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The Longquist Adventures by Frank Holes Jr. |
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The Laptop... “There
was a long, thin slit on the front of the computer, but it didn’t
appear to be anything a CD would fit into.
The boy looked doggedly in the upper shelves and drawers of the
roll-top desk, and after finding nothing, pulled out the file drawers
below. Sweet!
He pulled out a white cardboard box with dozens of large black
floppy disks. Just like the
laptop, these were the ancient predecessors of modern technology.
Each sleek disk had a sticker label at its top in which its
contents were hand-written with a red felt-tipped pen.
Thumbing through the stack, James pulled out the one that looked
the most interesting. It was
labeled with three distinct titles, one above another: “Civil
War…The Odyssey… Cretaceous Period.” James had
inherited much of his grandfather’s love of history without knowing
it, even though they had never spoken until this summer.
The three titles on the disk were not totally unfamiliar to him,
though he was nowhere near an expert like his grandfather surely was.
What the three titles had in common, however, was lost on the
boy. He couldn’t think of
any connections between them, and so he assumed they must be separate
programs he could explore individually on the computer. ” The Longquist Adventures a
new novel by
A New World Of Adventures!
In a great
blending of fantasy, adventure, and mythology, The Longquist Adventures sets the stage for a new young hero in modern literature.
Written for elementary students as young as third grade, these
novels will be loved by those at the middle school and high school level,
as well as anyone familiar with mythology and classic literary tales.
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Latest
News: April 18, 2011 Be on the lookout for a new novel by Frank Holes Jr., coming this summer. The long-awaited connection between the Longquist novels and the Dogman series is here! The new novel, part science-fiction and part fantasy, links Frank's two series in a deep, dark mystery that threatens the fate of the world! Look for it July 4!
The first advanced copy of the new Longquist
Adventures is now available on our website. More snippets of Viking Treasure, the second book in the series, will continue to appear over the next few months until the book's release, tentatively on February 1, 2010.
Order Your Copy of
November 1, 2009 Craig Tollenaar, our extraordinary artist from Year of the Dogman and the first Longquist Adventures novel, has signed on for the artwork for this second novel. Be sure to check out our website often for updates and some preliminary drawings!
November 17,
2009
Contact
the author at:
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Locations around Michigan where you can purchase your own copy: |
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horizons bookstores: petoskey, traverse city, cadillac Lelanau Books: Leland Charlie's Country Corner: Grayling
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bookworld
bookstores: Iron Mountain, Escanaba, Marquette book shoppe: alma great lakes books: big rapids
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bookmark
bookstores: Manistee & ludington
gibsons bookstore: east Lansing schulers books: Lansing & Okemos
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logmark
bookstore: cheboygan
goldenrod gifts: indian river kens village market: indian river |
Email us at [email protected] |
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Viking Treasure A New World Of
Adventures!
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From Chapter 5:
Several voices grew more intense, and after a few moments, the cabin boy’s eyes widened as he realized what they were saying. James listened carefully as the gruff voices in the ship’s tiny galley argued over the plans for the mutiny. Of course, the apple barrel was far enough against the ship’s curved interior wall that he didn’t have to worry about being discovered; as long as none of these ruffians reached in for a snack, he’d be basically invisible. And that was a good thing. “Arrrgh, I says we take ‘em tonight,” one deep voice argued. “Slit their throats whilst they sleep.” There was a slicing, slurping nose, and James could picture in his mind’s eye that particular Viking mimicking the deadly blade by stretching his thumb across his throat. “No, now we’ve been over this a hundred times already,” a familiar voice spoke, quiet but with total control. “We stick to the plan. Don’t you go getting’ anxious yet.” “Who says we gots to be takin’ orders from you, Longsword?” the first voice sneered back. James could hear the audible, intimidating crackling of ten rock-solid knuckles. Longsword! How could he? The boy silently clenched his fists in anger. James didn’t want to believe it, but there was no mistaking his voice, sticky-sweet and sincere to be true, but with an undertone of rigid authority. Crestfallen, James thought about how much he liked the old cook, how much he’d learned from him, and how he’d come to respect him. And here he was, not only part of the mutiny but leading it! “I says, that’s who,” Longsword answered in a sinister whisper. “Don’t you go forgettin’ who’s in charge here. You’ll do as I say, or I’ll be usin’ you for fish bait.” A long pause stretched across the darkened cabin. Then a little chuckle slipped from each of the Vikings gathered there. Longsword continued, keeping the upper hand. “And don’t think I wont, either, because I’ve had just about enough of this accursed fruit and cheese. And the mead’s almost run dry. I wan’ts some meat or fish.” Suddenly, the lid of James’ apple barrel lifted upward and a stream of dim light entered along with a thick, muscular and hairy arm. The fingers, fat as sausages, groped for an apple. Silently, James pressed his body against the oak slats to keep from being found. With the information he’d just heard, he was not only a threat to these Viking mutineers; he just might become fish bait himself!
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The
Longquist Adventures: Viking Treasure From Chapter 2: There was not much room below deck, though James later on found he could walk anyplace easily, unlike the much bigger Vikings who had to constantly duck and crouch beneath the overhead beams. “You’re a right fine salt, you are boy,” the Viking said. “So, what do they call you, my lad?” Nervously, James reached his right hand forward expecting to shake hands, just as his father had taught him years ago. He hoped his fingers wouldn’t be crushed, either accidentally or on purpose. But the boy was completely surprised when Viking clutched his entire arm. It was a full forearm shake! Longsword’s fingers wrapped completely around James’s elbow. James attempted to return the gesture, but his small fingers barely covered a quarter of the big man’s arm. Longsword gave the boy a gentle shake, pumping their arms up and down twice and saying, “It’s good to meet ya James. Welcome aboard the Sonskir.”
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From Chapter 4: Old Torgeir stared out to the rough seas with his one good eye. Even with only one good eye to look out of, he normally acted as the ship’s lookout, able to see much farther than his other shipmates. He didn’t make a sound, nay did he even breathe for a long time. Just
then, the sea around the two ships began to boil.
Huge bubbles broke their way to the surface, and sea water
sprayed two dozen or more feet into the air.
Having seen film footage of Yellowstone’s The great Viking vessel suddenly lurched hard to the right, the prow of the ship plunging nearly under the icy sea. The crew grasped any handhold in sight and then cringed as a wall of water blasted over the deck. The Draugr, just a dozen yards away, twisted hard to the side, and audible cracking sound emitting from its midsection. Luckily, James was right next to the mast. His small right hand looped around the rope that dangled down from the beam above. A shout and several curses issued immediately from the galley, as many gallons of water poured down the hatchway. Not a second or two later, Jon Longsword poked his head out of the ship’s central hold. “What in blazes is goin on up here?” he cried angrily. “Where’s the helmsman, steering us into such chaos? I’ll stripe him myself for a … But the old cook’s tirade was cut short as he glanced over toward the smaller ship. James followed his glance and watched as the Draugr, now broken into several pieces was quickly sinking below the bubbling water. Viking sailors were swimming madly for the Sonskir. “Thor’s thunder!” said Longsword, obviously in awe. “It’s a Kraken!” “A what?” asked James, incredulously. But he didn’t have long to ponder. Suddenly Longsword hollered at the boy fiercely. “Get down lad!” Without thinking, James dropped to his knees. He just barely slipped below the slimy tentacle that whipped its way across the Sonskir’s deck. As he rolled over onto his back, James, now wide-eyed in terror, watched the tentacle wrap itself twice around the mast. The tentacle was a greenish-brown color on top. The underside was a sour gray color, distinguished by rows of suckers, each the size of cereal bowls. The jagged edge of each sucker was lined with small teeth-like protrusions. From only a few feet below, James could hear the grinding of the serrated edges of the suckers, most now engaged in adhering the tentacle to the mast. By this time, the entire crew was on deck. But a moment later, they all hit the planking as the ship lurched again, this time from the tentacle pulling upon the mast. Weapons appeared in the Vikings’ hands as more and more tentacles snaked their way up on deck. The sailors swung their swords and axes, defeating the smaller tentacles and sending them back slithering to the watery depths. But two larger tentacles were causing far more havoc. One large tentacle was still prying on the main mast. With each tug, the Sonskir again lurched to the side. The other large tentacle was knocking the Vikings off into the sea.
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From Chapter
2: The streets emptied rapidly. The boy was amazed how quickly folks found someplace else to be. Doors slammed up and down the block. Even the boy at the livery forgot his escaped chargers and pulled the wide double doors shut. However, though all passers-by were missing from the street, James could see many of their faces peering from the dirty and dingy glass windows, both at ground level and in the stories above. Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl. A light breeze swept down the main street, kicking up little spinning dirt devils. A few fat, puffy clouds sat lazily in the blue sky. The outlaw shook himself, and suddenly remembering where he was, stumbled to his feet. He looked around, seeing his six-shooter a few feet away, his Stetson upside down in the other direction, and the cash from the bank blowing around in the wind. He paused a moment as if trying to decide which to go after first. |
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From Chapter 9: The attention of the entire group was soon caught by an ever-growing shape emerging from the horizon. They all watched, entranced, as the tiny figure, so far away, emerged and took shape. Their lead scout, who had been riding out a mile or so ahead, had come streaking back toward the group, and something was following him. Another shape was emerging behind him. Something big. Something nearly as fast as he. He continued to close the distance back to the troop. Now the scout was clearly visible. He was riding as if his life depended on it, and a cloud of dust billowed out from behind his horse’s hooves. The group slowed to a slight canter and pulled together in a naturally protective maneuver. |
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Gun in hand, the outlaw now turned his attention to the bank notes, which were making their way slowly to the outskirts of town. At that point, he noticed the boy crouching at the edge of the street. Realization dawned on the bad man, realization that this boy was the reason for his tumble and the thwarting of his clean get-away. |
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That he’d return was inevitable; that he’d return in such a manner was disturbing. However, they didn’t have to wait long for the scout. Nor did they have to wait long to see what was behind him, what was undoubtedly chasing him back their way. The heat waves rising from the ground in the desert naturally form mirages. |
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Still stumbling a bit, the outlaw stalked toward the little boy and raised his piece. James’ eyes opened wide in terror, and his throat went totally dry. He was frozen for the second time in just a few minutes, but this time he was sure his luck had run out. The lawman strode calmly to the middle of the now deserted street and looked down at the outlaw. He pushed back his long coat revealing the guns of his trade. |
The Longquist Adventures: Western Odyssey A New World Of Adventures!
Art by
Craig Tollenaar |
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Even from this distance, James could see the polished wooden
handles and the blue steel that protruded from the holsters hung low on
each hip. A silver star
glinted on his vest.
The brim of the lawman’s own bleached-white Stetson hat was tilted up, revealing the tanned visage and a coal-black shooter’s eyes. His shoulder length hair, gray intermingled with the deep black, hung straight below the rear brim. The thick, graying handlebar moustache and goatee, immaculately trimmed and socially presentable, gave him an air of unquestioned authority. Stoically he stood, his face never twitched or showed a hint of emotion. He addressed the outlaw again. “I suggest you drop your weapon and give yourself |
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From Chapter 4:
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