Releasing in the Spring of 2011- Book Four of the SEA WITCH VOYAGES- Ripples in the Sand ..an Excerpt *CONTEST*

AND INTRODUCING~
RIPPLES IN THE SAND -BOOK FOUR OF THE 'SEA WITCH VOYAGES'


Well, here we are at the fifth day and here the Voyage aboard the Sea Witch in the company of myself and Captain Jesamiah Acorne must end.

But to finish, a special treat - an excerpt from the fourth Voyage in the Sea Witch series – Ripples In the Sand. I hope to see it published early next Spring (2011)

Ripples In The Sand
the Fourth Voyage of Cpt Jesamiah Acorne

Excerpt : chapter 5
(unedited draft version)
At Sea – off the English Coast February 1719


Curiosity was not one of Jesamiah’s faults, especially when it involved taking onboard people he did not know and did not want to know. If whoever it was desired a free passage to Bideford he could bide his time on deck. There was no code that decreed a ship’s captain had to be polite to irritating and unwelcome passengers.


To add to his annoyance, as he stepped into his cabin Tiola was dressed and about to throw a cloak around her shoulders.

“You can take that off and sit yourself down, young miss. I told you, it’s cold out there, and you are not well.”


Ignoring him, she wound a shawl over her head and opened the door. “I need fresh air Jesamiah. I’ll stay in the waist, not go for’ard or on the quarterdeck. No steps or ladders.”

Sighing, Jesamiah retrieved his hat and coat which he had tossed on to the table, already cleared of the breakfast debris. “I’d better come with you then.”

Tiola reached up to place a delicate kiss on his cheek. “Don’t be silly, I will be perfectly all right. Look here’s Finch with coffee for you.”


She ducked out as Finch came in, pre-empting any more protests. Jesamiah meant well but she wanted to be alone, wanted the fresh, crisp, air that might clear her aching head and give her a chance to think.

“You fuss more’n a mother ‘en you do.” Finch stated. “ Leave the lass be, she needs a bit o’ space round her.”


“When I want your advice I will ask for it. Does that liquid you’re pouring actually have any coffee in it? Or does it taste as revolting as it looks?” For all his grumbling, Jesamiah took the proffered cup and sat at the desk shaped into the curve of the bulk head – light oak wood to match the rest of the panelling, with oak leaves and acorns carved here and there. This cabin was one of the things that had attracted him to the ship in the first place, that and she was the most beautiful vessel he had ever seen. He had won her in a card game, although he had ended up stealing her for the owner had gone back on his word. Water under the bridge now. The man was dead, and Sea Witch was unequivocally Jesamiah’s. As much a part of him as his soul.

Overhead, Rue was shouting orders and Sea Witch was under way again, the sound of the water rushing past her keel as she gathered way clearly audible. The passenger, whoever he was, was safely aboard then. Well, Jesamiah might be sociable when they neared harbour, but not yet. Let the bloody man get cold on deck, it would teach him a lesson about begging passage on an unknown ship.


Fetching the charts relating to the Bristol Channel and Barnstaple and Bideford Bay, Jesamiah spread them on the table, peered closely at the marked rocks and shallows between Hartland Point and Lundy Island. That sand bar as you came into the Torridge and Taw estuary was worrying. Would he have to wait for a pilot to come aboard and guide him in? Probably, damn it. More time idled away, especially if they missed the tide. The flood was essential in navigating those waters.

He reached for the coffee cup, took a sip and grimaced. The wretched stuff tasted twice as bad cold; heard the cabin door open and close. Assuming it to be Finch he did not look up.
“This tastes vile; dare I ask what else you are putting in it? Tar? Cat’s piss?”

The answering voice made Jesamiah splutter and turn abruptly.


“I have no idea, lad, but I can offer you a drop of brandy to improve things.”

Jesamiah took a moment to register the passenger’s presence in his cabin. A man in his mid fifties with a weathered face, a sailor’s crinkled eyes, calloused hands and a slight stoop to the shoulders from years of bending under low ceilinged decks. Henry Jennings. Captain Henry Jennings. He and Jesamiah went back a long way.


“Well bugger me! What in all the names of the Seven Seas are you doing here, Henry?”

Jennings removed his hat and boat cloak, indicated if he might sit, and gratefully sank into Jesamiah’s only comfortable chair, easing the ache in one leg as he did so. He produced a hip flask from his coat pocket, held it out.


Taking the silver container Jesamiah unscrewed the lid and sampled the contents before adding a generous amount to the insipid coffee. “Gout still bothering you? My Tiola will tell you drink’ll make it worse.”

He passed the flask back to Jennings who finished the remaining brandy in one swallow and chuckled.


“And she’d be right, but a drop now an’ then keeps m’temper sweet. Pardon me for saying lad; what be ye doin’ to her? She looks damned ill.”

The genial banter fading, Jesamiah’s face fell serious, his worry clearly showing in the ragged lines to the side of his eyes. “She is ill Henry. That’s why I’m hurrying to get ashore. I should never have left the Azores, but there was no buyer for the tobacco I’m shipping, and she wasn’t as bad as this then.”


“Get her a good physician. Sir Matthew Gillham knows what he’s about. You’ll find him a mile or so outside Bideford. Hartsford Manor. Big pink place.”

Pausing while sliding his charts carefully into their drawer beneath the desk, Jesamiah cocked an eyebrow. “And how would you, a man who has spent the last God alone knows how many years on the account in the Caribbean, and than fancying himself as vice governor of Nassau, be knowing this Matthew Gillham who lives outside Bideford?”


Jennings scratched under his grey-curled wig. “I know quite a few people in the West Country. I was born there. Lived in Appledore until Pa died in ‘01, but I had more interest for sailing ships than building them, so I took a nice little sloop he’d designed, sold the shipyard and went off to fight as a privateer in the Spanish War of Succession.”

Sea Witch tacked and healed over. Without thinking about it, Jesamiah lifted his empty coffee cup and its saucer before they slid off the edge of the table. As she righted herself, he set them down again. The light creeping in through the salt-grimed stern windows brightened as her course altered. The sun was high now, but the sky was louring into an ominous bank of grey. If they could make landfall before the weather closed in Jesamiah would be pleased - and relieved.


“But I thought you knew my father well?” he queried. “He passed away in ’08?”

Also noting the gathering clouds and threatening sky Jennings winced and eased his gouty leg. Cold, damp air did make it ache so.


“I knew him well, Jes. He used to offload his contraband in my father’s shipyard. I sailed from England in consort with him; we both fought in that war, and after, I stayed in touch through various intermediaries.”

Jesamiah scowled. Aye, he had, unfortunately, met some of them. “1701,” he said, calculating in his mind.


“I would have been seven. I remember him being gone a long time. He was not at home for that birthday, nor my sixth before it. When he did come home I had no idea who he was.”

“That’s the trouble with being a sailor and having a family. The one does not mix well with the other.”


“I did not know he had been fighting the Spanish, either.”

Jennings shrugged. “He hated the Spanish.”


Looking up sharply at that, Jesamiah protested; “My mother was Spanish. Another woman he had loved before her was Spanish.”

“Aye, del Gardo’s sister and then the lovely black eyed, black haired Dona Sofia Molina Calderón. Youngest daughter of the Marqués de Molina. You look very much like her, you know. Same eyes.” Jennings chuckled. “ It is because of them that he hated the Spanish.”

About to ask more, Jesamiah held his council as a quick knock on the door heralded Rue’s appearance.


“We are coming up on ‘Artland Point, Capitain. Do you wish to come on deck or do you trust me to steer ‘er?”

“Since when have I not trusted you, Rue? You’re as good a helmsman as I am.”


Rue disagreed with that, but merely nodded and left. For all his years aboard ship he would never possess the talent Jesamiah had for instinctively knowing the moods of the sea. It was almost as if the running tides were part of his blood at times, as if he were some sort of merman or sea creature. Nor did Sea Witch sail as well under Rue’s hands. She responded to his grip on the helm, she obeyed, but with Jesamiah? Ah, with him, she sang!

The door shut and privacy returned, Jesamiah fetched a bottle of rum and two glasses from the small cupboard, fitted like the desk, into the bulkhead. It was not yet noon but once round the point and heading for the estuary, there would not be time for a dram. He poured two generous measures, handed one to Jennings, put the bottle back in its secure rack and sat down.


“You never answered my question Henry. I cannot believe you managed to hail a Navy frigate and persuade her captain to chase me half way across the Atlantic. All so you could visit old friends who may well be dead by now. Why are you here?”

The rum was good stuff. Jennings pleasurably savoured its aroma and taste as it slipped smoothly down his throat before answering. “I had no idea you had been in the Azores. Purely by chance I met with one of your men who’d elected to stay ashore. Masterson? He told me you were heading for Devon; Bideford.”


Jesamiah nodded. Masterson. A good man; he had been sorry to lose him.

“I blagged a passage aboard the Josephine, and happened to catch sight of you. Sea Witch is pretty distinctive, you know.” Jennings grinned. “Of course you completely ignored the signals we made, although I grant we were maybe too far off for you to see them clearly, so we had to give chase. “


“Well,” Jesamiah conceded, “that explains one thing niggling me. You tracking me at night I can accept. The idea of some bloody ignorant naval bugger being able to do so scares the shite out of me.”

They laughed together, sipped the rum, listened to the sound of the sea thrumming beneath Sea Witch’s keel. She tacked again, turning as easily and efficiently as a dolphin; the rudder creaking and squealing, the shadows of grey daylight changing yet again.

His attention never leaving Henry’s face Jesamiah set his empty glass down. “But you still have not explained why you are here.”


Jennings stretched his leg. “Did I not say?”

No answer.


“Ah, well; I have come to England on King’s business.”

“Go on.”


“I have word to pass on of rebellion. The Jacobites have the support of the Spanish and have raised an armada. England is about to be attacked.”

Jesamiah laughed outright, head back, hands slapping his thighs. “Henry. Henry! Do you sincerely expect me to believe that you are making all haste to England to inform the government of something they must have got wind of months ago? Lord love you, man, it will be old news by now!”


Shaking his head Jennings leant forward in his chair, conspiratorially lowered his voice. “They intend to assemble at Cadiz, and no they have not yet sailed. The invasion is set for mid March. And I am not here to inform the government of this plot, but to inform those who ought to know of the traitors who reside in Devon. I have acquired their names.”

The contempt that swept Jesamiah’s face was rancid. “You are going to turn informer? Good God man, since when have you cared whether George or James sits his fat arse on the throne?”


Very quietly, looking down at his shoes so that Jesamiah would not see the truth in his eyes, Henry answered; “I have always been a King’s Man Jesamiah.”

Jesamiah also leaned forward. “Enough to turn in men who will hang? Enough to destroy their families? That sort of thing stinks, Jennings.” Abruptly he straightened up, snapped, “What is in it for you? And how do you know of these names? Is your informer reliable? God help you if you have the wrong information.”


Jennings’ turn to remain silent a while, then with a sigh he said, “The matter is personal. One of the names on the list means much to me, and aye, I respect the person who sent me the information. It has never been wrong before.”

“Huh. One of your damned spies I assume. Duped him to work for you did you? Like you duped me?”


“As it happens aye, a very good spy. The best there is in fact.” Jennings paused, as if choosing his words, then said quickly before he changed his mind; “Does the name Dynham mean anything to you Jesamiah?”

“No. Nor do I want it to mean anything.” Dismissing the subject Jesamiah returned to the one chart he had left out. This business smacked of things he did not want to become involved in.

Jennings fired the verbal equivalent of a broadside. “What about Chesham? Remember that name? Francis Chesham?”


Jesamiah looked up sharply. Aye, he knew Chesham!

Very quietly, very intently, Henry Jennings added; “He is the one who sent me the list.”

For a full minute Jesamiah sat motionless. He had never expected to hear that name again. He had last seen Chesham back on Hispaniola. As far as he had been aware Jennings, and everyone else, had assumed Chesham to be dead. Obviously, for someone’s convenience, Francis Chesham had been resurrected.


Add to that, Jennings seemed to have no idea that his precious informer spy was a she not a he. Frances, not Francis.

Jesamiah knew that for a fact. He had made love to her a few hours before they had parted company, and she had sworn him to secrecy about her true identity.


Everyone else knew her as Senora Francesca Ramon Escudero, the ex English actress and recent widow of a Spanish Don. Jesamiah remembered her as red haired, green eyed and extremely beautiful.

Unedited.
Due for publication Spring 2011
© Helen Hollick 2010
For copyright reasons there are some deliberate errors in this excerpt.
~~~~
For Pirates of the Caribbean Fans looking forward to the release of the fourth P.O.C. movie, the story is to involve Jack Sparrow meeting up with that dastardly pirate, Blackbeard. In case you need a pirate fix before the movie is released though, my novel Bring It Close also features that most famous of pirates.

Only my story will probably be closer to the reality of history. I extensively researched the detail for this book – even traveling to Colonial Williamsburg. We know quite a bit about Edward Teach – Blackbeard - and his demise, because the records of his “last stand” and the trials of some of his crew have survived. The crew were taken to Williamsburg in Virginia, where they were hanged.


In Bring It Close, Jesamiah Acorne, Captain of the Sea Witch, has accepted a government-granted amnesty against his misdeeds of piracy, but old enemies do not forget the past. In particular Edward Teach - better known as Blackbeard - has a bone to pick with Acorne.

Following an indiscretion with an old flame, Jesamiah finds his fiancée, the midwife and white witch Tiola Oldstagh, has gone to North Carolina to help with an imminent and difficult birth. The problem; that is where Blackbeard now resides.

He must not discover that Tiola is Jesamiah's woman, she will have to hide her identity and her gift of Craft from the black-hearted pirate who has sold his soul to the devil. With Sea Witch damaged and himself wounded by Blackbeard, Jesamiah has to take stock of his situation at his old home in Virginia - but trouble follows him like a ship's wake and he is arrested for acts of piracy on the High Seas.


Too much trouble has come too close! How is Jesamiah Acorne to clear his name, overturn a sentence of hanging, keep Tiola safe, put an end to Blackbeard and deal with being haunted by the ghost of his father?

Bring It Close moves from the Bahamas to North Carolina and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia at a swashbuckling pace. There is intrigue, misunderstandings, romance and adventure all wrapped up in a delightful blend of mystical fantasy.

My thanks to Andrea & Corrina for a delightful and highly exciting week. I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I have!



Purchase Helen's books at Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble , Borders and many other online bookstores.

To Learn more about Helen Hollick visit her at her ~ Website ~ Muse and Views Blog ~ Monthly Journal ~ Blog Profile ~ Picture Diary Blog ~ Facebook ~Twitter


Contact Helen -mailto:-Author@HelenHollick.net

AND …. A COMPETITION:

This is the LAST chance to Win a signed copy of BRING IT CLOSE – Featuring Blackbeard!

How you ask? Well its real simple, leave the correct answer to the question below on any of the posts featuring Helen Hollick and you will be in the running for a chance to win a signed copy of Bring it Close!


The winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT wraps up on October 1st!

Question-

What is Jesamiah’s lucky charm?

Get a sneek peak at Sea Witch by Helen Hollick! *CONTEST*

Sea Witch by Helen Hollick

The Caribbean, a Pirate… and a White Witch. Sea Witch will probably be the best pirate story you have read since "Frenchman’s Creek". Pirates will be the number one genre interest with the hugely successful movie "Pirates of the Caribbean – The Curse of the Black Pearl". Johnny Depp’s exciting creation of Captain Jack Sparrow puts the subject of pirates firmly back into everyone’s imagination.

But if Jack Sparrow is the Captain of that particular ship, then my creation of Jesamiah Acorne, with his humour, cheek, sheer heroism – and his trademark fluttering blue ribbons – is most assuredly the First Mate.

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.



Excerpt from Sea Witch:

In the depths, in the abyss of darkness at the very bottom of the oceans Tethys stirred.She was the soul of the sea, the spirit of the waves and was capable,as the mood took her, of benign complaisance or malicious rage. She was without form or solidity yet she saw, heard, and became aware of everything within her jurisdiction. And she ruled her water realm with unchallenged power and a terrible omnipotence.

At Sea~ § Chapter 1

Mermaid was moving fast, the ship bowling along with her sails filled, the canvas billowing, cordage creaking and straining. She climbed over the next wave, her bow lifting to linger a moment before swooping down into another deluge of spray. Completing the seesaw movement her stern soared high as the roller trundled beneath her keel. The wind smelt of hot, dry and dusty land, of jungle and grass savannah. Of Africa.

The look out, clad in an old shirt and sailor's breeches was perched high in the crosstrees, one hundred and thirty feet above the deck. Excited, he pointed to the horizon. "Over there Jesamiah, that's where I saw 'er. I swear I saw a sail!"

With the ease of years of practice, Jesamiah Acorne stepped from the rigging on to the narrow platform that swayed with the lift and plunge of the ship. He hooked his arm through a t'gallant shroud and brought his telescope to his eye, scanned the ocean. Nothing. Nothing except a flat expanse of blue emptiness going on, unbroken, for twenty miles. And beyond that? Another twenty, and another.

These were the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, the huge stretch of sea beneath the bulb of land where the trade wealth of West Africa was turned into fat profit: gold, ivory and slaves. The African coast, where merchants found their plentiful supply of human misery and where an entire ship's crew could be wiped out by fever within a week. Where pirates hunted in search of easy prey.

The crew of the Mermaid were not interested in slavers or the foetid coast. Their rough-voiced, ragged-faced Captain, Malachias Taylor, had more lucrative things in mind - the sighting of another ship, preferably a full-laden, poorly manned merchantman with a rich cargo worth plundering.

"What can y'see?" he shouted from the deck, squinting upwards at his quartermaster, the relentless sun dazzling his eyes. His second-in-command, Jesamiah, like his father before him, was one of the best seamen Taylor knew.

"Nothing! If young Daniel here did see a sail he has better sight than I 'ave," Jesamiah called down, the frustration clear in his voice. All the same, he studied the sea again with the telescope. Jesamiah Acorne. Quick to smile, formidable when angered. Tall, tanned, with strong arms and a seaman's tar-stained and callused hands. His black hair fell as an untidy chaos of natural curls to his shoulders, laced into it, lengths of blue ribbon which streamed about his face in the wind, the whipping ends stinging his cheeks. The ladies ashore thought them a wonderful prize when he occasionally offered one as a keepsake.

If there was a ship, Daniel would only have glimpsed her highest sails, the topgallants; the rest of her would still be hull down, unseen below the curve of the horizon. "I think you had too much rum last night, my lad," Jesamiah grinned. "Your eyes are playing tricks on you."

Young Daniel was adamant. "I saw her I say. I'll wager m'next wedge of baccy I did!""You know

I cannot abide the stuff," Jesamiah chuckled good-natured as he stretched out his arm to ruffle the lad's mop of hair. He had turned his back on anything to do with tobacco - except stealing it - seven years ago when his elder brother had thrown him off their dead father's plantation, with the threat he would hang if ever he returned. But then, Phillipe Mereno was only a half brother and he had always been a cheat and a bully. One day, for the misery of his childhood, Jesamiah would find the opportunity to go back and finish beating the bastard to a pulp.

Out of habit he touched the gold charm dangling from his right earlobe: an acorn, to match the signet ring he had worn since early youth. Presents from his Spanish mother, God rest her soul. She had always thought the acorn, the fruit of the solid and dependable oak tree to be lucky. It had been the first word to come to mind when he had needed a new name in a hurry. Acorne, with an "e" to make the name unique, and his own.

About to shut the telescope a flash caught his eye and Jesamiah whisked the bring-it-close upwards again. The sun reflecting on something?

"Wait… Damn it, Daniel - I've got her!" The sudden enthusiasm carried in an eager flurry as he shouted down to the deck, his words greeted by a hollered cheer from the rag-tag of men who made the Mermaid's crew.

Even the usually dour-faced Malachias Taylor managed a smile. "Probably a slaver," he muttered, "but we'll set all sail an' pay her a visit." His gap-toothed smile broadened into a grin. "She might be wantin' company, eh lads?"

Aye she might, but not the sort of company the Mermaid would be offering. Respectable traders and East India merchantmen did not care for pirates.

Half an hour. Three-quarters. The sand trickled through the half-hour glass as if it were sticky with tar, and although the Mermaid was under full sail the distance between the two ships seemed to take an interminable time to lessen. Each man was trying to pretend he did not care whether they were on to a possible Prize or not, but for all that, finding a variety of excuses to be up on deck or clambering about the rigging. In the end Jesamiah put a stop to it, cursing them for the dregs they were.

"Looking ain't going to bring us closer to a Chase any the quicker!" he barked, resisting the temptation to have yet another squint through the telescope for himself. "Cease this 'opping about as if you've an army of ants crawling up yer backsides! We stay on this course and make out we're minding our own business. We ain't interested in her, savvy?" All the same, he touched his gold earring for luck.

From his high vantage point Daniel finally put them out of their misery. "On deck there! She's a trader!" he shouted. "A dirty great, huge, East Indiaman - God's breath, would you believe it? There's something smaller following in her wake." He cursed again and spat chewed tobacco into the sea. "We wait all this damned time, then get two Chases at once!"

The Captain climbed aloft himself, a satisfied smile spread over his weatherworn face as he lifted the telescope to his eye. The Indiaman must have been keeping lookout too, for as he watched she showed her identity, the tri-coloured Dutch ensign clearly hoisted to her main mast. Britain was not at war with the Dutch. A minor fact which did not perturb Taylor in the slightest.

Privateering during periods of declared war was legal, providing the captain carried a Letter of Marque giving him government permission to harass enemy ships. Naturally, Captain Taylor possessed his formal letter, and naturally, he preyed on any Spanish or French enemy ship daring to show a sail over the horizon. He saw no reason to ignore everything else also coming within range of his cannon though, British or Dutch ships included. Now that was not privateering, but piracy - a crime punished by the death penalty of hanging.

"Show British colours, let her think we're friendly," he called down. He winked at Daniel. "We take the trader, put a scratch crew aboard then think about chasing after the other one as well, eh? What say you, young Wickersley?"

Daniel grinned a half-moon smile at Taylor, a fairer, more profitable captain than his previous one aboard an English Royal Navy frigate. "Aye sir, sounds good t'me!"

Jesamiah was waiting for orders, fingers curled loosely around the hilt of a cutlass slung from a leather baldric worn aslant across his faded waistcoat, the strap concealing a rough-patched, blood-stained hole where some while ago a pistol's lead shot had penetrated. He wore canvas breeches as soft and comfortable as moleskin, knee-high boots and a cotton shirt that had once been white but was now a dirty grey. One cuff was beginning to fray into a ragged edge. He stood, his other hand fiddling with his blue ribbons, legs straddled, balancing against the rise and fall of the ship.

Taylor slid, hand over hand down the backstay; watching him Jesamiah ran his finger and thumb across the moustache trailing each side of his mouth into a beard trimmed close along his jaw. He lifted his chin slightly as Taylor's feet touched the deck. The Captain nodded at his second-in-command.

"If you please, Mr. Acorne."

Acknowledging, Jesamiah paused, knowing the crew of eighty rogues were set to jump at his command. He held them a moment… "All hands! Clear for action!"

A whoop of delight, a scuffing patter of bare feet on the sun-hot deck, the tarred caulking sticky between the boards, the men scattering in various directions to ready the ship for fighting. A task they could do day or night, drunk or sober.

As captain of a pirate ship Taylor only held unquestionable command when it came to the engagement of an enemy ship. At other times decisions were made by discussion and a vote. And if a captain got it wrong too often? The crew simply elected another one.

Taylor was safe. He was skilled at piracy, his achievements obvious by his long standing as master of the Mermaid over a contented crew.

"Make ready the guns," he called to Jesamiah, "but don't run out yet. Keep some of the crew out o' sight, too. I want this Dutchman thinkin' we're a poorly manned merchant, no threat, for as long as possible."

Jesamiah grinned, the light of easy laughter darting into his face. He wanted that too. The easier the chase, and the fight at the end of it, the better.

He had no fear of dying for everyone had to go some day. Hoped when his turn came it would be quick and painless, for it was the long, drawn-out agony he and any pirate, any man, dreaded. But today? This fine, clear blue day was not a day for dying. This was a day for taking treasure!

Ooh! Exciting! H J
More tomorrow!

Purchase Helen's books at Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble , Borders and many other online bookstores.

To Learn more about Helen Hollick visit her at her ~ Website ~ Muse and Views Blog ~ Monthly Journal ~ Blog Profile ~ Picture Diary Blog ~ Facebook ~Twitter

Contact Helen -mailto:-Author@HelenHollick.net

AND …. A COMPETITION:

Win a signed copy of BRING IT CLOSE – Featuring Blackbeard! How you ask? Well its real simple, leave the correct answer to the question below on any of the posts featuring Helen Hollick and you will be in the running for a chance to win a signed copy of Bring it Close!

The winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT wraps up on October 1st!

Question- What is Jesamiah’s lucky charm?

And don't forget to check back with us to find our MORE about Helen and her best selling books!!! You don't want to miss a single minute!

Let's see what people are saying about Helen Hollick and her books!!!

“Official” reviews in exalted magazines and newspapers are all very well, but I believe it is praise (or condemnation) from readers that is becoming more important. Especially with the world wide spread of the Internet and the rising power of various Blog Reviews. More and more readers are turning to the blogs, because they can trust the reviews – and because they can add their own comments. They can agree or disagree with a reviewer.

On the whole I have received some fantastic reviews for the Sea Witch Series. I have had a couple of not so pleasant ones as well, but at the risk of sounding churlish, these I have found to be somewhat unfair. One condemned Sea Witch because of the punctuation errors. This was an early edition that had been published as an uncorrected proof. Yes there were punctuation and typo errors, but even a self published author is limited to the hands of the printer/publisher. I did not realise that these uncorrected proofs had been “released” into the world.

To balance things, a mainstream publisher in the US several years ago (not Sourcebooks Inc!) published The Kingmaking. From an uncorrected proof copy. I gave up counting after 360 errors. The funniest was Arthur’s ‘bread-stubbled chin’ (beard-stubbled).

I have also had a couple of “bad” reviews from people who are obviously Johnny Depp lovers, and who resent any possible rival to Jack Sparrow. Which is so silly as “that Sparrer feller” as my Jesamiah calls him, is movie based. There really is no comparison.

But I will leave you to judge for yourself’ here is a selection of what Captain Jesamiah’s rapidly growing fan base is saying (and I include a couple from his enemies as well!)

~~
‘What is it about pirates? The freedom, and endless possibility for adventure just over the horizon or around the next headland. In fiction you can concentrate on the roguish charm and downplay the less savoury aspects (in your heroes anyway).

I loved Captain Blood (both the Flynn movie and the Sabatini book), and various other of Sabatini's adventures; also Burt Lancaster in The Crimson Pirate. Frank Yerby wrote a pretty dark pirate adventure The Golden Hawk (I think), and MM Kaye's Rory Frost in Trade Wind was a piratical rogue.

As for only teenage boys being interested in pirates, who do they think reads all those Historical Romances featuring pirates abducting or rescuing heiresses? And isn't Michael Crichton's Pirate Latitudes to be made into a movie by Spielberg? No interest there then.
Hope it leads more people to discover Jesamiah's charms.’

~~
‘I fell in love with Jesamiah from the first chapter and continued to fall throughout the entire book. What an amazing, complex character.’
~~
‘I am halfway through Sea Witch! And yes I ADORE your Jesamiah! And you certainly have a target audience with these novels, and it isn't teenage boys.’



~~~
‘I just wanted to pop you an email to let you know I'm LOVING Sea Witch. I recieved it 2 days ago and started reading it yesterday. I'm already half way through! (naughty me, I'm supposed to be finishing up edits on my third novel this week but I can't put it down) I really like your writing style, not overly wordy, perfect! You've an official fan in me! ‘
Sky Purington - author


~~~

‘I finished Pirate Code today, you have done something amazing, remarkable, created the best pirate in literature. Far more rounded and sexier a character then any others - sorry to admit it, but far sexier then CJS !!!! Jes is an adorable rogue, a larger then life character but he is all human, with a human's vulnerabilities and strengths. Thought you were a little coy about what happened with ‘Cesca LOL Final scene with the Kismet and Stefan was wonderful - I was screaming FILM!!!!!!!
A wonderful, beautifully written, full-blooded adventure. I loved it.’

~~~

‘I’ve just finished Bring It Close last night and hated to see it end! And what an ending!! Wow, Jesamiah’s father! What a surprise that was! The entire book was fascinating and Jesamiah is just such a bad boy, and so smart, and lucky, and sexy! I just love him and Tiola together! This 3rd installment to the series is just great and I don’t know what more to say other than it keeps you on the edge of your seat, laughing, crying, horrified (Blackbeard), and so very interested! I can see each chapter playing out as if I were actually there! Blackbeard was a horrid man! I can only imagine (actually I don’t want to) what it was like to be near the bugger! Thank you so much for such wonderful reading enjoyment! I am planning on re-reading Bring it Close again very soon as I am sure I will find something that I may have missed in the first go round. ‘

~~~
‘Just a quick email to say I'm still reading Sea Witch, and really, really enjoying it. I'm finding it a beautiful book to read, it really flows and I love the journey around the various places. ‘
Suzanne McLeod author of the spellcrackers.com fantasy novels

~~~
‘A really, really FANTASTIC read - and I have already devoured the first part posted on your website - I can sense more sea ventures ahead!!! Can't wait for Spring 2007! Once again, I have been completely captivated and entertained. Thank you for such a brilliant story and such wonderful, colourful characters!’

~~~
‘Wow! What a fantastic ride! Lady, you are totally zeroed in on my story bone! What a great slab of words! What is the matter with the publishers in London? If the manuscript of SEA WITCH had crossed my desk, I would be throwing bags of gold your way. I want to sign on with Captain Acorne! When is the next one coming out? The future is yours! It's got to be! Ps one complaint--the story wasn't long enough.’

~~~
‘Your strengths are in developing characters. I LOVED to hate the horrible Dutchman. I expect I'll have to hate him throughout the next book too, eh? He provides such anxiety for us readers!! [And for Jesamiah too, I know!]. I find Jes to be such a complex person - no doubt your conversations with him are QUITE interesting! I think he's better looking than Johnny Depp, and I like him a lot more than Jack Sparrow [who I think is too "Disney" to be a 'real' man like Jes - even though he IS cute!].’

~~~
‘What I liked best about the whole book was your description - battles weren't boring, the love scenes weren't cheesy and I felt as though I could sail a boat myself after reading how they run aloft to furl the sails! You have written a book that is compelling and which stays with me - truly! I'll be driving around in my car randomly thinking of something I need to do and a scene will pop into my head. I couldn't put the book down, didn't want to finish and now that I have I want the next one! Keep writing! Tethys will only wait so long between snacks.... :)’

~~~
‘This story is close to your heart? I like the.... Wow, I can't think of the right words.... Ambiguity, I guess, I get to feel toward Jesamiah- you know what he is, a pirate, but you kinda like him anyway. He has more layers than his inspiration [Jack Sparrow] and makes a more complex character in some ways.It's rather bitter-sweet in a way - I'm not done yet and I'm at the point of teetering between hoping this all turns out like a romantic fantasy that ends " Happily ever after " and the one more likely to leave a mark. Keep that sense of having this story re-call memories of love lost. I felt their pain of a broken heart and each did what would be true to their own nature. Such a mix of realism and romanticism is an unusual recipe. It's compelling because of the enthusiasm and magic of discovering another time and place infused in this story. Thanks!’
~~~
‘I have fallen completely, madly in love with Jesamiah Acorne! I'm not finished with the book as yet but so far I love it! Thanks so much Helen! Jesamiah is one of the liveliest and endearing characters I've seen come along in a very long time! Congratulations!’

~~~
‘Oh, Helen, tell Jesamiah he is such a flirt and I mean that in a good way! He is so cute! (Tell him cute is a wonderful thing from a woman's point of view). I love the interaction between him and Tiola once he gets his strength back. They are so wonderful together and he is SUCH a charmer!’

~~~
‘I finished reading Sea Witch ! I want more Jes!! Helen, I loved it! Can't wait for the next one. How long does it take to write a book anyway?’

~~~
‘FINISHED IT......WOOHOOO. Helen....fantastic ending mate....but I want MORE... MORE.... MORE... What poor Jesamiah went through by his brother ...wow...Jesamiah didn't have the time to give him his due....but now I know the "blue ribbons" have at least three uses... Well done Jesamiah...Tiola was awesome...loved the supernatural aspect of her life and loves...wow. The crew...is just right. A good mixture of men who are loyal to the ship and the Captain....well done. Loved the connection between Tiola and the "Sea Witch" too....well written Helen. Gonna have to read it a few more times now....waiting for the sequel....sigh....’

~~~
‘I am half-way through your book and it is brilliant... (Later) I have now finished Sea Witch - honestly could not wait to read it in bed, sadly now finished the ending did not disappoint and waiting for following up. Lorna (Manager, The Epping Bookshop)’
~~~
‘Helen!! I wanted you to know I am DELIBERATELY reading PIRATE CODE as slow as humanly possible, but I am finding it extremely difficult. I just don't want the book to be over, because... well... it will KILL me till I get your next instalment!! ‘

~~~‘I am totally enthralled by your books, the characters are great, the story has so many twists! and Poor Jes!! I just wanna grab him up and give 'im a big ole hug! Poor blighter...he's so love struck. I have to say you have made me laugh out loud at his expense...so many times, people at work think I am nuts! I can't wait to see the next book!!’

~~~
‘I am about 100 pages into Bring It Close and it's great. I was worried not having read [the other two] for a while that I would forget what happened, but you have a wonderful way of tying in important events from the other books that jogged my memory so it was very easy to pick up where I left off. The style of the book is just as exciting as the other two.’

~~~
‘What can I say? Wow isn't strong enough! Helen thank you so much for creating that gorgeous rogue, Jesamiah. I'm in love with a pirate ha ha! Seriously: I was on edge before starting Bring It Close because I was worried that maybe my liking for Jesamiah had "gone off the boil". No worries. Bring It Close is as good as the other two - no, better! Is that possible???’

~~~
‘Just Excellent So Amazingly Marvellous I Am Hooked’

Three Links to blog and web reviews

Astrodenes Naval Fiction:
http://www.historicnavalfiction.com/index.php/general-hnf-info/book-reviews/1298-review-1-sea-witch-by-helen-hollick


Sea Witch by Helen Hollick
http://www.bilgemunky.com/?s=Sea+Witch

‘In regards to her pirate novel Sea Witch, author Helen Hollick has only one noteworthy shortcoming – she seems to think she’s in competition with Pirates of the Caribbean. From occasional dialogue reminiscent of Jack Sparrow (was the word “savvy” uttered by a single pirate before Jack?) right down to the cover quote weighing the sexiness of Hollick’s pirate protagonist Jesamiah Acorne against Johnny Depp’s own swashbuckling personification, it’s clear that Ms. Hollick is quite aware of Pirates of the Caribbean’s popularity, and that she hopes her own works might be comparable. So let me set her mind at ease – no comparison is needed. Regardless of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise’s past and future successes and shortcomings (I’ve indeed made note of both), Sea Witch is a very worthy undertaking of its own, and needs not take back seat to any flick, no matter how trendy. > more …’
Bilgmunky.com was not so keen on the second novel, P{irate Code – but then he failed to realise the impact my Jesamiah had on the ladies! The reviewer received quite a counterblast from several Jesamiah fans.
….
Hi Helen, I'm Cindy Vallar and the Editor of Pirates and Privateers. I was sent a review copy of your book, Sea Witch. I really enjoyed it. You'll find the review on this page:http://www.cindyvallar.com/piratecode.html Fair winds and following seas!
http://www.cindyvallar.com/piratecode.html#Bring

And the * or ** star L reviews? Oh well, you can’t win them all!

My hopes for this book were up after reading the reviews here, but I must confess I was very disappointed. First of all, the plot is confusing. There is no clear line through the book. Second of all, the story is not deep. The characters are not well described, so their feelings and reactions do not seem natural to them. Oh, I did understand the love between the two main characters, but only because it was stated black on white, several times - it is simply not possible for me to feel this love the two characters apparently share. For me, a book is not good if I don't at least can feel sympathy for the main characters, and understand their line of action, and I certainly cannot with this book. Last, there's an enourmous mount of text used to describe certain more or less uncomfourtable events. An amount not balanced to the amount of text used to describe the characters. It seems unnecessary and wrong for the plot. So, to me this book is not an example of good writing, not even a good story. Furthermore, there were several errors in this version of the book, which is very disturbing. The only reason why I give this book two stars instead of one is that I actually came through it. I'm sorry for mistypes and grammatical errors in this review - English is not my main language.
[which may be why this reader did not understand the book. So is this a fair review? H.]

~~~
The book [Sea Witch]was published by Discovered Authors and printed by BookForce UK, and this, I suppose, is the problem. It doesn't look very professional, and I'm wondering if they edited it at all because the entire book contains a jumble of nearly incomprehensible sentences containing, random, haphazardly, placed, commas, or usually no commas at all and some sentences are run-ons and many have no subject or they have incorrect punctuation here are some examples that come from just a few pages close, together, and you can see what I mean I hope: "Mother was already in the next world, gone to God, except while she hanged the jeering mob had shouted that a woman who plunged a knife into the heart of her own husband was of the Devil's breeding and would burn in Hell." [page 11] "Her sight enhanced by her ability of Craft she needed no telescope to put to her eye." [page 14. She might not need a telescope, but she definitely needs a comma.] "Astern on the quarterdeck, stood their captain, smarter dressed than his crew, a buckram coat, white breeches; a red, feathered plume in his cocked hat." [page 14. Ah, there's the missing comma -- You gotta watch those sneaky fellas.] "The men, used to the incredible noise and the acrid stink, took no notice, began running in and re-loading with barely a pause." [page 17. Ms. Hollick has a habit of omitting conjunctions. I think she gets this from her friend and fellow author Sharon Kay Penman who writes excellent historical fiction (except for the lack of conjunctions) and who wrote a blurb for the cover of Sea Witch.] "He had a sudden urge to look at that child properly; spun on his heel and hurried up the companionway steps to the shattered chaos of the quarterdeck, claimed the telescope from beside the ship's compass, mercifully, both still intact. Extending the tube to its full length, was about to raise it to his eye when Malachias, his face covered in blood, called his name and distracted his attention." [I did not make that up -- it's on page 25] The entire book goes on with these awkward sentences (I flipped through to check). I'm betting that the story was interesting, but it was so laborious to read that it just was not fun. I'm so disappointed in this novel, but I do re

commend Ms. Hollick's historical fiction.
[ I contacted this reviewer and explained that the copy she had read was an uncorrected proof – and I apologised for the punctuation errors. I offered to send her a corrected copy. She never responded. H.]

But to finish on a good note:
I Loved this book. It was easy to read, wonderful to follow and took you on a great ride. The characters leap off the pages and right into your home. I caught myself being scared for them, crying for them, taking up their cause. It was a wonderful escape from the normalicies of life and into the world of Pirates and romance.. I highly recommend this book...


Purchase Helen's books at Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble , Borders and many other online bookstores.

To Learn more about Helen Hollick visit her at her ~ Website ~ Muse and Views Blog ~ Monthly Journal ~ Blog Profile ~ Picture Diary Blog ~ Facebook ~Twitter

Contact Helen -mailto:-Author@HelenHollick.net

AND …. A COMPETITION:

Win a signed copy of BRING IT CLOSE – Featuring Blackbeard! How you ask? Well its real simple, leave the correct answer to the question below on any of the posts featuring Helen Hollick and you will be in the running for a chance to win a signed copy of Bring it Close!

The winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT wraps up on October 1st!

Question-

What is Jesamiah’s lucky charm?


And don't forget to check back with us all week to find our MORE about Helen and her best selling books!!! You don't want to miss a single minute!

Let's get Up Close & Personal with Helen Hollick and learn more about her, and her Pirate!! *CONTEST*

Me and my Pirate ~


Jesamiah Acorne. My pirate. To me he is real. He comes from a place far across the sea, called Imagination. I often hear him, have dreamt scenes about him. I know the details of his birth through to his death (although that I am keeping a very firm secret!) I have plans to write at least six Sea Witch ‘Voyages’ as I call this series of adventure fantasy novels, and probably ten.

Author Sharon Penman has said of Sea Witch: "In the sexiest pirate contest Jesamiah Acorne gives Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow a run for his money."

While Elizabeth Chadwick adds: "A wonderful swash-buckler of a novel. Fans of Pirates of the Caribbean will love this to pieces of eight! A fabulous splash of piratical adventure on the high seas. Prepare to be abducted by a devil-may-care pirate and enchanted by a white witch. Mayhem and magic, splendour and squalor, beautiful ships, dangerous pirates and wild women, Helen Hollick has written a fabulous historical adventure that will have you reading into the small hours!"

Maritime Author James L. Nelson - "Sea Witch gives us everything we want in a grand pirate adventure - swashbuckling action, great villains, lovely women in distress, sea fights and adventures on land, all grounded in solid research that gives the book a real feel of authenticity. This is a terrific read for lovers of pirate tales, lovers of historical fiction, and lovers of great adventure stories."

I self published the initial book, Sea Witch as my ex-agent wanted me to write the story for teenage boys, but Jesamiah Acorne and his scurrilous adventures are very firmly placed in the adult market. While not erotic fiction, they do contain some explicit sexual scenes, and there is swearing and violence (i.e. they are X rated!) To tone the content down for teenagers did not feel right – and anyway, I did not want to write specifically for teenagers. Young Adults can read these stories if they wish, and are of a suitable age.
My ex-agent declared: “But he is a drunken womaniser!” Er, um…. Pirate?

Because I refused to comply with her wishes my agent dumped me. I was left foundering on the rocks, with my career sinking before my eyes, but I picked myself up and decided I was not going to be bullied into writing something I did not want to write.

I self published my simultaneously “dumped” UK backlist with a small UK independent press, and decided to bring Sea Witch out as well – why not? I had nothing to prove, and as long as I got my initial money back and had some fun, what had I got to lose? The company then decided to open a small mainstream imprint, so Sea Witch moved from Self Publish to Indie Mainstream.


I am utterly amazed at how many publishers insist that “pirates are not popular fiction”. I have been told “there are very few pirate novels because there are very few people interested in reading pirate fiction.”

Do these sort of publishers live in the real world? Have they not heard of Jack Sparrow and the huge pirate fan base? Are they unaware of the many, many, pirate festivals that hundreds – thousands – of people attend?


Sea Witch is doing moderately well – and this with just my own, very limited, marketing ability and a rapidly spreading word of mouth recommendation. Which, incidentally, is how Harry Potter started.

The reason why I wrote sea Witch in the first place was because I loved the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie and I wanted to read MORE pirate fantasy. There are plenty of “straight” nautical books – Patrick O’Brian, C.S. Forrester, Alexander Kent… but I found nothing that had that intriguing element of the supernatural as well. So I did what any self-respecting writer would do.


I wrote my own.


How I "met" Jesamiah Acorne

The agent sat thoughtfully in her office chair puffing at her cigarette.

"What you need to do, darling, is write a fantasy novel."


"But I don't really do fantasy, do I? I spent ten years writing my Arthurian trilogy without any fantasy whatsoever because I wanted to remove Arthur from the myth and magic."

"Yes but Harry Potter is all the rage. Why not write something for teenagers?"

The author trudged down the four flights of stairs and out into the London rain. She crossed the road opposite the Ritz, wondering if she could afford tea there. Checking her purse, she toddled into Joe's cafe instead. She really didn't want to write fantasy. Nor for teenagers. She liked writing historical fiction, she liked character interaction, the what motivates people, the invention of characters and what makes them tick. She liked writing about rugged heroes that were the sort of men you wouldn't want to get into a drinking contest with, but who would, all the same, be there to fix the fuse... and know where the torch is!


A Holiday. Dorset. A wet, windy October afternoon. The rain had poured all morning, but by early afternoon a weak, apologetic sun was squinting from behind a barricade of grey cloud. The author decided to walk the dogs on the beach. She armed herself with weapons against the weather. A hat, a coat, wellies and her ipod.

All week she had been researching her latest interest; the truth behind pirates. Now the film she had seen (and the character she had fallen hook-line-and-sinker in love with) was all very well, but it was not historically accurate. Tortuga, for instance, was cleared of pirates in the 1600's, Port Royal was no longer a town, just a naval base. Pirates did not turn into skeletons. But they DID wear bright ribbons, wave cutlasses about, get drunk and have an awful lot of fun.


As she was walking down the steep cliff-path, minding the bunny burrows and reminding one of the dogs that it was not a good idea to get stuck down one again, as he had yesterday and the day before, she wondered, "What would happen if a charming rogue, such as Jack Sparrow, met up with a white witch? Not someone like prissy Hermione in the Harry Potty books, someone more like Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars? A good witch, who had the Craft. She can't do magic, has no wand or spells, but she can summon a wind, or talk to her lover via telepathy - if he is not blocking her thoughts.

The author crossed the stream at the bottom of the cliff, that smelt suspiciously of things that were not fishy (or were fishy, in the dodgy sense of the word) and stepped onto the beach. Immediately she was almost knocked over by a blast from the wind and the dogs went haring off after those two seagulls that had been bugging them all week.

The tide was ebbing, the breakers all white-foam and rolling excitement. She walked along the wet sand, listening to the soundtrack of Pirates of the Caribbean, cursing because the earpiece kept falling out of her ear.


She had the beach to more or less herself, even the seagulls had gone, although one of the dogs did find a dead crab.

Sitting on a rock, she gazed out at the ocean. Well, it was the English Channel really, but an author has a vivid imagination. It was not too difficult to picture the hot sun of the Caribbean, waving palm trees, the rich turquoise blue of the sea .... although it would have been easier if it had not rained again. Quickly, she switched to a different scene. The Florida reefs, 1715. Eleven Spanish galleons went down, laden with treasure.


What if... what if.... her mind was racing, her heart beginning to thud with excitement. What if there was a 12th ship that went down? A pirate ship? A ship that a young, handsome rogue had just commandeered? His first captaincy ... he survived the storm, would want to get another ship as soon as possible.... he had a brother, a half brother, who had bullied him as a child... a brother who had burnt his only possession, a boat called ...... called..... Acorn! Yes, boats were made from oak ... yes, Acorn! The Author was getting REALLY excited now! The boy - for he was only a boy then ... fled the Virginia tobacco plantation and became a pirate.

He had a few adventures, got rich on plunder, but was, underneath all the swagger and pretence, lonely. It was alright having whores crumpets and strumpets, but there was also the horror of the hangman's noose dangling over him. Then one day ... one day he meets a girl. He was in deep shit, wounded and being chased by East India Company agents and this girl... no, not a girl ... the white witch ... rescues him. They fall in love, but he misses the sea. Because of ... er, because of (the author decided to think of a because of later) because of dah di dah happening, there is a mix up. The pirate assumed the girl didn't love him any more. And the girl, who was really a white witch, thought the pirate didn't love HER anymore. So they were both very miserable for a few months. The pirate found solace in a rum bottle (as pirates do) and the girl gave in and married the rich creep who had been pestering her all this time.

Then the pirate's brother caught up with him (very annoyed because the pirate had stolen his ship - one that happened to be full of tobacco to be taken to England to be sold)

The author's bum was getting a bit numb, so she moved to a softer rock, but found that the cushioning sea weed was wet, so walked on up the beach instead.

The annoyed bully brother is in league with the creep who married the girl... Tiola! the author thought, her name is Tiola. Tiola what? The author kicked at a piece of drift wood, cursed in true pirate fashion. There was a rock behind the piece of wood that she hadn't seen. Tiola is a good witch, she is all that is good... a.l.l. t.h.a.t. i.s. g.o.o.d ... an anagram! An anagram of ... furious muttering .. an anagram of Tiola Oldstagh. Yes!


The author walked on, she was nearing the far side of the bay now, and the tumble of rocks that were full of fossils and things. Or so the guide books said. She was blowed if she could find one.

The annoyed bully brother is in league with the creep who married the girl Tiola. The two men are plotting to capture the pirate and have him hanged - Captain Woodes Rogers, a real figure in history, has just become Governor of Nassau and is offering a pardon to all pirates. The two creeps arrange to meet at Nassau, guessing that the pirate will turn up, looking for amnesty. Which he does - but the bully brother nabs him & chains him up in the bilge of a ship & heads off back to Virginia where he has promised the other creep that he will hang ... only the bully brother has no intention of hanging the pirate, he wants to have his fun first and punish the pirate for stealing his ship.


Tiola is a witch and she loves her pirate. She tells the creep who is her (forced) husband to go jump in a lake and boarding the pirate's ship (which he has called Sea Witch) sets off in pursuit of her true love - having to conjure up a wind to do so .... meanwhile because the witch is a witch and because the ship is special, the girl and the ship sort of become one and .... and the author could see a small sub-plot coming here, something about Tethys, goddess of the sea who wanted the pirate for herself ....

The author was quite pleased, it seemed a good basic plot. Lots of character interaction, the chance to get to know these two young lovers, the boy meets girl, boy falls in love, boy loses girl then finds her again plot, but if Shakespeare could use it over and over ... not that the author was anywhere as good as Shakespeare, but she had five other books published and loads of people seemed to enjoy her writing style and the way she brought life into her characters and made them real ... and her fans particularly said she was good at creating loveable rogues ... look at her creation Arthur for instance!


So all she needed was her pirate. She couldn't use Jack Sparrow (as much as she would like to use him!) ... she had reached the rocks, turned around. The wide sweep of the beach was deserted. The rain had washed away everyone, who normally came to the beach of an afternoon. She looked at the wet sand where the tide was scurrying in with lace-edged patterns of foam. Saw a man standing there, twenty or thirty yards away. He was tall, rugged. Had an untidy chaos of curled, dark hair, with a few blue ribbons fluttering in the wind tied into it. He wore knee high boots, a faded coat and a three cornered hat. He was looking out to sea but he turned, grinned at her, showing the flash of two gold teeth. With his left hand, he took off his hat and with his right, gave the author a small, acknowledging salute.

An earring dangled from one ear... an earring shaped like an acorn.

"Hello Jesamiah Acorne," said the Author


Purchase Helen's books at Amazon, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble , Borders and many other online bookstores.


To Learn more about Helen Hollick visit her at her ~ Website ~ Muse and Views Blog ~ Monthly Journal ~ Blog Profile ~ Picture Diary Blog ~ Facebook ~Twitter


Contact Helen -mailto:-Author@HelenHollick.net

AND …. A COMPETITION:
Win a signed copy of BRING IT CLOSE – Featuring Blackbeard! How you ask? Well its real simple, leave the correct answer to the question below on any of the posts featuring Helen Hollick and you will be in the running for a chance to win a signed copy of Bring it Close!

The winner will be picked at random once the SPOTLIGHT wraps up on October 1st!

Question-
What is Jesamiah’s lucky charm?

And don't forget to check back with us all week to find our MORE about Helen and her best selling books!!! You don't want to miss a single minute!