S.K. Keogh's Blog: The Jack Mallory Chronicles, page 5

RELEASE DAY FOR THE FORTUNE!!

The Fortune was released today, October 21!! If you didn’t already pre-order the book, I hope you will consider purchasing it soon. Available in both paperback and e-book. Click on “Purchase The Fortune” in the banner above to find links to retailers or click here to go to Amazon.com directly.

If you haven’t already read The Prodigal or The Alliance, don’t let that discourage you from reading The Fortune. Though the books are a trilogy, each can be enjoyed on its own.

Thank you for your support, and I hope the stories bring you many hours of enjoyment.

 

EXCERPT FROM THE FORTUNE

With the release of The Fortune only two days away (October 21; currently available for pre-order in paperback and e-book), I wanted to whet your appetite with an excerpt from the novel. Below is the opening scene. SPOILER ALERT for those who have not yet read The Prodigal (book one) or The Alliance (book two)!!

 

Jack Mallory and six of his pirate crew sailed the Prodigal’s yawl across the long Atlantic swell toward their prey. The pink had struck her colors without a fight when the Prodigal’s ensign had billowed out at the masthead—a black flag that bore the images of a white stone gate and skeleton. Now, hove to, the coaster looked old and slow, not one to take as a consort to assist in Jack’s current endeavor, but she had what he needed most—spars for his damaged brig. On the pink’s deck her small crew awaited not only the yawl but the Prodigal’s pinnace as well, which also carried an armed boarding party and now sliced ahead of the yawl in a race to be first to board.

Sunlight off the indigo water reduced Jack’s mahogany eyes to mere slits in his young, darkly tanned face. From his place in the stern-sheets, he glanced back at the Prodigal where she rode the swells, hove to. She had been wounded cruelly yesterday by the eighteen-pound guns of the privateer Alliance, her fore topmast now threatening to go by the board with the first strong puff but for the boatswain’s double preventer stays. The spritsail yard had been shattered, and the gaff of the fore-and-aft main sail had been splintered as well. Then there was the sad main topgallant mast, originally fished after weather had felled her, then fished again after being toppled during the short, vicious fight with the Alliance. Fortunately the guns had not suffered beyond one six-pounder being dismounted, for what little ordnance the pink might provide would not be worth the time and effort to transfer.

As Jack studied his beloved brig, a slim female figure appeared on the quarterdeck. He strained to see if another, smaller figure accompanied Maria Cordero, but she stood alone, and Jack shrank with disappointment, frowning.

“First time she’s been on deck since the fight,” observed Josiah Smith, Jack’s quartermaster and closest friend, who sat one thwart forward. “I’m surprised she left Helen below.”

Jack’s frown turned into a scowl as he said, “Archer’s probably with her.”

The pinnace reached the pink first, and with shouts and roars meant to further terrify the coaster’s crew, the pirates swarmed up the side of the vessel, bearing pistols, knives, axes, and cutlasses. The Rat—a small man with a penchant for racing rats—grabbed for the main chains, somehow missed, and fell unceremoniously between the pinnace and the pink. Laughter from his closest shipmates encouraged shouted taunts of amusement from the closing yawl. The Rat bobbed up and reached for the pinnace’s gunwale, but the swell bumped the boat against the pink, pinching the Rat’s arm. His howl garnered the aid of the last pirate in the boat—a huge block of a man singularly named Bull for his size, lack of wits, and the ring worn through his broad nose. Bull grabbed the Rat by his wild dark curls and hauled him high enough out of the water to flop him back into the boat like a fish. The unperturbed Rat started his climb all over again, this time with success.

Jack smiled, a reaction foreign to him over the past few days. Smith reflected the smile through his dark, wiry beard, blue eyes crinkled. Jack knew Smith’s expression was more from relief at his captain’s distraction than at the Rat’s latest mishap. Like a concerned mother, Smith had fretted over him during the seven years spent together in Newgate prison. And since obtaining their freedom last year, Jack continued to give the older man plenty about which to fret.

Jack clambered up the pink’s side with natural ease, followed by the yawl’s party. The frightened seven-man crew bunched together in the waist. Their master stood slightly apart from them, harried by the Rat’s cutlass as the soaked pirate demanded the man’s clothing. The others from the pinnace laughed. The master, of course, was the best dressed of the crew—though not remarkably so—thus the Rat wanted to shift his clothes with this one. He already wore the master’s tan felt hat smashed upon his dripping curls.

Jack waved a discouraging hand at the Rat. “Not now.”

“But, Cap, we’s the first boat here so we gets first pick, ye know.” He used a particular scolding tone to remind his captain of the rules, as if Jack needed reminding.

Hiding his amusement, Jack responded with neither tyranny nor rancor, “Aye, but you’ll leave him his dignity until I’m through here.”

Crestfallen, the Rat frowned. He gave the relieved master a malevolent eye before sidestepping away, plucking at his own tattered shirt to draw attention to its woefulness, stained with blood from a superficial wound suffered in yesterday’s battle.

Jack approached the master, a man probably twice his twenty-one years. He appeared afraid but not overly so; whether from the Rat or simply his situation Jack could not tell.

“We’ve no intention to harm you.”

With Jack’s assurance the pink’s crew stood a bit easier.

“’Less you don’t gimme them clothes o’ your’n,” the Rat interjected then backed away from Jack’s glance with a weak, gap-toothed simper.

“We’re in need of spars and cordage,” Jack continued. “And a carpenter. Ours was killed yesterday. Which of you would that be?”

The men exchanged anxious glances but said nothing.

Jack scowled at the delay. “As I said, we’ve no intention to harm you…unless you’re disinclined to cooperate.”

Six pairs of eyes turned to those of the seventh, a man who did not appear pleased with their betrayal. He was the oldest, missing most of his light brown hair, the sun bouncing off his head, his mouth momentarily slack when Jack’s attention rested upon him. He crumpled his hat in his weathered hands, shuffled a step forward, made a nervous, ridiculous bow.

“I’m carpenter,” he mumbled. “Name’s Hanse.”

“Right, then.” Jack nodded to a young black pirate. “Billy, fetch him back to the brig and get him working on the fore topmast.”

Billy stepped over, but Hanse’s round face fell into panicked despair, and he reached for Jack’s sleeve. “Please, sir. I—I’ll help you however I can, but you don’t mean to press me, do you? I’ve a family to provide for.”

Jack felt Smith’s gaze upon him like a tactile conscience. It was not their practice to force married men. The Prodigal had had only two, and they were now free men at his stepfather’s plantation outside of Charles Town, Carolina, awaiting the arrival of their families from England.

Refusing Smith’s stare, Jack replied, “You do as I say, Chips, and you’ll have more money for your family in a couple of days than you’ll make in years on a tub such as this.”

Anger darkened the man’s green eyes. “And a noose to go with it. Then what will happen to my family?”

Joe Dowling, the Prodigal’s hairy gunner, warned, “If you don’t like it, mate, we can arrange for that noose right now, can’t we, lads? No trial holdin’ things up, eh?” Grinning, he flicked his gaze to the yardarm above him.

The carpenter blanched and swallowed hard, then turned back to Jack, all impertinence gone. “You’re just a boy. You don’t understand what it’s like to care for little ones, to put food in their mouths.”

The words kicked Jack in the gut as he thought of his orphaned six-year-old half-sister aboard the Prodigal, silent and traumatized by the death of her father the previous day, and now frighteningly dependent upon him in all earthly ways. He growled at the prisoner, “I understand better than you think.” He jerked his chin at Billy, and the black man grabbed Hanse by the arm, brandishing his pistol, and led him toward the entry port. Jack ordered Dowling to go with them then turned back to the master. “Your men will assist in the transfer of your spars, sails, and cordage. We’ll leave enough to get you ashore.”

“What about the cargo?” Sullivan—a red-haired, perpetually sunburned pirate—asked. “Hold’s full of sugar. That’d fetch a fair price up the coast.”

“No time for that,” said Jack.

“Mebbe we should take the time,” an unseen voice grumbled, but Jack ignored the dissenter.

“Now, Cap, now?” the Rat asked with a spark in his small eyes. When Jack waved his hand, the Rat chortled and jabbed his cutlass at the hapless master. “Drop them breeches.” He never took his eyes off the master’s fine gray coat with its gilt buttons on the cuffs. “You’s gonna lose more’n yer carpenter.”

Willie Emerick pointed out, “His rags’ll be too big for you, Rat.”

“I can sew, can’t I?”

“Not without bleedin’ all over.”

Laughter roared across the desk.

“Lads, get the spars lashed together and floated across. Ned,” Jack said to his enormous boatswain where he stood with sunlight shining upon his shaved head, “see to the cordage. Sully, you and Willie are in charge of the sailcloth. Let’s get to it.”

Jack stepped to the railing to watch Dowling and Billy give way in the yawl with the carpenter. The white-faced sailor looked with longing at the pink. Jack quickly pushed aside the weakness of sympathy. If they were to attack that convoy of merchantmen expected from England and if he was to locate the Alliance and exact his revenge, he would need a skilled man directing and accomplishing the repairs to the Prodigal. There was neither a minute to lose nor a man to be spared.

PIRACY AT THE OLD BAILEY

Ben Merriman presents a selection of piracy cases from the proceedings of London’s Old Bailey. Although a few live up to the swashbuckling heists of stereotype, many reveal the surprisingly everyday nature of the maritime crimes brought before the court, including cases involving an argument over chickens and the stealing of a captain’s hats.

Read more

CHECK OUT THE AUTUMN ISSUE OF “QUARTERDECK”

The Fortune is in the “new release” section of the latest issue of Quarterdeck. Click here to see the always-beautiful issue, published by McBooks Press. Interviews, reviews, etc. of all things nautical fiction. Always an excellent read!

 

WIN A SIGNED COPY OF THE ALLIANCE

With the release of The Fortune only a month away (available now for pre-order), I want to whet the appetite of readers by giving away a couple of signed paperback copies of The Alliance, the second book in the Jack Mallory trilogy. This giveaway is running until October 21 through Goodreads.com. Click this link to my website to enter!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS!

Congratulations to all the winners in our Talk Like A Pirate Day book giveaway, and thanks to all the authors who participated.

So who won a signed copy of The Alliance? Shelley way down under in Australia! Jack Mallory has a long sail ahead of him. ;) I hope you enjoy the book, Shelley.

So you didn’t win in the contest? Don’t lose heart. There’s another chance to win a free, signed copy of The Alliance. Stay tuned for details!

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER TO WIN FREE BOOKS!

Only a few hours left to enter to win free piratical novels from seven different authors, including myself. Celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day with a bang! Click on the link below to enter on my website. Good luck!

Enter the contest here.

MORE PIRATICAL AUTHOR Q&As

Last week you may have read my previous blog posts, spotlighting authors Dan Eldredge and Helen Hollick. I want to share the other Q&As from the other authors participating in our combined book giveaway, celebrating Talk Like A Pirate Day this Friday, September 19, 2014.

Follow the links below to read the blog posts with the four other authors answering questions about their books and their interest in all things pirate. And don’t forget to enter to win free pirate novels (including my second novel, The Alliance) by using the widget here. Only one day left to enter!

Christine Steendam

Lisa Jensen

JM Aucoin

Nick Smith

THE FORTUNE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

You can now pre-order The Fortune!

The paperback version is currently available for pre-order only at Amazon, but the e-book is available at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. as well as Amazon. Just click on the links to be directed to the page. The paperback will soon be available at those other retailers as well.

If you haven’t read the first two books in the trilogy, you can click on the links at the top of this page to be directed to the links. But if you haven’t read the first two, don’t let that discourage you from reading the third book!

A deal with the devil…

Jack Mallory has vowed to abandon his nefarious seafaring life to be with the woman he loves, but his final act of piracy leaves him facing the noose. His one chance at freedom: a deal with an old enemy, Ezra Archer, a wealthy Charles Town planter.

Archer has his sights set on increasing his lands and securing a seat on the Carolina Assembly—and he will destroy anyone in his way. At first, Jack’s pact with the ruthless planter seems benign—sail to Virginia to fetch Archer’s niece. Yet soon he discovers Archer’s plans for the girl are anything but honorable and could endanger his own future, a future that seems increasingly bleak when faced with Archer’s next, murderous task.

With time running out and innocent lives hanging in the balance, Jack must find a way to break his deal with the devil or forever forfeit the honest life he had hoped to reclaim for himself and his family.

Q&A WITH AUTHOR HELEN HOLLICK

I’m proud to host today’s Q&A with author Helen Hollick, who is fresh from this year’s Historical Novel Society conference in London. Helen is participating with me and five other authors in a blog hop to celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day (September 19–my birthday; how fitting, eh?). In conjunction with the blog hop, we are giving away copies of our books to lucky winners in our humble contest. To enter, click on the link at the end of this post. You increase your chances of winning by liking and/or following the various authors on Facebook and Twitter.

 So without further ado, I present the esteemable Helen Hollick.

What made you want to write about pirates in the first place? What is it about them that intrigued you as a writer?

I loved the movie Pirates of the Caribbean – Curse of the Black Pearl because it was fun, had a fine blend of adventure, romance, action, humour and fantasy. None of it was meant to be taken seriously, it was entertainment only, a movie to sit back and enjoy. As an avid reader I searched for adult novels that had a similar content, and while I found many superb “straight” nautical fiction there was nothing with that tongue-in-cheek sailor’s yarn element. So I wrote my own.

I researched the historical side of piracy and immediately found several interesting actual events that would fit well into an exciting nautical adventure that had a touch of fantasy included. To be able to weave an imaginative story into factual truth is great fun to write – and read, I hope!

 Tell us a little about your book, Sea Witch, that you’re giving away for this event.

Sea Witch is the first of several Voyages – there are four at the moment with the fifth being written and a sixth to follow. There will probably be more.

The Time : The Golden Age of Piracy – 1716.

The Place : The Pirate Round – from the South African Coast to the sun drenched Islands of the Caribbean.

Escaping the bullying of his elder half-brother, from the age of fifteen Jesamiah Acorne has been a pirate with only two loves – his ship and his freedom. But his life is to change when he and his crewmates unsuccessfully attack a merchant ship off the coast of South Africa.

He is to meet Tiola Oldstagh an insignificant girl, or so he assumes – until she rescues him from a vicious attack, and almost certain death, by pirate hunters. And then he discovers what she really is; a healer, a midwife – and a white witch. Her name, an anagram of “all that is good.” Tiola and Jesamiah become lovers, but the wealthy Stefan van Overstratten, a Cape Town Dutchman, also wants Tiola as his wife and Jesamiah’s jealous brother, Phillipe Mereno, is determined to seek revenge for resentments of the past, a stolen ship and the insult of being cuckolded in his own home.

When the call of the sea and an opportunity to commandeer a beautiful ship – the Sea Witch – is put in Jesamiah’s path he must make a choice between his life as a pirate or his love for Tiola. He wants both, but Mereno and van Overstratten want him dead.

In trouble, imprisoned in the darkness and stench that is the lowest part of his brother’s ship, can Tiola with her gift of Craft, and the aid of his loyal crew, save him?

 Using all her skills Tiola must conjure up a wind to rescue her lover, but first she must brave the darkness of the ocean depths and confront the supernatural being, Tethys, the Spirit of the Sea, an elemental who will stop at nothing to claim Jesamiah Acorne’s soul and bones as a trophy.

In reality, pirates were awful people that most of us wouldn’t want to run across if we were sailing a ship, but in our culture they’ve been romanticized so often that it’s almost expected by some folk. Do you have trouble balancing reality with the romanticized aura of the pirate, or do you not worry too much about that when crafting your tales?

I wanted to blend the humour, romance and fantasy of the Pirates of the Caribbean and Indiana Jones movies with the action of James Bond and Hornblower, while adding the factual authenticity of Patrick O‘Brian’s Jack Aubrey novels. But above all I wanted to write something that was a fun read, albeit with the darker side of life in the early 1700’s included. Pirates were not alone in being “not nice” people: this was when African slavery was on the rise, when a child could be hanged for stealing a loaf of bread or poaching a rabbit; when a woman could be whipped, semi naked in public for committing adultery. When men preferred to join the army or navy in preference to facing the squalid conditions of being jailed. Death in its many various guises was harsh, life was even harsher. So no, my direction when writing was not intended to portray the reality, but the excitement of adventure, and the relationship between a man who would give his life for the woman he loves, and she could be hanged as a witch if ever she became careless. Having said that, my Captain Jesamiah Acorne is no pushover – he is quick to laugh but formidable when angry. He has his priorities and killing someone before they kill him is one of them. My novels have adult content, violence, sex and a little bad language. In that sense, they reflect reality.

How often do you turn to real-life pirates for inspiration in creating your characters or plot?

The reality behind the romantic view is essential for research. What I enjoy is taking the facts of an event and using it to create a plausible imaginative storyline.  My nautical references are as accurate as I can get them, (thanks to James L Nelson who edits for me), but I also have scenes that are fantasy. My female protagonist is, after all, a White Witch, but I prefer to use a more believable aspect to her Craft – more The Force in Star Wars rather than the magic wand of Harry Potter.

What I especially enjoy is adding a twist in the tale concerning the historical facts: for instance, in the third Voyage, Bring It Close, Jesamiah is instrumental in planning the well-recorded factual demise of Blackbeard. But Jesamiah firmly states that he will not have his name written down in any official book – which is why you will not find him documented anywhere.

What makes your series different from other piratical adventures out there? What’s your main goal with your pirate stories?

The Sea Witch Voyages are not meant to be taken seriously – they are adult sailor’s yarn-type novels. I believe they are different from other nautical adventures because I include a fantasy element as well as accurate sailing detail and historical events. Mine are pure escapism, designed to take the reader into that imaginative world of a cracking good read.

My main goal? Well, every author dreams of heading a best seller list or achieving a movie or TV drama deal – of course I would love those, but my main aim is much simpler, although as an Indie Writer not necessarily easy to achieve. I want readers to enjoy Captain Jesamiah Acorne’s adventures and maybe fall in love with his charismatic charm as much as I have.

Bonus Question: If you had to design a pirate flag for yourself, what would it look like?

Oh that’s easy! Royal blue with two cutlasses in white, with an acorn and oak leaf in the centre where they cross.

Why the acorn and oak leaf? Well, because of Jesamiah’s name. The cutlasses because he is an (ex) pirate and the Royal Blue colour? That is because Jesamiah wears blue ribbons laced into his hair. He uses them in a variety of ways – for giving as a token after a night of pleasure in a brothel (before he met Tiola, I might add), for urgent repairs when cordage or rope is not available, or for the real reason – they make a handy, quickly accessible garrote…

Helen’s Bio

Born in North-East London UK, Helen Hollick started writing pony stories as a teenager. She moved onto science fiction and fantasy and then discovered the delight of writing historical fiction. Published in the UK and the US with her books about King Arthur and the 1066 Battle of Hastings, she officially made the USA Today best seller list with her novel Forever Queen. She also writes the Sea Witch Voyages, a series of nautical adventures inspired by her love of the Golden Age of Piracy.

As a firm supporter of independent authors she has recently taken on the role of Managing Editor for the Historical Novel Society Indie Review and introduced an annual Historical Fiction Indie Award.

Helen now lives in Devon, England, with her husband, daughter and son-in-law, and a variety of pets, including a dog, cats, horses, chickens, ducks and a goose.

To enter the book giveaway, just follow this link to my official website and use the widget the enter: Contest.