A WILL TO SURVIVE
A WILL TO SURVIVE ACADIANS 1755 the family BASTARACHE dit le BASQUE, the story of a family in the French colony of Acadia since 1680. In 1755, the British launched a cruel military campaign in North America, invading Acadia in a blitzkrieg that captured over 7,000 Acadians, driving as many into the forests, hunted by the British during three more years of terror. The Bastarache family is among these beleaguered people. Michel and Pierre Bastarache fight a losing battle to defend their homes, enduring capture and slavery at the hand of the British. They experience escapes, fights, and a walk of hundreds of miles seeking lost family. Along the way, from unexpected sources, they see the depth of terror and the heights of friendship. Based on recorded history, the story of the Bastarache dit le Basque is a compelling look at the strength of their will to survive in the face of unfathomable displays of man’s inhumanity to man. Available on Amazon.com 
Charlotte, la Beauté et la Tragédie, by Tom Gauthier
Book Description on Amazon.com Charlotte, la Beauté et la Tragédie, is three stories woven into the tapestry of the early history of French Canada – Quebec. The stories are set in factual events and personal accounts of the early settling of Quebec. Giving life to history required connecting the dots in the records with the suppositions of human behavior, emotions, and actions, that the events infer. The first is the story of Charlotte Roussel, born in of Évreux, France, in 1646, in the reign of Louis XIV, and growing up in poor circumstance with little prospect for the future. When her father dies, we see her accepting an offer to join the filles du roi, Daughters of the King. With few first-hand accounts of the lives of the Filles du Roi, Charlotte's story is an exception, sadly due to her tragic end, but also for her marriage to a historic figure, Pierre Gautier dit Saguingoira. We follow Charlotte as she makes the perilous voyage to the colony of Quebec, and up to her recorded presence at Maison Saint-Gabriel in Ville-Marie (the future Montréal) and her meeting of Pierre. The second story is of Pierre Gautier dit Saguingoira. From his birth in Surgères, France it tells the life of Pierre Gautier from humble birth, to taking a leap of faith, sailing to the new French colony of Quebec, and being thrust into the recorded history of its creation, including becoming the first settler of René-Robert de la Salle's stories Lachine. We also learn how Pierre Gautier became Pierre Gautier dit Saguingoira. Had Charlotte Roussel and Pierre Gautier remained in France in the 17th century, they would be lost in the chaos that was that time and lost to our history. History is fascinating, and to try for clarity one needs the points of view of all the people and events recorded. So the third story is the viewpoints, experiences, and actions of the indigenous people who witnessed the arrival of the French. Titled La Confédération Iroquois, it is an important element to the story of the French settling of Quebec. This is the history of the interactions with the native Iroquois Nation of tribes, and the Algonquin and Wendat (called Huron by the French) tribes. And finally, we merge the stories in the part titled A Convergence of Fates, and it is exactly that. The convergence of the lives of Charlotte Roussel and Pierre Gautier (now dit Saguingoira), the growth of their family and the building of a community, all in the shadow of the actions of the Iroquois. The culmination is the climactic conclusion, with twists and turns in the fates of all the players. While this book is a history of people, places, and events, it is written in the genre of Historical Fiction, allowing the author to give you historical facts wrapped in feelings – the essence of human existence. The voyageurs paddling a birchbark canoe loaded with two tons of pelts for fifteen hours a day must have had something to say about it over the evening campfire. The settler looking at stones and trees to shape into a home for his family must have a thought while sweat pours down his back. So, we give them voice. A voice of fear, joy, elation, doubt – a human voice. The Filles du Roi are the over seven hundred women sent to Quebec by Louis XIV during a ten-year period, to marry soldiers and settlers, raise families in the wilderness, and who became the women who populated Nouvelle France. It is estimated that two thirds of French Canadians today are descendants of the Filles. Footnote: Charlotte and Pierre are the author's 7th great-grandparents, and his motivation for recording these stories for his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. |
The Chinese Communist Intelligence leaders are testing their concept of Unconventional War on the United States.
They do NOT want the fingerprints of China on the plot so they involve Iran, Cuba, and the major Islamic Terror groups of the world. The plot is discovered by Israeli Mossad agents in Iran, uncovering enough evidence to know it is real, but not enough to alert any government or military assets. So the VICTRIX FORUM is enlisted to locate and track the agents, which now includes North Korean assassins, and gather enough evidence to alert the target: the USA. The chase moves through Cuba and on to Colombia where a former drug lord is pressed into service to transport the terrorists. Unknown to the Chinese, the drug lord chooses to cooperate with Victrix Forum. China is testing different routes to infiltrate saboteurs into the US, including a Venezuelan submarine, ocean-going fast boats, coyotes, and the Mexican drug cartel camps. The action is fast, involving more and more of the US assets that are already deployed for other missions. For this reason, the President of the US does not have to confront China directly in order to defeat the Chinese Intelligence practice event before it endangers Americans in the homeland. As the plot unfolds, spies are identified in the US that have infiltrated and influenced some members of Congress. This is a story that closely parallels actual world events and the capabilities of the enemies of the United States. The danger of lax security on American borders is revealed alongside the extent of radical Islamic groups bent on hurting Americans. Also revealed is the extent of China's infiltration into the world's trade system, controlling vital routes and ports. This revelation is not fiction.
Although The DRACO JUDGEMENT is fiction, every element of the plot, geographic, political, technological, is real and exists today. Fast action, twists and turns, makes The DRACO JUDGEMENT a must-read for Action/Adventure Fans.
They do NOT want the fingerprints of China on the plot so they involve Iran, Cuba, and the major Islamic Terror groups of the world. The plot is discovered by Israeli Mossad agents in Iran, uncovering enough evidence to know it is real, but not enough to alert any government or military assets. So the VICTRIX FORUM is enlisted to locate and track the agents, which now includes North Korean assassins, and gather enough evidence to alert the target: the USA. The chase moves through Cuba and on to Colombia where a former drug lord is pressed into service to transport the terrorists. Unknown to the Chinese, the drug lord chooses to cooperate with Victrix Forum. China is testing different routes to infiltrate saboteurs into the US, including a Venezuelan submarine, ocean-going fast boats, coyotes, and the Mexican drug cartel camps. The action is fast, involving more and more of the US assets that are already deployed for other missions. For this reason, the President of the US does not have to confront China directly in order to defeat the Chinese Intelligence practice event before it endangers Americans in the homeland. As the plot unfolds, spies are identified in the US that have infiltrated and influenced some members of Congress. This is a story that closely parallels actual world events and the capabilities of the enemies of the United States. The danger of lax security on American borders is revealed alongside the extent of radical Islamic groups bent on hurting Americans. Also revealed is the extent of China's infiltration into the world's trade system, controlling vital routes and ports. This revelation is not fiction.
Although The DRACO JUDGEMENT is fiction, every element of the plot, geographic, political, technological, is real and exists today. Fast action, twists and turns, makes The DRACO JUDGEMENT a must-read for Action/Adventure Fans.
Review: Reviewed by Readers' Favorite
Terror Tree
This Novel by Tom Gauthier is a mesmerizing tale of adventure, terror, and the fight for survival that is expertly narrated. It was supposed to be a great holiday for Elizabeth Pomeroy and her friends when she arranges a safari to Kenya with her companions from Victrix Forum; Brigit Mead, Olivia Lobuglio, and Madison Owen. But everything changes for the worse and the beautiful landscapes with their marvels and the mysterious baobabs quickly become an unending ordeal as they come into the orbit of the relentless al-Shabaab terrorists. Can they find safety in the giant baobab?
Follow this trail of a search that takes characters from Kenya to Somalia. I had no doubt that the novel is well-researched, and apart from writing a setting that will captivate the minds of readers with strong elements of the exotic parts of Kenya, the author describes the tactics of the terrorist groups of al-Shabaab and al-Qaeda with so much clarity. The narrative is filled with action, beginning with the encounter with the “men in dark uniforms, faces masked, and carrying AK 47 assault rifles.” The struggle for survival constitutes one of the strongest points of the plot.
Tom Gauthier’s characters are well-developed with unique backgrounds, skills, and mental dispositions. Dr. Brigit Mead was my favorite character and her psychological stamina, as well as her unique medical skills, come in handy. She also has a good knowledge of the world of Islamic terrorism. While readers will adore the unforgettable characters, the baobab can be read as a character in its own right, a mysterious tree that becomes an important part of the plot. Terror Tree: A Novel is tightly plotted and well-written, an action-packed novel with a memorable setting and sophisticated characters.
Published by ToMar Associates, Publishing of Reno, NV
Available on Amazon.com
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Force Three Rises
the fourth novel in the Amos Mead Adventure series. The Korean War is underway, the Americans fighting for their lives in the Pusan Perimeter. An aircraft flown by the CIA has crashed in Manchuria and two of its crew taken prisoner—but whether by the Communist Chinese or the Soviet KGB is not known. One of the prisoners is a high level US government official. A Broken Arrow alert is called by the US Air Force at Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa--An Atomic Bomb has been stolen. The President of the United States has a private unit of “spies” at his disposal. Since 1938 FORCE THREE served as the eyes and ears of the American President in Asia, Europe and the Soviet Union during war and peace, and once again they are called to serve. And now a second President has this highly secret force. Since they operate outside of treaties and conventional channels, the President calls on them to unravel what is evolving into a deadly dance of the CIA, the KGB and the Red Chinese—and a fourth, more sinister player, a cabal of mid-level Chinese and Russians who seek wealth and riches from manipulation of the combatants on the Korean Peninsula. Amos Mead is the one person all parties see as able to cross the lines and seek the truth—he’s been called on before and the President trusts him to find out if governments are plotting, or individuals are seeking chaos—with the kidnapping of an American official—or with an atomic bomb. We follow Mead to Moscow as he unravels the situation Harmon Wetmore, Deputy Director of the CIA, has gotten into—ending in his imprisonment by the KGB. Mead is also tasked with breaking up a cabal of Russian and Chinese “bandits” who seek to blackmail the free world by threatening to explode an atomic bomb in an unknown location. The trail leads to action in Pyongyang and on the Korean Island of Jeju. At the same time, Mead’s wife, Dr. Brigit O’Hare Mead has been recruited to reconnect with a Chinese General she aided as an intelligence officer in WWII. The General is now a part of Mao Tse-Tung’s Communist Forces. Dr. Mead gains information—and sows discontent. Follow the action as Mead struggles with outside forces—and his own ghosts of past and current friends. In this time of the infancy of the atomic age, unknown dangers lurk with dire consequences for both friend and foe as FORCE THREE RISES. |
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Code Name: ORION’S EYE
In June 1943 an OSS agent in London discovers a mysterious Nazi interest in something called, “Auge Orion." Major Amos Mead, USMC, is the OSS Agent charged with answering the questions: "What? Why?” The twists and turns of Mead’s quest end half way around the world in a violent and deadly confrontation.
Code Name: ORION’S EYE is the first in a series of action/adventure novels featuring protagonist Major Amos Mead, USMC, an OSS agent during World War II who manages to get some interesting assignments. In this story he discovers that the Nazi Germans are trying to locate and steal a new and important breakthrough in radar technology. Ultimately, Mead must shepherd the device, assigned to the 1st Fighter Control Squadron, on its journey to war. Along the way he assembles a most unlikely team of fellow spy catchers. Unknown to Mead and the team, Nazi leaders Hermann Goering and Heinrich Himmler are in direct competition with each other to capture the device for their own paranoid purposes. Thus, Mead and company are challenged from many directions. Into the mix is thrown a suspected spy – a U.S. military officer who is on one of the espionage missions for the Nazis.
The history-based sinking of the SS Cape San Juan brings the players together in a violent and deadly clash--with a surprise twist. This novel provides the entertainment and the learning elements a reader of historical fiction seeks.
Military Writers Society of America Review
Author Tom Gauthier has woven together a compelling story—mixing historical fact with fiction in “Code Name: Orion’s Eye.” The result is a riveting tale of military intrigue and espionage from World War II, involving the Nazis’ desperate attempt to steal American radar technology.
The fast-paced action takes place throughout the world. In Germany, competing factions struggle for supremacy of the Nazi intelligence services—one led by Field Marshal Goering and the other by the notorious SS Reichsführer, Heinrich Himmler. In England and the USA, members of the Allied intelligence community struggle with an ever-increasing sense of urgency to interpret jumbled and disparate tidbits of information in a desperate attempt to stay ahead of their adversaries and to protect this vital new technology from being acquired by the enemy.
Gauthier puts all this together—artfully merging historical facts, people and events with fictional details—to create a believable and suspense-filled yarn. After a pulse-pounding chase through North and South America, the plot unwinds toward a showdown between an ad hoc group of allies and their shadowy German adversaries on board the USS San Juan in the faraway South Pacific.
As a bonus, the reader is treated to a recap of real people, places, and events at the end of the book to show how the author pieced together facts, suppositions and hypotheses in crafting his novel.
Reviewed by: John Cathcart (2012) MWSA
MEAD'S TREK
Major Amos Mead, USMC, is on his way home from the mission that saved the secret of Orion’s Eye. He meets and falls in love with a woman who will play an unusual role in his life when he is thrown into a new and unexpected assignment with the OSS. These new circumstances thrust Mead violently back into the war, into enemy territory, and force him to endure a trek from Burma to China marked by death and survival to pursue his mission—a mission that evolves beyond his knowledge by the intrigues of corrupt officials that may include the Vice President of the United States.
This story of romance, action, intrigue, and tragedy is drawn from the history of a chapter in the War known well to those who were there, and not so well to the rest of Americans.
Major Amos Mead, USMC, is on his way home from the mission that saved the secret of Orion’s Eye. He meets and falls in love with a woman who will play an unusual role in his life when he is thrown into a new and unexpected assignment with the OSS. These new circumstances thrust Mead violently back into the war, into enemy territory, and force him to endure a trek from Burma to China marked by death and survival to pursue his mission—a mission that evolves beyond his knowledge by the intrigues of corrupt officials that may include the Vice President of the United States.
This story of romance, action, intrigue, and tragedy is drawn from the history of a chapter in the War known well to those who were there, and not so well to the rest of Americans.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING ABOUT MEAD’S TREK
John Monteith (2012) Military Writers’ Society of America
“Mead’s Trek places a diverse set of characters in a World War II Indo-China setting that the author brings to life with vivid descriptions. The heroes are a mix of officers from multiple service branches and countries who are tasked to sort out the conflicts of interest in the South China and Indo-China areas. They will unravel the mystery of intricate political alliances in messy regions at a messy time. The lead character, Amos Mead, finds himself in a whirlwind of activity. Traversing dangerous countries where alliances are murky and political influences are unpredictable, Mead ends up facing arduous and hostile conditions. He works with locals and friendly troops of chance to defeat Japanese adversaries, find his way to pivotal historical figures, and uncover the alliances he is tasked to find. The author demonstrates great skill in sprucing up his narrative with peppery action verbs and well-researched regional specifics to bring sights, sounds, and tastes to life.”
Steve Berry, NY Times and International Best Selling Author
"Here's a voice that's original, animated, and refreshing. Tom Gauthier definitely knows what he's writing about --- and it shows. You're there, amidst the action, feeling, hearing, even smelling the tension. Enjoy the adventure."
Lis Wiehl, FOX NEWS Legal Analyst and author of Face of Betrayal and SNAPSHOT
“… Gauthier weaves a compelling story of intrigue, action and romance …”
(click on Lis Wiehl to go to her site)
Writer’s Digest Competition Judge
“The writing is sharp and powerful and pulsates with the author’s passion for recreating historical events as seen through the eyes of a fictional character. (Mead’s Trek) has a powerful thematic core, allowing the reader opportunities to witness the nature and consequences of war, human endurance and heroism … a most exciting novel written with a real flare for high adventure and history.”
Rambles.com Literary Magazine
“Anyone ready to read some World War II fiction? Would you like to focus on the Asian theatre instead of Europe? If so, Mead's Trek by Tom Gauthier should be on your list. This novel is the second with main character Amos Mead at the forefront. Don't worry if you have never heard of Amos. Gauthier writes Mead's Trek in such a way that you can jump right in. But I'll warn you now that after you read this book, you'll want to go back and read Code Name: Orion's Eye, the first Amos Mead novel, if you haven't already.”
Truong Buu Lam, University of Hawaii, historian on Vietnamese History
“This book deserves the attention of people who like historical novels. The author has done his homework concerning the events that occurred in Southeast Asia toward the end of World War Two. He is familiar with all the popular movements existing in each of the countries his characters passed through and, especially for Vietnam, he shows plainly the particular circumstances that allowed him to draw the conclusions he did in his epilogue. All that detailed information is cleverly woven into a suspenseful adventure combined with a budding romance which titillates our mind and warms our heart.”
John Monteith (2012) Military Writers’ Society of America
“Mead’s Trek places a diverse set of characters in a World War II Indo-China setting that the author brings to life with vivid descriptions. The heroes are a mix of officers from multiple service branches and countries who are tasked to sort out the conflicts of interest in the South China and Indo-China areas. They will unravel the mystery of intricate political alliances in messy regions at a messy time. The lead character, Amos Mead, finds himself in a whirlwind of activity. Traversing dangerous countries where alliances are murky and political influences are unpredictable, Mead ends up facing arduous and hostile conditions. He works with locals and friendly troops of chance to defeat Japanese adversaries, find his way to pivotal historical figures, and uncover the alliances he is tasked to find. The author demonstrates great skill in sprucing up his narrative with peppery action verbs and well-researched regional specifics to bring sights, sounds, and tastes to life.”
Steve Berry, NY Times and International Best Selling Author
"Here's a voice that's original, animated, and refreshing. Tom Gauthier definitely knows what he's writing about --- and it shows. You're there, amidst the action, feeling, hearing, even smelling the tension. Enjoy the adventure."
Lis Wiehl, FOX NEWS Legal Analyst and author of Face of Betrayal and SNAPSHOT
“… Gauthier weaves a compelling story of intrigue, action and romance …”
(click on Lis Wiehl to go to her site)
Writer’s Digest Competition Judge
“The writing is sharp and powerful and pulsates with the author’s passion for recreating historical events as seen through the eyes of a fictional character. (Mead’s Trek) has a powerful thematic core, allowing the reader opportunities to witness the nature and consequences of war, human endurance and heroism … a most exciting novel written with a real flare for high adventure and history.”
Rambles.com Literary Magazine
“Anyone ready to read some World War II fiction? Would you like to focus on the Asian theatre instead of Europe? If so, Mead's Trek by Tom Gauthier should be on your list. This novel is the second with main character Amos Mead at the forefront. Don't worry if you have never heard of Amos. Gauthier writes Mead's Trek in such a way that you can jump right in. But I'll warn you now that after you read this book, you'll want to go back and read Code Name: Orion's Eye, the first Amos Mead novel, if you haven't already.”
Truong Buu Lam, University of Hawaii, historian on Vietnamese History
“This book deserves the attention of people who like historical novels. The author has done his homework concerning the events that occurred in Southeast Asia toward the end of World War Two. He is familiar with all the popular movements existing in each of the countries his characters passed through and, especially for Vietnam, he shows plainly the particular circumstances that allowed him to draw the conclusions he did in his epilogue. All that detailed information is cleverly woven into a suspenseful adventure combined with a budding romance which titillates our mind and warms our heart.”
DIE LISTE:
Revenge on the Black Sun
This third novel in the Amos Mead series involves Amos and Brigit MEAD in post war adventures. Pressed into service by the newly created CIA, Mead is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent of the Mossad. This agent has set out on a personal mission to assassinate ex-Nazis who were brought to America by the CIA after the war for their special skills and abilities. But is it really Mossad who is raining down revenge on the former Nazi SS war criminals? The killer or killers has developed a secret list of these individuals and is hunting them down with deadly results. Mead must find out who the potential victims are because during their illegal stay in the United States they were secretly used by a U.S. Senator to spy of the State Department. If the press and public uncover the CIA and Senator’s connections to the group there will be trouble. While Amos Mead is working with his old partner Wetmore in the search, Brigit Mead is uncovering and reporting on unusual clues that include little known Nazi iconography. The action to find and stop the assassins covers North and South America and Europe, so the deadly needle in the haystack will be hard to find before it’s too late for some unsuspecting people – including, quite possibly, Amos Mead himself.
Revenge on the Black Sun
This third novel in the Amos Mead series involves Amos and Brigit MEAD in post war adventures. Pressed into service by the newly created CIA, Mead is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent of the Mossad. This agent has set out on a personal mission to assassinate ex-Nazis who were brought to America by the CIA after the war for their special skills and abilities. But is it really Mossad who is raining down revenge on the former Nazi SS war criminals? The killer or killers has developed a secret list of these individuals and is hunting them down with deadly results. Mead must find out who the potential victims are because during their illegal stay in the United States they were secretly used by a U.S. Senator to spy of the State Department. If the press and public uncover the CIA and Senator’s connections to the group there will be trouble. While Amos Mead is working with his old partner Wetmore in the search, Brigit Mead is uncovering and reporting on unusual clues that include little known Nazi iconography. The action to find and stop the assassins covers North and South America and Europe, so the deadly needle in the haystack will be hard to find before it’s too late for some unsuspecting people – including, quite possibly, Amos Mead himself.
What they're Saying About DIE LISTE: Revenge on the Black Sun
“You won’t want to put it down… The third adventure with Amos Mead. His wife Brigit and old friend Harmon Wetmore are out to find out why Nazi war criminals are being assassinated. It leads them to places they couldn't have imagined. The author makes his cast of characters believable, & the action keeps you turning pages.” T H Handy reviewed the kindle edition
“5 stars for an exciting read …Loved this novel. It has everything a reader wants—well rounded characters, fast paced action and adventure with a sprinkle of revenge. Be sure to check out other great novels by this talented author—you won’t be disappointed!” Reviewed by author Angela Townsend
“Learned something …Until I read this book I wasn't aware of the 'actual organization' Black Sun by Himmler's Nazi's. I'm a WWII buff, especially the European half, and had never come across this organization. Still wondering, I researched it myself and was pleasantly surprised to find it was true. This story was good because it based on the ‘what if:' What if this happened? Suppose Himmler actually pulled it off? Good read!” Reviewed by Jack Neff, China Expat
“You won’t want to put it down… The third adventure with Amos Mead. His wife Brigit and old friend Harmon Wetmore are out to find out why Nazi war criminals are being assassinated. It leads them to places they couldn't have imagined. The author makes his cast of characters believable, & the action keeps you turning pages.” T H Handy reviewed the kindle edition
“5 stars for an exciting read …Loved this novel. It has everything a reader wants—well rounded characters, fast paced action and adventure with a sprinkle of revenge. Be sure to check out other great novels by this talented author—you won’t be disappointed!” Reviewed by author Angela Townsend
“Learned something …Until I read this book I wasn't aware of the 'actual organization' Black Sun by Himmler's Nazi's. I'm a WWII buff, especially the European half, and had never come across this organization. Still wondering, I researched it myself and was pleasantly surprised to find it was true. This story was good because it based on the ‘what if:' What if this happened? Suppose Himmler actually pulled it off? Good read!” Reviewed by Jack Neff, China Expat
Author Tom Gauthier and Ben
"Coach" Wade, star of the CBS TV show SURVIVER, pose for an advertising layout in Writers Digest. Tom holds a copy of
their international award winning book, A VOYAGE BEYOND REASON.
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Blind to Evil
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