Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction and Non-fiction

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Return to Cayman release party complete success!

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groupThere’s no better place in the world than Sunset House and My Bar to have a release party / book signing for the novel Return to Cayman, considering that quite a bit of the book takes place in those two locations. The response to the book, on island, has been very positive.

with carlAs part of the week-long celebration, I went diving with Sunset Divers and Off The Wall Divers and my friend Thomas Shropshire. I would whole-heartedly recommend either operation if you’re looking for someone to dive with. Sunset Divers is fall-in-the-water easy and Off The Wall is a small operation that makes you feel like a spoiled member of the family.

with Joey AvaryI donated 100 percent of the sales on-island to the Cayman Magic Reef Recovery effort and we raised more than $400 US for the project. A portion of all online sales through July 31 will also be donated to the effort so you can still help out by getting copy of Return to Cayman today!

on camera Cayman 27 also came to the signing and interviewed me on the water front. You can watch the story  here. on camera 2

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a quick raw video clip of signing books. Many thanks to my wife Beverly Douglas for taking the photos and videos.

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Memorial Day isn’t just for barbecues

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IMG_4717.jpgThis weekend is a long one, brought about by the Memorial Day holiday on Monday. It’s the traditional start of summer. The weather will be warm and just about everyone will be outside enjoying time with family. All of that’s great.

But it’s not what Memorial Day is really for. Memorial Day began as a way to remember those we lost fighting in the wars of this nation. It actually dates back to the Civil War.

According to the US Department of Veterans Affairs ”Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.”

Advances in battlefield medicine mean that more of our wounded soldiers make it home from conflict. Injuries that would have been a death sentence 50 years ago are survivable today. That’s a great thing. Obviously, our service men and women still die in combat. Most of members of the armed services would tell you that they certainly don’t want to die, but they understand that possibility comes with the uniform.

A few days ago, I was entering a fast food restaurant when I overheard a woman call out to three soldiers in the parking lot in uniform to thank them for their service. I was impressed by that. We should never forget those who don a uniform and are prepared to defend this country with their lives. We should never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We shouldn’t forget those who came home, either. Many injuries today aren’t visible or obvious, but they leave scars just the same. When I was conducting interviews for the West Virginia Voices of War documentary, I lost count of how many veterans shed a tear as they recalled the things they saw on the battlefield.

This Memorial Day, enjoy the beginning of summer; enjoy time with your family and friends. But take a minute to remember those who didn’t make it home, whether it was from a war many years ago or more recent conflicts. And say thank you to someone who did come home. Even if they look fine, you may not realize the demons they’re struggling with..

Hillbilly doesn’t mean what you think it means

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IMG_5532I was talking with a friend recently about slang and the way words become insults when they really didn’t start out that way. A case in point is the phrase hillbilly. Anymore, it means an uneducated, unkempt person who lives up the holler. For some, it’s an insult and for others it’s a badge of honor.

But that’s not how it started out.

IMG_2668There’s some disagreement, but one of the origins is when Scottish settlers moved to the US, many of them settled in Appalachia and the Ozarks. I’m sure it reminded them of home. And, at the time, those areas were pretty far removed from “civilization.” Many Scots and Irish left home to get away from repression. Leaving the government in the figurative rearview mirror was pretty high on their list, I’m sure.

IMG_2614William Wallace is a legendary Scottish hero, known most recently through the Mel Gibson film Braveheart. Because of that, a large number of male Scottish immigrants were named William. You see where this is going, right? A lot of Williams that live in the hills, became Hill Billy pretty quickly. And a nickname/derisive term was born.

Recently, I took my daughters to the Scottish Festival and Celtic Gathering in Bridgeport, WV. This was the fourteenth year for the festival at that location. It was nice and really well attended. We were disappointed Clan Douglas wasn’t there, but that was about the only let down. We saw pipers, dancers, border collies and lots and lots of plaid skirts on men and women. (Yes, I know they’re kilts.) I was also intrigued to see people of numerous ethnic backgrounds there, too.

IMG_2578I saw a study recently that indicated Appalachia was one of the most racist regions of the country, based on Google searches for racial slurs. There are some real problems with this research, namely what was the motive of the search. And it seems doubtful that anyone who wanted to use a racial slur is going to search for it on Google.

I’m not saying there aren’tproblems here, and there are definitely things we need to work on, but it has always seemed to me that Appalachia in general, and West Virginia specifically, treasures hard work and self-sufficiency above all else. Which brings me back to the Scottish origin of the phrase hillbilly. Now that I understand where the phrase came from, it’ll make me a bit prouder to be a Scottish-American in West Virginia. I’m no William, but I guess I am a hillbilly, too.

Now, where did I leave my kilt?.

Thriller novel takes readers on a “Return to Cayman”

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Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage proceeds to benefit reef recovery effort

Option 1A cruise ship drops anchor on a coral reef.  A car goes berserk and runs into George Town harbor, nearly drowning the driver. Communications between Grand Cayman and the outside world are cut off.

Is this a case of cyber terrorism by a radical bent on protecting the environment? Or is it something else entirely? It’s up to Mike Scott to unravel the mystery before the entire world is thrown into chaos.

If you want to find out the answers, you’ll have to read the latest thriller novel from Eric Douglas. Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage is a suspense thriller full of twists and turns set on the idyllic Caribbean island of Grand Cayman. Return to Cayman is the sixth book in the Mike Scott thriller series. The first book, Cayman Cowboys, was published in 2005. For the 10th anniversary of that book, Mike Scott is literally returning to Grand Cayman to see friends and celebrate his friends’ 10th wedding anniversary when life takes a turn as soon as Mike touches down.

One of the underlying themes in Return to Cayman is a cruise ship dropping anchor on a living coral reef. This part of the story mirrors an actual event. On August 27, 2014, a cruise ship dropped anchor and destroyed thousands of square feet of reef on the island. Local divers are volunteering their time and energy to restore the reef. Douglas is donating a portion of the proceeds from all Return to Cayman book sales through July 31, 2015 to the reef recovery effort.

“As a diver, the ocean and the environment are extremely important to me. I wanted to use this book to make a contribution to the reef recovery effort and also to educate readers about what happens when an accident like this happens,” Douglas said. “It’s important that we all understand that damage to a reef on Grand Cayman is important to everyone. With dedicated effort, it can be repaired, however.”

The story is also about cyber crime, including elements from today’s news headlines with hackers shutting down the internet and taking over cars. “Our world today is so interconnected, I’m not sure we realize just how fragile and vulnerable our digital infrastructure is. I’m not an alarmist, but there are ways people could take over our lives without a lot of effort,” he said.

Return to Cayman: Paradise Held Hostage is available on Amazon and other online retailers in softcover and in ebook format on Kindle.

Early reviews:

It is a great read that moves from page to page at a nice fast pace and a plot that could have been part of the morning’s headlines. Mixing over blown egos with a bit of talent, computer hijacking and reef destruction made for an intriguing story. It was a little disorienting to have someone other than Keith & Karin Sahm running the Sunset House but your descriptions of it and Cayman was like visiting friends.

It is a great way to bring attention to the tragic and extensive damage the Carnival cruise ship caused to the reef near Don Foster’s. Even nicer that you are choosing to donate some of your proceeds to its restoration.

Dan and Betty Orr, retired President of Divers Alert Network

From the beginning, I was impressed with Eric’s writing style. His Mike Scott adventures continue to be at the top of my must-read list with every new release. The latest brings Mike back to the Caymans where the series began. It’s just good writing that paints a vivid picture and tells a story comparable to a summer blockbuster action movie. Two big fins up!

“Greg The Divemaster” Holt: Host/Producer of ScubaRadio….the world’s first and only nationally syndicated radio show devote to diving!

Get ready to lose some sleep.   Mike Scott has returned to Grand Cayman for a celebration.   Little does he know that his world is about to turn upside-down.   Tech, intrigue, scuba diving and international conspiracy–all the right ingredients for a gripping Mike Scott adventure novel.

Jon Rusho, PADI Course Director, tech guru and avid reader

“The best Mike Scott adventure yet, humanized with a pinch of mid life crisis (‘what good is a life, our stories, without loved ones to share with?’), layered over an enlightening love letter to the (contemporary) sea.”

Daniel Boyd, author/filmmaker, Chillers, Carbon

RETURN TO CAYMAN is a hold-onto-your-seat, destination thriller filled with eco-terrorism, computer hackers, cybercrime, drones, attempted murder, hostage-taking (of an entire island!), and expertly written scuba diving scenes. This Bond-like ride is filled with international characters, including brainy Italian and Russian beauties, plus the best Bond Girl of all: the stunning Grand Cayman Island herself.

Marie Manilla, author of Shrapnel and The Patron Saint of Ugly

“Mike Scott is one of Eric Douglas’s best characters: smart, savvy, and skilled, his adventures set once again in the rich, lush landscapes of the Grand Cayman islands is not to be missed.”

Eliot Parker, author of Breakdown at Clear River and Making Arrangements.

Listening to people: oral history

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A few days ago, I was in a local office supply store when an older gentleman made eye contact and decided to show me what he was working on. He had some old pictures of a train that ran Blue Creek in the Elkview area. He was having them laminated and explained that when he was a kid, he didn’t ride a bus to school… he rode a train. It was a cool story and a fascinating little piece of history. Why he chose me to share it with, I have no idea. I guess I just look curious.

I have a degree in Journalism from Marshall. After school, I worked in local newspapers for a few years, first in Matewan and then writing for the Metro/Neighbors sections of Charleston newspapers. I quickly discovered my favorite part of the job was human interest stories and features. I really enjoyed talking to people and listening to what they had to say.

Flash forward 25 years and one of my favorite projects is to collect oral histories. Oral histories are recorded memories. They can be about early childhood, work experiences, war experiences or family life. It is extremely important for families to record the memories and voices of older generations so those memories are not lost.

During FestivALL 2015, I’ve been asked to coordinate collecting oral histories around Charleston June 22-26. (We’re planning to do some person-on-the-street interviews on the weekends, too). The FestivALL Oral History Project seeks to collect oral histories from everyday Charleston residents and those who live in the surrounding area. Where appropriate, we’ll direct oral history interviews with questions relating to life in the Charleston area, (earliest memory, connections to the river, etc.) but will leave the oral history up to you.

We’ll use excerpts from these recordings to develop a multimedia documentary and memory wall. Participation in that portion of the project is voluntary and not required if you want to have your oral history recorded.

I’m still looking for a couple locations who are interested in hosting a day of recordings. So far, we are recording at The Clay Center (June 22) and Emmanuel Baptist Church on the West Side (June 23). We can set up to record in churches, libraries, community centers or wherever. If you’re interested in hosting the FestivALL Oral History Project, send me an email. I’m asking that the location sponsors maintain the schedule for their location to keep people flowing in and out.

If you want to have your story recorded as part of the project, watch the FestivALL website for details on locations and contact information on how to sign up. Each interview will take about an hour..

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