Boyd Morrison, author of the debut thriller The Ark, is one of the most interesting authors we've ever profiled at The LA Books Examiner. Not only a skillful writer, Boyd Morrison is also a self-publishing phenomenon. Unable to find a publisher for his novels, Boyd marketed them to readers through Amazon’s Kindle program and his own web site. His books became a word-of-mouth Internet sensation, with over 7,500 copies sold in just three months! Shortly thereafter, Boyd was signed by Touchstone Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, which released The Ark on May 11.
But that’s just the beginning. Morrison is also a former Jeopardy! Champion; he has a PhD in industrial engineering from Virginia Tech and was formerly employed at NASA, Microsoft’s Xbox Games Group, and Thomson-RCA. Morrison is also a professional actor who has appeared in commercials, stage plays, and films. He lives with his wife in Seattle.
And here’s the kicker: a story about Morrison and his wife that is a true testament of their love and respect for one another.
After three years of marriage, Morrison and his wife made an incredible pact. For the nine years it would take for his wife to complete pre-med, medical school, and her residency, Morrison agreed that he would financially support the household by himself. In return, once she became a practicing physician, she would support the household for the next nine years so that he could pursue his dream of becoming a published author.
It didn’t take nine years, however, for Boyd to become an Internet phenomenon and now a publishing sensation with the release of his debut thriller The Ark. But the agreement itself is so amazing that we wanted to share that story with you.
You can meet Boyd Morrison at two local book-signing events on:
Tuesday, May 18 at 7:00 PM Vroman’s Bookstore 695 East Colorado Blvd., Pasadena
Wednesday, May 19 at 7:30 PM Barnes & Noble/Encino 16461 Ventura Blvd., Encino
About the Book The Ark begins when brilliant archaeologist Dilara Kenner is contacted by Sam Watson, an old family friend who says that he has crucial information about her missing father. Dilara abandons her Peruvian dig and rushes to Los Angeles to meet him, but at the airport, Sam speaks instead of Noah’s Ark—the artifact her father had long been searching for—and the possible death of billions. Before Sam can explain, he collapses. With his dying breath, he urges Dilara to find Tyler Locke—a man she’s never heard of.
Two days later Dilara manages to track down former combat engineer Tyler Locke on an oil rig off Newfoundland. Her helicopter transport goes down well short of the oil rig’s landing pad, and Dilara and those aboard nearly drown before Tyler can save them. When Dilara is safely on the rig, she convinces Tyler that the crash was no accident. He agrees to help her uncover the truth about Noah’s Ark and, more importantly, her father’s disappearance. As the picture begins to come into focus, they realize they have just seven days to find the Ark before its secret is used to wipe out civilization again.
The Ark By Boyd Morrison
PROLOGUE Three Years Ago
Hasad Arvadi’s legs wouldn’t cooperate. He strained to pull himself to the wall so he could spend his final moments propped upright, but without the use of his legs, it was a hopeless task. The stone floor was too slick, and his arm strength was sapped. His head dropped to the floor. Breaths came in ragged gasps. He remained on his back, the life draining from him.
He was going to die. Nothing would change that now. This inky black chamber, a room hidden from the world for millennia, would become his tomb.
Fear over his own fate was long past. Instead, Arvadi wept in frustration. He had been so close to his life’s goal—seeing Noah’s Ark with his own eyes—but that opportunity had been snatched from him with three pulls of a trigger. The bullet in each knee made it impossible to move. The one in his belly ensured that he wouldn’t last another five minutes. Although the wounds were excruciating, they weren’t as painful as falling short of reaching the Ark when it was within his grasp.
He couldn’t bear the awful irony of the situation. He finally had proof that the Ark existed. Not only existed, still exists. Waiting to be found where it had lain for six thousand years. He had unearthed the last piece of the puzzle, revealed to him in ancient text written before Christ was born.
We’ve been wrong all this time, he had thought as he read. Wrong for thousands of years. Wrong because the people who concealed the Ark wanted us to be wrong.
The revelation had been such a triumphant event that Arvadi hadn’t noticed the pistol aimed at his legs until it was too late. Then it had all happened so fast. The crack of gunshots. Shouted demands for information. His own pathetic pleas for mercy. Fading voices and dimming light as his killers stole away with their prize. Darkness.
Lying there awaiting his own death, thinking about what had been taken from him, Arvadi seethed with fury. He couldn’t let them get away with it. Eventually someone would find his body. He had to record what had happened here, that the location of Noah’s Ark wasn’t the only secret this chamber held.
Arvadi wiped his bloody hand on his sleeve and pulled a notebook from his vest pocket. His hands were shaking so violently that he dropped the notebook twice. With tremendous effort, he opened it to what he hoped was an empty page. The darkness was so total that he had to do everything by touch. He removed a pen from another pocket and flipped the cap off with his thumb. The silence in the chamber was broken by the sound of the plastic cap skittering across the floor.
With the notebook resting on his chest, Arvadi began to write.
The first line came easily, but he was rapidly becoming light-headed with shock. He didn’t have much time. The second line was exponentially more difficult. The pen grew heavier as he wrote, as if it were being filled with lead. By the time he got to the third line, he couldn’t remember what he’d already written. He got two more words out onto the paper, and then the pen dropped from his fingers. His arms would no longer move.
Tears streamed down his temples. As Arvadi felt oblivion closing in on him, three terrible thoughts echoed in his mind.
He would never again see his beloved daughter.
His killers were now walking the earth with a relic of unimaginable power.
And he would go to his grave without gazing on the greatest archaeological discovery in history.
Frank Mundo is a writer in Los Angeles. He has a BA in English (Creative Writing focus) from UCLA - but that doesn't matter. Frank will examine LA books, writers, events, and resources everyone can appreciate. Contact Frank: FrankMundo@rocketmail.com.
Thanks, Amanda. His whole back story is very interesting and impressive to me. Very inspiring! I really like the pact that he and his wife made to each other to help them reach their goals.
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Boyd Morrison, author of the debut thriller The Ark, is one of the most interesting authors we've ever profiled at The LA Books Examiner. Not only a skillful writer, Boyd Morrison is also a self-publishing phenomenon. Unable to find a publisher for his novels, Boyd marketed them to readers through Amazon’s Kindle program and his own web site. His books became a word-of-mouth Internet sensation, with over 7,500 copies sold in just three months! Shortly thereafter, Boyd was signed by Touchstone Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, which released The Ark on May 11.
About the Book
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I know several authors who have gone the self-publishing route and his story will give them hope. I also think I'm going to have to get this book.
Thanks, Amanda. His whole back story is very interesting and impressive to me. Very inspiring! I really like the pact that he and his wife made to each other to help them reach their goals.
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Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!