Seabird

~ a new book ~

Seabird

A young woman with amnesia washes up on a tropical beach in Southeast Asia, only to find she’s being pursued by a powerful band of pirates, a ruthless Asian triad, and the FBI. 

CHAPTER ONE

Pulau Mollema

Evoke no exaggerated expectations. Distinguish the person of words from the person of deeds. Be common in nothing. Master your antipathies. Realize and preserve a reputation. Don’t take payment in politeness. Use plenty of soap and scrub behind your ears...

Lying face down at the edge of the sea lies the motionless body of a casually clothed red-haired woman. Little ocean waves move feather-light sand around her feminine shape. Her hair curls back and forth like drifting seaweed as the wavelets wash over and around her head. A coconut floating on a wave bumps against her shoulder...

With her eyes closed, the woman lifts her head slightly and coughs, spewing salty brine. Mouth open, her tongue gently touches her sandy lower lip. She opens her eyes and squints, being careful not to get sand in her eyes; sand clings to her right eyelash and cheek. She spits sand and salt water from her mouth, then she takes several deep breaths and looks around. She can see she’s on a tropical beach. Her back feels soaked and her stomach, legs, and feet are lying in warm sea water. The sun feels hot on her wet back and the air she’s breathing is hot. Abandoning their curiosity, skitterish ghost crabs dash into their holes in the sand the instant they see the woman move.

“...scrub behind my ears?” she says, questioning where that thought came from. Some kind of words of wisdom.

She knows she’s not dead but she can’t remember how she got here. She can’t remember anything but some random words of wisdom. . .