Author Spotlight week - Excerpt from The Privateer

"Good Lord!" was Captain Adair's first private remark. "What was that wild, babbling thing?" Well satiated at the Lieutenant-Governor's expense, Captain Adair and Bertrand had excused themselves as the hour drew late. Once free of the manor's gates, they slowed their pace, letting their eyes adjust to the dim light of the waxing half moon. Dark shadows of the island's palm trees stretched across the foot path like ghostly sentinels. Fronds ruffled the night air. "Those white curls," Adair continued, "have you ever seen such fair madness?"

Bertrand waved him off. "I prefer beauty in her natural state, not trussed like a turkey without a mind to own."

"I didn't mean she wasn't a beautiful thing, Miss O'Connell. If one likes a girl with no shape and high as a heron."

"Now that I am faced with the inevitable obligation of procuring one of those things as you call them, I'm not inclined to worry about form."

"Well," said Adair, too loose in the tongue, "I'm sure Miss Spencer feels the same way."

Bertrand made an ugly face for his friend's benefit. "What we must suffer to advance ourselves." He wanted nothing to do with matrimony, but he knew if his ambitions were to be met, there was little choice.

"Surely a title has its merits. Fortunately for me," Adair added, "I only need to catch and conquer to earn my colors."

"And you have conquered well," Bertrand said wryly.

Adair lost all mirth. "A fine upstanding wife would all but secure you, mate."

Bertrand ground his teeth at the thought that everyone on the island seemed to believe Miss Spencer would make a fine upstanding wife, and nobody more than her mother. He changed the subject before he let slip that he found the O'Connell girl far more intriguing.

"Speaking of security, Dubois has returned."

His companion stiffened. "What information did he gather?"

"The Warbler was in Martinique not three weeks ago."
"Again? Bloody thieves."

Bertrand shrugged. "It's a simple way to profit. They trade slaves for sugar rather than gold, then return to England with a valuable commodity that is easier to transport."

"Sugar purchased from the French. Where are the Africans coming from directly?"

"Not from the South Sea Company, that much I know."

"Should we consider this an answer to the recent surge in kidnappings?"

"I would lay all the blame on the Spanish, but they appear to be too busy pillaging our ships in the name of Utrecht. Port Royal is on vigilant guard. Once these ships leave England the African coast is over their shoulders."

Adair brushed a hair that had escaped its pigtail in the blessed breeze, out of his eye. "I cannot believe a merchant would run such risk."

"Everyone has his thumb in the pie. I don't see a connection with the rumors. And there is more. Some of the same leaflets discovered in Jamaica have made their way east."

"Your man found evidence of an uprising?"

"From what I understand."
"Old Cudjoe?"

"I'm disinclined to believe that," said Bertrand.
"But who reads them?"

"It is ignorance, Adair, to assume the Englishman the only literate creature in the New World."

"Any more rumors of French support?"

Bertrand shook his head. "No evidence, but France would profit enormously. Consider St. Lucia. They want it."

"I don't like it though. The shipping lanes are starting to resemble the Channel."

"Search them," Bertrand growled.

"For what? The papers are official and nothing is out of order."

"Allow me."

"No," Adair said. "You monitor the guardacostas. Those Spanish mongrels are up to something. The next ship of the line I spy without colors will get a boarding party."

"You'll be wise to have orders for that."

"I'll think of something. A lieutenant transfer should arrive soon to replace Walker."

Bertrand stooped and picked up a discarded bottle, half buried in the sand. "There have been more attacks." He shook it clean and blew across the top.

"Pillaging?"

"Aye. Pirates. And this Moreaux, again. He appears to scout within a closer range of the colonies before each strike then disappears quickly."

"Where?"

Bertrand shrugged in the blue moonlight. "Belize, perhaps? New Providence? Maybe as far as Brazil."

"Too far, man. Any more theories?"

"Men from the Main recognize the name."

This drew in Adair immediately. "Any word from survivors?"
"To my knowledge, he doesn't leave any."
"Then the rumors are from?"

The pair approached a slight embankment that led to the wharf and the frigate, Indemnity. Bertrand stopped. "He seems to be regrettably selective. Flies any colors he fancies. She's rumored to be a galleon although anyone able to throw up sails and ignore a few chasers can elude them."

Adair sought the moon. It glowed luminous, unlike his expression. "You've been given more than I," he muttered. He wiped his hand over his face looking suddenly tired. "Until next week then, my old friend," and taking his cue, Bertrand slipped off into the shadows underneath the pilings.

Author Spotlight Week - Daniellle Thorne shares her passion for Historicals

I love a good adventure, no matter where or when it happens. Historicals are one way I like to escape because they take me away. Three hundred, two hundred, even one hundred years ago, the world was a different place. As much as we have in common with our ancestors, the changes we have seen in science, medicine, the Arts and entertainment, and especially society, give each century a culture all its own, creating places I love to visit and experience.

I'm often asked what draws me to write about the Age of Sail and piracy eras. I wasn't born in a coastal town, and I'm not related to any great Naval heroes. The only explanation I have is I feel a kinship with the sea and distant horizon. I feel it in my blood, perhaps from my Rhode Island ancestors that sailed on merchant sloops up and down the coast. The Golden Age of piracy and the history of the West Indies intrigue me because of the exotic freedom it offered from cold parlor rooms. I can relate to wanting to escape the repetitious routines of every day life and strike out to see the world. Although the brutal history in this era is disturbing in many ways, I focus on the excitement that was to be found. I try to incorporate truths, even if they are painful. In essence, I love the marvelous changes of history, but I do not write about it with rose-colored glasses. Our ancestors from long ago experienced the beauty in this world the same way that we do – they felt the same happiness, fear, excitement, disappointment…Historicals are not just a way to experience the past, the genre offers a way to connect and learn about who and what came before us.

Author Spotlight Week - Q&A with Danielle Thorne

STEPH: I don't know much about The Privateer. What's it about?

DANI: The Privateer is about a West Indies privateer with a pirating past. Julius Bertrand is doing the best he can to make it in society while carrying out clandestine work for the government. When a new doctor and his precocious daughter arrive to his island colony, Bertrand finds himself distracted by the idea of choosing a wife. His ambitions lead him to make regrettable choices that almost kill him and those he loves when his past catches up with him.

STEPH: I understand this is a re-release. How did it find a home with Desert Breeze?

DANI: The Privateer was contracted in 2007 with another company that sold out months before publication. Unfortunately, it saw little editing, and the new publisher did not honor the contract or my other subsequent books there. When The Privateer's sequel, By Heart and Compass, published with Desert Breeze, we discussed moving it to join its companion, and fortunately for me, it all worked out beautifully!

STEPH: How long did the story take to write?

DANI: The Privateer took me over a year to write, as it required massive amounts of research (including my first trip to the Caribbean). I was new to the Age of Sail genre, as well as early eighteenth century life in the West Indies, but my attraction to this period as well as my love of non-fiction history made it easy to garner the information. It opened up my imagination and made The Privateer truly an adventure to write. The Privateer was my first ever completed novel.

STEPH: Did you have to do a lot of research on the story?

DANI: Tons. I spent many long days on the upper floors of the Memphis City Central Library digging through old West Indies journals when I wasn't glued to documents online. I also read and reread the entire Jack Aubrey series (Master and Commander) written by Patrick O'Brian. His novel, Post Captain, inspired my story. I do not profess to be an expert, but I gave one hundred percent to the accuracy and atmosphere of this time. Age of Sail research is a continual learning process since I don't have a ship in my backyard.

STEPH: Do you cast your characters? If so, who are the leads?

DANI: My hero, Julius Bertrand, is a complete figment of my imagination, a probable patchwork of people I have known or read about. His companion, British officer Shane Adair, was inspired by Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey. However, I did yearn to make him cleverer and less clumsy than O'Brian's lovable sea captain. As you can see, I’m don't usually type cast, but I do confess my heroine was based on the beautiful actress, Nicole Kidman, who takes my breath away.


STEPH: Do you have an ebook reader? Which one?

DANI: Yes! I have a Sony Reader, about a year old, that I love very much. I wouldn't turn my nose up at a Kindle though!

STEPH: How long have you been writing?

DANI: I started writing in second grade and received my first national recognition at fourteen years old. Poetry came natural to me, but working up to novels has taken a lot of study and perseverance. For me, short story writing is the most difficult. I always find it a challenge and admire anyone who can create a strong message in so few words.

STEPH: Which state do you live in? Can you tell us a little about it?

DANI: I currently live in Georgia, although I was raised in Tennessee. I'm a bit of a gypsy, being born in Chicago and having lived all over the South. I've also lived in Idaho and Oklahoma. My favorite thing about Georgia is I'm only a few hours away from the Smoky Mountains in one direction, and the beach in another. I love the people here, the landscape and the culture. Living less than an hour from Atlanta is a blessing, too, because I love Theater and museums. Of course, my favorite place to visit is the Georgia Aquarium.

STEPH: What's your writing space like?

DANI: My office is a small converted bedroom with a small secretary, bookshelves, filing cabinet, and a craft table heaped with every gadget you can think of, from a laminator to printers to a postal scale. I also have my other interests crammed into other corners—couponing supplies and Cub Scout stuff.

STEPH: What country would you like to visit that you haven't yet?

DANI: I am dying to visit England, which is the primary country of my ancestors and the focus of my historical research for novel writing. I've done my genealogy back to the 1700's in two northern coal mining counties (as well as in Wales). I dream of walking where my ancestors walked. Plus, I want to sneak a visit in to Jane Austen's neck of the woods. And Whitehall. Who wouldn't?