While researching locations for Triangle, the third and final novel in my Seeds of Civilization series, I “accidently” got interested in underwater archaeology and some very interesting research taking place in the Bahamas.
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Just west of the Bimini Islands, on the eastern edge of the Gulf Stream, there is a feature called “Bimini Road” that’s clearly visible from the air. It was originally reported to be a “naturally occurring rock formation” but investigators William M. (Bill) Donato and others have since proved that the structure is a man-made breakwater built to protect an ancient harbor. And by ancient, I mean somewhere between 3,000 and 15,000 years old! That’s far older than any seafaring culture known to exist in the “new world.” Even more mysterious is the fact that the Bimini Road structure is identical in design and construction to several breakwaters built by the Phoenicians in the eastern Mediterranean about 3,000 years ago.
Recently, Donato’s APEX Institute released information about their discovery of megalithic structures on the ocean floor not far from Bimini Road. I’ve seen the side-scan sonar images and these anomalies appear to be well-organized, rectangular foundations laid out in a grid. Based on their depth, Donato has estimated that these structures are about 12,000 years old.
With all the mystery surrounding the Bimini area, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that it found its way into Triangle. But you may be surprised by the discovery Frank and his friends make 350 feet below the surface just off the islands’ southern-most coast!
As a (retired?) computer consultant, it’s my job to live on the “bleeding edge” when it comes to software because my clients expect me to figure out where the pot-holes and road blocks are before they get there. Even though my early experiences with Vista weren’t very good, I made the switch more than two years ago so I would be prepared to field questions. I began experimenting (on an extra hard drive) with pre-release versions of Windows 7 about a year ago and I just recently committed my day-to-day computing to Microsoft’s newest desktop operating system. So far, I’m impressed.
We arrived in Mexico just a little over 11 months ago and we’ve only been in La Paz 6 months, so it doesn’t seem possible that we’ve already said “Good-bye” to one of our friends here. Sadly, friend and client Bob Moore passed away April 16, 2010, from injuries suffered during a fall the night before. Bob was in his early 80s but he was very active in the community, especially the boating part of it. He owned and operated Seascape Charters, a La Paz-based company that offered 2 sailboats, a power boat and a motor home for weekly charters. Bob was a great guy and he will be sorely missed by us and his friends and family.
On a lighter note, this morning we had the pleasure of meeting with Juli and Merit of 
In Triangle, Frank, Tony, Linda and Jim explore the ruins with the help of an unmanned submarine (an ROV) brought to the site aboard a European undersea cable maintenance ship. During my research, I had the opportunity to tour such a vessel and see first-hand an ROV capable of carrying out all the tasks I describe in my novel. However, in my fictional account, a discovery made at the ruins sets the stage for the rest of the story and leads Frank and his teammates across the Caribbean to the stunning conclusion of the novel and the series.
South of La Paz, Highway 1 winds up into the Sierra de la Laguna Mountains to the mining communities of San Antonio and El Triunfo. Today the combined population of these two neighboring towns is less than 1,000 but in the late 1800s more than 10,000 people lived in this remote area and it was the commercial and cultural center of southern Baja! The chimney to the left is all that remains of a large smelter in El Triunfo.
At the southern end of the loop are the twin cities of San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas – better known as Los Cabos. San Jose is a very old city on the eastern side of the peninsula and it serves as the municipal headquarters. Cabo San Lucas (aka “Cabo”) is Located on the western side of the peninsula and is home to Land’s End (photo) and many famous night clubs such as Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo. Connecting San Jose and San Lucas is the 20-mile “corridor”, a four-lane divided highway that follows the southern coastline and boasts world-class golf courses on the inland side of the road and five-star resorts on the beach side.
Sophie Hoffman is a graduate student and self-proclaimed social activist currently working on her doctoral thesis in Northern European Languages at the Ludwig Maximillian University in Munich, Germany.
Sgt. Danny Miles is a young Marine assigned to the security detail of a major U.S. government research facility. A martial arts expert since he was six, Danny is a real life saver (literally).
Max Becker is a special agent with the BKA, Germany’s version of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. At the orders of his boss, the notorious Colonel Wilhelm Kruger, Becker is on a mission he is sure will end in failure and embarrassment.
Javier Reyes is the same character you met in Triangle, the final book in the 
Carlos Gonzales is a semi-retired underwater videographer and a volunteer with Sea Watch, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the oceans and their marine life. Carlos also served in the Mexican Navy and his experiences there prove to be a valuable asset.
Carley Quinn was born in a remote Mennonite community in the Orange Walk District of Belize. When she married a British construction worker her family disowned her and she hasn’t spoken with them since. After her husband’s untimely death, she spent three years fighting with the rebels in Guatemala.
Rob Jefferies was born in Gresham, Oregon and graduated from Oregon State University with a degree in Computer Science. Before retiring to the Caribbean in 2005, Rob owned a successful software development company that specialized in banking and credit union applications.
Erik Mueller served as a decorated member of the U.S. Army Green Berets during the Gulf War but gave up a promising career in the military to become a ruthless soldier of fortune for a paramilitary group known only as The Six.
And, finally, there’s Michael “Buzz” Edwards. He makes appearances in all three books of the Seeds series and he’s already mentioned in each of the first three books of Parallel Ops. In Seeds we never really knew which side of the fence he was on but in Ops there will be absolutely no doubt!
Jill Harris is actually a main character during the first half of Tractrix, until a government agent suggests she “disappear” for her own safety. Frank meets the tough ICU nurse when he first arrives in Las Vegas and he soon learns that her family and his investigation are intertwined. However, it is Tony who’s attracted to Jill and they develop a relationship that lasts through the end of the series.
Ben Kingston is an exobiologist employed by the Department of Defense who is brought in late in Tractrix to help Frank, Tony, Linda and Jim investigate the mysterious spheres that are the basis of the novel. Any more information about Ben would reveal too much of the plot, but suffice it to say that his isolated lab, dug into a hillside overlooking Area 51, contains an “out of this world” artifact.
“Fitz” and Susan Fitgerald, along with their dog Sandstrom, join the NWIDI team in the opening pages of book 2, Tsubute. Fitz and Susan are private jet pilots and Sandstrom’s primary role seems to be to pester and annoy Tony! Grrrr!
Bill Ito is a Japanese-American exchange student working in a small hotel on Yonaguni Island when the NWIDI team blows into town in Tsubute. Because of his perfect English and his extensive knowledge of the island, he becomes an unofficial team member until I’m forced to write him out of the story line in chapter 14.
Javier Reyes is introduced in chapter 1 of Triangle and remains a secondary character throughout the rest of the novel. Javier’s experience with a Mexican environmental group buys him a spot on the NWIDI team as they take to the ocean in search of the source of strange signals emanating from deep below the surface near Cuba. However, it is his resourcefulness that saves Linda’s life when they are sent on a covert mission deep into the island nation’s interior.
Miles Adderly is a retired U.S. Navy SEAL who owns and operates a hotel on Andros Island in the Bahamas. When Frank, Tony, and Jim show up, Miles seems to be both an ally and an adversary but a book in his library provides Jim with important clues about the origin of artifacts found near Cuba. After teaching Frank how to use exotic rebreather diving equipment, Miles remains with Frank “to the very end” of Triangle – and the series.
After successfully deciphering the messages on the mysterious black spheres in Book 1, Jim is instrumental in determining the origin and purpose of some ancient objects his team discovers deep inside a Japanese mountain in Tsubute. But it’s his brilliant work with the submerged artifacts of Triangle that finally brings him the public recognition that has eluded him in the previous missions.
Linda becomes a much more prominent character in Tsubute, my second novel, when she’s inadvertently stranded on a remote beach in southern Japan and must make her way back to civilization through an underground cave system. She plays an even larger role in Triangle, the third book, when she and a Mexican national named Javier Reyes are asked to sneak into Cuba undercover and investigate strange happenings on the northwestern tip of the island. Later in Triangle, Linda finds her soul mate and her life forever changes.
While in Las Vegas, Frank begins to assemble his team – the characters you will meet over the next three days – and he eventually forms a non-profit organization called NWIDI to pursue his life-long interest in ancient archeological mysteries. After their successful mission in my first novel, Tractrix , they head off to a tiny Japanese island in the China Sea to explore a 9,000-year-old underwater pyramid in Tsubute, and then to the Caribbean to explore the submerged ruins of an ancient city in Triangle, the third and final book in the Seeds series. While Frank is mentioned numerous times in the first three books of the Parallel Ops series, he doesn’t really have a speaking part. Maybe he’ll return in The Teachers, the final book of this series!
We have some new friends here in La Paz and they’ve come up with a novel way to use technology to help people learn Spanish. Se Habla…La Paz has been providing immersion-type Spanish language instruction in La Paz since 1999 and their small, personalized classes have been very successful. Like most businesses in southern Baja that depend on travelers and tourism, Se Habla has been impacted by all the bad press relating to drug violence and the H1N1 flu but they are now “reaching out” to clients in a unique new way. Using Internet-based SKYPE multimedia technology, instructors at Se Habla can now provide the same, high-quality, personalized training to students who can’t – or won’t – travel to La Paz.
As a resident of La Paz myself, I still recommend the immersion program because the folks at Se Habla incorporate cultural presentations and community events into their onsite program. Plus, you get to experience Mexico and the Mexican life style first hand. La Paz is a beautiful, safe city with a 400-year history and an incredible bay-front downtown area that’s unlike any place I’ve ever been. However, if you can’t get here in person, Se Habla’s online program is the next best thing. Check them out at 
As the book opens, Tony is fleeing for his life from the very people he must soon challenge head-on. Having been out of contact with his former NWIDI team mates for more than five years, he sets out with a new cast of characters to confuse and distract The Six in ways only Tony could conceive. Using a live-aboard dolphin research vessel as cover, Tony and friends sail into the Caribbean and the jaws of the enemy to carry out their covert mission. The Guardians has my usual secondary plot and this one provides a glimpse of The Six and makes you wonder whether or not such a group could (or does) exist in our real world.