Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro profile picture

Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro

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About Me


The New Space Coast Thriller - A Sword for Pizarro
"Tom Ryan has written a maritime novel that will hold the reader spellbound as he carries the theme from one climax to the next. This is a true thriller, like recovering gold from the bottom of the ocean."
Bob "Frogfoot" Weller, author of 9 books on Sunken Treasure.
I'm a writer! How cool's that?! [Answer: somewhat!] There's a great line in the terrific comedy adventure movie "Captain Ron," in which Martin Short says that he's trying to "plan a spontaneous adventure." That's what writing is for me. It's a craft that requires creating and reworking something that seems to flow more or less off-the-cuff. I actually enjoy sitting down with a sentence, or a paragraph, or a chapter, and embodying it for a while, living with it, inviting it out for dinner, beating it into submission, putting it down on paper, and sooner or later picking it up and playing with it again. Perfectionism comes at a price; a little voice inside my head that sounds sometimes like John Wayne and at others like the "Where's the beef" lady.
I read once that when author Tom Robbins ("Even Cowgirls get the Blues") is working on a story, once he's perfected a sentence, he'll jot it down and never touch it again. He writes his novels in chronological order, stacking one sentence on top of the other, until he gets to "the end". Must be nice! I still rework things in my head that I put to paper a decade ago! I can't turn it off, but I wouldn't have it any other way. My new adventure thriller "A Sword for Pizarro" is a culmination of a year and a half of planned spontaneity; multiple trips on "It's A Small World" and "Splash Mountain;" sitting on my surfboard daydreaming of monster sharks between sets; contemplating existential asteroids and doomsday scenarios; searching for 300-year-old Spanish treasure along the Florida coast; suffering intolerable sunburns, and even less tolerable hangovers; meeting all types of characters that are truly stranger and more fascinating than the wildest fiction; and longing to create something that I, myself, would want to read.
Filled with high-seas excitement, breezy humor, and tropical romance, "A Sword for Pizarro" has been called “a true thriller” by real life treasure hunter and author of "Galleon Hunt," Bob Weller. How cool's that?! [Answer: very!]
Order A Signed Copy Online Now!
(Available at HoldFastBooks.com, Amazon.com, and Target.com)

My Interests

I'd like to meet:

(In General)
My 5 Favorite Captains:

Captain Ron (see above)
Captain Quint
Captain Ahab
Captain Kirk
and Mel Fisher (1922-1998)

Music:

Elvis, Jimmy Buffett, Disco, Salsa y Merengue, Martin Denny, Buena Vista Social Club, Dirty Vegas, The Crystal Method, Cassius, Jamiroquai, Tchaikovsky

Movies:

A few faves: Jaws, The Deep, Close Encounters, Summer Rental, Endless Summer, National Treasure, Layer Cake, Master and Commander, Serenity, Big Wednesday, Thin Red Line, Point Break, Into the Blue, Wind, The Incredibles, Sideways, 10, Against All Odds, and Captain Ron (see "About Me.").

Television:

Lost, Survivor, How I Met Your Mother, Shark Week, Jeopardy, Deadliest Catch, Firefly, Big Bang Theory, Man vs. Wild, Big Brother, Travel Channel, I still watch Seinfeld!

Books:


Treasure-hunter Marshall Cross is down on his luck and recently divorced. His foundering archeology-themed amusement park, Treasure Island, is being threatened by ruthless real estate tycoon Denton Barrett, and Cross is hoping for a big find to stave off selling his dream. Finding Pizarro’s golden sword, an intricately carved, razor-sharp rapier lost in a hurricane in 1715 off the Coast of Brevard County, Florida, would do just that. Cross’ problems mount when news breaks that a meteor is forecast to strike the Atlantic, threatening to send a mammoth tsunami barreling into the Florida peninsula.
From undersea shipwrecks, to gator-infested swampland, to the Kennedy Space Center – Cross’ adventures find him going toe-to-toe with Barrett’s paramilitary army, a seductive zookeeper, and a surly bull shark named Marge. Can Cross unearth Pizarro’s sword, save Treasure Island, uncover an astronomical conspiracy, and find love – all before the meteor crashes into the ocean and his new-found adversaries turn him into shark bait?
Filled with high-seas excitement, breezy humor, and tropical romance, with A Sword for Pizarro, you’re not just reading a book, you’re along for the adventure.

Heroes:

See "Who I'd Like to Meet."

My Blog

Treasure Diver Thought It Was A Beer Can

Treasure diver hits pay dirt with gold cup BY MARC CAPUTOMiami Herald   Just before Mike DeMar realized he found a rare and priceless treasure, he thought the 385-year-old gold chalice from a wre...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:41:00 PST

Me? "Jump the Shark"? Never...

In reviewing A Sword for Pizarro in the "Pirates & Privateers" newsletter, author, editor, and reviewer Cindy Vallar writes the following: One might need a road map to follow the twists and...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Fri, 09 May 2008 07:50:00 PST

Treasure hunters to seek "Unknown Shipwreck" this week off St. Lucie County

Treasure hunters to seek "Unknown Shipwreck" this week off St. Lucie County By Gabriel MargasakTuesday, May 6, 2008TCPalm News They call it the "Unknown Shipwreck." "That's a lot of myste...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Wed, 07 May 2008 04:49:00 PST

Treasure-laden shipwreck found off Africa

From CYBER DIVER News Network... Treasure-laden shipwreck found off Africa   NAMIBIA (30 Apr 2008)  A shipwreck, believed to be 500 years old, containing a treasure trove of coins and ivory ...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Fri, 02 May 2008 05:09:00 PST

DIVEUSA.com now offering "A Sword for Pizarro"

DIVEUSA, the unsurpassed online SCUBA store, is now offering "A Sword for Pizarro" for sale in their BOOKS and DVD’s section:   http://www.diveusa.com/     Reviews for A Sword ...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Wed, 02 Apr 2008 06:22:00 PST

A Fantastic Review From Reed Papa Bear Nescher

Reed "Papa Bear" Nescher from "Two Tanked Productions," the extraordinary professionl underwater production service, gave A Sword for Pizarro a fantastic review on his website: I opened Tom Ryan...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Fri, 14 Mar 2008 03:32:00 PST

Sleep With The Fishes

Over the next few years a number of underwater luxury hotels are scheduled to open their doors to the briny depths. The first will be the Fijian Poseidon Undersea Resort, wi...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Sun, 17 Feb 2008 06:31:00 PST

A Great Review From Sarasota

"A Sword for Pizarro" received a great review in this month's issue of Scene Magazine out of Sarasota, Florida. Reviewer Kim Cool writes:     A Sword for Pizarro SparklesBy Kim CoolAll that...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Mon, 28 Jan 2008 02:28:00 PST

Finders Keepers - Swashbuckler-Style

Last spring, Odyssey Marine Exploration, a Florida-based treasure salvage company, discovered a shipwreck in International Atlantic waters said to be worth around $500 million. Enter the government of...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:14:00 PST

The Christmas Star or the International Space Station?

Did you know that you can see the International Space Station from Earth? Every once and awhile I like to watch it pass overhead and ponder the big picture...     Here's a coo...
Posted by Tom Ryan - Author of A Sword for Pizarro on Tue, 18 Dec 2007 06:36:00 PST