Category Archives: pirate

Tales From Undersea Character Profiles. Part 2 – Villains

01 Wednesday Jun 2022

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I previously posted the character profiles for the heroes in the Tales From Undersea series, but haven’t yet gotten around to the villains. So here they are! These are only the villains from the first two books, in order to avoid some major spoilers:

Petturi Konna

Captain of the Fenrir

Real name: Lewis Mercier

Name meaning/origin: English, ‘famous battle’

Race: Caucasian

Nationality: English

Birthplace: Penzance, England

Sex: Cis male

Age: 48

Orientation: Heterosexual

Languages: English

Deity: None

Family: Father (deceased), mother (estranged), 3 brothers (estranged)

Appearance: Thinning, balding dark red hair usually tied back, beer belly, dark brown eyes

Virtues: Intelligent, tactful, persuasive

Vices: Obsessive, vengeful, paranoid

Skills: Monster fighting, ocean knowledge, gathering information, lying

Weapons: Longsword, axe, duelling pistol

Flag: Two headed dragon on black background

Influences – Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Fagin (Oliver Twist), Captain Hook (Peter Pan)

Note: He is a poor fighter and compensates with trickery.

 

Background: Originally from a poor, abusive family in Penzance.  He had to steal to keep himself and his brothers alive, and even killed their landlord so they wouldn’t be evicted. His mother was so horrified by this act that she kicked him out and he moved Undersea. He eventually joined Redscalp’s crew, becoming his quartermaster. He became increasingly bitter and greedy, even leaving Priscilla and Robert to die for his personal gain. He helped Redscalp to hide the treasure but Redscalp hid the gemstone without his knowledge and wouldn’t tell him where. He intended to steal back the gemstone and the treasure for himself and got Redscalp drunk so he’d reveal where the gemstone is. But he gave him too much and he drank himself to death (specifically by drowning in his own vomit). He changed his identity and became captain of a Viking ship to avoid detection because the Pirate Queen was looking to punish him for his crimes. He spent years looking for the gemstone so that he could get the treasure back.

Captain Grail

Captain of The Invicta

Full name: Captain Richard Theodore Nigel Grail

Name origin/meaning: English, ‘brave ruler’

Age: 46

Nationality: Irish

Race: Caucasian

Birthplace: Cork, Ireland

Sex: Cis male

Orientation: Heterosexual

Appearance: Beer belly, grey hair

Virtues: Cultured, confident

Vices: Creepy, talkative, misogynistic, cruel

Skills: Trade, throwing parties

Likes: Art, canapes

Weapons: Pair of holster pistols

Quirks: Compulsive liar.

Goals: To be accepted into high society

Background: Grail is the captain of the The Invicta, a trade ship. While he is good at trade and highly cultured, he is cruel and uncaring and has thrown crewmembers overboard for displeasing him, resulting in some of them becoming merfolk. He is on the lookout for a suitable wife, but is overconfident in his abilities and looks. He is desperate to rise above his station and become a part of high society, even if he has to buy his way in.

Inspiration: Zapp Brannigan (Futurama), Douglas Reynholm (The IT Crowd)

 

Bonnie Read

Queen of the Pirate faction.

Name meaning/origin: Scottish, ‘pretty’

Age: 59

Race: Caucasian

Nationality: Scottish

Sex: Cis female

Orientation: Bisexual

Appearance: Long red hair, green eyes, thin face, expensive clothes and weapons

Deity: Poseidon

Languages: English

Virtues: Courageous, intelligent, calculating

Vices: Selfish, greedy

Quirks: Abuser

Skills: Combat, democracy, recognising opportunities

Weapons: Sword, pistol, throwing stars

Likes: Money, fine things

Dislikes: Rich people

Favourite food: Booze

Hobby: Racing

Vessel: The Revenge, The Hangman

Pet: Plato the monkey

Background: Bonnie ran away from her family at an early age to become a Pirate. She was elected Queen after sinking an entire Empire fleet at once. She will do anything to make the Pirate faction stronger and richer, which often means doing highly immoral things.

Inspiration: Anne Bonny (historical figure), Akito Sohma (Fruits Basket)

 

Sir Dante Francis Ashburn

Privateer and commander of the Silver Lion

Name origin/meaning: Italian, author of The Divine Comedy

Age: 34

Race: Caucasian

Nationality: English

Birthplace: Somerset, England

Sex: Cis male

Orientation: Homosexual (closeted)

Appearance: Wispy blonde hair (under wig), blue eyes, fine military uniform.

Family: Debra Ashburn (wife), 4 children, Shirokani (former lover)

Friends: Richard Holburne

Languages: English

Virtues: Courageous, determined, hard working

Vices: Insensitive, possessive, controlling, hypocritical

Quirks: Hidden sexuality, abusive

Skills: Leadership, keeping secrets

Weapons: Musket

Likes: His children, opera

Dislikes: His wife, Undersea factions

Background: Dante is from a prominent military family allied with the Holburnes. As a younger officer, he was part of a fleet which bought slaves from Japan. He fell in love with one of these slaves, Shirokani, and had a secret relationship with him. When he was forced into marriage with Debra, both of them were devastated. Shiro asked Dante to run away with him to Undersea and become Pirates, but Dante said that it was beneath them and the marriage went ahead, even though it made both of them miserable.

Eventually Shiro became so depressed that he literally jumped overboard. Dante thought it was suicide but he was actually jumping to the Barracuda. He deeply regrets his actions and still secretly grieves for Shiro. On the outside, he is happily married with four young children.

Since then, he has been knighted and become a privateer (legal pirate). He still looks down upon actual Pirates, and Shiro is well aware of his hypocrisy, although he isn’t.

 

Notes: He believes Shiro is dead and is still in love with him. He still adores his children and they are the only thing that makes him happy, even though his career means he can’t see them often.

His love for Shiro comes mostly from his desire to control another

He and Debra would actually make a good couple if their sexualities matched up.

Inspiration: Sir Francis Drake (historical figure)

 

Lt. Thaddeus Judecca

Second in command of the Silver Lion and very briefly the Captain. Later becomes Kei’s second

Name origin/meaning: Biblical, ‘heart’

Age: 50 (born 1734)

Race: Caucasian

Nationality: English

Sex: Cis male

Orientation: Heterosexual

Religion: Christian

Deity: Jesus Christ

Family: Wife, 2 children (he hates them)

Appearance: Dark hair under wig, thick grey eyebrows

Virtues: Devout, opportunistic

Vices: Poor judge of character, ruthless, submissive,

Quirks: Racist, homophobic

Likes: Battle

Hates: Vices such as alcohol

Weapons: Military issue sword

Languages: English, Latin

Foil: Shu Kei, Dante Ashburn

Goal: To rise above Ashburn

Background: Like Ashburn, Judecca is from a wealthy and important family and gained a high position in the Navy. He is somewhat bitter that Ashburn was promoted over him, since he is older and more experienced but slightly lower in social status.

Inspiration: Captain Norrington (POTC)

Note: His surname is a reference to The Divine Comedy and the place in Hell where traitors to their masters are sent.

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Top Six Books I Read in 2021

10 Monday Jan 2022

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Since 2022 is already in full swing, I thought I’d make my first post of the year about my favourite books I read in the past year. According to Goodreads, I managed to read 56 books in 2021! One more than my goal of 55! These were the ones I liked the best:

(Note, this is ‘books I read in 2021’ and not ‘books which were published in 2021’)

  1. The Girl the Sea Gave Back by Adrienne Young

I do love a good Norse-inspired fantasy, and this one didn’t disappoint. Tova is a relatable ‘out of place’ protagonist, hated by her community yet completely essential to them. The romance between her and Halvard was a little sudden, but I loved how it played out in the end.

2. Steel Rose by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy a ‘villain romance’ at first, especially since this is essentially the romance between a freedom fighter and a quasi-communist leader (I live in Finland and we don’t exactly like communists). But this book surprised me. What drew me in most to this book was the dieselpunk world of airships, art-deco buildings, and an interesting concept of communism essentially taking over all of Europe. I’m excited to read further books in this series to see how this corrupt government falls.

3. Sherwood by Meagan Spooner

I already wrote a full review gushing over this book. To avoid repeating myself, this is a feminist re-telling of Robin Hood from Maid Marion’s perspective. I especially love how the feminist message is portrayed without being overly preachy and still fitting in with the attitudes of the time period.

4. The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

It took me far too long to start the Series of Unfortunate Events books, especially considering the TV show is my favourite series, and the reason Neil Patrick Harris is my favourite actor. I wasn’t disappointed by the book version, and some lines really shook me, even knowing how the story was going to unfold.

5. Knightmare Arcanist by Shami Stovall

While this may seem like another ‘kids with powers’ YA book, the likeable characters, range of unique mythical creatures, and exciting plot set it apart from all the other cookie cutter YA fantasy books I read on a regular basis.

6. To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

Fairy tale retellings are very popular right now, but I have to admit I prefer the darker versions. This book is a loose retelling of The Little Mermaid with a sinister twist – the mermaid is a siren who has to capture the heart of the prince. By which I mean his literal heart, not just his love. This book also has a great supporting cast, vivid locations, and an exciting plot. And did I mention pirates? Yeah, if you can’t tell, I also have a thing for pirates.

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On This Day… November 22nd 1718

22 Monday Nov 2021

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Today marks the 303rd anniversary of the death of Blackbeard, one of the most famous and most notorious pirates in history. He was so famous in fact that many fictional pirate tropes can directly be attributed to him (and I’m not talking about all these weird images where it looks like his hair is on fire).

First off, the ‘pirate accent’ is actually just the regional dialect of south west England, where Blackbeard (or rather Edward Teach) was from. He most likely started life hauling cargo in the busy Bristol docks as his father had done, before giving it up for a life of piracy.

But perhaps Blackbeard’s greatest contribution to pirate lore is just how reckless he was. His blockade of Charles Town is regarded as one of the boldest moves made by any pirate. His death might have influenced the heroic image of the pirate dying in battle, fighting until the end. Even though if you take a close look at pirates, they weren’t really that romantic but brutal terrorists and murderers.

Even so, Blackbeard’s story is fascinating, and a big inspiration for my own pirate novels. If you want to learn more about him, I highly recommend Internet Historian’s video The Gentleman Pirate, which is half drama and half documentary.

Get This Free Pirate Booty

20 Monday Sep 2021

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Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day! Well actually it was yesterday. But the first book in my steampunk pirate trilogy, Traitor’s Revenge, is still free today! This offer is only for today, so get it while you can.

In other pirate related news, I just got the third and final book in the series back from the beta readers, and the feedback has been great! I’m very excited for how this series is all going to tie together. This one is slated for release on December 31st.

Until then, keep on pillaging!

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Tales From Undersea Character Profiles. Part One – Heroes

01 Wednesday Sep 2021

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If you want to know more about the main characters of the Tales From Undersea series, here’s some juicy details (don’t worry, they’re spoiler free):

Alethea Hera

Real name: Priscilla Stephenson

Age: 36

Race: Caucasian

Nationality: British

Birthplace: Bath, UK

Sex: Cis female

Orientation: Bisexual

Appearance: Average build, strong, tall, long brown hair, grey eyes.

Virtues:  Brave, strong, capable.

Vices: Paranoid, stubborn

Skills: Leadership, planning, combat

Weapons: Four barrelled pistol, long sword. Occasionally uses a dagger

Likes: Pastries, ballet, Greek mythology

Dislikes: Opera, high society, parrots

Favourite item: Robert’s gun

Background: Alethea was born Priscilla Stephenson to a rich family in Bath, UK. As a girl she was incredibly shy and quiet. At age 16, her parents tried to find suitors for her, and rejected Robert Holburne because he ripped his pastry instead of cutting it. The two got along well and fell in love anyway, but their parents didn’t approve so they ran away together to the Undersea Kingdoms. They were happy but short on money so they joined Redscalp’s Pirate crew. After many adventures, they were betrayed by Louis who left them to be killed by a cipactli. Robert sacrificed himself to save her and died. She was rescued by the Barracuda. Kei convinced the captain to let her stay on the sub. Priscilla was distraught and deeply depressed over Robert’s death until she gave birth to their daughter, Marina. She changed her name to avoid detection from the authorities, who were after Redscalp’s crew. Becoming a strong warrior mother, she worked her way up the ranks until she became the Captain of the Barracuda, which she has been for five years now. Now she is beginning to tire of the dangers of the pirate life and wants to retire and build a safe and stable life for her daughter, but that will require one last mission…

Inspiration: Kyoko Honda (Fruits Basket), Thirrin Lindenshield (Icemark Chronicles), Aunt Josephine (ASOUE)

 

Marina Hera

Age: 17

Sex: Cis female

Orientation: Homosexual

Race: Caucasian

Birthplace: Barracuda

Appearance: Fair skin, cropped black curly hair, green eyes, skinny.

Virtues: Brave, intelligent

Vices: Impulsive, argumentative

Hobby: Reading

Skills: Swimming, combat, engineering, lockpicking

Weapons: Blanch percussion pistol, rapier

Background: Marina is the daughter of Alethea Hera (real name Priscilla Stevenson) and Robert Holburne, but was born after her father died. Her mother raised her on the Barracuda.  While Marina has been raised as a pirate and used to combat situations, it still worries her mother, which causes a lot of tension and fights between the two of them.

Inspiration: Jim Hawkins (Treasure Island), Princess Tiabeanie (Disenchantment), Terri Waters-Waters (Gayle)

 

Shu Kei

Sex: Cis female

Age: 39

Orientation: Bisexual

Race: South east Asian

Nationality: Cantonese

Appearance: Short stature, short greying hair. Brown eyes.

Languages: Cantonese, English

Virtues: Strong, kind, intelligent

Vices: Bossy, sarcastic, greedy

Hobby: Gambling

Skills: Organisation, keeping order, combat, lockpicking

Likes: Luxurious things, tea with honey

Hates: Men

Weapons: Four barrelled turn-over pistol, rapier, longsword

Duties: She takes charge of the sub whenever Alethea Hera isn’t there. Her duties include day to day management of the craft and seeing Alethea’s orders are carried out, dividing the plunder, discipline, controlling the food and water supplies, and deciding what to plunder from found vessels.

Inspirations: Anna Fang (Mortal Engines), Washimi (Aggretsuko),

Note: In Cantonese name order her name is ‘Shu Kei’ but in Western name order it is ‘Kei Shu’.

Background: Kei was a prostitute until she married a Pirate and had a son with him. They were successful until her husband abandoned her. She and her young son moved Undersea and joined the Barracuda, becoming friends with Priscilla Stephenson and even convincing the Captain at the time to let her and her new born baby stay on board, since she was also raising her own child on the sub. She rose up the ranks, becoming Priscilla (now Alethea’s) quartermaster.

Stealing From Thieves is out now! (Plus a book deal)

23 Wednesday Jun 2021

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I’m very happy to announce that Stealing from Thieves, the second book in the Tales from Undersea series, is out now on Amazon in ebook, paperback, and in Kindle Unlimited! Click the book cover to go to the Amazon page:

If you haven’t started the series yet, book 1 is only 99 cents (or 99p) until Sunday.

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Deleted scene – Where Shiro got his otter

05 Monday Apr 2021

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I was going through an old draft and found this deleted scene I thought readers would like. I initially introduced Shiro and his pet otter Kappa earlier and explained in more detail where he came from.

 

“Mum, look what I got with my share!” Marina’s voice appeared behind them. Alethea turned to see her daughter. She shared her mother’s thin face and dark hair, although hers was cut short and worn loosely rather than the bun which Alethea preferred. But she had her father’s thoughtful forest green eyes. Now that she was getting closer to adulthood, the resemblance was even stronger, Alethea always thought wistfully. But she was snapped out of her thoughts when she remembered that she was angry with her.

“Where have you been? It’s madness out there.”

“I was only buying a book,” Marina said with a scowl, showing her the title of her new purchase.

“Leif Erikson and the Golden Sea,” Alethea read the title.

“It’s a first edition. It was the last one in the shop,” Marina said.

“This was your father’s favourite book, too,” Alethea said, taking the book and running her hand over the cover.

“Really?” Marina said, her eyebrows raised.

“Yes. We didn’t think much of the opera version, though. The Vikings of Vyborg is much better.”

“Oh look at me, I’m going to the opera!” the teasing voice of Rico Hernández, the Barracuda’s gun master, came as the Hispanic man slid down the flank of the boat to land next to them. “I grew up drinking expensive wine from golden cups and hunting pheasants while riding side saddle,” he said in a mocking British accent.

“Do you think I grew up in the Middle Ages?” Alethea asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Who grew up in the Middle Ages? Are you talking about my village?” Asked Shirokani, the boatswain, as he joined the others.

“It’s nothing. Rico’s being an arse again,” Kei said.

“Right, same as usual,” said Shirokani.

“Shiro, why is your tunic moving?” Rico asked, eyeing Shiro’s chest.

“What? No it’s not…” Shiro said, gripping his tunic, which now that Alethea looked closer, did appear to have something moving underneath it.

“Yes, it is. Is there something inside of you about to burst out?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Shiro said, turning red, before a tiny furry head poked out from the top of his tunic.

“Oh, it’s so cute!” Marina almost screamed as she leant an arm out to stroke the fuzzy creature.

“Be careful, he’s only a baby. He still bites,” Shiro said, drawing out the baby sea otter, no bigger than his palm, out from his tunic to allow Marina to find a safe spot to pet him. Alethea noticed that there were already several bright red bite marks on Shiro’s fingers.

“Seriously? Another one?” Rico groaned. This wasn’t the first time that Shiro had adopted a baby animal. In the two years he’d been on the Barracuda, he’d already adopted a cat, a turtle, and a squirrel. Rico slept in the bunk next to Shiro, and wasn’t always happy about it.

“I had to! He was about to be sold to fur traders. I couldn’t let that happen to little Kappa,” Shiro said, gently stroking the otter’s head.

“Kappa?”

“It’s a legend from my home. I had a dream that I met a kappa when I was little. Wait…was that a dream?”

“You can adopt as many pets as you want, so long as you don’t bring a parrot onboard,” Alethea said.

“What is with you and parrots?” Kei laughed. Alethea had never told anybody about Redscalp’s parrot and how much she’d hated it.

“Anyway, I suppose you’ve all heard by now,” Alethea said.

“I think everyone from here to Pacifica will have heard by now,” Kei replied, looking out to the dozens of ships which were already exploding out the pods, almost crashing into each other as they headed out in every direction like children on an Easter egg hunt.

“Meeting in the galley,” Alethea ordered.

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Blurb reveal and 99 cent book

21 Sunday Mar 2021

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It’s here, the blurb for the second Tales From Undersea book, titled Stealing From Thieves:

Pirates rule the ocean. Money rules the world.

In an alternate 18th century, Captain Alethea is desperate to live up to her position on her Pirate submarine, the Barracuda, by chasing down the Vikings of the Fenrir to reclaim the treasure her crew went to hell and back to uncover on a previous mission. So far, Alethea has only succeeded in getting her crew clobbered by the Fenrir’s new chieftain, Inoki Kekoa, and stoking their frustration and distrust in her.

Chieftain Inoki has his own reasons for holding onto the treasure so fiercely. It is his only way of securing a life of freedom away from the colonising Empire which invaded his home and drove him and his husband Undersea.

Captain Alethea has a new idea – ask for help from the Pirate Queen. But the Queen has a different mission for them. They must go undercover as upstanding citizens to steal a priceless necklace. But if they fail, they’ll be kicked out of the Pirate faction and left with nothing. Will the Barracuda crew find their treasure, or will they lose their freedom?

The second book in the Tales From Undersea series dives deeper into the cutthroat world of sea monsters, forbidden romance, and train hijacking bandits.

 

This book will be coming out around June 2021.

 

Amazon Sale

The first Tales From Undersea book, Traitor’s Revenge, is on sale for only 99 cents (or the equivalent in your local currency) on Amazon until Tuesday. Unlike last time, this deal will be available on all the Amazon sites where the book is on sale, not just the US or UK. Just click on the link on the right hand side to go to your local Amazon store. Click the book cover below to access the sale.

Traitor’s Revenge is on sale

02 Tuesday Feb 2021

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The e-book edition of Traitor’s Revenge is on sale on Amazon for only 99 cents until February 4th!

Don’t forget to sign up to the Undersea newsletter for more deals, book recommendations, updates, and free stories. You get a free prologue for Traitor’s Revenge when you sign up!

Writing update – Janurary 2021

18 Monday Jan 2021

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I haven’t posted many actual updates since the first book in my series came out. Rest assured, I’m already in the swing of the next two books in the series.

Book 2 – Stealing From Thieves: I got feedback from beta readers which was mostly positive, but did point out some things to correct, which I have done. The book is almost ready to begin the editing phase. I did plan to have this book finished by the end of 2020, but the feedback took longer than I anticipated. Now I’m planning to have it published by Midsummer this year, and hopefully to have the paperback ready to publish at the same time as the e-book.

Book 3 – Outcast’s Alliance: I’m looking over the first draft which I wrote at the end of last year. I expected it to be full of plot holes and errors, which it is, but not nearly as many as I feared. Dare I say it, it’s actually pretty good. Or at least it will be once it’s edited. Once I’ve finished making notes, I’ll be starting the second draft. I plan to have this book finished and ready to publish by the end of 2021.

Other books: I just can’t help myself. Even with these other two books to write and one to promote, I’m still developing ideas for future books in the series, and other series. I just don’t know which one I will work on immedietly after I’ve finished this current trilogy. I’ll probably leave it up to whatever the readers want the most. I’m already planning two one-off sequels to the first Tales From Undersea trilogy focusing on some of the secondary characters who have already proved popular with readers (and with me!). I’m also planning a dieselpunk trilogy set in the same world but moved ahead to the 1920s and set in an underwater version of New York City. A non-related series I’m also developing ideas for is a series based upon the Jules Verne books (can you tell yet that I like Jules Verne?). But that is still in the very early stages of development, so I can’t say anything else about the plot or characters.

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