Books by Eric Douglas

Thriller fiction and Non-fiction

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Cayman reef restoration making progress

June 11, 2015 By Eric Douglas


IMG_6162cayman magic reef mapOne of the story lines in my new novel Return to Cayman is a cruise ship dropping anchor on a living reef. This scenario is loosely based on a cruise ship grounding off of Don Foster’s reef last August when the Carnival Magic dropped its anchor and hundreds of feet of anchor chain destroying an estimated 16,000 square feet of reef. Since the incident, volunteers have spent thousands of hours cleaning up the site and working to keep the damage from getting worse.

At the book signing/release party for the novel at Sunset House, Joey Avary, a reporter for the Cayman 27 news channel, stopped by to do a story. In talking to him, I found out that he was very involved in the Cayman Magic Reef Restoration project. I mentioned I would like to see the site and he said he was free on Friday.

IMG_6197When he briefed the dive, Avary said we would do a tour, but he also brought along a couple toothbrushes so we could clean some algae off the coral. If you’ve never tried to hover in one place, in acurrent, and scrub algae from monofilament fishing line with a toothbrush while not breaking the fragile structure the salvaged pieces were hanging from, you haven’t lived. I was sure I was going to set the project backward. Avary made it look easy, but I felt like a politician during a photo op at a soup kitchen. (At least a politician that knows better than to believe his own press).

When you approach the site, everything looks normal, right up until it doesn’t. Coral is growing and fish are swimming. We saw a couple sea turtles nearby. And then you get the impact spot. TIMG_6192here’s just nothing there. And it’s not just one place. It goes on for hundreds of yards. The anchor and chain turned the reef into rubble in an instant. It looks like a massive scar across the sea floor. And that’s after months of work.

Lois Hatcher is the underwater project director. She worked on the Masdam grounding in Cayman in 1996. In 2011 she spent a year in the Florida Keys studying coral restoration and ecology along with an internship with Ken Nedimeyer at the Coral Restoration Foundation. She returned to Cayman two years ago with the sole intention of getting a coral nursery started.

“The biggest challenges is getting past the nay-sayers and politicians. We have been held back by this and all we really want to do is stabilize the reef, save what coral we can and go back to enjoying the coral reef not putting it back together. The time line keeps being adjusted but hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will start using concrete to secure the bigger pieces, fill in the gaps with smaller pieces and epoxy and finish off the rubble removal in a couple of areas. I am hoping that this is only going to take three to four months of consistent work. We won’t know though until we actually get started and get the rhythm going,” she explained.

IMG_6167 During the tour, Avary showed me a section that is roped off with a sign that reads “Keep Out.” When the anchor chain dragged on the relatively shallow reef, it piled up debris at the top of a channel. The rubble pile is so unstable, if disturbed, it could cause an avalanche down the wall, tearing up even more reef. “It is deeper than recreational diving limits, but just because we can’t see it that doesn’t mean it’s not important,” Avary said.

IMG_6156Volunteer divers have been sorting through the rubble, finding viable pieces of coral, and separating it by type. They’ve cleaned away silt and debris to save what they could.

“The crates are used as a temporary holding area for the pieces that need to be reattached. It was made from materials that we had on hand and used to avoid “losing” loose corals in the reef or placing them in the sand. The crates keep the species separate, allow for water flow and keep the pieces off the sand so they don’t choke from sedimentation,” Hatcher explained. “The prognosis also changes with time. Obviously the longer that coral is in an unstable environment the less chance it has of recovery. The pieces that we have outplanted are all doing well but the installation of a cruise ship dock could change all that.”

Even while doing all of this work, the volunteers have to constantly watch depth and time limits and coordinate the tasks using hand signals and writing slates. To get to work, the volunteer divers make a surface swim the couple hundred yards out until they are on top of the site to save their air for more work time underwater. This makes for a long tiring swim before they even get to work. And then, of course, they have to swim back to the shore afterward. The project should have its own boat soon. That should make the process easier and more efficient, although a boat takes fuel and maintenance, all of which cost money. (Update: the group has taken possession of the boat, named Honey Badger and it is already paying tremendous dividends on their work productivity. By removing the long surface swim, they are able to do two and three dives in a day and have the tools they need right on site.)

Option 1During the interview, Avary asked why I was interested and why I would be willing to donate a portion of the royalties from Return to Cayman to the reef recovery effort. I told him that while I don’t live there, and had never actually visited that reef before the accident, it was still important to me. I think of the ocean as mine. For me, it seemed like as simple thing to do, especially compared to the work the volunteers are doing. Through July 31, I will donate a portion of royalties from the book Return to Cayman to the reef recovery effort. The book is available in softcover and on Kindle.

One of the great things about writing fiction is that while you are entertaining, you can also educate and inform. In fact, one of the best ways to educate is by making it entertaining. My goal was to do both with Return to Cayman.

If you are interested in making a donation to keep this project going, the Cayman National Trust has a tab under “Donate” for the project. Even volunteer projects take money.

Side note: Grand Cayman is now weighing the installation of a cruise ship dock that would possibly eliminate incidents like this. However, to construct the dock, they would have to destroy an estimated 15 acres of living coral reef, including Devil’s Grotto, and damage another 15 to 20 acres. .

Filed Under: Adventure, Books, Diving, Documentary, Travel

Return to Cayman release party complete success!

June 8, 2015 By Eric Douglas

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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Filed Under: Adventure, Books, Diving, New Releases, Travel

Hillbilly doesn’t mean what you think it means

May 13, 2015 By Eric Douglas

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?.

Filed Under: Travel

Thriller novel takes readers on a “Return to Cayman”

May 7, 2015 By Eric Douglas

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.

Filed Under: Adventure, Books, Diving, New Releases, Travel

The power of exploration: Alexandra Cousteau

November 14, 2014 By Eric Douglas

Cousteau presentationI can’t think of anyone who has the “exploration” gene more than the family of the late Jacques Cousteau. His grandchildren are doing their best to live up to that legacy.

  • Fabien (son of Jacque’s oldest son Jean-Michelle) recently spent 31 days living in an underwater habitat in the Florida Keys.
  • Alexandra (daughter of Jacque’s son Phillipe) is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and travels the globe speaking about water issues.

Alexandra Cousteau was in town last night, hosted by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission to kick off the Chancellor’s Speaker Series on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) topics. Frankly, I wish I had the foresight to take my daughters along to hear her speak.

An explorer in her own right, Alexandra spoke of the inspiration provided by her grandfather. She told a story of constantly asking questions and finally, in frustration, he answered “Go and see for yourself.” She said she has been doing that ever since.

“We often feel we have exhausted exploration. We haven’t,” she said. “We have to keep that spirit of exploration alive. The role of the explorer has changed. We are not the first something any more but exploring is about bringing back a new perspective.”

Most divers in their 40s and 50s will tell you there were inspired to learn to dive watching the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau on Sunday nights. (Many older divers cite Mike Nelson from Sea Hunt.) I’m in the Cousteau category. Alexandra Cousteau glossed over the development of the original aqualung device, but the work done by Jacques and engineer Emile Gagnan changed the world forever and led to many careers, exploration and discovery. And it is still going on.

While today we can dive and explore the oceans, there is still much left unseen and even more than we don’t understand. Cousteau pointed out recent discoveries of animal species and the discovery of a bacteria that produces much of the oxygen we breathe. Things we didn’t even know about until just a few years ago.

To the delight of the crowd, made up by mostly students and educators from West Virginia colleges and universities, she said “The most meaningful moments of my life were when I was with a scientist.”

“We are not finished exploring this planet. Exploration has nothing to do with the exploration of our grandfathers,” she explained and then issued a challenge to the audience. “Find a new way of seeing things.”

She also said you can make a documentary today with a GoPro, a smart phone and a Facebook page. Technology has given us all the ability to be explorers.

The following are excerpts from her presentation.

The beginning.

https://www.booksbyeric.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Alexandra-Cousteau-part-1.mp3

Three things about exploration.

https://www.booksbyeric.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Alexandra-Cousteau-part-2.mp3

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Filed Under: Adventure, Diving, Documentary, Travel

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