Welcome to johnbyrnebarry.com, where I’ve just announced my fourth novel, Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery.
It started out as a play — in 2023, I wrote and directed ”Sausalypso Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery” at our local community theater, but I finished the play script back in 2020, shortly after the pandemic and we had no idea when live theater would return. I started turning it into a novel, then, and went into high gear once we wrapped up the play last March.
Before the pandemic, I launched my third novel, When I Killed My Father: An Assisted-Suicide Family Thriller. You can read the first three chapters here, and why I wrote it here. And you can purchase it here.
If you want to find out more about me, check out the ABOUT page, where you can read my official and unofficial bio. Scroll down to the video for a guaranteed laugh. Or your money back.
Enjoy. And let me know what you think.
— John
P.S. Sign up below for my occasional letters, where you’ll learn more about my book and my interviews about life and death. And/or follow me on Facebook.
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Listen to Chapter 1 of ‘Pirates of Sausalito’ Audiobook
Here's Chapter 1 of Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery. You can listen to the whole audiobook wherever you find your audiobooks — like Audible ($13.26), Spotify ($13.49), or Apple Books ($12.99). But, between now and Christmas, you can get it...
‘Pirates of Sausalito’ E-Book Is Free November 18, 19, and 20
Recently, I listened to a workshop by author and book marketing expert Tim Grahl, who said he planned to give away 100,000 copies of his new book. Because he wanted it be a best-seller, and books become best-sellers through word-of-mouth. So by giving it away, he's...
‘Pirates of Sausalito’ Audiobook Is Live on AMPlify.
I’m thrilled to announce that the audiobook of Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery is now available on AMPlify Audiobooks, narrated by Pro Audio Voices founder Becky Parker Geist, and yours truly, the author of the novel. She performs the women...
Selling ‘Pirates of Sausalito’ at the Scene of the Crime
On the first Saturday of August, I sat behind a table at Galilee Harbor Maritime Day in Sausalito to sell my latest novel, “Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery.” I was not especially looking forward to it. I enjoy the creative part of writing a book, but not so much the promotion. But it was a sunny and gorgeous afternoon, my table was right across from the stage where a band was playing a peppy surf rock, so my feet were bouncing along with the beat, and I had a series of stimulating and enjoyable conversations with passersby.
Sausalito Houseboat Wars: From History to Theater to Fiction Back to History — June 6 @ Sausalito Library & June 9 @ Tam Valley Cabin
On Thursday, June 6, 6:30 pm, at the Sausalito Library, and June 9, 4 pm at the Tam Valley Cabin, I’ll be giving a talk called “Sausalito Houseboat Wars: What Really Happened.” In the late 1970s, the “houseboat wars” erupted in Sausalito on the site of Marinship, the...
Sausalito Houseboat Wars: What Really Happened?
On May 1, I gave a talk at the Mill Valley Library: ”Sausalito Houseboat Wars: What Really Happened.” Not only was I thrilled by the turnout and how well it went, the library recorded it and I just watched the video and it’s pretty compelling.
Last fall, anticipating I would be finished with my novel, Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery, I pitched a librarian on hosting an event, and she connected me with the Mill Valley Historical Society involved. They asked me to talk more about the history my book is based on than about the novel itself. I was wary at first, but it was a brilliant idea — we had a full house, in the main reading room. It’s unlikely that many people would have come if I were talking only about my book.
Here is the video, which is 50 minutes long. I’ve posted highlights below.
Pirates of Sausalito
My fourth novel, Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery, is now available. The story, inspired by true events, is set in the late 1970s on the shoreline of Richardson Bay. Hippies and squatters living on houseboats in a ramshackle shantytown are...
‘The Pirates of Sausalito’ Or Maybe ‘Pirates? In Sausalito?’ Help Me Decide
I'm publishing my fourth novel this spring and I'm still vacillating about its title. Maybe you can help. In January, I published an advance reader copy for beta readers with the title The Pretend Pirates of Sausalito: Houseboat Wars Murder Mystery True Story. Based...