It’s finally out in print and I can’t believe how wonderful
it feels. After years of rewrites,
making small changes, edits and feedback from some very amazing readers, it’s
pure concentrated love in triangle paperback form. Springbok Publications, my
publisher for the book, has also sent me to my first e-launch. I had no idea what to expect and I was
sweating for the three hours before it started.
However, once live, it was good fun and I had the chance to engage with
my readers and potential readers for a few hours.
Something someone asked me on the night was, ‘what made you
want to write about slavery in 1733?’ Valid question. It was a very convoluted answer. The primary reason was that I felt Black
History Month became a bit boring for teenagers at school. It seemed to be the same list of names, dates
and atrocities and I had the distinct feeling they’d become num to it all. I wanted to engage these young adults with a
new tale – a fictional tale using the elements of historic slavery with a
character they could follow (and was new to them).
Of course, there was also that amazing charcoal sketch of a Caribbean woman at my grandmother’s house which inspired
Amber’s mother, Precious. This is her
story too, although most of it is about Amber fighting her way to freedom
alongside her fellow captors. And, of
course, who could resist the urge to write about pirates?
There was only one successful revolting slave ship in
history, and that was the Amistat. Slaves on the ship managed to escape the
hold, take the ship and live for a short time as pirates. With several historic points as inspiration,
I wove a tale that (hopefully) tempts newcomers to history, leaving them
wanting to research their own histories and learn more.
Blood Tide is available now on Amazon, but should, in just a
few weeks, be available to order from Waterstones and most bookstores. For a signed copy, visit
www.springbokpublications.com.
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