at the last supper surrounded by the
apostles took the chalice … in his hands and said, ‘This is my
blood, the blood of the new covenant, which will be shed for all men
so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.’ The same cup
that caught the stream of blood and water that ran from the side of
Jesus on the cross and from then on became just a shadow, an icon of
the death of Christ and the saving of the world. It was carried in
safe keeping to all corners of the world to proclaim and to imitate
the last supper so that the entire world would know and revere its
power of salvation until the end of time.
Here’s your opportunity to realize how the myths, the magic, and the strength of previous generations, evolving from the Romans to Medieval church to major motion pictures, have undoubtedly shaped all modern people, in “Finding the Holy Grail,” a journey of the mind, spirit and of self-discovery. The unending search for the cup of cups continues even today, and as such, Mac Aodhagain’s book will continue to awaken the minds of modern knights for centuries more.

The author writes under the name of Sean Mac Aodhagain, the Irish translation of his name, which means “John Son of Fire,” the fire in this case being his writing. In addition to “Finding the Holy Grail,” his first book, Mac Aodhagain has eight books of poetry ready for publication, covering topics including Celtic poetry, life experiences, wit, humor, love and even lost love. He also has been working on a collection of short stories that he plans on publishing in the near future. Aodhagain has been crafting his poetry and prose since he was only 9 years old, and after 40 years of studying the Irish and European history of the Celtic people (eight years of which was an in-depth study of Celtic Irish history), he is finally able to share his knowledge with the world in his amazing book, “Finding the Holy Grail.”

SOURCE AuthorHouse