Calico Creek: The Legend of Shadow's Marauder and the Pirate's Secret - Paperback

by Haiden Powell (Illustrator), Dondi M. Day (Author)

NEW IN THE CALICO CREEK SERIES

Unveil The Legend of the Howling Marauder and the Pirate's Secret - the breathtaking next chapter in the Calico Creek saga, brought to life by Haiden's stunning original artwork and the unforgettable voice of a heroine the high seas have never seen before.

Meet Aisling.

Red hair blazing against the Caribbean sun, Aisling carves her own course. She's traded hammer and nails for cutlass and pistol, proving a woman's place is at the helm, not the hearth. But when the treasure whispers of madness, will her courage hold? Only the tide will tell...

A heroine forged in fire. A ship born of legend. A secret older than the sea.

Once a shipwright among hard, suspicious men, Aisling now stands aboard the deck of the Howling Marauder - the most feared pirate ship in the Caribbean - sailing under the relentless Captain Curduffe. Their quarry: a buried truth so dangerous it has lured every adventurer foolish enough to chase it straight to the ocean floor.

Their voyage carries them past ghost ships drifting through saltwater fog, onto mystical islands that rise where no chart shows land, and through betrayal whispered in the dark below decks. Cannon smoke. Cutlass steel. Salt-crusted maps marked in another woman's hand. And beneath every wave, the slow, terrible pull of a destiny Aisling never asked for.

Because as the crew sails deeper into the unknown, the secrets of Calico Creek begin to surface - secrets tangled inseparably with Aisling's own mysterious origins. The further she runs from her past, the closer she sails toward it.

Will she and her crew unearth the legend's terrible power, or be swallowed by the same fate as everyone who came before? It's a sweeping saga of self-discovery on the open sea - where ingenuity outweighs brute force, courage is forged under cannon fire, and the line between legend and curse runs as thin as a single tide.

WHAT'S INSIDE

• A bold, complex female lead in an era that didn't make room for one
• Heart-pounding sea battles, mutiny, and ship-to-ship combat
• A haunted Caribbean filled with ghost ships and forbidden islands
• Original full-page artwork by Haiden
• A series-arc reveal that connects directly back to A Quest for Pirate's Treasure
• A free real-world scavenger hunt across the Crystal Coast (details below)

Dare to set sail alongside Aisling. Embrace the adventure. Embrace the mystery. Listen for the howl on the wind.

BRING THE STORY TO LIFE - FREE CALICO CREEK SCAVENGER HUNT

The Calico Creek series isn't just on the page - it's hidden up and down the Crystal Coast and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The free Calico Creek Scavenger Hunt sends families and fans across 68 real-world locations tied to the books - from Beaufort's haunted hammock to Cape Lookout, Atlantic Beach, and Morehead City.

Solve the riddles. Mark each find on the interactive map. Earn pirate ranks and unlock your own pirate name as you go. Finish all 68 and you can claim a free signed copy from the author.

It's a free, kid-safe, family-friendly way to turn a beach vacation - or even a rainy Saturday on Google Earth - into a real treasure hunt.

Start the hunt: https: //crystalcoastbeachside.com/calico-creek-scavenger-hunt

Perfect for: YA and adult readers, fans of female-led pirate adventure, swashbuckling sea sagas, mystical historical fantasy, and anyone who loved Pirates of the Caribbean, Treasure Island, Daughter of the Pirate King, or Book 1 of the Calico Creek series.

Reading order: Book 2 stands strong on its own, but readers who start with Calico Creek: A Quest for Pirate's Treasure will catch every hidden thread.