The Pirate Ruse (40 page)

6.
      
Egypt and mummy movies (deliciously frightening!)

7.
      
Tarzan movies (but
only
Johnny Weissmuller ones)

8.
     
Of course, movies like
Puf-n-Stuf
too (based on the Saturday morning Sid and Marty Kroft wonder—but I don’t think that applies here because I can’t really see how Jack Wild [Jimmy] and Witchiepoo inspired any characters or scenes in any of my books. But hey, the night is young, so you never know!)

On
Dialing for Dollars
, there were movies about insane brides locked in dungeons and plagued with leprosy, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, movies based on the scandalous works of Tennessee Williams. There were silly movies and sad movies, giddy movies and scary movies, classic movies and not-so-classic movies. Yet looking back, there was a sad, sad, sad lack of pirate movies!

The same is true today!
I mean, other than this century’s
Pirates of the Caribbean
, what pirate movies have there been of late? Especially good pirate movies?

I’ve always loved the whole pirate thing.
Only in
my
mind, the pirates were the good guys—you know, the Robin Hoods of the sea, if you will. Furthermore, I have wanted to write a pirate book forever! Yet I couldn’t quite get past how to make a pirate a good guy. They were pretty bad blokes in real life. Still, I wanted to write a pirate romance. So I chewed on the idea for a couple of years—sort of like a cow chewing her cud. I’d think about it—think, “Hey! I can write a pirate book!”—and then think, “But how can I make him a hero?” Ironically, the answer was standing right in front of me, just like he always does—Kevin!

It’s true!
The whole time I was mulling over how in the world to write a pirate book and have a moral pirate hero, there was Kevin. Once again, Kevin provided the perfect inspiration for romance! Now, obviously Kevin is not sailing the seven seas as a pirate. However, he is ethereally handsome and was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Why is the New Orleans, Louisiana, part important? One answer: the historic Battle of New Orleans and Jean Lafitte!

When Kevin and I were first married, he used whistle and sing a song entitled
“The Battle of New Orleans.” He had learned it in school as a child in St. Bernard Parish—the very Parish where the Battle of New Orleans took place during a series of battles culminating on January 8, 1815 (120 years to the day before Elvis was born, by the way). Anyway, I began to think about the pirate Jean Lafitte. Jean Lafitte made his home in and around New Orleans and Barataria Bay before and during the war of 1812. I knew Jean Lafitte had played an integral part in the success of the Battle of New Orleans but couldn’t quite remember the story. So off to a selection of pirate information books I did go!

It was while researching Jean Lafitte (for he’s been hailed a hero in
Louisiana history) that I discovered the difference between regular pirates and privateers. And with that—voilà! Inspiration was upon me: privateering—Letters of Marque! At long last, I had my venue for a good, moral, pirate hero, and all thanks to Kevin, New Orleans, and Jean Lafitte. Naturally, it would require a bit of creativity on my part, but, hey, it could happen. And so I was off on
The Pirate Ruse
adventure!

I’ve actually been to the Chalmette Battlefield (the site of
the Battle of New Orleans) several times. It’s a very intriguing place, swathed in history and balmy New Orleans air. Spanish moss drips from the limbs of large trees; cannons mark the battle lines of long ago. There’s an old mansion there on the grounds, the Malus-Beauregard House, built in 1830 and wildly inspiring. A cemetery is also part of the Chalmette Battlefield historical park, with soldiers from the War of 1812, Spanish-American War, Civil War (including Buffalo Soldiers), both World Wars, and even Vietnam interred there. The mighty Mississippi River runs parallel to the battlefield, and you have to walk up a flight of stairs to get to it—which always wigs me out. It seems so unnatural to walk
up
to the water. But that’s New Orleans—resting about eleven feet
below
sea level! It’s a fascinating place to visit, slathered in history, mood, and mystery. Wonderful!

Hmmm
, I was just thinking of another little something that contributed to my inspiration for our hero Trevon Navarrone. My dear friend (to whom this book is dedicated) sent me a little something fun awhile back—a YouTube clip of a kissing scene in a Spanish miniseries starring Puerto Rican–born pop star Chayanne as a vampire named Gabriel! I know what you’re thinking about now—“How in the blue blazes did a Puerto Rican–born pop star playing a vampire in a Spanish miniseries inspire anything for Trevon Navarrone?” Well, let me say this—it’s all in the facial hair styling! Yep, that’s what inspired Trevon’s facial hair and sideburns. You never know what’s going to flip a switch in my head and turn on a light.

I’m so random!
From
Dialing for Dollars
on TV when I was kid to Kevin’s elementary education in music and local history in St. Bernard Parish to Jean Lafitte and the Battle of New Orleans, and on to a Puerto Rican–born pop star with cool facial hair! Sometimes I’m astonished at how many venues of inspiration converge to cause a story to begin playing out in my mind.

Now you know I cannot do an author’s note without getting a little sappy and sentimental, right?
And here it comes! Vienne. I have a philosophy I try to live by, and though I do not claim to be perfect in living it—not by any means—I do try to keep ever conscious of it. I try to have it right there at the forefront of my mind and apply it always. As I said, none of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes, and I make more than most people! However, when it comes to this way of thinking that I have, Vienne is an example of my feelings on this point: that we should always, always treat someone as if it might be the worst, most painful, tragic day of their lives, and we just don’t know it.

We do not know what someone is dealing with.
Whether they’re smiling or not, we should wonder whether perhaps there are tears behind that smile and treat them accordingly. Very few people I know let the world see what they’re truly feeling, and I think that’s the way it should be—for the most part. For me, wearing a heart on a sleeve and endeavoring to bring everyone else down with despair, stress, and problems doesn’t do the world any good. I save my anxieties, worries, and stress for my poor, dear, heroic husband and a handful of very close friends.

I can tell you this—
Vienne endured nearly unimaginable pain and trauma. She was worn and weathered, hurt and damaged. Yes, she is a fictional character, but there are people enduring similar horrors every day. Vienne represents to me the post office clerk, the checker at the grocery store, the UPS man, my neighbor—any person in the world and every person in the world who has known excruciating sorrow, trials, and pain. Vienne also represents those of us who simply deal with the everyday hurts and worries. We’re all weathered to some degree—like an old silver piece of eight. Yet each and every one of us is of value and should be treated as kindly and with as much compassion and understanding as possible. Don’t ask me about literal murderers or crazy dictators. I’m just talking about regular, everyday people. Vienne represents them to me, and I would put forth this: if we came upon Vienne working at the post office and looking as if she might be a little fatigued, how would we treat her, knowing what we know? I guarantee we would treat her well—with compassion and understanding. We would
not
gripe at her because the line waiting to buy stamps is too long or because she informs us that we’ve used the wrong kind of packaging material and need to start over, right? Therefore, I strive to see everyone I meet as Vienne. I’m sure I fail miserably a lot of the time, but I hope I don’t fail as much as I feel I do.

And now that I’ve babbled you to boredom and tears
again
, let’s move on to a few snippets—but only after I thank you for sailing out aboard the
Merry Wench
with me! I hope you’ve enjoyed my first attempt at a pirate romance. I had fun with it and learned a ton! So let’s set sail for more adventure soon, shall we? After all, who doesn’t love a good swashbuckler?

The Pirate Ruse Trivia Snippets

Snippet #1—“Richard!” Okay, another secret revealed. Every time I hear the name Richard or think of the name Richard or write out the name Richard, I think of the movie
Somewhere in Time
. If you’re old enough to remember this movie, you’ll know that it was
the
romantic movie of the early 1980s. It had a profoundly beautiful soundtrack (which my college roommates and I used to listen to on Sundays or whenever we needed some relaxation). If you’re not familiar with the premise of
Somewhere in Time
, it’s about this guy who goes back in time to find this woman, and they fall in love, and on and on—but at one point he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a penny from the future, and it snatches him away from the woman and back into the present. As he’s being stripped away forward in time, Elise (the heroine) screams, “RICHARD!” (the hero’s name). My friends the Groovy Chicks and I often used to yell “RICHARD!” and reach out like Elise did when she was trying to grab her true love. It’s just a weird, little, nonimportant, trivial side note. If you haven’t seen the movie, watch it! It’s not my favorite, but I
loved
it when I was a teenager.

Snippet #2—The “Cristabel drinks the rum” scene in
The Pirate Ruse
was one thing I included based on historical accuracy. Water stored on board ships at the time in which
The Pirate Ruse
is set rapidly became foul and undrinkable. On the other hand, beer, rum, brandy, and other liquor had a shelf life of nearly forever. Thus mariners stored barrels of it in their vessels—especially beer—even aboard naval vessels.

Snippet #3—Currently my dream vacation destination is Salem, Massachusetts. I cannot wait to visit there! Can you imagine the history? The leaves in autumn? I’ve been to Boston, and it’s awesome—but now Salem is my goal!

Snippet #4—Jean Lafitte was a pirate and privateer who operated in and around the Gulf of Mexico in the early 1800s. His smuggling operations were based in Barataria Bay and New Orleans, Louisiana. Without getting into all the political and historical details, he was forced out of Barataria Bay in September of 1814 but was granted a full pardon after his invaluable insight ensured a positive outcome for America at the Battle of New Orleans. He went on to more piracy, of course, and obituaries written of him date his death as February 5, 1823—though there are still speculations about the accuracy of this.

Snippet #5—Letters of Marque were very real, and they were issued by the United States at the time of the War of 1812.

Snippet #6—Don Gabriel’s name was a subconscious thing on my part—at least at first. As I previously mentioned, from the very beginning I imagined Trevon Navarrone’s “look” to be very similar to that of Chayanne’s character in a Spanish miniseries called
Gabriel
. My friend Sheri had e-mailed a YouTube kissing scene to me from
Gabriel
. I found the look wildly intriguing and perfectly suited to how I imagined Trevon to appear. However, it wasn’t until I was rereading
The Pirate Ruse
and noticed Don Gabriel’s name that I realized how much that little ol’ YouTube clip had influenced my subconscious. Another Marcia goofy-ism!

Snippet #7—Percy Shelley’s heart. Yep, it is a morbid tale. Percy Bysshe Shelley (the poet) was born in 1792. He lived a terrible, scandalous life—but we won’t dwell on that. His second wife was named Mary. Now, just before his thirtieth birthday, Percy was sailing in his schooner and was set upon by a storm. Percy Shelley drowned. When his body washed ashore, it was cremated right there on the beach, in keeping with quarantine laws of the time. Well, as the cremation began, a man named Edward Trelawny reached into Shelley’s body cavity and snatched out his heart before it burned. Percy Shelley’s wife, Mary, kept Shelley’s heart for the rest of her life. It was eventually buried with the body of their son, Sir Percy Florence Shelley. Interestingly enough, Percy Bysshe Shelley’s wife Mary was indeed Mary Shelley—the author of the gothic novel
Frankenstein
. Therefore, if you thought for a moment that Trevon’s telling Cristabel he would have Baskerville bring his heart to her in a box if he died was a little too gruesome—I guess that’s just history and the gothic novelist coming out in me.