An 18th Century Pirate’s Perspective

In researching the book I’m currently writing about the pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, I came across a great passage from “History of the Pyrates” printed in 1724 relating to whether capital punishment, specifically hanging, was a deterrent to becoming a pirate.  I cut and pasted it here because it is fun to read in the original format.

At Mary Read’s trial she was asked why she became a pirate where she would be “fure of dying an ignominious Death, if flie fhould be taken alive ?”

This is her recorded reply:

“-She anfwer’d, that as to hanging, fhe thought it no great Hardfhip, for, were it not for that, every cowardly Fellow would turn Pyrate, and To infeft the Seas, that Men of Courage muft ftarve : That if it was put to the Choice of the Pyrates, they would not have the punifliment lefs than Death, the Fear of which, kept fome daftardly Rogues honeft ^ that many of thofe who are now cheating the Widows and Orphans, and oppreifing their poor Neighbours, who have no Money to obtain Juftice, would then rob at Sea, and the Ocean would be crowded with Rogues, like the Land, and no Merchant would venture out ; fb that the Trade, in a little Time, would not be worth following.”

Mary Read was certainly a tough lady, and I believe her response was probably indicative of the attitudes of her compatriots at the time:  that the “trade” of being a pirate was only for the courageous.  Mary was well educated, raised as a boy, fought as a soldier in Queen Anne’s War, and had been quite law abiding, but readily accepted the pirate life when it became an option for her after she met Jack Rackham.

My writing studio

studio view studio desk

I find it necessary to be alone in a quiet environment in order to be productive as a writer. Here are a couple of pictures from my writing studio, which is just a couple of miles from our townhouse.   A bit too far to walk daily, but a pleasant bicycle ride.

I had wondered if the view might be a distraction from writing, but instead I find it helps with inspiration.  I can sit out on the balcony from time to time with a cup of coffee and allow my thoughts to develop into coherent sentences, then enter them into my computer.

Occasionally when out on the balcony, though, I do look down at the docks and realize how it could also be a short boat ride between the two places.   The optimal word there being ‘could’ however, because if I do buy a boat here it will be a sailboat, and the call of the open blue ocean would probably result in my not getting in to work at all.

Conclusion:  I have a perfect set up to generate 2-3 books per year, provided I ride my bike to the studio.

 

Gran Baha

kayaking 01Gran Baha, the location of Jack’s base in Pirates of the Bahamas, is actually Grand Bahama Island where I live and write from.  Gran Baha was the 18th century name of this island, originally named by the Spanish and, roughly translated, means “great shallows” because of the surrounding reefs which made it difficult to land on.  Knowing the passageways through the reefs enabled the pirates to come and go without having to be concerned about the authorities finding them.

In order to be able to effectively describe the island I’m required to do extensive research.  Here is a picture from yesterday where I am diligently researching the ocean swells for my next novel

Cool
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Feb, 2016

Writing from Paradise

After a successful career as a research scientist, corporate manager and 25 years as an entrepreneur in the United States, in 2015 I cut loose and moved to the Bahamas to follow my passion, the life of a full time author.  I have several books already published in non-fiction, contemporary fiction and historical fiction, but I’m concentrating on the historical fiction niche going forward.

I find the study of history to be quite fascinating when contemplating what the motivations were of the people who were making it happen.  I believe that people haven’t changed over the millennia in terms of their desires, prejudices and biases, so we can easily identify with the characters from previous eras.  I perform thorough research to make sure the history is up to snuff, and then create characters that will put the reader inside the heads of the people of the time.  My storylines will then enable my readers to indulge themselves in the adventure and romance of a bygone time.

My previous historical works are Wolf at the Threshold, a historical romance between and Iceni princess and a Roman officer in first century Britain, and Pirates of the Bahamas, set here in The Bahamas in colonial times with a romance between Jack and Mary, the children of the pirates Anne Bonny , Mary Read and Jack Rackham.

My current projects are both the prequel to Pirates of the Bahamas, delving into the lives and times of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, and a sequel where the pirates begin to assist the growing American colonies.  This theme will continue over several books and the reader will learn how instrumental the free living pirates and privateers based in the Bahamas were to the independence of the colonies from Great Britain.