The Spooky Tale of Ocracoke Island: Guest Post by Elizabeth Seckman
Today I'm welcoming a good friend to my blog. Elizabeth Seckman is a talented blogger and author...and she has an awesome new book out today called Swept Away. She's sharing an incredibly scary story with us today. After the guest post, scroll down to learn more about it!
---------------------------------------------------------
The Spooky Tale of Ocracoke Island
by Elizabeth Seckman
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for having me over. Today is the launch day for my new book, Swept Away. Writing stories that take place on the Outer Banks is not new to me, but this is the first book set on the tiny island of Ocracoke.
Ocracoke is an interesting place with a name as colorful as its history.
Most likely, the name is derived from the Woccon Native American tribe’s name for the island, Wokokon. The island’s thick brogue dialect probably morphed the name from Wokokon to Ockercock to eventually, Ocracoke (which sounds like the veggie paired with a soft drink).
But there’s a much more interesting etymology of the word that is usually told by camp fire light…
In the 1700’s, Ocracoke was a favorite hide-out/party spot of Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard the Pirate. The government of Virginia was tired of Blackbeard’s shenanigans, so they commissioned Lt. Robert Maynard to hunt him down.
Image source: Wikipedia
They met up one night in the harbor at Silver Lake. They say Blackbeard was a frightful sight with lit cannon fuses burning in his beard, making Maynard’s men wonder…was this a man or was he a demon?
Seconds into the battle, they really started to have their doubts that they were dealing with a mere human.
Shot after shot…slice after slice…until the deck of the ship was slippery with blood, the pirate wouldn’t go down.
Maynard was just as tenacious. He’d sworn to bring down the pirate and if it took sacrificing his own life, he would make good on his word. In a final blow, he severed Blackbeard’s head from his body.
Official reports say that Edward Teach died right then. His body was tossed overboard into the inlet and his head was attached to the bowsprit of Maynard’s ship. After 5 bullet holes, 20 sword slices, and a decapitation, the pirate was dead.
But campfire lore doesn’t agree. According to legends, Blackbeard still didn’t give up. Instead, his body swam the inlet, circling the ship…looking for his head. But it was too dark, so he called, “O’ crow cock”…willing the sun to rise. They say, if you listen, right before dawn, you can still hear the pirate calling, “O’ crow cock” as his spirit wanders the island looking for his head.
And that’s how Ocracoke got its name.
Blurb:
He came looking for a ghost. Instead, he found a girl.
Tucker Boone is a war-hardened Marine on a ghost hunt. Fresh out of the corps, Tucker learns he has a missing half-sister, Maddy. The only clue to her whereabouts is a cryptic note…I’ve gone Mad, Mags. Tucker agrees to search for her and heads to Ocracoke, North Carolina where a ghost named Mad Mags is said to haunt the ancient graveyards dotting the island.
The note doesn’t bring him any closer to finding Maddy, but it does offer him a diversion to the doldrums of civilian life— his new island neighbor, Josie McCoy. Tucker is drawn to her quiet spirit.
There’s something special about Josie…a connection he can’t quite explain.
By summer’s end, he’s mixed up in deception, murder, and the love of a lifetime. Logic tells him to head home and forget the truths he found on the island. But can he walk away? Josie offers him more than love; she offers him hope. When the clues pile up and it looks like she can never be the girl for him, he has to make a choice- play it safe and break her heart, or risk everything for a chance at being swept away.
Bio:
Elizabeth is a multi-published author and family laundry wench. She is the mother of four boys, who are quickly all becoming men! Her life is filled with stinky size-twelve shoes and beard clippings in the sink. Is it any wonder she enjoys days spent writing women's fiction of stories of romance and happily ever after?
Links:
Amazon| Facebook| Blog | Website
Also...I got my first piece on NYPost.com Friday. Check it out!
---------------------------------------------------------
The Spooky Tale of Ocracoke Island
by Elizabeth Seckman
Hi Stephanie! Thanks for having me over. Today is the launch day for my new book, Swept Away. Writing stories that take place on the Outer Banks is not new to me, but this is the first book set on the tiny island of Ocracoke.
Ocracoke is an interesting place with a name as colorful as its history.
Most likely, the name is derived from the Woccon Native American tribe’s name for the island, Wokokon. The island’s thick brogue dialect probably morphed the name from Wokokon to Ockercock to eventually, Ocracoke (which sounds like the veggie paired with a soft drink).
But there’s a much more interesting etymology of the word that is usually told by camp fire light…
In the 1700’s, Ocracoke was a favorite hide-out/party spot of Edward Teach, AKA Blackbeard the Pirate. The government of Virginia was tired of Blackbeard’s shenanigans, so they commissioned Lt. Robert Maynard to hunt him down.
Image source: WikipediaThey met up one night in the harbor at Silver Lake. They say Blackbeard was a frightful sight with lit cannon fuses burning in his beard, making Maynard’s men wonder…was this a man or was he a demon?
Seconds into the battle, they really started to have their doubts that they were dealing with a mere human.
Shot after shot…slice after slice…until the deck of the ship was slippery with blood, the pirate wouldn’t go down.
Maynard was just as tenacious. He’d sworn to bring down the pirate and if it took sacrificing his own life, he would make good on his word. In a final blow, he severed Blackbeard’s head from his body.
Official reports say that Edward Teach died right then. His body was tossed overboard into the inlet and his head was attached to the bowsprit of Maynard’s ship. After 5 bullet holes, 20 sword slices, and a decapitation, the pirate was dead.
But campfire lore doesn’t agree. According to legends, Blackbeard still didn’t give up. Instead, his body swam the inlet, circling the ship…looking for his head. But it was too dark, so he called, “O’ crow cock”…willing the sun to rise. They say, if you listen, right before dawn, you can still hear the pirate calling, “O’ crow cock” as his spirit wanders the island looking for his head.
And that’s how Ocracoke got its name.
Blurb:
He came looking for a ghost. Instead, he found a girl.
Tucker Boone is a war-hardened Marine on a ghost hunt. Fresh out of the corps, Tucker learns he has a missing half-sister, Maddy. The only clue to her whereabouts is a cryptic note…I’ve gone Mad, Mags. Tucker agrees to search for her and heads to Ocracoke, North Carolina where a ghost named Mad Mags is said to haunt the ancient graveyards dotting the island.
The note doesn’t bring him any closer to finding Maddy, but it does offer him a diversion to the doldrums of civilian life— his new island neighbor, Josie McCoy. Tucker is drawn to her quiet spirit.
There’s something special about Josie…a connection he can’t quite explain.
By summer’s end, he’s mixed up in deception, murder, and the love of a lifetime. Logic tells him to head home and forget the truths he found on the island. But can he walk away? Josie offers him more than love; she offers him hope. When the clues pile up and it looks like she can never be the girl for him, he has to make a choice- play it safe and break her heart, or risk everything for a chance at being swept away.
Bio:
Elizabeth is a multi-published author and family laundry wench. She is the mother of four boys, who are quickly all becoming men! Her life is filled with stinky size-twelve shoes and beard clippings in the sink. Is it any wonder she enjoys days spent writing women's fiction of stories of romance and happily ever after?Links:
Amazon| Facebook| Blog | Website
Also...I got my first piece on NYPost.com Friday. Check it out!
No comments have been added yet.
