Welcome to my blog, a discussion of ships, writing, humor, and other things that interest me, and I hope, you. I sincerely appreciate your interest and thank you for stopping by.

The Book Guys were kind enough to invite me on their popular podcast this week.  Join us as we discuss audiobooks and books in general.

I’m pleased to announce that my terrifically talented translator, Pilar García Servert, has completed Deadly Straits. The ebook is now available under the title Estrecho Mortal.

Any help is appreciated. The book is available from the following sites:

Estrecho Mortal on Amazon US
Estrecho Mortal on Amazon UK
Estrecho Mortal on Amazon Spain
Estrecho Mortal on Barnes & Noble
Estrecho Mortal on Kobo

Coming soon (but I’m not sure just when) to Apple iTunes stores worldwide.

My Goodreads giveaway of Deadly Coast is over.  A big thank you to all who entered, and especially those members who added Deadly Coast to their ‘To Be Read’ lists.  Your interest and support is greatly appreciated.

Signed copies of Deadly Coast will go out this week.  Congratulations to:

Lee Scarratt – United Kingdom

Jess Camilleri – Australia

Katelyn Lucio – United States

Well, ‘tis the season,’ and things are starting to look ‘Christmassy’ in the McDermott house. The tree is up and decorations abound, and as usual, I haven’t even begun to do my Christmas shopping. I suppose I’d best tear myself away from working on book three and get to that.

This has been a great year, all tolled, and it closes with a significant event (well, significant to me, anyway).  Two days ago, the audiobook edition of Deadly Straits was released by Audible.com, an Amazon subsidiary.

This audio version was narrated by the super-talented Todd Haberkorn, and I couldn’t be more proud of the finished product. Given the large cast of characters of varied nationalities, genders, and accents, Deadly Straits presented a daunting challenge to any narrator, but Todd nailed it. Whether the character speaking is Dugan, Gillian, or Borgdanov, Todd transports you, and really puts you in the moment. I’m extremely pleased with this audio version of Deadly Straits, and I think the audiophiles among you will enjoy it as well. FYI, after listening to Deadly Straits, I immediately commissioned Todd to do an audio version of Deadly Coast, with a delivery expected early next year.

You can access the audiobook version of Deadly Straits and listen to a sample here –> Deadly Straits on Audible.com

Audible.com is offering this audiobook version Deadly Straits at special introductory pricing of $7.49, a 70% discount from the regular price of $24.95. (And by the way folks, unlike the pricing on my ebooks, I have absolutely no control over audiobook pricing. By contract, Audible.com sets the price.)

And speaking of Audible.com, it’s a great source of audiobooks at tremendous savings. The best part is that it offers a ‘no questions asked’ exchange guarantee. If you download an audiobook and don’t like it for any reason, you can exchange it free of charge. Give it a try if you’re so inclined. You’ve really nothing to lose and a world of great listening awaits.

There’s long been a drumbeat in the popular media asking why someone wasn’t doing something about the problem of piracy.  Now that some people ARE starting to do something, there seems to be the inevitable second guessing. “But what if they’re not pirates, but innocent fishermen?”

Here’s a clue. If they’re speeding toward your ship armed to the teeth, they’re probably pirates. If they’re running away, they’re likely fishermen.

Problem solved.

Here’s an interesting recent video from CBS News Nightline on the subject.