Tag Archives: Jaguar Jack

Sep 22 2016

Visionary Fiction Can Be Fun

 

by Dana Taylor

The Adventures of Jaguar Jack didn’t start out as a visionary novel. In fact, there was no “visionary Jackmasterfinaldonergbfiction” category back then. I was writing attempting the romance novel genre, but as it turned out, I couldn’t stay “in the box.” My muse was too independent.

I remember the day the manuscript turned “visionary.” There’s a scene with Jaguar Jack and Maggie boating down a jungle river when a sudden storm squalls up. Caught in a deluge, they struggle to stay afloat. Lightning flashes. They catch a glimpse of a huge cat-like creature standing on hind feet on the shore. After the storm abates, Maggie says, “Holy shit? What was that?” (Read excerpt here)

Maggie expresses exactly what I was thinking as the scene unfolded in my mind. Holy shit, what was that? The Beast from Revelation emerged out of the collective higher consciousness. Somewhere along the line, I picked up an unseen “collaborator” for Jaguar Jack. The manuscript went from being a romance to a Hero’s Journey, with all the classic elements, though I didn’t realize it until after finishing it.

The four main characters are at once human beings, but also Biblical archetypes. There were times I was guided to open my Bible to Revelation to certain passages that revealed the spiritual significance of my characters. It was a bit spooky, but also intriguing.

I followed my “collaborator” for the thread of the story and hoped it would all make sense at the end. It did, but the completed manuscript also seemed to be outside of any defined genre. When I originally published the story in 2012, I didn’t know how to market it. It didn’t fit anywhere. While it has Christian elements, it’s too psychic and sexy for that market. The closest was “paranormal,” but that was really the realm of ghosts, vampires, and shapeshifters. So, I didn’t give it much of a push.

In the intervening years, the Visionary Fiction Alliance has been formed. Amazon now has a “metaphysical and visionary” category that’s on the rise. Visionary author Theresa Crater shares several examples in this recent article, Higher Consciousness and Visionary Fiction. I’m meeting and reading more of these kindred spirit authors all the time.

So, I’m hoping the time has come for Jaguar Jack’s day in the sun. This summer I readied the manuscript for the paperback version and was struck by a certain “power” in the piece, which I think comes more from the “collaborator” than me. I’ll take credit for the snappy dialog between Jack and Maggie.

So with a fresh cover and a new genre the book is ready to find its audience. I invite you to enjoy The Adventures of Jaguar Jack.

Paperback and Ebook versions available at Amazon UK    Amazon US

 

(Posting a customer review would be greatly appreciated.)

Bright blessings,

Dana Taylor

 

May 10 2013

Into the Storm ~ Jaguar Jack


JackmasterfinaldonergbJaguar Jack Campbell, Aussie reality TV star, travels the globe filming escapades in the wild. His charismatic charm conceals an unwanted psychic gift and buried memories.

Major Maggie Savannah, aka Maggie-the-Mouth, is brash, brave and beautiful. She lives to beat the bad guys via covert military operations. The last thing she wants is a pretty boy TV personality partner.

But when a missionary is kidnapped by terrorists on a mysterious island, Jack and Maggie must join forces to secure her rescue and, perhaps, save the world.

The Set-Up: Jack and Maggie are heading into the heart of the island of Paradisio in a small motorboat. A sudden squall comes up and they get a glimpse of their real nemesis.

  AMAZON US  AMAZON UK

Excerpt from Chapter 12

A roll of thunder cut short their discussion; gusts of wind whipped up the water. A strange, putrid scent rode the breeze. Branches groaned; shushing, creaking sounds of leaves quivered. Limbs waved overhead from the approaching storm.

Jack surveyed the sky. Tropical storms came swiftly, nothing unusual in that. But these black clouds swirled with rare speed, as if pushed by an unseen hand. Calm water quickly turned into a boiling cauldron. A curtain of fog fell, dark and thick. Along the bank, just behind the first screen of trees, Jack thought he saw a figure pass.

Trees shook in great disturbance.

A lightning bolt split a tree, sending it up in instant flame. The sudden illumination flashed on a long, dark body. A feline shape with a huge head. It reared up on hind legs and revealed front feet with extended bear-like claws. A savage howl tore over the storm’s din; the smell of death permeated the air.

Darkness shrouded the creature in shadow once again.

“Holy shit! What was that?” Maggie yelled. Her exclamation faded in the storm cacophony.

Jack struggled to keep the boat on an even course. Hard rain let loose from the skies. He threw a bucket to Maggie and shouted, “Start bailing.”

Water pelted from every direction. Drenching…sloshing…soaking. Deafening crashes of thunder rumbled overhead, followed by jagged spears of lightning striking the ground.

The little boat bobbed and twirled like a toy in a tempest. Waves slapped his face and chest with stinging force. He fought to keep the rudder steady until his arms quivered with fatigue. Maggie’s soaked figure worked furiously before him against the onslaught of water into their small vessel. At one point a flash of lightning illuminated the magnificent defiance on her face.

Almost as quickly as it came, the rain slackened…

The darkness faded…

The river settled…

Jack righted their course down the middle of the rushing river. Plant debris floated past in the currents.

Maggie pushed a clump of hair from her face and slowed her bailing to catch her breath. “What kind of animal was that back there?”

He didn’t know what to tell her. It was nothing ever mentioned in any zoology books, that’s for sure. It might have been his overactive imagination, if she hadn’t seen it, too.

He’d just glimpsed the stuff dreams were made of—his dreams, his nightmares. Crikey, could such an animal be possible? Surely those tales of mythology were exaggerations.

“I’ve only seen it called one thing. In the Book of Revelation it’s known as The Beast.”

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The Adventures of Jaguar Jack is available in paperback and ebook at Amazon.com.