"Pure escapism." The Clear Blue Line by @baconpressbooks #adventure #romance

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The Clear Blue Line

Written by Al Sprague

Genre: Action and Adventure, Romance

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Travel back to Panama in the 1970s: a time when drug lords prowled on land, and pirates cruised the surface of a black sea at night, looking for prey.


For Jack Savage, finding the clear blue line means hitting that perfect spot in the ocean where everything comes together. The visibility is good, the diving is easy, and the fish are plentiful. And if there’s a hint of buried treasure? Even better. But whenever Jack and his friends go out in a boat, all they find is trouble.

Fearless, reckless, always up for a challenge, Jack’s single-minded pursuit of perfection drifts off course when he finds himself torn between two strong, beautiful women and discovers the most dangerous sharks aren’t always in the ocean.

A great summer read. Grab your copy today.



An excerpt from

The Clear Blue Line


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Here's what

Fans are saying


A must read for divers, dreamers, and everyone who loves a great story. 

The Clear Blue Line is a rousing read. With his second novel ( the first was The Mahogany Tree), Al Spraque reveals that he is not only an accomplished diver, but a skillful storyteller. He spins a rollicking tale of free diving adventures in Panama that hooks you as surely as if you were the target of his speargun.

This is a great story for diving aficionados as well as armchair adventurers who seek passion and peril without the discomfort and danger of reality.

It's written with the authority of experience, with vivid descriptions of Panama's pristine islands, deep water diving, and thrilling encounters with sharks, such as: "He jammed the end of the speargun into the shark's mouth, deflecting its rush, but the shark sandpapered the Dude's side with its toothy, rasp-like skin."

The dialogue between feisty women and macho men rings with authenticity, as do the slugfests and encounters with pirates in the Pearl Islands, off the coast of Panama.

The Clear Blue Line is a modern-day Bogey and Bacall. It's pure escapism that makes you want to buy a ticket to Panama, sit in the Balboa Yacht Club with a cold beer, and soak up some of the adventure Al Sprague has packed into this well-written novel.



 If you're looking for a fun 
summer or weekend read...

If you're looking for a fun summer or weekend read, The Clear Blue Line hits the spot. No doubt a romantic at heart, Al Sprague fills the pages with love lost and gained, daring shark dives, encounters with drug lords, and enduring friendships all set in beautiful Panama.

The tale harbors a hint of truth as it celebrates Sprague's colorful life and artistry. (His art adorns the front cover.) A bit salty in language but fitting and a great read for anyone (even guys!) ready for an adventure.

— ELkwani


Author Bio

Al Sprague


Al Sprague was born in Colon, Panama. His parents had emigrated to Panama from New York City where Al's father had been hired as a manager for Texaco Oil Company in 1938. Al spent most of his life in Panama, returning to the United States to attend college at American University, where he received a bachelor's and master's degree in Fine Arts. Al then taught high school and college art in Panama to the dependents of U.S. military and civilian workers for 15 years.

During that time, he began to paint the country and people of Panama, one of the first artists to really define the Panamanian culture through the arts. His most noted works are of the Panamanian native dancing women in the traditional costumes of the "pollera" and the "montuna" as well as the fisherman who troll the seas of the Pacific Ocean for snapper, grouper, and dolphin fish. Al, an avid fisherman himself, creates fishing lures that are also works of art.

Throughout his teaching career, Al painted the Panama Canal and the men who keep it running. A number of his paintings were purchased by the Panama Canal Commission, and presently hang in the current administration building of the Canal. Two of his paintings were made into postal stamps of the now defunct Panama Canal Post Office, and are collectors' items. At least two other paintings were made into postage stamps for the Republic of Panama.

Al's one man show of Panama Canal artwork opened the new Museum of the Panama Canal in 2000. Many of his paintings of Panamanian fishermen and native dancers hang in banks and museums throughout the country of Panama, and have been purchased as gifts of state for the presidents of Spain, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. Al Sprague paintings are included in the Presidential Libraries of Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Al was chosen as the official combat artist for "Operation Just Cause" and created a series of paintings which form part of the army art collection in the Pentagon and were featured on CNN.

In addition to oil and watercolor paintings, Al taught himself the art of bronze casting. Since moving to Virginia in 1992, he has built a small foundry and produces his own bronze pieces, using typical Panamanian subjects. Al summarizes his feelings about his work in this way: "I have never overcome enjoying what I see. Therefore, my painting and sculpture I attempt to portray the literal - a visual world made up of patterns of abstract shapes, planes, and colors that stimulate our senses."

Most recently, Al has begun to write novels based on his experiences growing up in Panama. The Mahogany Tree, a young adult bilingual novel published in 2010, was a finalist in the International Book Awards. The sequel to that novel, Windswept, also a bilingual book, was published in 2014. Al's first adult novel, The Clear Blue Line, was published in 2014 by Bacon Press Books.