Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction | Non-fiction: Adventure with a Purpose

You are here: Home / Blog Posts

Escape to the Islands: For just $0.99!

By

I don’t know about you, but the evening news makes me want to get away. Not saying the situation isn’t serious (because I believe it is) but the best thing most of us can do is stay home. And considering that most events have been canceled, it’s time to dust off your e-reader and escape to the islands.

To get you started, I’ve reduced the price on two short story collections to just $0.99. There is one for the kids and one for adults. Download them today and escape to the islands for a while.

Sea Turtle Rescue and Other Stories: The Adventures of Jayne and Marie

Two young girls move to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and learn about the ocean and life on the coast. There are four early chapter books in this collection, written for readers six- to nine-years-old. The stories are exciting but also include information on science, the ocean and history.

Tales from Withrow Key

Tales from Withrow Key is an anthology of Withrow Key thriller short stories. Each tale centers around the adventures of Jackson Pauley, a New York City firefighter who retired after 9/11 and his partner Randy Littlebear, a tribal cop from the reservation to the north. And don’t forget the rest of the characters that make up the Conch Republic.

Talking viruses, diving Mexico and Clive Cussler on Scuba Radio

By

Whenever my friend Greg Holt, host of the nationally-syndicated diving-centric talk radio show ScubaRadio calls, I jump at the chance to be on. 

I’ve posted excerpts from the show before, but it’s been a while, so here is my most recent appearance, from March 7, 2020. Greg and I talked about everything from the Corona virus, to diving in Mexico and how my book Heart of the Maya stuck with him, to the recent passing of Clive Cussler, a diving-writing hero of mine. 

Check it out!

A toast to Clive Cussler – RIP

By

Many scuba divers will tell you they got inspired to learn to dive watching Sea Hunt or by Jacques Cousteau and his undersea world television show.  

I fall into the latter category along with growing up reading National Geographic magazine and seeing what was below the waves in full color. 

Nearly every diver I know, though (at least the ones who like to read) will also say they’ve spent hours upon hours reading the dozens of books by Clive Cussler. I can’t say which book I read first, but after I got started I quickly tore through the whole Dirk Pitt series.  

I was always amused when he would insert himself as an amusing character in his own books.

Clive Cussler has died, according to a statement from his family. While a natural part of life, it is still sad. On top of the entertainment he provided, Cussler used part of the proceeds from his books to create a real NUMA (the fictional government agency where Pitt worked) and he funded and organized numerous expeditions and located dozens of shipwrecks.  

As a diver, a reader and as an author, this hits close to home. He definitely inspired my own writing and many of the stories I’ve written since my first book. 

Fair winds and following seas, Clive. 

Scary Ghost Stories in Flash Fiction for 2019

By

Every year, for the winter solstice, Loren Eaton from I Saw Lightning Fall organizes writers to contribute flash fiction stories with a Christmas/Solstice theme – these are all in the category of “scary ghost stories” from Christmas.

The only rule is, these stories are 100 words, no more, no less. Writing flash fiction is an interesting challenge. As a friend said one time, what you leave out is just as important as what you leave in.

Below are my contributions to the fun this year. Below that are links to previous years.

I also highly recommend you visit the Advent Ghosts 2019 page to read the contributions of the many other writers. Some will be funny; some will be scary. You may not like all of them, but there will be one or two that give you chills.

Keep checking back to the main page throughout the day as more contributions will come in.

Read on!

Return Visit

He asked his priest to come.

He spoke to a friend who had been to the South Pacific. That man put him in contact with a witch doctor.

A third friend knew a pagan priest who lived in the mountains to the north.

All three visitors blessed his home in their own ways. They shouted incantations, splashed holy water and burned sage.

He didn’t really believe in any of it. He had changed his ways since last year, giving to the poor and being kind.

But Scrooge wanted to make sure he didn’t get any more visitors like last year.

Keep the Fire Burning

The weather outside was definitely frightful.

But keeping the fire going was all about survival. There was no delight in it at all.

Patrick had a good supply of wood laid in. He just had to stay awake all night and keep adding on fresh logs. He wouldn’t let it go out.

He couldn’t.

This was about life and death. If the fire died, so would he. What was outside would come in.

Terror drove him through the night.

If he kept the fire burning, big and bright, the fat man on the sleigh wouldn’t be able to get inside.  

Christmas and Advent Flash Fiction from Previous Years

Here are a couple other Christmas stories. They aren’t flash fiction, but fit the theme.

Thanksgiving Audiobook Giveaway!

By

This promotion has ended.

Thanksgiving road trips can be stressful. And there are times when you just want a little escape. I will randomly pick 5 people who complete the survey below to receive a free code to download one of my audiobooks. A sixth lucky winner will receive codes for all four!

Just three simple questions and enter your email to be notified if you win. Simple as that. No catch.

This survey ends November 25, so get your entry in now. I will draw the names on the 26th.

Share it with friends and give them the opportunity to join in!

[qsm quiz=1]

Author Eric Douglas Releases New FBI Thriller Novel

By

The latest novel from author Eric Douglas involves a mysterious murder cult brought to the United States to sow discord and terror.

Real Thugs: A Cult of Murder — Small groups of travelers have disappeared all over the mid-Atlantic without a trace. When bodies turn up with what appear to be ritual markings, FBI Agent AJ West is on the hunt for what might be a serial killer. Or something even more sinister. It’s a race against time to make sure no one else goes missing and stop the killer, or killers, before there is a nationwide panic.

Douglas explained that he became interested in this story while reading an out-of-print book by Mark Twain. Twain took an around-the-world speaking tour and told the story of the Thuggee, a group of thieves who traveled India killing and stealing. The group was wiped out by the British during the period of colonial rule.

“They killed their victims by strangulation using scarves they tied around their waists,” Douglas said.

From there, Douglas read “Confessions of a Thug” by Captain Philip Meadows Taylor. That book purports to be an interview with a Thuggee leader in prison. The book was written in the mid-1800s.

At that point, Douglas knew he wanted to use the Thuggee in a new book. He just needed a protagonist. Enter FBI Special Agent AJ West.

“I created AJ for my novel Water Crisis: Day Zero last year. That was the most recent of the Mike Scott thriller series. I enjoyed her character so much, I decided to spin her off into her own book,” Douglas said.

Douglas has been writing fiction since his first novel, Cayman Cowboys, was published in 2004. This is his 19th book, including a combination of fiction and nonfiction.

Real Thugs: A Cult of Murder is available on Amazon Kindle and in softcover wherever books are sold. For more information on Real Thugs, or any of Douglas’ other books, visit his website at BooksByEric.com.

Recent Posts

Blog posts, by category

Follow me on Twitter

Privacy Policy