Varuna by @PhillipVincen20 is a Christmas and Holiday Book Festival Pick
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  • N. N. Light
    • Dec 12, 2019
    • 4 min read

Varuna by @PhillipVincen20 is a Christmas and Holiday Book Festival Pick


Title: Varuna

Author: Phillip Vincent

Genre: Adventure Thriller


Book Blurb:

Sea Captain Malik Bashir’s family is forced to flee when he is conscripted into the service of a notorious drug lord. He is determined his next mission will be his last.


A chartered diving expedition on Malik’s boat goes bad when a member of the team is seriously injured during a dive. Malik must choose between helping the diver and risking his own life or following orders.


When they are forced to seek refuge on an isolated island they discover something more terrifying than the murderous drug lord is hunting them.


Excerpt:

Malik stood on Varuna’s bridge thumbing through rolls of sea charts in the small cabinet under the transom until he found the one of the area around Komodo National Park. He unfurled the chart on the counter and laid a metal ashtray on one side to hold it. He traced his finger across the route he and Addy plotted a few days earlier, re-familiarizing himself with the water depths, shoals, and reefs in the area. One of Varuna’s ancient mahogany deck planks creaked, and Malik spun around.


“Selamat pagi, Malik.” Anand stood just inside the narrow doorway. He had the uncanny ability to appear, seemingly out of nowhere, a skill he’d perfected during his years leading guerrilla fighters.


“How did you…?” Malik stepped around Anand and looked over the rail. A narrow white panga with a silver outboard engine was tied up alongside Varuna’s starboard beam. Eko stood inside the panga, one foot resting atop a large black trunk.


“You’re late, Anand,” Malik remarked, trying to remain stoic. Am I going deaf? Was I that lost in thought? Then he saw the oars stowed inside the gunwales. Damn! I let the bastard sneak up on me. Malik scanned the area around his yacht to see if anyone else noticed Anand come aboard. “The rest of my crew and passengers will be arriving any moment. I’d hate to have to explain who you are and what you’re doing on my boat.”


“You meant to say our boat, right, Captain? I hope you’ll take better care when my merchandise is on board. If I’d been a pirate, I could’ve slit your throat.”


You are a pirate. “Did you bring the merchandise?”


“Of course I brought it. I’ve got better things to do than pay social calls to fat captains.” Although Malik was stout, he was strong with a solid build. Anand cast insults like seeds to sow his image of superiority. “I don’t suppose you bothered to check out who hired you for this little excursion?”


“I told you, she’s a well-known local dive guide. I asked around. She’s legit.”


“Not her. The guy who hired her. The one you said is making a nature film.”


“No, Anand, I didn’t see the need, but obviously you did. So who is he?”


Anand retreated down the ladder from the bridge to the main deck. Malik followed. “If you’d done a little checking,” Anand continued, “you’d have learned he’s a fucking war correspondent. Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, even East Timor. Tell me, Malik, why is a war correspondent making a film about a bunch of goddamn reefs?”


“I don’t know, and I don’t care, Anand. They hired me and my boat to take them to the remote islands. That’s where the reefs are they want to film, and I intend to plot a rendezvous point with your buyer somewhere along the way. You don’t like the plan, find yourself another boat.” “It’s too late to find another boat,” Anand fretted. “I already made arrangements. My gut tells me something’s not right about this situation, and my gut is rarely wrong.


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Share a holiday family tradition:

We always have a glass of eggnog Christmas morning while we’re opening gifts. Here’s my recipe for the Vincent family Christmas morning eggnog cocktail:


8 oz low fat organic eggnog

1 shot aged dark rum

1 shot Kahlua

Hearty sprinkle of cinnamon

Light sprinkle of cardamom

Even lighter sprinkle of nutmeg


Enjoy!


Why is your featured book perfect to get readers in the holiday mood:


Want to sail away to someplace warm and sunny over the holidays? Someplace with tropical sunsets, pristine sandy beaches, and sparkling azure waters? Curl up by the fire and let Varuna take you there. Imagine the flapping of canvas sails and the feel and creak of mahogany and teak as you become engrossed in a page-turning tale of adventure, mayhem, and test of character in life or death circumstances.


Giveaway:

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $25 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $10 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card


Open internationally.


Runs December 1 – 31.


Drawing will be held on January 3, 2020.




Author Biography:

Phillip Vincent is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Taking a break from a career recovering the assets from the wreckage of failed financial institutions, Phillip plumbed his experiences in the seedier realms international finance, along with his lifelong passion diving and exploring the world’s oceans, to write his debut thriller, Varuna, the first in a series.


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