Armed robbers, a hijacked boat, kidnapped children, a storm at sea, and one desperate father. What could go wrong?

 A fatal accident at his gym leaves former trainer and Navy veteran, Jake Burton, broke and divorced. When a temporary restraining order prevents him from seeing the only person he loves, his seven-year-old daughter, Emily, Jake loses the will to fight.

But when Emily’s second-grade class goes on a whale-watching field trip, Jake risks the consequences, bribes the boat’s mechanic, and in disguise, sneaks aboard the vessel.

Across town, three teenage boys are out to grab easy money by robbing a convenience store, but things get ugly when one boy pulls a gun and shoots the store clerk. Running from the police, the teens find themselves aboard the whale-watching boat, where Emily’s teacher mistakes them for assistants from the local high school.

A fierce storm turns day to night and churns the sea to turbulence. A child falls overboard, shots are fired, and the boat’s communication system is destroyed. Law enforcement is out of range. Jake must overcome his demons and fight to save Emily’s life. 

Taming the Dragon is a remarkable story of resilience and return to authenticity. It is the memoir of a creative young soul, oppressed by society and told he was unacceptable. Gary denied his essential self in an attempt to conform. On the surface, he survived the desperate search for approval from family, friends, and community. He even thrived professionally. But he struggled and suffered personally as time and again his true nature cried out.

Gary’s rocky path took him through a heart-wrenching divorce and overt discrimination into a series of dysfunctional relationships carrying years of unhealthy emotional baggage. Then, as a new millennium dawned, it also ushered in a spiritual awakening. Insight, creativity, and integrity returned through fits and starts, bright successes, and dark failures. Taming the Dragon is an emotional rollercoaster of laughter and tears, madness and miracles. It shows us all that self-love and healthy relationships are possible, regardless of age or past mistakes.