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Pieces of Eight: A Story of Sex & Love, Trust & Betrayal
An adventure on the high seas, discovering sunken treasure, buried desire, and lost hope. The novel upon which was based the feature film "Of Love & Betrayal."
When Jack O'Conner finds a gold piece of eight off the Florida Keys with the partial coordinates to French pirate Jacques de Une Oei's sunken hoard of stolen Spanish doubloons etched upon it, he steals his boss's 76' sailboat and sets out to recover the treasure. What ensues is a series of steamy romantic encounters and bitter personal betrayals, for the remaining two pieces of eight with coordinates on them belong to two women, Sandy Sequoia, a mid-level drug dealer from Miami, and Portia Pennington, the repressed daughter of an English merchant tycoon, both of whom Jack invites onto his sailboat to go with him in search of the Spanish doubloons, and with both of whom he falls in love. When the infamous Hundred-Years Storm arrives just as the three recover the treasure, they must decide between petty selfishness and their tentative love for one another.
When Jack O'Conner finds a gold piece of eight off the Florida Keys with the partial coordinates to French pirate Jacques de Une Oei's sunken hoard of stolen Spanish doubloons etched upon it, he steals his boss's 76' sailboat and sets out to recover the treasure. What ensues is a series of steamy romantic encounters and bitter personal betrayals, for the remaining two pieces of eight with coordinates on them belong to two women, Sandy Sequoia, a mid-level drug dealer from Miami, and Portia Pennington, the repressed daughter of an English merchant tycoon, both of whom Jack invites onto his sailboat to go with him in search of the Spanish doubloons, and with both of whom he falls in love. When the infamous Hundred-Years Storm arrives just as the three recover the treasure, they must decide between petty selfishness and their tentative love for one another.
174 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2010
4 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Michael Richard Reed McLaughlin
2 books44 followersMichael Reed McLaughlin is a recent graduate of the prestigious Odyssey Writing Workshop. He grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, went to Newport Harbor High and then Del Norte High School, before attending film school from 1993–96, where he shot several short films, including Student Emmy® award-winning sci-fi short
The Fourth Trimester,
as well as a feature length version of that film. Believing that one learns more by doing than by study, he also wrote, directed, shot, edited, and sometimes acted in a scene on video every week as well as watched fifteen classic films outside of class each week.
Just before graduating, he came back to Los Angeles and formed a production company to shoot an independent film. The company was MRM Productions; and the film was Of Love & Betrayal, a simple story he planned on shooting in 16 mm on his own sailboat with some friends from film school. The project snowballed into a 35 mm project shot on a 76' schooner on location in the Bahamas. Filming was quite an adventure. There were several tropical storms, two hurricanes, dealings with drug dealers, DEA agents, two murders, and the usual cast & crew love affairs along the way. What fun!
Michael has penned several feature scripts in addition to Of Love & Betrayal, and has many more in development. He authored a novelization of the film, titled Pieces of Eight: A Story of Sex & Love, Trust & Betrayal. Michael also writes speculative fiction, including Rüneglaive: Sword of Heroes excerpt, Book One of The Hero Sagas trilogy.
Michael has been an avid reader and writer of epic fantasy for as long as he can remember. The first non-picture book he read cover-to-cover was Homer’s The Odyssey, which immediately ignited his imagination and inspired him to start creating myths of his own. He straightway started writing short stories, and even finished his first novel while still in grade school. That’s also when he discovered the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and turned, in his reading and his writing, from Greek mythology to the lore of the Nordic peoples and to high fantasy.
The next great influence on Michael’s writing was Ray Bradbury, whose The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles introduced him to the infinite and limitless worlds of science fiction. He was lucky enough to meet Ray when he was still young; and Ray encouraged him to “keep creating [his] own worlds.”
In the books of The Hero Sagas, Michael set out to envision a world that would be intentionally familiar to fans of traditional high fantasy. After all, he was writing his The Hero Sagas, books because he wanted more adventures of the sort for which Tolkien had so keenly and satisfyingly whetted his appetite. Indeed, he meant for readers of J.R.R. Tolkien, Dennis L. McKiernan, and Terry Brooks to “be able to step into Ĭndrēl and feel reassuringly familiar and yet enjoy that sense of wonder and excitement that comes with discovering something exceptional and new.”
Michael believes, “The amicable reader will find the epic fantasy at play in The Four Reams to be a sort of Shalottian mirror though which might be glimpsed a counterpart to the world first given to us by its true master, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE, in whose enormous footsteps we all follow.”
Just before graduating, he came back to Los Angeles and formed a production company to shoot an independent film. The company was MRM Productions; and the film was Of Love & Betrayal, a simple story he planned on shooting in 16 mm on his own sailboat with some friends from film school. The project snowballed into a 35 mm project shot on a 76' schooner on location in the Bahamas. Filming was quite an adventure. There were several tropical storms, two hurricanes, dealings with drug dealers, DEA agents, two murders, and the usual cast & crew love affairs along the way. What fun!
Michael has penned several feature scripts in addition to Of Love & Betrayal, and has many more in development. He authored a novelization of the film, titled Pieces of Eight: A Story of Sex & Love, Trust & Betrayal. Michael also writes speculative fiction, including Rüneglaive: Sword of Heroes excerpt, Book One of The Hero Sagas trilogy.
Michael has been an avid reader and writer of epic fantasy for as long as he can remember. The first non-picture book he read cover-to-cover was Homer’s The Odyssey, which immediately ignited his imagination and inspired him to start creating myths of his own. He straightway started writing short stories, and even finished his first novel while still in grade school. That’s also when he discovered the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and turned, in his reading and his writing, from Greek mythology to the lore of the Nordic peoples and to high fantasy.
The next great influence on Michael’s writing was Ray Bradbury, whose The Illustrated Man and The Martian Chronicles introduced him to the infinite and limitless worlds of science fiction. He was lucky enough to meet Ray when he was still young; and Ray encouraged him to “keep creating [his] own worlds.”
In the books of The Hero Sagas, Michael set out to envision a world that would be intentionally familiar to fans of traditional high fantasy. After all, he was writing his The Hero Sagas, books because he wanted more adventures of the sort for which Tolkien had so keenly and satisfyingly whetted his appetite. Indeed, he meant for readers of J.R.R. Tolkien, Dennis L. McKiernan, and Terry Brooks to “be able to step into Ĭndrēl and feel reassuringly familiar and yet enjoy that sense of wonder and excitement that comes with discovering something exceptional and new.”
Michael believes, “The amicable reader will find the epic fantasy at play in The Four Reams to be a sort of Shalottian mirror though which might be glimpsed a counterpart to the world first given to us by its true master, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE, in whose enormous footsteps we all follow.”
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 7, 2011
Let me begin by saying that this is a different kind of book than I would usually read, but I am always looking for something a little bit different to read now and then. And this one certainly fit the bill.
I have never been a pirate fan, but I was somewhat intrigued with the history that was central to the adventure. I found Jack a likable person--although I grew tired of his bedroom capers. Thankfully, none of his bedroom antics were told in detail.
Portia and Sandy were fascinating characters. I could have done without the brief homosexual interlude, but I understand why that avenue was pursued. I felt it was woven into the framework of the story and made sense, but I am never a fan of those kinds of scenes.
I also did not enjoy the profanity scattered throughout the story. I am not saying it was absolutely horrific--I've read much worse. At least the author only had it in dialogue rather than nouns and verbs throughout the narrative. But I did feel some of it was not necessary. Again, just my opinino.
Lest you think I did not like the book, let me extol what I enjoyed about the story. The author has a very readable style. Even when I couldn't understand the nautical terms that were used (I still get confused between port and starboard--I identified with many of Portia's failings), it did not spoil the story for me. I found that I was able to escape to the world of the high seas and treasure-hunting through the author's words. The adventure never let up, and I was not sure what the ending would hold. It made we want to keep reading.
I also thought that the three main characters were developed extremely well. They were definitely three-dimensional characters, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy that in a novel. The characters had to tackle real issues from drugs, to sex, to feelings of worthlessness. I think everyone would be able to identify with one of the characters ot a degree.
I have to say that I found the ending a bit of a let-down. I know I am a romantic, and I like happy ending, but I also am a realist. The ending seemed a little rushed, and too many loose ends were not tied up. But that's just me, More thank likely, the vast majority of people will find the end very satisfying.
I could honestly recommend this to lovers of pirate stories, adventure stories, and just for a change of pace. It is a fast read, for the most part, and as long as the issues which I have pointed out do not bother or offend you, I think you will findthis read worth while.
The author sent me a free copy of his book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
I have never been a pirate fan, but I was somewhat intrigued with the history that was central to the adventure. I found Jack a likable person--although I grew tired of his bedroom capers. Thankfully, none of his bedroom antics were told in detail.
Portia and Sandy were fascinating characters. I could have done without the brief homosexual interlude, but I understand why that avenue was pursued. I felt it was woven into the framework of the story and made sense, but I am never a fan of those kinds of scenes.
I also did not enjoy the profanity scattered throughout the story. I am not saying it was absolutely horrific--I've read much worse. At least the author only had it in dialogue rather than nouns and verbs throughout the narrative. But I did feel some of it was not necessary. Again, just my opinino.
Lest you think I did not like the book, let me extol what I enjoyed about the story. The author has a very readable style. Even when I couldn't understand the nautical terms that were used (I still get confused between port and starboard--I identified with many of Portia's failings), it did not spoil the story for me. I found that I was able to escape to the world of the high seas and treasure-hunting through the author's words. The adventure never let up, and I was not sure what the ending would hold. It made we want to keep reading.
I also thought that the three main characters were developed extremely well. They were definitely three-dimensional characters, and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy that in a novel. The characters had to tackle real issues from drugs, to sex, to feelings of worthlessness. I think everyone would be able to identify with one of the characters ot a degree.
I have to say that I found the ending a bit of a let-down. I know I am a romantic, and I like happy ending, but I also am a realist. The ending seemed a little rushed, and too many loose ends were not tied up. But that's just me, More thank likely, the vast majority of people will find the end very satisfying.
I could honestly recommend this to lovers of pirate stories, adventure stories, and just for a change of pace. It is a fast read, for the most part, and as long as the issues which I have pointed out do not bother or offend you, I think you will findthis read worth while.
The author sent me a free copy of his book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated in any way, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
September 1, 2011
Argh! Thar be pirates!
I had to add a new tag to my shelves: I want to read again. Yes, the story is that great! But there is a lot of nautical jargon. I had no idea what those terms meant. They didn't prevent me from enjoying the book. They made me want to know more. So the next time I read it, I plan to have pictures of boat parts and some kind of nautical dictionary to get a better feel. I felt I was onboard. Is there a sailing for dummies out there? I'll have to look for it.
Michael Reed McLaughlin built believable characters. I think I could label this as Jack Sparrow meets Stranger in a Strange Land. I applaud the courage of love that Mr. McLaughlin integrates.
I am trying very hard not to throw any spoilers in this review. I don't think there needs to be a sequel, but I already miss the characters. I wish to see the growth that could happen.
Thank you, Michael, for the opportunity to read your great book!
I had to add a new tag to my shelves: I want to read again. Yes, the story is that great! But there is a lot of nautical jargon. I had no idea what those terms meant. They didn't prevent me from enjoying the book. They made me want to know more. So the next time I read it, I plan to have pictures of boat parts and some kind of nautical dictionary to get a better feel. I felt I was onboard. Is there a sailing for dummies out there? I'll have to look for it.
Michael Reed McLaughlin built believable characters. I think I could label this as Jack Sparrow meets Stranger in a Strange Land. I applaud the courage of love that Mr. McLaughlin integrates.
I am trying very hard not to throw any spoilers in this review. I don't think there needs to be a sequel, but I already miss the characters. I wish to see the growth that could happen.
Thank you, Michael, for the opportunity to read your great book!
March 26, 2012
What a refreshing read! I had this book far too long before committing to reading it, it's pretty short so I breezed through once I did start it. At first I was a little intimidated by the sailing terms but after a couple of chapters it was easy to catch on. The characters were well thought out and all had their own story to tie into the overall experience which I enjoyed; plus they had great personalities. Of course, a treasure hunting adventure is always exciting and when you add in a possible curse you've got a great combination. I would have liked for the romance side of it to have been either more involved or less, it was a key part of the story but felt kind of smooshed in and a little awkward. Nonetheless it tied together well and was an enjoyable read, a great weekend or beach book!
September 11, 2011
I received this book for free as an ePub edition from the author. (Thanks, Michael!) I just finished reading it, and I have to say, I really enjoyed this book! The story starts out with some history, a tale about pirates and sunken treasure. Then it is modern day, and we are joining Jack, Portia and Sandy on their quest to find this treasure. As the title says, there is sex and love, each person searching their own heart to discover the difference between the two. Each person also must learn lessons about trust, as they need to work together to find the treasure, and to sail their boat as a team. Thrown into the mix is a hurricane - this book has everything to keep you on the edge of your seat! A wild ride on the high seas, and a happy ending too - all in all a very good read!
September 3, 2011
I did not receive this book as a Goodreads Giveaway, however, the author contacted me and asked if I would read this as an ebook, and do a review. I love a free book, no matter if it's an ebook or paper, so I said I would. I waited for a free Saturday where I could sit and focus on the book. Well, focus, shmokus! I started reading this, and after the first page, I was hooked, quite literally! I couldn't stop reading! I needed to shower and get dressed because we had company coming over. I couldn't stop reading it until the last possible moment. It is the story of pirates, their treasure, and the current search for it! This was a terrific story Mr. McLaughlin. Bravo, and thank you for allowing me to receive it on my Kindle!
March 5, 2011
I found this to be an exhilarating thrill-ride that kept me glued to the page. It has all the elements of an excellent summer beach read - tropical scenery, sexy women and buff sailors. There is a great treasure-hunting mystery that is complicated by a love triangle and a killer hurricane. This story moves very briskly and you will miss it when you find yourself on the last page. I wish all my books were this good!
September 5, 2011
I purchased this book today and wasn't able to put it down at all (well, just once to eat dinner). I really enjoy a good treasure hunt type of book that includes outrunning a monstrous storm, in this case Hurricane Andrew, love, lies, betrayal and redemption. Definitely a great book. Enjoy your trip in the calm waters of the Caribbean before the storm.
August 6, 2013
I won this book from Goodreads. It was a fast, easy read--- although it was a bit too in-depth related to sailing terms for a landlubber such as myself. It was a good story, giving "sex & love, trust & betrayal" as promised in the title, and the characters were very interesting.
February 21, 2011
A fun little read of a movie novelization. Lots of sailing, romance, and intrigue.
February 21, 2011
A fun little read of a movie novelization. Lots of sailing, romance, and intrigue.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews