Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! I'm delighted to share a new release of The Stowaway: A Tale of California Pirates.
Originally published by Scholastic, I've added an author interview with behind-the-scenes, idea origins, and fresh maps and covers by my son Cody Rutty. We have a lot of fun collaborating from our remote desks: his in San Francisco, mine in Boise, Idaho. I hope you enjoy our latest edition! E-book and paperback with both covers available on Amazon.
It's1818 in Monterey, California, a peaceful coastal village. When the sails of two buccaneer ships first appear on the horizon, 11-year-old Carlito and his friends are excited. They can't wait for the ships to arrive, so they can see what real pirates look like. But once the 42-gun frigate Argentina and the corvette Santa Rosa drop anchor, the tranquility in Monterey ends. The pirates attack. And on one terrible night, Carlito witnesses a brutal murder -- his father's. Carlito declares he will take revenge, but as soon as he sneaks aboard the murderer's ship, he is trapped. The pirates have set sail, and Carlito is a stowaway. He can't stay hidden for long. Danger will find him. Before he can bring his father's killer to justice, Carlito must save another life -- his own.
