This post originally appears on my co-authors PS Bartlett’s Blog. I am personally fond of Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling, yeah, that’s the one I co-authored with her.
Author PS Bartlett
If you love adventure, action, intrigue, romance and historical fiction, these are the books for you!
Good morning…afternoon…or evening, depending on where you are in this great big, beautiful world!
In one day, I’ll be practically giving away every book in The Razor’s Adventures series on Kindle!
That’s right! You’ll get all six books for $5.00!
Just click on the graphic to go to each book in the series! Save this page so that on Friday 10/11/19, you can get them all for $5.00!!!
The wait is over. My debut novel Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling, written with Award Winning Author PS Bartlett is available for Pre-Order Now! The Prequel to all of the The Razors Adventures Pirate Tales, of which there are currently 4 titles with another in the works if not already on the way.
The autumn of 1705 brings Royal Navy Captain Gabriel Wallace to face off against an enemy within the ranks of the Admiralty itself that threatens his career, his reputation, his family, and something even more far-reaching in its plot.
Court-martialed and with Admiral Chambers, the mastermind fearfully known as the Chambers of Hell, out for his destruction, Wallace finds he has allies willing to face the might of the mightiest power on earth, with some allies in the most unlikely of places. The crew of his former command, the Majesty’s Venture, mutinies from the Royal Navy. With capture by his enemies close behind, Wallace agrees to become captain once again.
With a ship at his command, Captain Gabriel Wallace sets out to fulfill his mission, the completeness of which only he knows.
Now a pirate by situation, Wallace sets out for the Colonies and the Caribbean. Will his crew remain loyal as they leave a life the rule of the Royal Navy behind? Will his lifelong friend Miles Jacobs follow Wallace’s lead without knowing the whole story? Finally, will the young Lieutenant Maddox Carbonale remain a follower or try to become captain himself?
With these questions in his thoughts, Gabriel Wallace wages war on Chambers and goes after the largest haul in the history of the Spanish Main. Whom does Wallace meet along the way? To whom are his loyalties to: vengeance or something more powerful?
If you love tales of adventure, of the sea, of the struggles of men, and nods to history, this is your book. Read Amber Wake: Gabriel Falling and you’ll have a new appreciation for all of The Razor’s Adventures Pirate Tales.
It’s been a long year of nervous excitement on my part, waiting for this week.
My big goal in writing this book was to become a published author. Sounds like a duh type of thing, right? Well, it’s not for the reason you think.
I worked hard, even agonized over my creations, because I wanted my son to be proud of his daddy.
Two and a half years ago I suffered a fall in my home. As a result I ended up with a Grade 3 Concussion, and the discovery of multiple herniated discs in my spine beginning with my neck. There are a lot of other problems, but that’s enough of that story.
My son has been tough through it all. Considering he’s 11 now, it’s been difficult for him. Now he has something he can tell his friends that his daddy has done.
Now for the book, right now PS Bartlett and I have a good price set for the Pre-Order phase. She is even lowering the prices on her other books in the series for a short time. Of course those prices won’t always be that way.
Help us get to the top with my debut. That would put a surprise of an ending to this little story of mine. Not really an ending. I’m still writing. It will be one great thing though.
Visit Amazon to Pre-Order. Here are a few to click to now.
And wish my son good luck with his baseball tryouts in Little League coming up Saturday. Maybe he’ll have someone who can catch better than I can. This past Saturday I suffered my first black eye ever. I might resort to an eyepatch if any photos are needed for guest spots during book promotion.
Have you purchased Demons & Pearls by our very own PS Bartlett yet? No? If you have let me know and I’ll put your review here on the site with credit to you and a link to your blog. Well, hopefully it’s a good review.
Why am I pumped about this book, other than it being PS Bartlett’s?
You get to meet someone that I write about in an upcoming book in the Razor’s World. As Bartlett likes to say she is the backwards author, she writes one book, The Blue Diamond-The Razor’s Edge, then goes back in time to write the prequels to it. Well, I did the same. This book will show you where the book I’ve written with Bartlett ends up eventually down the line. What character do I write about the history of? Read Demons & Pearls and find out.
By purchasing the book you make my published author debut a reality. Help make my dream come true.
LWI’s very own needs some support as she ventures into Indie Author territory. Her prequel is set to come out and she needs your help,and so do I. She and I are co-authoring a book related to the one coming out.Pre-order it. Thunderclap it. Help it hit #1so I can see my first novel can get to your hands. I am so excited. I’m using this one as a test of how the new site AuthorsSupportingAuthors strategy works. What better guinea pig than one of LWI’s own, right?
So you know who my upcoming novel that will be released is co-authored with?
Go the link below and click to help on the social media sites you want to help on. That’s all there is to it. You don’t do anything. On the day of the message to go out, it does it for you. No responsibility on you. Just click and forget it.
I have two Author Interviews this week with one being from Brian D. Anderson of The Godling Chronicles fame and Wendy Anne Darling of Silver Lightning. I see THREE book Reviews coming this week one from Olga on Monday, Colleen on Tuesday and the other from Florence on Wednesday. Jo always comes through on Thursday. Then you will suffer whatever I come up with on Friday.
So Follow us, Bookmark Us, do whatever you need to do in order to come back every day for something new.
I have an Author Interview with well at least one interview this week one will be out on Monday with Teagan Geneviene author of Atonement, Tennessee. Wednesday I have Irish authors Ali Isaac and Jane Dougherty ofGrá mo Chroí‘Love of my Heart’ Love Stories from Irish Myth. I’ve read the book and my review is coming.Olga has a Feature coming out on Monday, another Feature from Guest Author Wendy Janes coming up Wednesday, and you know we will have something great from Jo Robinson on Thursday. And we have Colleen back with a Book Review on Tuesday. A full week of variety.
Who are we here at Lit World Interviews with Ronovan Writes and what are we about?
First let me explain the ‘with Ronovan Writes’ part. When I started the site it was just little old me. Thus, I put my name with the site name. I suggested later as the site grew about thoughts of my removing that part but was told “No”. Those I spoke with liked the way it sounded, thought it gave the site something different, especially since the Author Interview is such a central part of what the site is about, and well, they said it was my site and my name should be there. I don’t rock the boat. And in truth, the with Ronovan Writes part is rarely ever mentioned.
Now on with what it’s all about.
Now that the doors have been opened for a time, the what we are about has become clearer even to myself. My original idea was to have a place to share my Author Interviews, to give the Author a place to turn to for another opportunity of having their name out there on the internet for readers and Literary industry people to find. Yes, I wanted LWI to be a part of the Author marketing and web presence.
I also wanted to share my tips on creating a web presence as well as blogging for authors and writing. Having my own personal blog that does quite well and a writing career that is picking up caught up with me. Enter Author and Self-Publishing expert Jo Robinson. I interviewed Jo and practically begged her to join LWI as a Feature writer.
I realized her Feature writing and finger on the pulse of what interests the Writer could not be matched by me nor anyone else. Her advice in her articles have been helpful to everyone that has read them, including myself. She. Nails. It. Every. Time. Honestly her Feature writing has made me focus on mine more. Yes, there is a competitive thing there of my wanting to write just as well as Jo does or at least just as helpfully as she does.
Now enter the newest member Author Monica LaSarre as Book Reviewer and Feature Writer, who will be bringing a look into the younger reader market and world that I have very much been wanting. I have been looking for Interviews in this area for quite some time, and Monica was a great discovery. I loved her book and loved writing an Author Interview with her.
Looking at the LWI Team, I can honestly say this is a classy group of people who are professional and share a love of the printed word.
I am still amazed it is all happening.
That’s a little of who we are with a touch of what we do. Now having the site running for a time I can give a realistic account of,
What we do.
Author Promotion.
Author Interviews with Ronovan Writes – The reason LWI began in the first place. This is the one area that I enjoy the most and takes more time behind the scenes than people would ever know. If you ask an author I’ve interviewed if the final product looks like what it started out with, most of them will say no way. And it’s not just Authors that are interviewed. This site is called Lit World Interviews for a reason. Are you a Book Cover Artist, a Proofreader, a Publisher or even an Agent?
Social Media Promotion – This takes on the form of tweets of various kinds as different kinds bring different results, and promotion in various other outlets.
Book Reviewing by Ronovan Writes – This goes along with the Author Interview. For a better interview, having read the work to be discussed helps. Yes, that means a copy should be provided to me in some form, usually electronically. The Review is as honest as they come. I may love interviewing the Author, I may rave about the author’s personality and even a great deal about their abilities, but that does not mean I will rave about the book. My rating is based on certain factors and whatever that number is, is what the Rating is. I may really enjoy the story of the book, but there are things that take away from an enjoyable read and a well put together book. However, I never put out a completely negative review. If it is below a 3 I feel as though unless the Author specifically asks me to publish it, I won’t do it. And yes, Authors have asked me to publish a Review regardless of the score.
Continued Promotion – As long as I am emailed what’s going on in an Interviewees career, such as a new release or a special book promotion offer, a post is put out and shared around for everyone that we know to have an opportunity to see and take advantage of.
And More – The more is all those things that come along for each person such as creating certain images to be used, connecting them with people for Book Blog Tours, and in a few cases connecting them with blog radio interviews. And More.
Feature Articles.
Writing.
Self-Publishing.
Book Promotion.
Editing.
Book Cover Creation.
Character Development.
Author Services-Noted in the Right Hand Side Bar.
And More.
Book Reviews.
Every Genre is covered
I can only speak for myself in this regard but if I do a Review then I attempt to not only publish it here on the LWI site but also on the various sales platforms such as Amazon, Barnes&Noble and even GoodReads. I even created a Smashwords account to put Reviews there.
Again only speaking for me-I share the Reviews not only on Twitter but through various other outlets and reading groups. This process has recently grown. I will also from time to time share links to my Amazon Review on Twitter.
Overall my hope is that an Author feels as though they have been treated with respect and professionally through everything we do here at LWI. I do get a little crazy during some of my Author Interview formatting to create a good time, and my email exchanges sometimes are just as crazy. Each Author is someone I instantly call a friend. Don’t we all want to make sure we do the best we can for our friends?
Looking back through this article I can see that it doesn’t capture close to what the LWI Team does as a whole for an Author. Most of the pieces are there but there is more to it than what you see. Through each person involved our reach to potential readers numbers in the many thousands and that does not include when our articles are then picked up by other sites. We here at LWI have great friends in the Author Community that help promote and help assist Authors just as we do. I am aware of it and have begun to focus even more on the quality of my output to hopefully get others to want to share with their readers.
Thank you for lasting through the long winded words of Ronovan Writes. I am greatly honored that even one of you show up and read anything I have to share. I take it for granted you want to read what others here say. Seriously, they are that good.
Author Integrity. This week on Lit World Interviews seems to be all about that. Whether you are an Indie or Traditionalist Author there are things we all should be doing. These days there really is only one difference between the two types of Authors and that’s who puts out your books. Some say the Publisher will do a lot more for you so you don’t have to, but that’s not always the case and it costs you.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not against signing with a Publisher. I want to sign with one someday. But I do know that to be successful you need to be all in your own business and not simply sit back and let everyone else be all up in it.
I feel each article is linked in that each points to creating something and representing something that is professionally done. Integrity is the word that finally came to mind after reading Jo’s article. Through every draft you write, every proofreading, and every promotional idea you happen to come up with or is created for you, keep integrity in mind.
There are Authors out there that are popular and have great sales numbers. I don’t read them because I don’t trust them and their integrity is non existent in my eyes. That’s right, I look at an author and their product just like I do a person such as an actress. I am asked “Don’t you think she is so hot?” 9 times out of 10 the person they are talking about has the personality of a cross between Bill O’Reilly and Rosie O’Donnell. It doesn’t matter if you have all the physical characteristics of ‘hot’, if your personality is repulsive then you are repulsive as well.
If I look at your books and your promotions and see a lack of professional polish then I begin to think you simply rushed through a writing of it and threw it out there, and you are promoting it with fake gloss to trick people into buying what could have been a great story if you had just had the patience to go through as many drafts, proofreadings, and edits as was necessary to get that best work possible.
Patience and Integrity in the world of the Author go hand in hand. Don’t rush the love of your life out into the world of Amazon or wherever you publish. Let that love mature and grow and go shopping to look its best. This is a coming out party and it only gets one shot at it.
A very good week here for Lit World Interviews. I believe our focus on quality over quantity is showing. Our two feature articles this week by Jo Robinson and Guest Author Wendy Janes struck a chord with our Readers and the feedback has been tremendous. Our Book Review Team continues to be strong as well with Olga Núñez Miret. I personally was thrilled to interview Anne JohnstonBrown.
Here are the articles for the week, if you missed one, go and check it out today.
I have an Author Interview with Dan McNeil of The Judas Apocalypse and Can’t Buy me Love on Monday. I know we have another Feature from Guest Author Wendy Janes coming up Wednesday. And you know we will have something great from Jo Robinson on Thursday.
Check out Lit World Interviews very on 5 Star Historical Romance Read of the Year Author PS Bartlett as she narrates her journey to her voyage to her most recent novel The Blue Diamond: The Razor’s Edge available at Amazon.
Tonight I ventured into a strange and unforgiving world…the YouTube VIDEO.
Nope, I wasn’t brave enough to get in front of the camera so I put together a video narration of an article I wrote not too long ago, complete with pictures and flubbed words.
Hey gang, I did the best I could under circumstances I would never bore you with. TRUST ME though…it was a challenge.
So, without further adieu, I give you my very first narrated article…
Two and half years ago, I was walking on a treadmill at the gym and a memory came to me of how I’d always wanted to write a book.
I’ve been very busy for the past thirty or so years, so I suppose calling myself a late bloomer is appropriate. On this particular night, however, I felt something come over me as if I was possessed. I’m not sure what triggered it or whether the thought came from somewhere internally or I saw or heard something that brought it to the surface. All I knew was I had a story to tell. I didn’t know it then but apparently, I had many stories to tell. Here I am three published stories later with no end in sight—thank goodness.
Here’s how it all started.
In February of 2012, my life was a lot different than it is right now. My son in law was in the Navy and was stationed in Virginia Beach, Va. My daughter and at the time, two year old granddaughter were living there as well and my youngest son was active in the marching band in school, so he was away most evenings. This left my husband and I with a lot of time on our hands for the first time in many years. So what did we decide to do to keep busy? We joined a gym. Not that we didn’t need to get more exercise and lose some weight but it clearly started out of boredom. However, a momentum kicked in and the next thing we knew, we liked it. Well, he liked it. By May, I liked how my body was changing and how strong I felt but the gym wasn’t necessarily what I had in mind to do with so much free time. I wanted to write that book but I knew it would take a level of dedication beyond anything I had undertaken and I only had three months to do it. My daughter and granddaughter would be coming home for good in August.
I did have other interests and things I liked to do but in order to write the book, I had to put them aside.
I did a lot of artwork as well. I love to draw and paint and also spent a great deal of time on that hobby. I’m a pretty good artist but realistically, I knew I’d never be at the level I wanted to be without completely submersing myself in it. I had free time but not that much free time. Instead, what happened was, these voices started showing up and whispering in my ear as I walked on that treadmill, distracting me constantly from conversations, interrupting my thoughts while I was working and making me turn the music down while I was driving..so I could hear them.
I began staying up very late.
I started taking notes. I would jot down sentences, conversations and images of a story that was building inside of my head. I could begin to see their faces—especially their eyes. Finally, I decided to commit myself to finding out who these people where and just dedicate myself to writing their story. One of them stood out to me above the rest and she ended up with the name Teagan. Teagan’s sole purpose at first was protecting her baby brother whose name became Ennis. Only after I started writing the story did she open up to me and reveal that she had dreams and aspirations of her own and show me that fiery personality and spirit.
Character development is a passion of mine.
All of these children poured out of my head one by one. I named them according to their personalities based on Irish name meanings. One way I’ve found to stay true to your characters is how you name them. I can’t just pull names out of the air because they sound good or are dramatic. I research names carefully and based on the time, nationality, religion and / or the generation I’m writing about. It worked perfectly for me. Each child’s (character’s) personality in the book represents the meaning of their name. Staying true to that meaning gave them all uniqueness and the really fun part was writing them as each persona evolved throughout Ennis’ ordeal as well as how they related to one another as the story unfolded.
Historical fiction is a challenge worth facing.
I didn’t choose historical fiction. It chose me. I began to do a lot of research. I chose a setting I knew quite a bit about already as I’d been to the Wyoming Valley many times growing up and my mother’s family all hailed from the Wilkes-Barre area. I knew what the people were like, their sensibilities and values and all of that became the foundation on which I built the Whelan family. I often speak of my own family; me being the youngest of eleven children and how those individual souls gave me so much material to work with but to get the setting right in 1881, I had to dig deep into the past and immerse myself in the landscape, culture and ideology of the time. It was quite a history lesson/journey and one I am so grateful my heart led me to take.
I got a little carried away and put the cart before the horse.
Within three months, I had completed my novel. I didn’t have the faintest idea of what to do with it. I had barely told my family and friends what I was doing but since I was planted on my sofa with my laptop night after night until the wee hours for weeks, I’m sure they knew something was up. I’m sure my emotional distance was a concern but once I explained it to those outside of my chapter by chapter beta reading “sewing” circle of friends, everyone was very supportive and wished me luck but of course they didn’t have a clue either of what came next. There I was, all “dressed up” with a manuscript and nowhere to go.
Did I mention I’m a fast learner?
Almost immediately–and while my friend Kathy was working on the first round of edits on my book, I went on a treasure hunt, looking for the best web sites about publishing and how to find an agent. At the time, I had no interest in self-publishing because I didn’t even know it existed. No, I’m not kidding. That’s how uninformed I was. I would say that’s how dumb I was but it wasn’t stupidity, it was simply that I didn’t know–I had no reason to know prior to writing the book. However, once I did know, I decided I’d try the traditional route first. Of course, I didn’t even take into consideration that this was a whole new set of goals, lessons and trials. None of that mattered to me though. The only care I had was to get published. I found a web site named http://agentqueryconnect.com/ and started reading, practicing and writing queries. I flew by the seat of my pants. One word that popped up again and again was NETWORK.
No matter how you publish your book, you absolutely must get involved in social networking.
I joined a writer’s support group named the Author Social Media Support Group or ASMSG for short. I met some of the most wonderful people who were so generous and supportive. I followed them, they followed me and whatever they did that worked, I did it. I followed their blogs, advice and examples and changed my old rusty Twitter account into something more professional and I started a blog of my own. I began to feel as if I’d passed through the wardrobe into Narnia or fallen down the rabbit hole. A new and exciting world began to open up before me and I couldn’t get enough of it. It isn’t about retweeting, following and nodding with a favorite. This is about building relationships with your peers and supporting each other. I felt like I was waking up from a deep sleep and my true self—my calling if you will was so loud it was about to shatter my eardrums. I’d put FIREFLIES through two edits and it still needed a good scrubbing but I didn’t care. I pushed onward and lived and breathed the literary world. As much as I wanted to just drown myself in the literary Olympic swimming pool, I knew I needed more time to educate myself on the pool rules before I even dropped my towel. In truth, I wasn’t anywhere near ready for the exposure but the wild child in me couldn’t resist dipping my toe in.
I began to query agents.
Another site I found while studying the process through the first web site was http://www.querytracker.net/ , where I was able to search agents who represent the genre of book I’d written. I need to add here that when I wrote FIREFLIES, I had no idea how many genres there were. I read a lot but I never paid much attention to all of the genres and sub genres that are out there. Again, details, details. I chose historical fiction / paranormal. I knew there were other elements to the book but I figured those were the most obvious. I set up a spread sheet with all of the agents I’d queried. I set up a special mailbox in my e-mail only for queries. I sent about five a week for the whole month of October 2012. I waited. Now mind you, I wrote, revised, shortened, lengthened and tweaked until I hated every word of them but I refused to quit. Sometimes I believe I was published because the universe grew weary of fighting me. I can be a tenacious monster.
Finding more options became a necessary cut off road.
Throughout this journey, I kept a close eye on the side roads. One of those was Twitter. I began following literary agents and watching their tweets. Some of them are very open with what they want to see and what they don’t. I found this incredibly valuable information. One in particular became a favorite of mine because she would tweet almost every query she read on a daily basis and give a 140 character or less impression of that query and what she loved or didn’t about it. I took notes. Not that there was a particular pattern to her choices but I began to see where so many writers were making the same mistake and I swore I’d never put anything in my query about how my friends and family loved my book or how I expected to be represented. I’m serious. Some of the things people put in their queries are just plain crazy. Don’t be crazy. Follow the formula and always and I do mean ALWAYS go to that agent’s web site, read about them, find out who they are and send them exactly what they are asking for. I cannot stress this enough and don’t take rejection personally. Google some of the rejections some of the greatest writers of all time received.
I’m not sure what I expected but I was rejected…a lot.
I was rejected more times than I can remember. Occasionally I received a request for the first three chapters or ten pages or even one hundred words but in the end, by the middle of December, I was lining up my list for more queries for January. Most literary agents take a few weeks off over the holidays. I certainly don’t blame them. However, I had no intention of taking a break and had already started writing another book. Twitter activity was winding down but there were still some agents posting and chatting and I was still watching and learning. By then, I had mastered Twitter and all of its neighborly social etiquette. I had made some very cool friends and found a few mentors along the way. My web site was picking up a few followers here and there and creatively, I’d never felt better. Every rejection I received was nothing more than one less no I’d have to read. Until one day right around Christmas, I decided to follow a small, fairly new boutique publisher. I had queried a few before along with the agents but I figured what the heck. I noticed she said she wasn’t accepting any queries over the holidays so I tweeted her and asked if I could send mine the first week in January. She sent me a message and said I could send it right then and there and she’d take a look at it. A week later, she asked me for the first three chapters. A few days later she asked me for the whole manuscript.
A few days before New Year’s, she e-mailed me and told me she wanted to work with me.
A few days later, we chatted and she explained to me that she was new and just getting started but that she really wanted to publish my book. The next day, I signed my contract to work with her. She has worked tirelessly to promote my books, promote me and has grown leaps and bounds from that little start up. Although I do a tremendous amount of work myself, I know I’d have to do that even if I had an agent and a contract with one of the big boys. I look at it this way; if at some point one of them comes knocking, I’ll open the door but until then, GMTA – Ravenswood Publishing took a chance on me and my little story and I’ll never forget that.
My little story that “wasn’t what we’re looking for right now,” became an award winning novel.
So, here I am living my dream of being a writer. I may not be living it according to what some may define as a dream; I’m not rich, I still work full time and I certainly don’t have some big book deal. I’m rich in knowing that from the moment I started this journey, whatever it took, I believed I would be published. I never allowed myself to doubt it. I’m finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do. Better late than never. I haven’t compromised or succumbed to the pressure to write what sells or give up because everything didn’t go according to the way I originally imagined it would but so what? The journey has been so fulfilling and it continues to surprise and delight me every day. The people I’ve grown close to and developed professional as well as personal relationships with, I wouldn’t have discovered on any other road.
This is only the beginning of my fantastic voyage. Every day I wake up and raise my sails in search of my next adventure and I’ll always ask the question, “Won’t you join me?”
Reviewed by Michelle Stanley for Readers’ Favorite “It’s not often I read stories about female pirates and I am impressed with The Blue Diamond (The Razor’s Edge Book One). P.S. Bartlett writes an entertaining novel that offers great action, adventure and witty dialogue. The personalities of Ivory and her cousins are complex, but I easily connected with them. These are independent, free spirited women with lusty appetites, especially Miranda. Their sense of humour shines through any situation they are placed in. I liked this romantic story which includes some historical data to make it appropriate for that era.”
*This Book Was Given To Me By The Author In Exchange For An Honest Review* Amanda Masters of Nerd Girl Reviews 5 out of 5 Stars “Great Story! full of adventure and pirates! P.S. Bartlett is a wonderful storyteller and her characters are full of life and woe and they go from ship to ship plundering and pillaging. I found myself caught up more and more by their story as I got to know more about them and I can’t wait to read more! These are some of the mose interesting pirates I have come across in a long time!”
Kindle Ninja 5 out of 5 Stars
“There’s a feisty pirate at sea and she’s not to be messed with. Swashbuckling Ivory “Razor” Shepard, with three of her equally fearless female cousins, set sail to escape the manhunt, err femalehunt. Forget damsels in distress, you won’t find them in here. Instead, you’re treated to a rampaging story dressed up in the trappings of pirate lore.”
TheBlueDiamond: THE RAZOR’S EDGE
History, adventure and a touch of romance. Is there any wonder why I wanted to interview my guest today? Veteran of several novels and a great conversationalist, I might add, P.S. Bartlett was a must as soon as I met her. So now without any more words, meet . . .
RW: Where does a Pirate Adventure Romance author live?
P.S.: I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. I grew up in a corner row home in South Baltimore. Now they call it Federal Hill but when I was growing up there, Federal Hill was just a big hill overlooking the inner harbor where we rode our bikes and went sledding because the hills were awesome. It is also a national monument.
RW: Why do you write about Pirates?
P.S.: I love history. I love doing research and learning something with each book I write.
RW: Where did the title The Blue Diamond – The Razor’s Edge come from?
P.S.: The reason for choosing that name is simple; the book is about a big blue diamond. The Razor is the main character and the Razor’s Edge means…well, you’ll have to read it to figure that part out for yourself. 😉
RW: I did read it but I won’t give the reason away. Tell those that haven’t read the book what The Blue Diamond is about.
P.S.: The best way I’ve found to describe it in a simple way is: Charlie’s Angels meet the Pirates of the Caribbean. However, here is the blurb: Ivory Shepard didn’t want to be a pirate when she grew up but she didn’t plan on being orphaned and alone at thirteen with her three cousins either.
RW: Ivory and her cousins were basically orphaned after a Spanish raid, that’s not giving away anything of the story, what happens next that ends up leading them to lives as pirates?
P.S.: Ivory held her cousins together, trained them to fight for their lives and led them to a life of quiet refuge on the banks of the Ashley River. Out of reach of the hands of unscrupulous men, they found life on the farm a tolerable substitute for the traditional alternatives life would force onto them—until the night the pirates showed up.
Setting foot on that first pirate ship was nothing compared to the life of freedom and adventure awaiting them, once Ivory and the girls were through playing nice. Only one man believes he can stop her and he won’t need a ship full of guns to do it.
If it were only that easy…
RW: Is it ever that easy when romance is involved? Tell us what inspired the book?
P.S.: Who knows where my crazy ideas come from, right? I love pirates, adventure and stories about powerful women. I mushed them all together and this is what came out my head.
RW: Ivory and the man Maddox Carbonale are the main, I guess I will say love interests, protagonists in the book. In my review I referred to their relationship as similar to Rhett and Scarlett from Gone with the Wind. Two leaders, strong willed and strong minded who meet and fireworks begin, tell us about them and who else we’ll find in The Blue Diamond-The Razor’s Edge.
P.S.: Ivory is strong, proud and capable but she is also wounded deep inside. She’ll kill or die to protect her family—and has. Fortunately, she and her cousins are survivors. All four women are completely different but I believe they represent women of every century.
Cassandra: The voice of reason and logical thinking.
Miranda: Passionate, willful and loving—and perhaps a bit promiscuous.
Keara: Stern and matter of fact. She’s small but she’s a spitfire and true leader.
The male protagonist is Maddox Carbonale. He is a rival captain and an interesting man. He enjoys the finer things in life, even if he does steal them. He reads Shakespeare and isn’t the sort to engage in down and dirty deeds.
Alphonse Green is Maddox’s Quartermaster and best friend. He’s a native Jamaican and is both Maddox’s right hand and his conscience.
RW: Describe your book in one word.
P.S.: Fearless!
RW: The Blue Diamond-The Razor’s Edge is your first trip into Adventure, but you’ve written two other books, one that has actually won a few awards. Tell us about them.
P.S.: My first two novels: Fireflies and Hope From the Ocean are the first two books in a series about the Whelan family. They are an Irish immigrant family. Both stories take place in the 19th Century and have paranormal elements and tell quite a bit of the family saga.
RW: You failed to mention the Reader’s Favorite Awards for Fireflies. But I just did so we’ll let it go for now. So being a pirate lady, is your favorite beverage rum with gunpowder in it like Blackbeard?
P.S.: Coffee—the darker roast the better. No sugar but I love sugar free flavored creamers of pretty much any kind.
RW: What did you learn about yourself from writing this book?
P.S.: Besides the fact that I can write an awful lot, I suppose that I really am living out some great fantasies through my writing.
RW: What are you working on right now?
P.S.: I am currently writing book three in the Fireflies series and preparing to launch The Blue Diamond.
RW: Tell us about your publishing as it stands right now.
P.S.: I am currently with Ravenswood Publishing but down the road, I would hope an agent could be a possibility. Obviously I want to be a bestseller some day and I know someone is going to have to sell my books up the chain. Right now, I’m very happy with Ravenswood and the owner, Kitty Honeycutt. She’s been a fabulous advocate for my books.
RW: What is your biggest tip for someone to getting published?
P.S.: Write the BEST possible book you can. Learn as much as you can about the publishing industry so you can make the right choices for yourself.
RW: Sometimes our stories or our characters just don’t cooperate with us and we want to tear our hair out. What do you do to let that go?
P.S.: Playing with my three granddaughters or just hanging out chatting and having fun with my girlfriends watching a football game.
RW: What book are you reading at this time?
P.S.: I’m finishing up the first book in the Outlander series. I’m hoping to read book two by Christmas. When you work a full time job, write, have a family, grandchildren and husband, finding precious time to read is a blessing.
RW: Who are your favorite authors?
P.S.: If I’m going way, way back, I’d have to start with the master himself, Stephen king. I loved horror and after I read Carrie in middle school, I was hooked. I also love Anne Rice, Jane Austen and in high school, I was obsessed with William Shakespeare.
RW: If you could have written any book that exists, other than your own, what would it be and why?
P.S.: Gone with Wind. I don’t know why. I suppose because it is a masterpiece of historical fiction.