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To this day, reason and purpose behind this attempt remain as mysterious and murky as the origins of a head piece on a certain Presidential candidate. Here’s what I do know. Ice Cold Nights is a celebration of my favourite elements of science fiction mashed up together in one tale. There is time travel. There are pirates and ninjas. There are references to actual ships such as the famed ghost ship, The Mary Celeste and Blackbeard’s very own Queen Anne’s Revenge.

I was afforded the opportunity to start sailing at a young age and our very own home library featured a really ancient, weathered copy of a book on Pirates. Naturally, I became fascinated with them and all things oceanic at a young age. There are also plenty of references to the science fiction movies that I fell in love with while growing up. Aliens, Star Wars, Predator and of course the Ninja movies and Choose Your Own Adventure books that the 80s were so synonymous with. There’s also a Matrix reference in there somewhere.

The reader’s protagonist is Jerry; a time travelling pirate with a thirst for beer, a hunger for fish tacos and a propensity for thievery. That is, until he comes across a mysterious band of ninjas, and all hell breaks loose. Along the madcap journey with his best friends Delroy and Kyle, the reader encounters sea monsters, Nazi zombies and the universally feared cthulhu creature. The key to happiness and prosperity lie in the decisions that the reader makes. Make no mistake; there are important life lessons to be learned.

I can’t stress enough how amazing the illustrations are for this book, and it’s all thanks to J. Rozen. He laboured over these drawings for years, and if you look carefully at each one, you’ll realize why. They are incredibly detailed, disturbing and delightfully deranged, which is what the Ice Cold universe is all about.

Ice Cold Nights is now out, and available for free download in ebook format on Smashwords and Lulu. I recommend Smashwords, as you don’t have to register to grab a copy. This is an item that works great on smartphones during your commute to work, so enjoy. And please take the time to comment and review. Not recommended for peeps under 14, as it contains pirate language and ninja situations.

(UPDATE) You can now buy Ice Cold Nights in paperback at Lulu & Amazon.
If you’re in Toronto, you can also grab a copy at West End Comics. I’ll be signing copies alongside artiste extraordinaire J. Rozen on Wednesday Feb. 24 between 5-7PM. Come by if you can!