The Curse of Captain LaFoote: A Caribbean Chronicles Novel Awash in Buried Treasure, Pirates and Dead Men's Bones

If you drowned and the sea spit you out, thrusting you back into an age of pirates, buried treasure and beauty beyond belief... would you stay?

RICKY BRADSHAW has never sailed the Caribbean Sea, searched for buried treasure or battled pirates on the deck of a Spanish Galleon. He's never fallen through the floor of Davy Jones' locker, befriended a witch doctor or watched an old fisherman morph into a porpoise. All Ricky knows is his lonely life with his widowed mom in a tiny apartment overlooking a marina on the Chesapeake Bay.

But all that changes on a snowy Christmas Eve when Ricky's apartment building burns down and he falls into the chilly waters while trying to save BARNACLE, a mangy mutt with shrimp breath. Suddenly Ricky finds himself confronted by his neighbor, a young woman in a pink bathrobe who jumped to her death in order to escape the flames. She offers him a choice: go with her to a wonderful afterlife where snowflakes taste like candy or return to the dreary old world he knows. Ricky picks the past and awakes on a raft in the middle of the sea where there is surprising beauty on every island, danger around every corner and great honor and glory ahead of him... if only Ricky can summon the courage to survive the curse of Captain LaFoote.

Major Locations

• Shores of the Chesapeake Bay
• Caribbean Sea
• Dragon Island

The perfect book for every Tween or Young Adult who enjoys adventure, humor and romance featuring colorful characters. Contact the author for "pirate" talks!

Ship's Crew
RICKY BRADSHAW, fifteen-year-old high school freshman
REBECCA - daughter of the Governor of Port Charles.
CAPTAIN LAFOOTE, murderous captain of the Black Avenger
DOC, wise sage
SQUIRE, Rebecca's uncle and a slave trader
BARNACLE, stray dog suffering from shrimp breath
TURNBULL, "Turtle Bill," first mate Ship's Crew

ARE YOU THE NEXT CARIBBEAN CHRONICLES PIRATE?
We're lookin' fer crew to sail aboard the Black Avenger in our next novel, Dead Calm, Bone Dry. No experience required. Join our crew for a chance to win prizes AND (maybe) be a lead character (or a dead one) in our next book. We'll teach ya how ter talk like a pirate, sail like a crusty seaman and steal from the devil. For a list of available positons visit the Captain LaFoote web site.

Book Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6I6GdAAG0c

The Story Behind This Book

Compelling Alternative for the Common Video Game Fascination New from Port Yonder Press: an adventure on the high seas for tween readers. The Curse of Captain LaFoote by Raleigh North Carolina Native Eddie Jones, is the first in a new book series, The Caribbean Chronicles, featuring high school student Ricky Bradshaw. Ricky lives with his widowed mother on Chesapeake Bay, dreaming of Spanish treasure and pirates. His life changes when he watches his apartment burn on Christmas Eve and wakes up afloat on the ocean. "I love reading,” Jones says, “but I've noticed more and more boys are drawn not to books, but to video games, movies and television." With a 30% increase in video and on-line gaming by teens and preteens according to KidSay Marketing Group, it’s no wonder there’s concern. Jones says, "I'm a sailor at heart and thief and a liar when honest work proves unprofitable. I've always been fascinated by the stories of boys who were snatched away from London and Bristol and forced to serve before the mast. Seems to me life at sea was more fun than peeling potatoes. And more dangerous." What would make a kid choose a book instead of a game? "My goal is to give boys a compelling story they can fall into,” Jones explains. “I want to inspire boys to dream of what might have been and could be. I want them to fall in love with their imagination and pretend, play, and create in their heads: not just absorb what's shoved at them from the flickering screen. "The truth is, The Curse of Captain LaFoote is a love story, but all good books are, I think. I believe all males feel the call to save the girl and be saved from ourselves by her. I've loved lots of girls and a few women and for me the greatest adventure is exploring the female soul. It is both dangerous and intoxicating at once. Their beauty draws us to the edge and we stand vulnerable, almost wishing she'll push us off so we can see if we'll fly. That's the power of woman. So it's the quest of a boy to find his soul mate and his manhood. Can he fight and win? Can he die for something greater than myself? Is he brave enough? These are the questions the character asks as he searches for buried treasure and beauty." Sign up to be a pirate or grab another onboard job at CaptainLaFoot.com. Be a ship mate or powder monkey, mermaid or rigger. Those who sign on as crew and help spread the news about the book will have a chance to be included as characters in the next book in the series, Bone Dry, Dead Calm. For each book sold Port Yonder Press will donate half a sandy dollar to the Epilepsy Foundation Heroes Among Us program in honor of Ricky Bradshaw, the hero of the book, who suffers from epilepsy. Watch for upcoming short videos of book scenes. The author will begin a lecture tour on the hazards of pirating and offer treasure hunts beginning DATE summer of 2011. ### For more information, contact: Eddie Jones 2333 Barton Oaks Drive Raleigh, NC 27614 eddie@eddiejones.org Chila Woychik Port Yonder Press 6332 33rd Avenue Drive Shellsburg, IA 52332 319-436-3015 contact@portyonderpress About the book: If you drowned and the sea spit you out, thrusting you back into an age of pirates, buried treasure and beauty beyond belief… would you stay? RICKY BRADSHAW has never sailed the Caribbean Sea, searched for buried treasure or battled pirates on the deck of a Spanish Galleon. He’s never fallen through the floor of Davy Jones’ locker, befriended a witch doctor or watched an old fisherman morph into a porpoise. All Ricky knows is his lonely life with his widowed mom in a tiny apartment overlooking a marina on the Chesapeake Bay. But all that changes on a snowy Christmas Eve when Ricky’s apartment building burns down and he falls into the chilly waters while trying to save BARNACLE, a mangy mutt with shrimp breath. Suddenly Ricky finds himself confronted by his neighbor, a young woman in a pink bathrobe who jumped to her death in order to escape the flames. She offers him a choice: go with her to a wonderful afterlife where snowflakes taste like candy or return to the dreary old world he knows. Ricky picks the past and awakes on a raft in the middle of the sea where there is surprising beauty on every island, danger around every corner and great honor and glory ahead of him… if only Ricky can summon the courage to survive the curse of Captain LaFoote. The Caribbean Chronicles Series Young Adult / Tween novel, available in electronic and print form The perfect book for every Tween or Young Adult who enjoys adventure, humor and romance featuring colorful characters. Book One– The Curse of Captain LaFoote Ebook ISBN - 978-1-935600-05-3 (Released Nov 2010) Print ISBN - 978-1-935600-04-6 (To Release, February 14, 2011) Book Two– Dead Calm, Bone Dry Book Three– Shipwreck Reef

Praise and Reviews

“Eddie Jones has 15-year-old angst down to a science with his warm and witty style of writing. But he also knows how to soar above high school and hormones to explore magical new worlds, turning a curse into a heat-warming, hilarious celebration.” – James Watkins, award-winning author for teens. www.jameswatkins.com

“Teaser Chapters leave you wanting more! Quite a beginning for the troubled teenage kid. This is a must buy!”

“Jones intertwines the foundation of good characters into a cleverly written storyline. Middle school kids will drop quickly into the life of Ricky Bradshaw and relate to the situations and antics he’s thrown into.”

“I laughed and sped my way through this book. Great characters and a wacky adventure with a wonderfully dry sense of humor.”

“The Curse of Captain LaFoote by Eddie Jones is a rollicking adventure tale. When ninth grader Ricky Bradshaw tries to rescues a pizza loving dog, his world is turned upside down after his own watery rescue. Readers will want to read every page to find out what happens next in this novel filled with humor, mystery and the sea.” – Doris Fisher, children’s author of One Odd Day, My Even Day, and My Half Day.

“This imaginative, Caribbean adventure and colorful characters will hook readers and take them for a tremendous ride! Eddie laced courage, bravery and a tad of romance together for a fresh and fun read!” – Jill Roman Lord, author of: If Jesus Lived Inside My Heart, If Jesus Came to Visit Me, and When God Made the Animals.

“Fresh funny fantasy…a book young readers are sure to enjoy.” Max Elliot Anderson, author of Newspaper Caper, Terror at Wolf Lake, North Woods Poachers, Mountain Cabin Mystery, Big-Rig Rustlers, and Secret of Abbott’s Cave.

Author Interviews

• Wake Weekly

Related Links

• Eddie's web site
• Eddie's Blog
• Eddie's Writer's Coaching site
• Christian Devotions