The winner of a signed copy of High Seas Stowaway is…Greta! Send your address to us at riskies@yahoo.com

(Tomorrow, I’ll be at eharlequin with a “talk like a pirate” forum where I’ll share more about the characters and history of this book. Please pop in, so I won’t be alone! To find it, go to eharlequin, then to Forums, Simply Series, and Ahoy Landlubbers! High Seas Stowaway with Amanda McCabe)

In the comments on yesterday’s post, Keira asked if setting inspires story or vice versa. I guess the answer is–both! For High Seas Stowaway, it was two characters in need of the proper place to play out their tale. Bianca and Balthazar both gave up the riches of Venice to follow their own natures, to search out adventure and new, dangerous lands where they could find themselves and the chance for true love. They were both too stubborn and wild-hearted to be contained, even by a place as gorgeous as Venice! They needed the open sea and wild, lush islands–even if they do settle down eventually.

And I could follow my interest in sixteenth century exploration. I would never have wanted such an adventure for myself–I like hot water and knowing exactly where I am, not to mention knowing where my next meal is coming from (and having that meal NOT be weevil-infested hardtack)! But I love reading about it in tales of voyages like those of Magellan, Drake, and (later) Cook. I recently read the new book Champlain’s Dream (which will be on an upcoming post of favorite books of 2008), and loved it. I’ve often wondered what kind of person would pack themselves into a tiny wooden ship, with no completely reliable means of navigation, and launch themselves out into the vast ocean. What would drive them? I found that person in Balthazar.

By 1535, when our story begins, the Spanish were just becoming well-established in the New World, and Santo Domingo on the island of Hispaniola (now shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic) was its administrative capital. Though it had no gold or silver itself, it was located on the island’s northwest coast between the Windward and the Mona passages, and thus was perfectly placed on the route between Mexico and Panama to Seville. Its port, at the mouth of the Ozama river, formed a natural protective harbor, with anchorage for dozens of ships. It became the main “staging area” for the flotas of treasure ships headed back to Spain, loaded with purloined silver, gold, emeralds, and pearls.

The gallows, where pirates hung rotting for all to see, held a prominent place above the harbor. And the lush, thickly vegetated central valleys of the island made the perfect hiding place for luckier pirates and runaway slaves! Buccans, or wild frontiersman (mostly of French extraction), lived there as well, hunting the wild pigs. Even though Hispaniola had no treasure, it did export sugar and hardwoods from those forests, and housed prosperous cattle ranches and rum distilleries.

And Santo Domingo was not just some rough “frontier town” (though it probably looked like one for someone fresh from Seville!). The governor at the time, Alonso de Feuonmayor, wanted to make his town as “Spanish” as possible. Between 1533 and 1536, he oversaw the building of a great cathedral (which can still be seen today), a fortress, and thick defebsive walls. The town was built atop an easily-defended hill, and given a very European look with houses and ramparts made of yellow stone and reddish-orange brick, with red-tiled roofs. Streets were cobbled, there was a central square, and church bells rang out every hour. A great place for an industrious and intelligent tavern owner like Bianca to prosper!

Another aspect I loved researching was ships and the life of the sea in the 16th century. It was rough, and sorta romantic (to read about anyway), full of a bold adventurous spirit that exactly suited Balthazar. (Though I did tend to gloss over some of the, shall we say, less pleasant aspects! No body odor and scurvy…)

Balthazar and his brother Marc (the hero of A Notorious Woman) are not pirates, though they battle them at times. They are merchants with a booming business and a license to trade in the New World. Balthazar’s ship, the Calypso, is a caravel (like Columbus’s Nina and Pinta). Caravels were smallish and lightly built, fast, responsive, and comparatively stable. Between 60 and 72 feet in length, with a raised quarterdeck and stern and 3 masts, 2 for square-rigged sails and 1 smaller for a lateen rig at stern, it could sail easily in crosswinds. It was nimble and versatile, cost-effective (with a relatively small crew), but also a bit cramped for space. This, of course, provided particular challenges for a romance writer…

When I visited those reproduction ships at Jamestown, I realized something. It would be difficult for Balthazar (who is quite tall) and Bianca (who is not petite) to be sufficiently passionate in that little cabin with its low ceilings and teensy berth. (Visiting research-relevant sites can be immensely helpful, but also can shatter some illusions!) And there would be no privacy at all. This was a challenge, yes, but not impossible. Not for those who are determined!

I learned so much from this book. What rough weather would feel like (I made myself feel a bit queasy thinking about storms), the diet and routine aboard ship, navigation (the use of objects like quadrants, compasses, the cross-staff and “dead reckoning”), careening, mapmaking. I also had to watch the Pirates of the Caribbean movies a few times, which is a tough job but I did it for the book…

A few sources I liked were:
Marcus Rediker, Villains of All Nations
Angus Konstam, The History of Pirates
Wayne Curtis, And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails (yes, this was really research!!!)
Kenneth Andrews, The Spanish Caravel: Trade and Plunder
Carl Sauer, The Early Spanish Main
C.H. Haring, The Spanish Empire in America
Jan Rogozinski, A Brief History of the Caravel (a lucky $.50 library sale find!)
Mendel Peterson, The Funnel of Gold
Albert Marrin, The Sea King: Sir Francis Drake and His Times (much later than the time period of my book, but it was very useful for its descriptions of shipboard life and the calling to adventure and discovery)

The history of Spain (and France and England) in the New World is, of course, an extremely complex one, and mostly beyond the scope of my lighthearted story. I would love to revisit it one day, possibly for a work of historical fiction!

After several days of holiday sloth, I have finally gotten up off the couch where I sat eating peppermint brownies and watching my new Mamma Mia! DVD for days. I turned in my latest book, and put away the Christmas decorations. And now I’m celebrating the release of High Seas Stowaway, the third in my “Renaissance Heroes Trilogy,” by sitting down with my heroine Bianca Simonetti in her island tavern for a mojito and a chat…

I don’t really believe in New Year’s Resolutions. Not of the sort like “I will exercize/write/whatever-makes-me-feel-virtuous more” variety. They generally don’t work out.

I do, however, believe in New Year’s Plans. Things like “I will go to the pool and swim half an hour three mornings a week.” I did that several years ago and have kept up with it pretty religiously. Or “I will work on my mess-in-progress for so many hours a week”. I find that as long as I make it specific, I’m pretty good at following through.

This year, I’m making a simple resolution, to remember to treat myself as a valued employee of my writing business rather than a slave. This means rewarding myself for making progress, allowing myself sick time if necessary, and making the time to lunch with writer buddies more often.

Of course, plans sometimes go awry. I’d planned to host my writer buddies at my home today for a post-holiday detox/New Year’s recharging party (complete with Mimosas, egg and cheesy things and of course, plenty of chocolate). However, we’ve had a minor blizzard which puts me to Plan B, hanging with the kids. I’m also snatching an hour to write while they’re out playing in the snow.

I expect the plans for this evening should work out. My husband and I used to go out for New Year’s in the years BK (Before Kids) but after that, sleep deprivation and the difficulty of getting sitters took over. Although in spirit I like the idea of family-friendly First Night celebrations, it’s usually so bitterly cold in our area that we’ve gone over to “cocooning”. We have a nice dinner at home, including at least one new recipe for the New Year. This year it’s cannoli cheesecake. Afterwards we all get into our PJs and go into the finished basement (aka the Man Cave) to watch movies until midnight. We watch the ball drop, we hug and kiss and then we’re all in bed by about 12:05.

So what is everyone else doing today or this evening? And I wish you all a happy and prosperous 2009!

Elena
www.elenagreene.com

Some snippets from an 1829 cookbook:

Coffee, like tea, promotes watchfulness; indeed some persons cannot sleep after drinking it in an evening.

So, coffee lovers: does this curl your toes? Are you picky about your coffee? Or do you drink whatever comes your way, as long as it has caffeine?

And don’t forget: next Tuesday, we’re discussing the first Ioan Gruffudd “Horatio Hornblower” here at Risky Regencies!

Cara
Cara King, who prefers tea