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Bruce Ryba

Biography

About The Author

I am a Flint knapper (Make stone arrowheads) Kayak racer, 24 hour paintball nut, Work Kennedy space Center as a fiber optic specialist meaning I get to go everywhere on center which is pretty cool. Oh and I was a diver for the Air Force Eastern test range for seven years killing lobster

Oh, and I rescue pet turkeys, one of my YouTube videos on Turkeys has 500,000 views, I know it’s not a lot in the Scheme of things, but it made me go holy shit

Books

Freedom’s Quest (Freedom’s Quest, The New World, Florida)

Desperate times call for bold action.
In a desperate move to retain Florida and protect the treasure-laden galleons on their dangerous return journey to Europe, the King of Spain issues a royal decree offering refuge to all English slaves who escape Florida and pick up a musket to defend the coquina walls of Saint Augustine.
In another bold gamble, the King offers refuge to the dissatisfied Indian nations of the southeast who will take up arms against the English.
Clans, traumatized by war and disease, cross the Spanish Frontier to settle the cattle-rich land and burned missions of Florida.

Follow the descendants of the conquistador Louis Castillo in remote Spanish Florida, a wildland swept by diseases, hurricanes, and northern invasions.

A Maroon captain is assigned an easy mission to retrieve Scottish castaways at St. Lucie Inlet and learns the true cost of being a leader.

A broken nation of Native Americans crosses the St. Marys River to begin a new life in the nearly empty land of Flordia.

The world’s largest treasure fleet crashes ashore upon the east coast of Florida, and one survivor struggles to maintain her deception in a world turned upside down.

Two armies clash over a fort named Bloody Fort Mose.

Two Scots invading Florida lean the price of their trespass.

A Militia Captain whose family was stolen by northerners pays back a debt of honor.

A hunter hired to provide food for the doomed colony of New Symna learns the true cost of freedom.

Four witches train a runaway in the art of witchery and release a ghost………maybe.

These and other lost tales of old Florida—book Two of Freedom’s Quest.

Buy Now - Amazon

Freedom’s Quest (Freedom’s Quest, The New World, Florida)

After the golden conquests of Mexico and Peru, Hernando De Soto forms the largest European army seen in the new world, and in 1539 invades Florida to begin his historic four year march across the Southeastern United States. In each Native American community, Soto replenishes the 500 Indian slaves chained to carry the army’s baggage.
After a disastrous victory in Alabama, Soto fearing mutiny, orders soldiers to locate the supply ships somewhere along the Florida Coast, with instructions to send the boats back to Cuba, thereby thwarting any mutiny. The soldiers search for the ships while encountering Native American towns emptied of people due to the new European diseases. One such group of soldiers have a disastrous encounter with Native Americans, and one of the soldiers becomes a slave to the Indians of East Florida, known as the “Ais.” This soldier begins his long recovery from PTSD until the Ais are attacked by Cuban slave raiders & the soldier is adapted into the community of the Ais. (note: I was not aware this description was needed-and so this the roughed out version, I can clean it up if needed.)

Buy Now - Amazon

Lake 33 Killing Relic

Coming Soon

Total Internal Reflection

Coming Soon

Reviews

It’s a mesmerizing read you cannot put down. An eye opener as to the plight of the conquered native Americans as well as those trapped in the cruel hierarchy of the conquistadors on our shores. Beautifully written and shocking. If Steven King would have written a book on the Florida Indian tribes- this would be it!

Gabriele SchneidmanFreedom's Quest Book 1

This was great reading as I followed the life and adventures of Diego Castillo with the ruthless DeSoto expedition and then his life with the native Americans. I have kayaked many of the waters described in this novel and never had any idea of the battles and struggles that raged around them. I thank the author for his detailed research and creating a real "can't wait to read the next page" novel. I am looking forward to book number two! Enjoy!

Europeans in FloridaFreedom's Quest Book 1

I had to take a breather after reading the compelling stories told in this book. There is so much written, the remarkable tales that unfold...it will open your eyes to another part of Florida's history.

Cindy K. RobertsFreedom's Quest Book 1

Couldn’t put book 1 or 2 down. Love how his characters are so relatable and how he weaves Florida’s amazing history into something real. I moved to Vero beach 3 years ago and I am just fascinated by the fact that this story unfolds right where I live. ❤️❤️. Just wish I could find the 3 book!!

Christine W.Freedom's Quest Book 1

This second of 2 fiction books describing the early history of Florida's native inhabitants uneasy and often violent teaming with both the Spanish and English invaders. The book paints a good picture of what life was probably like in the primal land of the early development of La Florida. I can vividly picture the sinking of the galleons along the treasure coast the fight for survival to escape the breaking up of the ships, getting battered in hurricane surf and then surviving on the beach with no see-ums, mossys, and all manner of creatures that can kill you. I have experienced this first hand myself in this area which just makes it a good read.. The description of the St Johns and Ais waterways teaming with gators, water mocassins is also relatable for me. The characters are often described (at least to me) as pertaining to some of the modern day characters found in Florida. The final chapter's is also reminiscent of characters I have delt with living on Floridas East Coast. Very good read and im looking forward to others in the series. Mr. Ryba has remarkable flair for history telling.

dosequixsixFreedom's Quest Book 1

Gallery

Blog

BlogSci-Fi
August 1, 2024

Cross and Spear

Why couldn’t I get a good assignment like Herculaneum or Pompeii? Herculaneum, he visualized the beautiful southern women, their hair black as sable with those curves like no other in…
BlogKennedy Space Center
August 1, 2024

The Ice Team

I jumped in surprise as two massive explosions shattered the peace from above the clouds. We were expecting the twin sonic booms created when the space shuttle de-orbited and slowed…
BlogKennedy Space Center
August 1, 2024

Oak Tree

Tabitha and I sat in the oak tree watching the sunset on the Banana River-our first date. I could not get enough of her English lilt, her UK accent and…
BlogKennedy Space Center
August 1, 2024

Columbia

Tabatha and I sat around the campfire. We watched sparks fly into the night sky, enchanted by the oak staves dancing in the fire. We had kayaked over to the…
BlogKennedy Space Center
August 1, 2024

Gamma rays

Morning coffee, standing by Val’s cubicle and laughing. Sal was the primary (an inside joke) communication engineer who told semi-funny jokes nonstop like a machine gun. I laughed at the…
BlogSci-Fi
February 3, 2017

End of Spiders

Puma the Barghest, Barghast, Barrow-Ghost, demon, poltergeist, jinn- whatever name could be conceptualized to his essence and still not be correct, words were weak vessels. "He was, I am" was…
BlogSci-Fi
January 1, 2017

Demons of Kennedy Space Center, corpus callosotomy

"You cut my brain?" she wailed. "Serious problems after a corpus callosotomy are rare," said McGreen with a shrug, passively mocking her. The Doctor's partner, a blonde neurologist, heavy brow…

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