Today I'm excited to host a very talented writer and fellow team member with knowonder!, the online children's publication. Holly Stacey is the author of the YA historical fiction novel BLOOD TIDE, which is a fascinating tale of a slave girl from the Caribbean and her perils of finding freedom among a ship of pirates. Welcome, Holly!
Tell us a little about
your background and how you became an author.
I started writing when I was old enough to hold a pen and
I’ve been telling stories for just as long.
I always wanted to be a writer, but for some reason, ended up studying
archaeology at university. I suppose I
felt that it would be good to have a day job that I loved too! My grandmother was an English teacher, first
at Wilson High
School , then at Long
Beach City College
I didn’t start seriously writing until I moved to the UK,
long after I finished my MA in Medieval Archaeology. My first novel is still in my bottom drawer
and needs some serious re-working. My second novel, The Faerie Conspiracies, was much better and received good praise
from editors, but no takers, so I self-published it. It’s done okay, but I do long for the big
break and a contract from one of the larger publishing companies.
After writing Faeries, I needed something a little more
grounded and went from writing urban fiction/fantasy to historical fiction for
teens. The wet UK weather was
making me long for blue sky adventure and pirates were on my mind. Blood
Tide took me years to write and research, but I still don’t tire of
re-reading it when it’s cold and wet outside (especially the bits about the
gold coins found at the base of a waterfall).
Writing short children’s stories for knowonder has been a
boon as it helps my writing get out there and keeps me on track and keeps me
positive between novels.
What is one of your
favorite books and why?
I love A Wrinkle in
Time. I must have read it ten times
as a child, I couldn’t get enough of the science fiction adventure, well I
suppose it was just Madeline L’Engle herself!
I also love Treasure
Island , Skullduggery
Pleasant, The Hobbit and well,
the list and genres go on…
What inspired you to
write this book?
The main character.
Amber needed a tale told about her.
At my grandparents’ house, there is a portrait of a woman – a sketch
really, and it felt so warm. The woman in the portrait jumped to life and it
reminded me so much of Amber that I suppose the story had been at the back of
my mind for some time. I also wanted to
write a book for teens. Black History
Month is filled with good books and historical facts, but as a teen, I think
it’s easy to just get blasé with it all, especially when dates and events are
bashed into your brain. I wanted a
historical tale with people they could relate to and learn a bit of history on
the way.
How would you describe
your writing process?
A labour of love.
With a small child at home, I’m not at liberty to do all-nighters any
more, but write when it’s her afternoon nap time (really, I should be cleaning
house, but why dust when you can be writing adventure?) I start with the
characters, an introduction for me to get to know them, and before I know it,
the story writes itself – I type as I write and as a touch typist, I can get a
good flow of words as quick as they come to mind, so it’s easier than
talking. As I write, the entire events
unfold in front of me and it’s very much like watching a film. The tough part is going back to edit – then
it’s just words on paper with a few grammatical mistakes. I usually do three edits of a novel before
sending it out to editors and readers to make suggestions. Then it’s edits all over again.
How have you marketed
your book?
I’ve set up a writer’s page on
facebook (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holly-Stacey/338509066242606)
and keep followers informed on my progress and book releases, I’ve also
contacted some friends who are editors to write reviews. I also try to update my blog as much as
possible: http://inkydoom.blogspot.co.uk/
Goodreads has a good community of
historical writers (all genres, really) that support each other too, which
helps get the word out.
There is always more marketing
that can be done – but the angle is that it’s a blend of slave history and
pirates. People who are missing Pirates
of the Caribbean can read Blood Tide and feel like they’ve had another
adventure in the aquamarine waters near Port Royal .
Really, it’s a long slog of
e-mailing the right people to get interviews like this J
Please provide a
favorite excerpt from your book.
They found their groups and began making
their way to the steps when Hans appeared at the top of the exit, a dark figure
outlined against the dawning light.
‘They’re
coming this way!’ His breathing was
laboured and his eyes slightly wild. He
stumbled two more steps, lost his footing, and tumbled head first into the sea
below.
A
scream erupted from Amber’s throat and was silenced by E’s large hand. Hans floated face down – a dagger protruding
from his back. One of the men dove in
and pulled him to the ledge. His body
flopped lifelessly as it was hauled out of the water. No one made a sound. It was as if time had stopped from mere
shock.
‘To
arms!’ shouted Captain Emerus, turning red around the ears.
The
men’s voices merged into one freighting roar as they scrambled up the steps to
take revenge. Treasure was no longer on
their mind… only blood.
Amber
watched them go, aware that Peep was standing next to her, his mouth slightly
agape. He was in shock, but Amber knew
she needed to see to Hans first. She scrambled awkwardly down the rope and
dipped her lower half into the water. It
was incredibly cold, but she took a deep breath and leaned back, looking up at
the cave ceiling as she kicked. She
didn’t think about looking down into the deep blue beneath her or what could be
swimming underneath and in a few moments, her back scraped along the ledge.
Han’s
body was still warm. His eyes were
glazed, but when she felt for a pulse, she found it. ‘Thank da Lord,’ she whispered. But he wasn’t breathing. She rolled him over, and looked at the knife
still sticking out. She was sure it
wasn’t in a vital spot. Father Harold
had taught her basic anatomy from one of his many books and the knife’s blade
was in a fleshy area. She took a breath
and pulled it out.
Hans’s
body shivered and like a miracle, he coughed up some of the sea that he must
have swallowed when he fell. His eyes
fluttered open and then shut again, his breathing raspy, but strong.
‘Amber!’ Hans had managed to scrape out her name
before losing consciousness. There was a
harsh laughter from the top of the steps.
Her
head whipped up. There was an eastern-looking
man with long plaits and a bright red sash filled with at least four
muskets. He grinned at her and pulled
out a long sword.
She
stared. She had nothing to defend
herself with. Her mind raced as the man
came closer, chatting to her in his native tongue. His grin made her think his mind wasn’t on a
quick death. Her hands scrambled to find
something – a rock maybe. The dagger
reflected the pale lighting and she snatched it up, painfully aware that there
was no way it could compare to a sword.
He
came closer, slowly descending the steps.
His teeth were shiny black as if he’d coated them with soot and
grease. He stopped speaking his language
and tilted his head. ‘Francais?’ He shook his head, mockingly. ‘English? You speak English?’ His voice was high and he said the words
awkwardly as if he hated the way they rolled off his tongue.
But
Amber had reacted enough for him to know she understood.
‘I
will enjoy you,’ he said, coming closer.
‘I speak English for you. I like
hear you scream.’
Where can readers find
you and your book?
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