Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures (Series)
Dagger Quest, Book 1
by Edward Hochsmann
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GENRE: Action/Adventure, Contemporary
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BLURB:
Dagger Quest
An aging Coast Guard patrol boat is all that stands between the world and nuclear annihilation!
The world is on the brink of war, with NATO mobilizing to counter a Russian threat to Poland and Lithuania and leaders openly discussing war options. In the midst of the crisis, a Russian bomber collides with a U.S. fighter off Florida causing the accidental launch of a nuclear-tipped hypersonic missile.
A Coast Guard cutter on a routine patrol finds a drug-laden sailboat smashed and adrift north of the Florida Keys. The boat’s damage is from a near miss by the Russian missile which has not harmlessly flown deep into the Gulf of Mexico as initially thought, but crashed somewhere in the Keys.
The Coast Guard crew is in a race against a vicious and powerful international crime syndicate to find and recover the Russian nuke before its discovery can trigger a nuclear war.
Exploring the friendship and teamwork of a typical ship's crew, in the face of unexpected and hazardous challenges, Dagger Quest provides a fast-paced, taut story - excellent fare for both sea adventure and military thriller fans.
Dagger Quest
Excerpt One:
Ben’s first encounter with the 252 Syndicate ends in a high-speed chase through Key West, Florida:
Ben slowed and veered right onto Flagler with a screaming of tires and modest fishtailing as he straightened on the new path. Their pursuers also swung in behind them from Roosevelt a few seconds later.
“Floor it! We’ll be hanging a right on Tenth in ten blocks, same tactic. Keep hitting that horn!”
Ben stayed on the horn, dodging through traffic at speeds approaching fifty miles per hour.
“Counting down,” Simmons said, “Fourteenth, Thirteenth, twelfth, Eleventh, slow down and prepare to hang a right, NOW!”
Ben executed another tire-squealing turn and straightened out, heading north on Tenth, gunning the engine and leaning on the horn.
“Stand by to hit the brakes!” Simmons shouted. “Steady, steady, NOW, hit the brakes!”
Ben stood on the brake pedal, tires shrieked, and the anti-lock braking chattered. After skidding to a stop in the middle of the street next to a large lagoon, Simmons shouted, “Get down!” He opened both doors on his side of the car, using the rear door for cover.
Ben dropped behind the seat as their pursuer began screeching to a stop. Suddenly, there was a tremendous crash with the sound of tearing metal and followed by a large splash. Simmons shut the doors and said in a normal tone, “OK, let’s roll. Back to the base, nice and easy.”
Ben shot up and saw several figures in combat gear with guns drawn running forward from an SUV stopped in the middle of Tenth Street. The car chasing them was coming to rest upside down in the lagoon. “WHAT—THE—HELL!” he shouted at Simmons.
“Come on, friend, we need to move it. It’s handled. We’re clear now, so stay law-abiding all the way, please.”
Ben stared at him for a few seconds, then pressed the accelerator. The engine raced briefly, and then, with shaking hands, Ben shifted into Drive.
“See, you’re a natural,” Simmons said with a smile. “You didn’t even realize you shifted into Park.”
BLURB:
Caribbean Counterstrike
Mission: Five days to destroy the enemy in the Caribbean before a catastrophic weapon is unleashed—but all he can think about is the woman he left behind…
The deadliest nerve gas ever made has fallen into the hands of a murderous Caribbean drug cult. The criminal 252 Syndicate has the gas in a secret lab on an oil rig servicing ship, but the ship has been taken for ransom by the Salinas Cartel in a violent drug war. The U.S. can’t use airstrikes and calls on Coast Guard Officer Ben Wyporek to lead his crew through a risky covert raid on the Salinas cult’s fortified island base. He accepts the assignment, but remembers a previous lethal encounter with the 252s and struggles to say goodbye to the love of his life, Victoria Carpenter.
Ben and his crew aboard the stealth-equipped Cutter Kauai must sneak into the harbor and tow the ship away. But if Kauai is detected and defeated, death by gas or at the hands of vicious adversaries will follow. Now, every decision Ben makes will determine the fate of his entire crew—and the chances of reuniting with Victoria.
This second book of the series builds on the friendships and teamwork of Kauai's crew, this time in the face of several challenging missions and one potentially lethal encounter. It is a worthy sequel to Dagger Quest that sea adventure and military thriller fans will enjoy.
Caribbean Counterstrike
Excerpt Two:
An amusing incident occurs during a test and evaluation session at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center:
They had repeated the cycle enough times to get a reasonably rich dataset when something went awry. A defect in one canister’s fins created a “wobble” in flight that caused it to fall behind its companions. When the dispersing charge fired, it was just forward of the speeding RHIB and doused it and its occupants with two-and-a-half gallons of bright blue paint. Lee closed the throttle slowly to bring the boat to a smooth stop, took off her paint-coated sunglasses, and said, “Everybody OK? Give me a thumbs up!”
After getting a thumbs-up from both passengers, Lee shook off her hands, put them on her hips, and glared at DeChamps.
“I think some of our projectiles might need adjustment,” the engineer said, squinting up at Lee while holding his paint-fouled glasses.
“Ya think?” Lee replied.
“Kauai-One, Kauai, report!” her radio barked.
“Kauai, Kauai-One, direct hit by blue paint, no damage or casualties,” Lee replied.
“Kauai-One, Kauai, roger, cancel operation and return to ship.”
“Kauai, Kauai-One, WILCO, out.” Lee took a deep breath and turned to Connally. “Sean, carefully help Mr. DeChamps with his glasses.” She swished her sunglasses clean in the water beside the RHIB, then sat back down at the helm. Once Connally had helped DeChamps with his glasses and both were seated again, Lee opened the throttle and headed back to the patrol boat. I’ll bet the cameras got an awesome shot of this. I’m SO looking forward to seeing it again, and again, and AGAIN!
While operating the boat crane, Jenkins left the RHIB at the deck rail after the crew climbed out so the paint could be hosed off before returning to its cradle. The XO met them there with an armful of sodas—he knew they would be dried out after a couple of hours in the sun. He was always doing thoughtful things like this, unlike any other officer Lee had ever served with, and it was the thing she liked most about him.
“So, Petty Officer Lee,” he said with a perfectly straight face as he handed her a can of Coke. “I think we need to get you some vacation time. You’re looking mighty blue.”
Ha, ha, ha! So, it starts already! Lee paused after taking the Coke and replied, “Thanks, sir. You know, XO, you’re wasting your talents here on the bounding main. You should run a comedy podcast!”
BLURB:
Bravely and Faithfully
A New Captain’s First Patrol Turns into a Fight for Their Lives
Young Coast Guard Lieutenant Haley Reardon has not even gotten her feet on the ground on her new patrol boat command when she finds herself and her crew supporting a dangerous covert mission. They must insert and retrieve a Defense Intelligence Agency operations team trying to seize a transnational criminal syndicate boss from a small Caribbean island controlled by a front company of the Chinese government and protected by a superior military force.
A honeymoon period would be lovely, but, as always, the world gets a vote.
Can Haley avoid leaving the DIA team to their fate, when attempting to rescue them could destroy her crew and boat and lead to war?
This third installment of the series conveys the humor, friendships, and teamwork of Kauai's crew from the previous books, with a new series of exciting actions from search and rescue to combat. The crew and their new skipper must come together for the toughest mission they have ever faced.
Bravely and Faithfully
Excerpt Two:
Kauai has arrived and is retrieving the twenty-two human trafficking victims from the sinking freighter Miho Dujam:
On her second return to the foredeck, Haley noticed Ben was no longer herding the remaining women in line. In fact, he was nowhere to be seen, and she wondered if he had returned on board while she was shuttling survivors to the messdeck. After her third run, she remained on the foredeck and watched as the last survivor came aboard. Drake and Bondurant then cast off Kauai’s mooring lines before jumping across. As the two vessels drifted apart, Haley went directly to Drake and asked, “Chief, where’s the XO?”
“He’s inside looking for evidence, ma’am,” Drake replied.
“He’s what?”
“He told us to cast off and return on board after the last survivor crossed over. He’s taking the RHIB back.” He and Bondurant shared a worried look.
“How much longer will that ship last?”
“Ma’am, I’m surprised she’s still upright.”
Haley hated stepping in, but things seemed to be getting out of hand. “Chief, call the RHIB!”
“Kauai-One, COB, is the XO with you?”
“Negative,” Lee’s voice replied.
Drake lifted his radio again, but before he could speak, a series of loud bangs erupted from the Miho Dujam, and she quickly rolled to the left. He keyed the radio and shouted, “Kauai, COB, XO is still on board!”
The ship continued to roll with a cacophony of bangs and crashes and, within twenty seconds, had completely capsized with only her hull bottom visible. Haley, Drake, and Bondurant were transfixed in shock until the 1MC jolted them into motion.
“Man Overboard Port Side, repeat Man Overboard Port Side! This is no drill!”
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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Edward Hochsmann is the pen name of a retired U. S. Coast Guard search and rescue and law enforcement professional. The veteran mariner, aviator, college professor, and defense analyst has added “author” to his list of experiences. Ed likes reading, police procedurals, contemporary music on the road, and classical music in the office. After a career traveling from Australia in the west to Italy and Germany in the east, Ed has settled into a quiet life in the Florida Panhandle to focus on writing (and not shoveling snow!)
Ed has two novels published right now (plus one launching in August 2022) in the Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series about a Coast Guard patrol boat assigned to "special" missions. Dagger Quest takes place in the Florida Keys and involves an aging Coast Guard patrol boat dragooned into a search for a lost Russian nuclear weapon in a time of international crisis. The second, Caribbean Counterstrike, features the same patrol boat and crew, now with equipment and training upgrades, sent to recover a deadly nerve gas from a murderous Caribbean drug cartel. Bravely and Faithfully has Kauai, under a new captain supporting a covert raid on a Caribbean island held by the Chinese.
Ed's second series, C6S: Patrol Force deals with a combined defense establishment and constabulary for a galactic economic empire called the Confederation of the Six Systems (C6S). Ed has published two novellas and a novel-length collection late last year.
Stay connected with Ed –
Website: https://www.edwardhochsmann.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20594307.Edward_Hochsmann
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edhochsmann/
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/edward-m-hochsmann
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1L82HD1/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1N24GBV/
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B1W1J26C/
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dagger-quest-1
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/caribbean-counterstrike-1
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/bravely-and-faithfully-1
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GIVEAWAY
One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteHello, everybody, Ed Hochsmann here. I want to thank Sandra for offering the opportunity to appear on the blog. My series is about an aging Coast Guard patrol boat, USCG Cutter Kauai, and her crew, taken out of the normal cycle of operations and inserted into the world of covert missions, spies, and international crime.
ReplyDeleteThese books are character-driven, based on personal experience and knowledge, with the best qualities of the many wonderful people I met in the Coast Guard woven into the stories. I aim to put you in the story alongside the characters, experiencing the excitement, fear, humor, joy, and sadness of an elite team of maritime professionals as they face extraordinary challenges. I think you will enjoy the books and if you have any questions that could remove any doubt of that, please ask—I am at your service at info@edwardhochsmann.com.
I look forward to your comments and questions, and thank you and Sandra again for your consideration.
I like the book covers, synopses and excerpts, the Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures series sounds like an exciting read and I am looking forward to it. Thank you for sharing your bio and books' details
ReplyDeleteSounds great, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteReally nice cover and excerpt, looking forward to reading this!
Bea, Rita, and xjanelx, thank you very much!
ReplyDeleteI really like the cover and think the book sounds good.
ReplyDeleteSherry, thank you from SpudzArt and yours truly!
ReplyDeleteWhat advice would you give a new writer, someone just starting out?
ReplyDeleteWow! That is a very complicated and situationally-dependent question. One definite advice I would give in all cases is: do not quit your day job until you get established, either with a publisher or with a self-sustaining level of income as an indie writer. The second thing you should consider is whether you intend to make money from writing or you just do it for enjoyment. In my case, I enjoy doing it, but I would like to be paid. If you want to make money, you have to invest money, in things like word processing software, editing apps, and websites. If you are going to write books you hope to sell, you will also need an editor (and I don't care how good you are, you WILL need an editor) and you will need to invest in promotion (this blog tour is an example). It's not a back-breaker if you are well off, but it would be a challenge for someone living from paycheck to paycheck.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to discourage you - quite the contrary. If someone like me (geeky-mathy, HATED creative writing in high school) can publish, you certainly can. If you have the luxury of working up, I suggest you consider writing some short stories for some of the many publications seeking same. Who knows - you may get noticed and picked up by a publisher there. In any case, I recommend you check out the video series Reedsy has published on Youtube. They are free and cover the waterfront of important topics you need to consider. Also there are groups on Goodreads that can serve as a sounding board for your work. Goodreads is an invaluable resource in any case, but these communities can be particularly helpful if you are just starting out.
Well, this was probably a lot more than you expected, but it just scratches the surface. However you decide to skin this cat, best of luck!
ReplyDeleteDid you have any say in designing the cover?
An independent author always has the first and last word on cover design. Every artist I have consulted asked me to fill out a questionnaire at the beginning to provide a sense of what I was trying to say and achieve with the cover. At the end of the process, it is up to the author to decide whether he/she/they want to use it or discard it (yes, you paid, but that $$$ is a sunk cost). My understanding is that if an author can persuade a commercial publisher to publish their book, the publisher makes all the decisions regarding the cover.
ReplyDeleteFor the Kauai series, I employed a 3-D modeling artist named SpudzArt, but I had full consultation and approval on the designs.
How long did it take you to write this book?
ReplyDeleteDagger Quest took about 11 months, but it was my first book and I was learning the ropes. Caribbean Counterstrike took around eight months from first word to launch. Bravely and Faithfully took about the same. About one month during each of those periods was inactive, waiting on responses from editors and artists (for cover art). I think, based on experience, I would estimate 8 - 9 months from first keystroke to launch, given my current situation. It might be a little quicker if I did not have a full-time day job and if I planned out the series from end-to-end before I started the first book.
ReplyDeleteNote: your experience may differ. I attended a conference last November where there were authors who had spent ten years on their first book and not yet completed it. If you are lucky (as I was with these), once you get started, the story pulls you along.
Do you enjoy writing more than reading?
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I guess I would say it depends. I do like reading - I prefer reading to watching TV when I'm eating a meal or exercising. However, there is a certain high to being "in the zone" on a story that is more rewarding. It's not so much fun when I'm banging my head on a stubborn plot element, but when the fingers are flying on the keyboard, it's pretty cool. I love problem solving (comes with being an analyst) and coming up with a good, tight story is a very attractive problem.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed all the excerpts and The Cutter Kauai Sea Adventures sounds like thrilling, edge of your seat reads for my dad and me to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing them with me and have an amazing week!
Thank you, Stormy! Best wishes to your dad!
ReplyDeleteAre you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
ReplyDeleteI'm in the "storming" phase of the next Cutter Kauai book. Each new book is more challenging to keep things "fresh" while staying within the action/adventure lane. (What? ANOTHER death-defying hurricane rescue? Yawn!)
DeleteWhat book is currently on your bedside table?
ReplyDelete"The Paratime Wars" by John Carr
DeleteWhat was the best money you ever spent as a writer?
ReplyDeleteEditing software. I use Grammarly and ProWritingAid for a first cut, then I user the Natural Readers app as a final check.
DeleteDoes writing energize or exhaust you? Or both?
ReplyDeleteBoth. The formulation of the story, creation of the prose, and editing is all very energizing. It is also exhausting - I sometimes glance at the system clock display and react in shock at how late at night (or early in the morning, take your pick) it is.
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday! Hope you have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteWriting is actually what I do outside my "real" job. I'm a full-time analyst with the Department of Defense. I would love to just write, but writing is art and you've probably heard the one about difference between an artist and a large pizza (the pizza can feed a family of four). ;)
ReplyDeleteWhat did you do with your first advance?
ReplyDeleteWhen I get one, I'll let you know. Independent author = no advance.
ReplyDeleteWhat question do you wish that someone would ask about your book, but nobody has?
ReplyDeleteMan, you ask some tough questions! It took me a couple of days to cogitate an answer to that one. What I would like some to ask is, "what sets CKSA apart from other action/adventure or military thriller books?" My answer would be that unlike most books in this genre (at least the ones I have read), you are not just spectating as two technology-heavy sides blast the crap out of each other or quasi-superhumans just plow through the task of crushing the enemy. Rather, they are written to put YOU in the story with a group of very good, relatable people faced with a no-notice, huge and deadly challenge. They are "everyman" characters, fearful of the danger, but with confidence and faith in each other. This is the essence of the Coast Guard - the call comes in at oh-dark-thirty, you roll out the helicopter and, unless there is no hope at all, you take the calculated risk and launch to try for the save.
DeleteIs there anything specific that inspired this book?
ReplyDeleteSome things here and there were based on actual events. The "fishing under the bathtub" vignette from the first book is a true story, for instance. Mostly, the interactions and banter between the crew were inspired by the day-to-day life I observed in the service. In addition, the reaction and response of the crew to the big action "triggers" are as true to life as I could make them, even though they are not directly based on actual events.
ReplyDeleteIs there any advice that you got early on about writing that has stuck with you?
ReplyDeleteTwo main things. First, you have to hook the reader with the first paragraph. If it is interesting, they'll read on, otherwise they will look for something else. This particularly important for Kindle books, where the reader can window shop via the "Look Inside" feature. Second, authenticity in jargon and dialog is more realistic, but non-experts find it difficult to read and will quickly lose interest. Achieving the balance is always a difficult struggle.
ReplyDeleteHappy Friday! I hope you have a great holiday weekend!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteWhich authors do you admire and why?
There are many. I would say my two favorites right now are Jeff Shaara for fiction and Donald T. Phillips for non-fiction. Jeff Shaara's books of historical fiction are fascinating because he puts you in the story with the historical figures as they try and figure out what is going on and what to do about it. Donald Phillips writes pretty awesome self-help books on leadership. These lay out how great figures like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, and the Founding Fathers approached the enormous challenges they faced and what lessons their efforts hold for modern leadership. When either of these authors put out a book, I buy it.
ReplyDeleteHow many books have you written and which is your favorite?
ReplyDeleteThese three, plus two novellas (C6S series) and one short story (prequel to the Kauai series) so far. Bravely and Faithfully is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteHave any of your books been made into audiobooks? If so, what are the challenges in producing an audio book?
ReplyDeleteNone yet.
ReplyDeleteDo you have a strict writing schedule or do you just write when you want to?
ReplyDeleteIt is more accurate to say I have a strict non-writing schedule, since I have a day job. I write when I can (and by write, I mean research, compose, edit, format, cover development, marketing and promotion - you are responsible for everything when you are an indie author).
ReplyDeleteWhat was the highlight of writing this book?
ReplyDeleteI would say the relief on getting my first editor response that the book was pretty good, although it needed some work. It was the first time I attempted a serious, substantial piece of creative writing and I was quite nervous about my chances.
ReplyDeleteTell us about your first published book? What was the journey like?
ReplyDeleteDagger Quest was my first. The journey length and difficulty would only be rivaled by the tedium you would feel in my describing it in detail. Suffice to say it was the most difficult single effort I have ever made. Once over that hump, subsequent projects were markedly easier.
DeleteMy advice is if you don't have a mentor to show you the ropes, check out the Reedsy.com videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pZ5Il7kw8c.