What It Was Like to be on a Voyage While Writing a Book About a Voyage

Hello everyone :). I have just released the fourth book of my historical fiction series Davenport House. Many chapters take place aboard the RMS Lusitania on its last fateful voyage. The Lusitania left the pier in New York on May 1, 1915 bound for Liverpool, England. Many “important” people at the time were warned not to sail on the ship, for it was destined to have a part in The Great War being waged in Europe. The tragic loss of 1,195 lives was the result of sailing despite many warning signs.




In the second book of my series, a character named Nellie Whitmore asks one of the ladies at Davenport House to accompany her on the voyage. Even though books 2 and 3 move past this event, book 4 finally tells Nellie's side of the story. It also tells what happens next at Davenport House after book 3.

I took a Norwegian cruise from the USA to Europe in April of this year. I had been on cruises before, but this was the first one that would cross the Atlantic. I wrote the first segment of my book while on this voyage, but superstition prevented me from writing the portion about the sinking of the Lusitania! I was going to wait until I was on dry land for that one. I was already pushing my luck by sailing through the Bermuda triangle to a place where the government just issued a travel advisory against :).




I somehow became known as the resident Wi-fi expert of the cruise. Probably because I always had my laptop out and scouted the places with free Wi-fi as soon as we stopped at a port. I was in the middle of publishing my 3rd book at the time, and I had lots of emails to respond to. I had some great conversations with the other passengers who looked for me to get the latest on Wi-fi signals and passwords. By some stroke of luck, one of the passengers I got to speak to had emigrated to the USA aboard a ship in the 1950's! I wanted to hear everything about his experience crossing the ocean back then, especially in third class. He told me that they were not allowed to interact with the first class passengers or wander into the first class sections. He also said that he shared a room with his family of 12! I soaked up every detail as best I could to later adapt it to my writing.

Some people saw me with my laptop and assumed I was “working”. But I could not consider writing my book as working. It was so much fun!

One of the most memorable experiences was sailing through the English Channel and being able to see the White Cliffs of Dover, England on one side, while viewing France on the other side of the channel. Also, the food was incredible! I had the pool all to myself for several nights in a row because everyone else thought it was too cold to swim. I always got “looks” when I walked through the ship in my coverup and holding my beach towel while others were bundled in their thick jackets! So I was not always writing my book, but I was certainly gaining inspiration for it throughout the trip.

Here I am, bogged down by all the “work” I was doing on vacation :). (Not really.)




Some days, the boat rocked so badly that the captain had to assure the passengers multiple times that this was “normal” for the North Atlantic. A few times in the dining room, which was on deck 5, we could see the crests of the swells through the window which seemed alarmingly high, and we watched our ship rise and crash down with them. I wondered if it was really as “normal” as the captain said! I went through almost a full package of Dramamine on that trip. Still, it was one of the most adventurous, fun times of my life. Now I have something from it that will be dear to my heart forever. May I present to you, my newest release hot off the e-presses, Davenport House 4: Heiress Interrupted.



Heiress Interrupted
More to the story is revealed in this fourth book to Davenport House. Nellie Whitmore is accustomed to life as a carefree heiress, but her claim to the family fortune is at risk because of a new heir. Nellie is sent to Britain to be married before word spreads of her changing circumstances. What begins as a luxurious voyage becomes a fight for survival when the ship is caught in the midst of the War, forever changing the people who live to tell about it.

Friendship is kept afloat by telegrams between London and Davenport House. Mary Davenport announces exciting news, and the servants prepare for more changes downstairs. Ethan is anxious to move to Philadelphia, but becomes overworked while the estate is in search of a new groundskeeper. Relationships become strained when the unthinkable shakes the foundation of the house, and the ladies are left to evaluate the risks of keeping secrets.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...

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