by Rex Sumner
A message from the Author:
I hope you have enjoyed A Tender Embrace. Long ago I read Sir Arthur Grimble's A Pattern of Islands about his life as a diplomat in the South Seas, in which he described being the bait for an octopus in a similar manner. I thought that a wonderful story as a child, but my recent research revealed there is only one octopus large enough for this, and it lives in the cold waters of Alaska. The species he writes about doesn’t even exist in the South Seas and isn't nearly big enough, nor can I find any other reference to this fishing method, so I guess good old Sir Arthur was writing fantasy all those years ago! He even managed to get the story in the newspapers and syndicated all over the world.
So I regret that octopus of this size and ferocity, caught in this manner, is pure fantasy…. but the habits of small octopus and the method of catching them is authentic from the South Seas. The story of the giant octopus fighting the shark god is a genuine Fijian legend – I have purloined the name of the village for the name of the god. The description of the Bete being taken over by the god and speaking accurately reflects the beliefs of the ancient Fijians, though I have embellished the eye description and I suspect my god spoke more clearly and differently from the Bete’s desires and beliefs than may have actually happened. The temple and the fire dancing is accurately described. I own two tabua – sperm whale teeth, given to encourage a return to Fiji.
I hope you enjoyed the story. If you did, I have a couple of requests. Please review it, on the site where you downloaded it and perhaps on www.goodreads.com, and please visit www.facebook.com/harrhein and like the page. You will get updates on what is happening and when other stories are published.
Alternatively, please visit www.harrhein.com where there will be news as I publish more works from the country of Harrhein, and you can follow the life of the Princess Asmara.
Over the last few months, I published several short stories. Thief in the Night is the story of a young soldier realising he is not alone in the armoury. Feeding the Dragon, is the story of a young girl recruited to be a monk in a monastery. The Wagon Master is a moving story about the life of a haulier supporting the army. Currently I am working on The Making of Suzanne, which is the early years of Lt Delarosa’s life. This looks like it is turning into a novella rather than a short story.
All the characters in this story appear in my novel, In Search of Spice due to be published in November 2014. This is not a short story: with in excess of 150,000 words it ranks as a blockbuster. The seventeen year old Princess Asmara is forced to flee the Palace to avoid assassination, and enlists in disguise as an ordinary seaman on the Queen Rose. The first carrack to be built in Harrhein, it is on a voyage of exploration across the Eastern Ocean, looking for trading opportunities and the fabled Spice Islands. The crew hope to return with a cargo of pepper, cardamom and cloves which will make their fortune.
It is a novel of culture clash, of warfare, of magic, sex, love, fighting, politics and trade. High adventure. Extensive research has gone into this book, and I have endeavoured to be accurate in such diverse descriptions as how to warp a carrack out of dock; the kava ceremony; forming a shield wall and the politics of fourteenth century India.
There are several characters, many of whom are introduced in these short stories.
Writing In Search of Spice has been a lot of fun. I can't wait to write the sequel. But that will involve a lot of warfare based on that of fourteenth century India, and for that I need to spend time there going over old battlefields and talking to historians. I am trying to get my head around the many variations of Hinduism which I need to understand in order to create suitable religions.
Of course I need In Search of Spice to be a success for that to happen, so I am releasing these short stories completely free of charge as a blatant teaser to ensure you like my writing style and will buy it when it comes out.
Enjoy.
Rex Sumner
