Category Archives: Books

It’s a new mystery for kids- my new book

A rollicking good adventure is finally released

The Mystery of the Pirates of Discovery Bay ISBN:  978-1-7321023-9-2

An illustrated book by Ellen O’Shea

One gold coin. A secret buried for centuries. Magic is about to rise from the soil.

When farmer Paul uncovers a gold doubloon glinting beneath his plow, it seems like just another odd trinket from the past. But when a mysterious older woman and her magical raven invite him and local children for tea, he and the children are swept into a pirate mystery that has been sleeping beneath his field for more than 150 years. Guided by riddles, old maps, and the ravens’ cryptic clues, the unlikely team follows a trail of secrets through foggy forests and ancient times that are worth far more than gold.

The woman recounts a tale of pirates who lived in the area in the 1850s and buried their treasure nearby. These Pirates were from a different land. Kidnapped from home and lost across the world. They rewrite their destiny on the open sea.

In 1850, fisherman Aitor and his wife Gracia Libe and their children are kidnapped off the coast of Spain. They are torn from their fishing boat by a ruthless British frigate and forced into hard labor at sea. Their chance of a decent life is all but lost when the ship visits the Northwest Pacific coast. When a violent storm drives the ship toward the misty islands of Haida Gwaii, the family seizes their chance to escape—only to find themselves stranded on a wild, uncharted shore.

With danger and mystery all around, they form an unlikely alliance with the local people and discover that freedom isn’t found—it’s fought for. As whispers of lost treasure and ghost ships spread across the coast, Aitor and his family and cousins take to the waves once more, becoming pirates of their own making. They have a destination but must fight off bounty hunters and foreign sailors to reach a new life in the vast deserts of Oregon and Nevada. They steal a small ship, find treasure from a Spanish shipwreck, and head to freedom.

The second book in the Merlin Brothers Mysteries series, this book continues the story of two brothers and their friend, who love to solve mysteries.  It is a sweeping tale of courage, family, and survival, where history, myth, and adventure collide. The first book in this mystery series is called “The Mystery of the Red Sailed Ship.”

The author and illustrator, Ellen O’Shea, has included 106 self-produced watercolors to illustrate the story.  This book is appropriate for children seven and above.  Children will love the exciting story while learning about Northwest Coast environments.  Includes information about indigenous people, local protected environments like the Islands of Haida Gwaii, and the very old, beautifully constructed long houses and totems of local people.  The author has included several learning pages that explore local wildlife, plant life, and the surrounding environment.  She has also included learning pages on pirate culture and mystery-solving techniques.

 The Author, Ellen O’Shea is an accomplished author of children’s books and has received awards for her illustrations and her books “Piper and the Red Boat” and “The Adventures of Thunder the Wonder Puppy”. This is the second book in The Merlin Brothers Mystery series. 

Now available from booksellers throughout the world

Now available from booksellers throughout the world.

Order directly from the publisher, IngramSpark, and receive a 30 percent discount. 

Barnes and Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-mystery-of-the-pirates-of-discovery-bay-ellen-margaret-oshea/1148715850?ean=9781732102392

Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Pirates-Discovery-Bay-Mysteries/dp/1732102392/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26L4FKNZGJ3OR&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.52-MDdiV0GPGg2R2QP2dm_BVdLLYkZHrgKq9kQDcu2q2hS_l6fd0Yc_vSAkwhK-P8diuTNDwTVFXl_4KhWNzdgk7E2-pKW5DKveI4W4nq6H2KQObzucu32qdI96ZtTs_lr3BUap01mNC42IaGuvcBSq7m2_e_5kqAeKQW4AHr9Ys4pXGr0RwBA-cuOaG-G9NOqeqDBDzhRdk2lT_Ey71jaCGdKrgiZLrfG3m8oXg8Dk.yVNaEXkcqaxaKV5d4YQhaiVmg0ywOyhALGTi8sB6cT8&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+mystery+of+the+pirates+of+discovery+bay&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1763768109&sprefix=the+mystery+of+the+pirates+of+discovery+bay%2Caps%2C244&sr=8-1

The Mystery of the Red-Sailed Ship is an exhilarating adventure that follows the journey of two brothers who love to solve mysteries using science and deductive reasoning. The book includes 32 original watercolor illustrations created by Ellen O’Shea, the author.

Matthew and Sebastian’s love for examining the natural world and ancient cultures is not just a hobby but a way to learn and discover interesting facts and possibilities wherever they go.

Equipped with their scientific prowess and a profound understanding of the natural world, the boys embark on exhilarating adventures. They often outsmart adults and prove that age is just a number when it comes to solving perplexing mysteries. 

This is the first book in the Merlin Brothers Mysteries series. In it, the boys travel to visit their grandmother, who lives in a seaport on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. The boys embark on several adventures, exploring several local cultures and the area’s marine ecology. They explore the Canoe Journey, a regional exploration of indigenous culture. And they happen upon a mysterious ship stored for over 100 years in a local barn. They solved the mystery of this amazing ship with the help of several people who teach them about ancient Chinese culture, ships, canoes, and boats.

For Purchase on Amazon.com – https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732102384

stay tuned for book release party announcement. It will be fun! Mark your calendars for July 24th, 2024 at the Palindrome in Port Townsend at 2 PM. The theme: The Stories we tell

Grandma takes boys to the landing of the Canoes during the Canoe Journey

Beach glass

Robert the fishing guide
Sea Sparkles

Master Chui and his Chinese healing plants
The end of a long and dangerous journey
Their mother scientist and teacher

The Fourth in the series – Old Ben- The Journey of Farm Border Colllie

My newest book was published in April of 2023. It is a tale of the first Border Collie family related to my dog Thunder. Old Ben is the great grandfather of Thunder, the Grandfather of Zeus of Marrowstone and is related to many of the Border Collies who live on local farms in Chimacum Valley.

Old Ben is an origin story. It is a tale told to the author. Old Ben came to the Chimacum valley in 1953 and was born on a Basque sheep ranch in Eastern Washington.

In this illustrated Children’s book Ben tells the story of his first years on a dairy farm in Chimacum, Washington. Ben, a beautiful Border Collie narrates the story of his adventures. He has several other farm animal friends who assist him to watch over cows, dogs, poultry, and dairy farmers.  His best friend is a rooster named Max. Ben and Max save the day when they alert the farmers to a barn fire and help to move the dairy cows into the night and away from danger. This book has 18 illustrations created by the author and artist Ellen O’Shea. The 51-page book includes learning pages that help children to learn about nature, the people who live in the region, farm dog training including commands, hand signals, and whistles, and information about the origin of Border Collies and the Basque Sheep ranching community in the west of the United States.

Check out the book on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Old-Journey-Farm-Border-Collie/dp/173210235X?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

More graphics from the new book. Border Collie origin in Scotland

The Basque of Eastern Washington with Border Collie puppies

Hand Commands for Border Collies and working dogs

Farm Animals- Old Ben’s friends

Hello World!

I’m well on my way to creating the second book in the series “The Merlin Brothers Mysteries”. This second book is called “The Mystery of the Pirates of Discovery Bay”. My co-authors and creative design contributors- My grandsons have asked that I include girls in this next book…and so I have. Two girls from two different worlds collaborate as pirates alive in 1900 in the area of Discovery Bay, Washington state.

The hero of the story is a mystical Raven who helps to find gold doubloons and pirate ships and saves the girls from danger. She is wise and brave and has stories to tell. It’s a story full of adventure, history and surprises. This book will be published in December of 2025. It includes 70 water colored illustrations and several learning pages to keep your attention. Thanks to Wesley and Grayson for all your good ideas.

I continue to be amazed at how helpful Amazon KDP has been in helping me to publish my books. I have not been selling books at local bookstores because they will not accept self-published books through Amazon. But, with this book, I hope to hold a Pirate Party book release! It’s in the works! It will be held in December 2025 in Port Townsend, Washington.

Amazon has a huge distribution network (175 countries) as we all know. But, did you know they support the efforts of self-publishing authors by creating programs whereby authors can share profits beyond the regular profits they make for book sales.

One program allows authors to create e-books of their work and allow it to be part of the Kindle Select program. The program offers additional promotional features to help independent authors and publishers reach more readers and earn more royalties when they make their ebooks exclusive to the Kindle store for 90 days. At launch, the program included $500,000 KDP Select Global Fund, which has since grown to more than $45 million per month, and provided $2.2 billion in royalties to participating authors.

Another Amazon author supporting program is called Kindle Vella which allows authors to create stories chapter by chapter in real time and share their creations in the Kindle App. Authors are paid by the number of views they generate.

The Raven says…look onward.