Bryce Scalf

Greetings! I was born in Wellington, New Zealand and have a degree in Art History. I love writing and photography. I write two books a year, but I have an idea I'd like to take on a larger scale and write an epic story about a couple of explorers that discovered New Zealand before the days of Captain Cook. I'm sure you can understand why this is a bit out there, like me, but I was hoping this would be something I could find a use for. See my post "Dark Skies: A Novel" on my blog, for more information check out my FAQ or contact me.

Here is an excerpt from the first book I'm working on:

From the New Zealanders's perspective, the couple were a myth. There was absolutely no sign of them. Or any sign to indicate that anyone had ever died. Actually. In fact. All the New Zealanders knew for sure was that after crossing the ocean there was only land between them and the vastness and inhospitability of the unknown wilderness they'd explored. But the couple did return from the vastness to Australia. Upon their return they were considered dead. Even the people of New South Wales. If anyone from New Zealand ever had existed at all. New Zealanders are still very bitter that New South Wales was filled with people who gave the lie to all their dreams. The couple became the laughing stock of the entire Australian race. Up until that point they had been regarded as pure invention. Even Australian newspapers called them the "Mortems of the Sea". They earned the scorn of all newshounds in the British press. They suffered from a single-minded determination to win. Every New Zealander who had seen the couple with their spiny legs was filled with an unshakeable confidence in their abilities. They got their name when some of the earlier settlers gave their sons a peculiar and improbable nickname. It was something on the order of "Mortem of the Sea". They were known variously as the Mortems, the Mottes, the Parsonets, or the Peléets.

Some of the more intriguing legends associated with the couple were that they originally came to New Zealand by the North-South route from South Africa. According to some versions of the story the father was from South Africa, others a Britisher from Rhodesia, or some other distant South African country.