(cover art by Brad "Tiki Shark" Parker)
http://www.bigislandweekly.com/articles/2010/06/16/read/a_and_e/arts04.txt
‘'Cooked' has clues to Big Isle quest
New book, filled with romance, revenge, recipes, offers readers a chance to win cash in isle treasure hunt
By Terrie Henderson, Staff Reporter, Big Island Weekly
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
If you'd like to read a Hawaiian mystery filled with romance, revenge, recipes and clues that lead to a real live treasure, then "Captain Cooked" may be right up your alley.
Right now, a shark teeth club is hidden somewhere on the Big Island, and the clues to finding this "treasure" are hidden in the book and/or at. The hunt for the club will end about two years from now.
The book's main character is a woman named Madison Merlot Dayne, who arrives on the Big Island to shoot her father's popular television food show. Madison and her father find themselves trying to discover who has poisoned a revered Hawaiian musician. The main character, who was looking for an island romance, finds herself with three men in her life at the same time.
Big Island Weekly recently caught up with author S. P. Grogan, who gave us more insight into his newest quest adventure book.
"'Captain Cooked' breaks a few norms. When one thinks of culinary mystery (those with recipes) the common judgment is that these are cozies, fast reads, aimed at women mystery fans," Grogan said. "'Captain Cooked' brings in sub plots of monarchy restoration, legalizing casino gaming in Hawai'i, and the use of GPS involved in thefts. It reads also as a tourist guide where we hope readers: (a) follow the book around the island; and (b) try at home the recipes to make their own party. 'Captain Cooked' is not your normal mystery."
In 2008, Grogan published a book titled "Vegas Die." This was also a quest book, with a hidden dagger somewhere in the Las Vegas Valley. Grogan suggests reading these quest books first for the mystery, then going back and looking for clues.
So, why base the book on the Big Island?
"My wife and I have been vacationing on the Big Island for about eight years, and have made friends, and traveled the island on food tasting trips. I even proposed to my wife at Volcano National Park, at the ocean, on the romantic belief that new lava would long endure as would our marriage," Grogan said. "My fiancee was more worried I would fall into the ocean if the lava started flowing and that concern ended up in my mystery story, 'Captain Cooked.'"
During his visits to the island, Grogan was also researching and gaining inspiration.
"It is more of an adventure book while capturing all the tourist nuances of the island. Locals should see some inside jokes, tourists should find interesting places to go visit. In a way I did structure the book to be a draw to the islands, and in this economy, any good story should generate visitors. And the subplots abound," Grogan said.
Grogan said he would like readers to try and analyze the heroine of the book and see what opinion they have formed of her at the end.
"'Captain Cooked,' I believe, makes a great discussion for a book club; a little politics, a little romance, and everyone should work their way through the recipes in the book."
He said jokingly, "It would be far easier than doing Julia Child's cookbook."
Possible clues in the book, at first glimpse, seem hard to decipher. On some pages, there are circles and squares around page numbers. When asked about these possible clues, Grogan offered little assistance in solving the mystery.
"In a previous mystery I wrote I created a quest mystery, and hidden a prize for people to find by finding clues in the book," he said. "The story on the Big Island allows me to incorporate the fun craze of GPS geo-caching. There are clues in the book that will lead questors to search our caches around the island."
Grogan also talked about what the real treasure is for finding the shark teeth club. "The club when found is redeemable for the cash prize. For those not living on island, in September, we will launch a series of small cash contests, again based on events in the book," he added.
"In my earlier book, 'Vegas Die,' the prize is $25,000, and you did not have to live in Vegas to discover a hidden dagger, but with the economy, we are starting at $5,000 to find a Hawaiian war club on the Big Island, but there will be incremental increases to the prize based on book sales. So a best-seller means a larger prize," he said.
Grogan said folks can look for the book in bookstores by mid-July. For those who want to get a jump start on the treasure, it's available on Amazon.com now, and should be available as a Kindle book and other e-books by July 1.
Grogan urged, "Call your local book stores and ask them to order it. For eager readers the book is available through the publisher at http://www.CaptainCooked.com."
The dagger in "Vegas Die," by the way, is still waiting to be found.
"Vegas Die" has become a regional best seller, and treasure hunters can go to QuestMystery.com to gain a flavor of the quest, Grogan said.
Grogan plans to continue writing quest books.
Grogan stressed that "Captain Cooked" has a significant food aspect and will be giving back to the island.
"We have recipes from top chefs on the islands, most other culinary mysteries merely stick general recipes at the back, I am going to showcase restaurants around the island," Grogan said. "Also, we want to help the community out, so buy a copy of 'Captain Cooked' and we make a contribution to the Food Basket program on the island. I have a good time while visiting, I feel I can also give back to those in need."
Captain Cooked by S.P. Grogan (Addison & Highsmith Publishers)
ISBN: 978-0-9801164-0
Brad (Tiki Shark) Parker
[email protected]
http://www.tikishark.com
http://www.myspace.com/Lotus_Land
http://www.cocktailnation.net
http://www.sargentsfineart.com/artist/parker.php
[ Edited by: Tiki Shark Art 2010-06-19 17:13 ]
