http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3069708/1/Man-in-the-Crescent-Moon
I have completed the rough draft of Man in the Crescent Moon, A Pirates of the Narrow Seas Adventure. It features Captain Tangle as a young man, tall, gawky, and learning the ropes the hard way as he longs for fame and wealth as a Sallee rover. The rough draft of MitCM will remain free on Fictionpress.com until it appears in print this summer.
Note that it is a ROUGH draft; as in, has not been revised or proofread, and parts of it need work. Nonetheless, a few of my diehard fans have been following along and chafing at the delay in getting it finished. Actually, I'm right on schedule for finishing the draft... It's just that I started early on it, so when I had to put it aside to meet my other deadlines, there was a large gap in time until I was able to return to it and finish the draft.
No substantial changes will happen in revision; revision is where redundancies are smoothed out, descriptions are fleshed out, continuities errors are repaired, etc. (If you find a continuity error, feel free to point it out: Keibooks at gmail dot com.)
My thanks to my beta readers Joy, Chele, and Yancy for their support.
~K~
Showing posts with label pirates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirates. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Loyal Judith, a true tale of pirates and politics
A colleague of mine, Nan Hawthorne, asked a question on Facebook about "What doublecrosser from history makes you the maddest? Include both the villain and the person s/he turned on." (www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=question&id=10150225019040784&qa_ref=ns) My answer is personal, and too long to fit in the space provided by Facebook, so I thought I'd share the true story here.
Some of my European ancestors were French, probably Huguenots who fled France at the end of the 17th century. They are first found with a Germanic spelling to their name in Austria at the beginning of the 18th century. (It's a distinctive name.) They and their neighbors decided to immigrate to America and sold everything they own to raise passage money. While enroute, they were captured by Spanish pirates and held for ransom.
A British philanthropist heard of their plight and paid all their ransoms. He transported them to England, where the local populace, sympathetic to their trouble, supported them on the public dole. After a few months, they began to grow irate at the 'freeloaders', as a result of which, they were given a choice. Be sold into servitude in England to recoup the cost of supporting them, or be sold into servitude in America. That's the doublecross that makes me angry: We'll help you until it costs us money, then we're selling you out.
My family and some others chose to accept servitude in to America. They arrived in Savannah, Georgia, January 1, 1746, aboard the Loyal Judith. A copy of the ship's manifest survives in a historical society; a cousin of mine sent me an electronic version of it.
The manifest shows the names of adults in a column on the left, and the names of the children with their ages in a column on the right. The five children in my family ranged in age from 5-14. At the top of the list are the words, "Children to be sold separate."
These children are the 'lost generation' for whom no records exist. We know their parents eventually got their freedom, but they were never able to retrieve their children. They were gone, sucked into the black hole that is involuntary servitude. When my next ancestor shows up in the records, it is impossible to know who his parents were. He is a young married man with an Indian wife and a baby and behind on his taxes.
The family name is unique; there were no other people in Georgia with the same name. He has to be the child of one of the sold children, but when people are property, even 'temporary' property as in the case of indentured servitude, they are not treated as human beings. Records are not kept of them except as objects in an inventory, if even then.
Of the five children bound into servitude, only one of them survived long enough to beget a child, and only one child. Who was his father? Was it one of the boys, able to grow up and get married and pass on his family name? Or was it one of the girls, a servant wronged by her master, bearing a baby out of wedlock?
Indentured servitude was bad for all children; misbehave, and time was added to their indenture in punishment. Break a plate? A month added to your servitude. If you were female and got pregnant, you owed your master an additional year to compensate him loss. HIS loss! Further, if you had no money (if you were a servant, you definitely didn't), then you had no way to support your baby--unless you sold him to your master in exchange for food and clothes for the child. Since it would be at least five years before the child was any use to the master, they demanded long indentures: 21 years, 30 years... Not surprising, children were easily cheated and became de facto slaves, living their entire lives in servitude.
Benjamin Franklin and the other Founding Fathers had a name for it; they called it "The German slave trade." People from the Austro-Hungarian Empire were particularly desirable as indentured servants because they could be easily controlled. If they ran away, who would help them? They didn't speak the language. By contrast, the Scotch-Irish (my other European ancestors), did speak the language, and had the contrary notion that they should resist abuse and run away. Take a Scotch-Irish indenture and there was no guarantee you could keep him; take a German one, and he was yours. (There's a reason why so many Scotch-Irish violated the Proclamation Line and moved into Appalachia.)
Staring at the ship's manifest and those cold black and white words, "Children to be sold separate," I suddenly understood why black people can't just 'get over' the Civil War. My family was bought and sold 265 years ago, and I carry the sense of loss--an entire generation! Five children! Gone. The Civil War is much, much closer, and much, much larger. African Americans didn't just lose a generation, they lost centuries. They didn't just lose a family, they lost millions.
No, we shouldn't just 'get over' it. Having a black president means great progress has been made, but it doesn't mean that the work is done and we can start worrying about white people being the victims of 'reverse racism.' No, they're not. What white people are worrying about is playing on a level field. To them, the loss of privilege (privilege so entrenched they didn't even know they had it) feels like 'bias.' They're right. We are biased against letting a group of people continue to profit by the historic injustice done to another group of people.
White folks, if you can show me where your family was bought and sold, then you can talk to me about racism.
Some of my European ancestors were French, probably Huguenots who fled France at the end of the 17th century. They are first found with a Germanic spelling to their name in Austria at the beginning of the 18th century. (It's a distinctive name.) They and their neighbors decided to immigrate to America and sold everything they own to raise passage money. While enroute, they were captured by Spanish pirates and held for ransom.
A British philanthropist heard of their plight and paid all their ransoms. He transported them to England, where the local populace, sympathetic to their trouble, supported them on the public dole. After a few months, they began to grow irate at the 'freeloaders', as a result of which, they were given a choice. Be sold into servitude in England to recoup the cost of supporting them, or be sold into servitude in America. That's the doublecross that makes me angry: We'll help you until it costs us money, then we're selling you out.
My family and some others chose to accept servitude in to America. They arrived in Savannah, Georgia, January 1, 1746, aboard the Loyal Judith. A copy of the ship's manifest survives in a historical society; a cousin of mine sent me an electronic version of it.
The manifest shows the names of adults in a column on the left, and the names of the children with their ages in a column on the right. The five children in my family ranged in age from 5-14. At the top of the list are the words, "Children to be sold separate."
These children are the 'lost generation' for whom no records exist. We know their parents eventually got their freedom, but they were never able to retrieve their children. They were gone, sucked into the black hole that is involuntary servitude. When my next ancestor shows up in the records, it is impossible to know who his parents were. He is a young married man with an Indian wife and a baby and behind on his taxes.
The family name is unique; there were no other people in Georgia with the same name. He has to be the child of one of the sold children, but when people are property, even 'temporary' property as in the case of indentured servitude, they are not treated as human beings. Records are not kept of them except as objects in an inventory, if even then.
Of the five children bound into servitude, only one of them survived long enough to beget a child, and only one child. Who was his father? Was it one of the boys, able to grow up and get married and pass on his family name? Or was it one of the girls, a servant wronged by her master, bearing a baby out of wedlock?
Indentured servitude was bad for all children; misbehave, and time was added to their indenture in punishment. Break a plate? A month added to your servitude. If you were female and got pregnant, you owed your master an additional year to compensate him loss. HIS loss! Further, if you had no money (if you were a servant, you definitely didn't), then you had no way to support your baby--unless you sold him to your master in exchange for food and clothes for the child. Since it would be at least five years before the child was any use to the master, they demanded long indentures: 21 years, 30 years... Not surprising, children were easily cheated and became de facto slaves, living their entire lives in servitude.
Benjamin Franklin and the other Founding Fathers had a name for it; they called it "The German slave trade." People from the Austro-Hungarian Empire were particularly desirable as indentured servants because they could be easily controlled. If they ran away, who would help them? They didn't speak the language. By contrast, the Scotch-Irish (my other European ancestors), did speak the language, and had the contrary notion that they should resist abuse and run away. Take a Scotch-Irish indenture and there was no guarantee you could keep him; take a German one, and he was yours. (There's a reason why so many Scotch-Irish violated the Proclamation Line and moved into Appalachia.)
Staring at the ship's manifest and those cold black and white words, "Children to be sold separate," I suddenly understood why black people can't just 'get over' the Civil War. My family was bought and sold 265 years ago, and I carry the sense of loss--an entire generation! Five children! Gone. The Civil War is much, much closer, and much, much larger. African Americans didn't just lose a generation, they lost centuries. They didn't just lose a family, they lost millions.
No, we shouldn't just 'get over' it. Having a black president means great progress has been made, but it doesn't mean that the work is done and we can start worrying about white people being the victims of 'reverse racism.' No, they're not. What white people are worrying about is playing on a level field. To them, the loss of privilege (privilege so entrenched they didn't even know they had it) feels like 'bias.' They're right. We are biased against letting a group of people continue to profit by the historic injustice done to another group of people.
White folks, if you can show me where your family was bought and sold, then you can talk to me about racism.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Online Pirates Steal $35K from M. Kei
Tonight I was Googling for Pirates of the Narrow Seas looking for new reviews, new booksellers, etc. What I found instead was a pirate site. I'm not going to share the ID with you because I'm not going to help people steal from me. Suffice it to say, this pirate site has served over 33,000 -- that's thirty-three thousand -- unauthorized copies of Pirates of the Narrow Seas. Had each of those 33K copies been purchased through a legitimate ebookseller, I the author, would have received approximately $35,000 in royalties.
Yes. You read that right. Online pirates have cheated me out of my livelihood. I have been hoping I could sell enough copies to make a living writing books. That so many copies of the books have been pirated is proof that I was right -- I could have made a living. If the pirates were paying for them. But they're not.
Guess how much I have received in royalties for ebooks so far: $35. That's thirty-five dollars. In other words, a thousand time as many copies of the books are being stolen as are being bought.
That just aint right.
So here I am, unemployed and slowly going broke, contemplating the prospect of having to apply to Walmart or some other retailer to get a seasonal Christmas job so that I can make some money to hold body and soul together a few months longer.
You know what happens when creative people have to devote all their time and energy to working at Walmart? They don't write books. Because Walmart chews us up and spits us out.
Here's the deal: if you like books, pay for them! The ebooks for Pirates of the Narrow Seas are all available for less than $7 each. That's less than the cost of a single movie ticket for three times as much entertainment. I think it's a fair deal. If you like the books -- and I think that you do, because it would be ridiculous for 33K people to steal a book they didn't even like -- please pay for them.
Heck, I know most of you don't know anything about me, so I made the first one available for free right here on this site. You can read an entire novel, my gift to you, by honest means. You don't have to use a pirate site. My hope is that if you like what you read, you will buy the additional books in the series. That's the deal: I give you a fair chance to find out if you like the books, and if you do, you give me a fair payment for the book.
If you have an unauthorized copy of Pirates of the Narrow Seas, please come clean and purchase a copy. If you really can't afford the $18 for a paperback or $7 for an ebook, or feel that the book's just not good enough to justify the cover price, send me a $1. Because the average royalty for the books is $1 (some resellers pay more, some pay less. $1 is the average.)
Send it anonymously to:
PoNS c/o M. Kei
P O Box 516
Perryville, MD 21903
There. You can purchase a clean conscience for just a few dollars. Paying authors for their creative work is not only the right thing to do, it's cheap.
If you love reading, please support authors!
~K~
M. Kei
Yes. You read that right. Online pirates have cheated me out of my livelihood. I have been hoping I could sell enough copies to make a living writing books. That so many copies of the books have been pirated is proof that I was right -- I could have made a living. If the pirates were paying for them. But they're not.
Guess how much I have received in royalties for ebooks so far: $35. That's thirty-five dollars. In other words, a thousand time as many copies of the books are being stolen as are being bought.
That just aint right.
So here I am, unemployed and slowly going broke, contemplating the prospect of having to apply to Walmart or some other retailer to get a seasonal Christmas job so that I can make some money to hold body and soul together a few months longer.
You know what happens when creative people have to devote all their time and energy to working at Walmart? They don't write books. Because Walmart chews us up and spits us out.
Here's the deal: if you like books, pay for them! The ebooks for Pirates of the Narrow Seas are all available for less than $7 each. That's less than the cost of a single movie ticket for three times as much entertainment. I think it's a fair deal. If you like the books -- and I think that you do, because it would be ridiculous for 33K people to steal a book they didn't even like -- please pay for them.
Heck, I know most of you don't know anything about me, so I made the first one available for free right here on this site. You can read an entire novel, my gift to you, by honest means. You don't have to use a pirate site. My hope is that if you like what you read, you will buy the additional books in the series. That's the deal: I give you a fair chance to find out if you like the books, and if you do, you give me a fair payment for the book.
If you have an unauthorized copy of Pirates of the Narrow Seas, please come clean and purchase a copy. If you really can't afford the $18 for a paperback or $7 for an ebook, or feel that the book's just not good enough to justify the cover price, send me a $1. Because the average royalty for the books is $1 (some resellers pay more, some pay less. $1 is the average.)
Send it anonymously to:
PoNS c/o M. Kei
P O Box 516
Perryville, MD 21903
There. You can purchase a clean conscience for just a few dollars. Paying authors for their creative work is not only the right thing to do, it's cheap.
If you love reading, please support authors!
~K~
M. Kei
Friday, July 30, 2010
Reviews of Pirates of the Narrow Seas
I have been fortunate to receive a number of positive reviews of The Sallee Rovers, the first book in the Pirates of the Narrow Seas series, and several reviews of book two, Men of Honor. It is interesting to see the different points of view of the different reviewers, what they comment on and how they interpret different aspects of the novel. For the curious, or the terminally bored seeking an hour's diversion, I post them here.
PoNS 1 : The Sallee Rovers
* Open Letters review “a true literary first: a gay seafaring novel that’s every bit as good with the ‘gay’ stuff as the ‘seafaring’ stuff [...] Pirates of the Narrow Seas has thrilling action sequences, complex, conflicted characters, and a healthy dose of contemporary realism.”: http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-pirates-of-the-narrow-seas/
* First ever review, by Sage Whistler, which she gave to me to post to the blog site “a dashing good tale full of adventure and mayhem, slaves and saviors, and the rigors and perils of life at sea”: http://narrowseas.blogspot.com/2010/01/pirates-of-narrow-seas-reviewed-by-sage.html
* Gerry B's review of The Sallee Rovers “A swashbuckling tale full of colour, adventure and romance – a good read!: http://gerrycan.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/pirates-of-the-narrow-seas-1-sallee-rovers-by-m-kei/
* Alex Beecroft's review of The Sallee Rovers at Speak Its Name “nail-bitingly intense [ . . .] I highly recommend that you rush out and get this book.”: http://speakitsname.com/2010/02/15/review-pirates-of-the-narrow-seas-by-m-kei/
* Thrifty Reader's review of The Sallee Rovers: http://thriftyreader.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-sallee-rovers-by-m-kei.html
* Nan Hawthorne's review of The Sallee Rovers “an action-packed swashbuckler of the Captain Blood tradition”: http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2010/06/sallee-rovers-by-m-kei-pirates-of.html
* Andy Eisenberg's review of The Sallee Rovers “The fight and battles scenes were gripping and more than once I found myself leaning forward in my seat”: http://andyeisenberg.blogspot.com/2010/06/sallee-rovers.html?zx=fe681ae7aa30f078
* Astrodene's review of The Sallee Rovers “well rounded individual personalities which it is a joy to follow” : http://www.historicnavalfiction.com/index.php/general-hnf-info/book-reviews/1566-astrodene-review-the-sallee-rovers-by-m-kei
* Rick Spilman's review of The Sallee Rovers “the scenes onboard lateen rigged galleys, galiots, and xebecks are a delight [ . . .] an entertaining and engaging book”: http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2010/07/21/sallee-rovers-by-m-kei-a-review/
* Cindy Vallar's review of The Sallee Rovers at the Pirates and Privateers website: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpiratebks.html#Sallee
* Jessewave's review of The Sallee Rovers: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/?p=33763
* Goodreads listing and reader reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7779757-the-sallee-rovers
* AssassinsCloak's review: http://assassinscloak.dreamwidth.org/16896.html
*great epic historical M/M romance: http://www.amazon.com/Epics-Historical-M-Romance/lm/RZZ7I95XQBGI1
* Elisa Rolle's review of Pirates of the Narrow Seas 1 : The Sallee Rovers (Warning: Link NSFW Not Safe For Work) http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/941530.html
PoNS 2 : Men of Honor
*Astrodene's review of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://www.historicnavalfiction.com/index.php/general-hnf-info/book-reviews/1657-astrodene-review-men-of-honor-by-m-kei
* Alex Beecroft's review of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://speakitsname.com/2010/05/18/review-pirates-of-the-narrow-seas-ii-men-of-honor-by-m-kei
*Nan Hawthorne's review of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2010/10/men-of-honor-by-m-kei.html
* Elisa Rolle's view of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1102218.html
PoNS 3 : Iron Men
*Nan Hawthorne's review of PoNS 3 Iron Men: http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2010/10/iron-menby-m-kei.htmlk.
PoNS 4 : Heart of Oak
*Yancy Carpentier's review of PonS 4 Heart of Oak: http://bookworld.editme.com/Review-Heart-of-Oak-by-M-Kei
The first of the books can be read for free at NarrowSeas.blogspot.com. There's a table of contents at the top right corner that links into the chapters. A blog is not the most convenient way to read a novel, but hey, it's free. If you want convenient, you have to pay for it. Then you can get it as either an ebook or a print boo
~K~
PoNS 1 : The Sallee Rovers
* Open Letters review “a true literary first: a gay seafaring novel that’s every bit as good with the ‘gay’ stuff as the ‘seafaring’ stuff [...] Pirates of the Narrow Seas has thrilling action sequences, complex, conflicted characters, and a healthy dose of contemporary realism.”: http://www.openlettersmonthly.com/book-review-pirates-of-the-narrow-seas/
* First ever review, by Sage Whistler, which she gave to me to post to the blog site “a dashing good tale full of adventure and mayhem, slaves and saviors, and the rigors and perils of life at sea”: http://narrowseas.blogspot.com/2010/01/pirates-of-narrow-seas-reviewed-by-sage.html
* Gerry B's review of The Sallee Rovers “A swashbuckling tale full of colour, adventure and romance – a good read!: http://gerrycan.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/pirates-of-the-narrow-seas-1-sallee-rovers-by-m-kei/
* Alex Beecroft's review of The Sallee Rovers at Speak Its Name “nail-bitingly intense [ . . .] I highly recommend that you rush out and get this book.”: http://speakitsname.com/2010/02/15/review-pirates-of-the-narrow-seas-by-m-kei/
* Thrifty Reader's review of The Sallee Rovers: http://thriftyreader.blogspot.com/2010/05/book-review-sallee-rovers-by-m-kei.html
* Nan Hawthorne's review of The Sallee Rovers “an action-packed swashbuckler of the Captain Blood tradition”: http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2010/06/sallee-rovers-by-m-kei-pirates-of.html
* Andy Eisenberg's review of The Sallee Rovers “The fight and battles scenes were gripping and more than once I found myself leaning forward in my seat”: http://andyeisenberg.blogspot.com/2010/06/sallee-rovers.html?zx=fe681ae7aa30f078
* Astrodene's review of The Sallee Rovers “well rounded individual personalities which it is a joy to follow” : http://www.historicnavalfiction.com/index.php/general-hnf-info/book-reviews/1566-astrodene-review-the-sallee-rovers-by-m-kei
* Rick Spilman's review of The Sallee Rovers “the scenes onboard lateen rigged galleys, galiots, and xebecks are a delight [ . . .] an entertaining and engaging book”: http://www.oldsaltblog.com/2010/07/21/sallee-rovers-by-m-kei-a-review/
* Cindy Vallar's review of The Sallee Rovers at the Pirates and Privateers website: http://www.cindyvallar.com/adultpiratebks.html#Sallee
* Jessewave's review of The Sallee Rovers: http://www.reviewsbyjessewave.com/?p=33763
* Goodreads listing and reader reviews: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7779757-the-sallee-rovers
* AssassinsCloak's review: http://assassinscloak.dreamwidth.org/16896.html
*great epic historical M/M romance: http://www.amazon.com/Epics-Historical-M-Romance/lm/RZZ7I95XQBGI1
* Elisa Rolle's review of Pirates of the Narrow Seas 1 : The Sallee Rovers (Warning: Link NSFW Not Safe For Work) http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/941530.html
PoNS 2 : Men of Honor
*Astrodene's review of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://www.historicnavalfiction.com/index.php/general-hnf-info/book-reviews/1657-astrodene-review-men-of-honor-by-m-kei
* Alex Beecroft's review of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://speakitsname.com/2010/05/18/review-pirates-of-the-narrow-seas-ii-men-of-honor-by-m-kei
*Nan Hawthorne's review of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2010/10/men-of-honor-by-m-kei.html
* Elisa Rolle's view of PoNS 2 Men of Honor: http://elisa-rolle.livejournal.com/1102218.html
PoNS 3 : Iron Men
*Nan Hawthorne's review of PoNS 3 Iron Men: http://allsheread.blogspot.com/2010/10/iron-menby-m-kei.htmlk.
PoNS 4 : Heart of Oak
*Yancy Carpentier's review of PonS 4 Heart of Oak: http://bookworld.editme.com/Review-Heart-of-Oak-by-M-Kei
The first of the books can be read for free at NarrowSeas.blogspot.com. There's a table of contents at the top right corner that links into the chapters. A blog is not the most convenient way to read a novel, but hey, it's free. If you want convenient, you have to pay for it. Then you can get it as either an ebook or a print boo
~K~
Friday, March 5, 2010
Pirates of the Narrow Seas 2 : Men of Honor Coming Soon
Captain Peter Thorton, Sallee rover, and his lover, Shakil bin Nakih set out on a quest to rescue the mad duke, Henrique, Duke of Coimbra, the man who wants to be king of Portugal. Shakil disguises himself to slip into the Spanish stronghold of Sebta, and with a Spanish fleet hot on their heels, Thorton, Shakil, and Henrique flee for their lives—only to run smack into the arms of the British navy.
Arrested for desertion and sodomy, Thorton is obliged to surrender his arms and give his parole and serve as a lieutenant aboard the Ajax under the dour and proper Captain Ebenezer Horner. His former friend, Lt. Roger Perry, becomes his worst enemy. He is harassed and taunted, in spite of his victories at sea.
Thorton's Sallee friends do not abandon him. Captain Tangle comes to his rescue, but the redoubtable corsair meets his match in the steely Captain Horner. Determined to do his duty and turn Thorton over for trial before the notorious homophobe, Admiral Walters, Horner must keep the impetuous Turk at bay even when being menaced by the Spanish who are bent on revenge against them all.
Men of Honor carries on the tradition of nautical derring-do in exotic and colorful locations, written by a tall ship sailor and internationally acclaimed poet, M. Kei.
Due to the terms of the contract with Bristlecone Pine Press, the e-book publisher that is publishing all three books, PoNS 2 is no longer available for free on this site. It will be available in print from Lulu.com/Keibooks and in a variety of e-book formats from http://www.bcpinepress.com on or about March 22.
Arrested for desertion and sodomy, Thorton is obliged to surrender his arms and give his parole and serve as a lieutenant aboard the Ajax under the dour and proper Captain Ebenezer Horner. His former friend, Lt. Roger Perry, becomes his worst enemy. He is harassed and taunted, in spite of his victories at sea.
Thorton's Sallee friends do not abandon him. Captain Tangle comes to his rescue, but the redoubtable corsair meets his match in the steely Captain Horner. Determined to do his duty and turn Thorton over for trial before the notorious homophobe, Admiral Walters, Horner must keep the impetuous Turk at bay even when being menaced by the Spanish who are bent on revenge against them all.
Men of Honor carries on the tradition of nautical derring-do in exotic and colorful locations, written by a tall ship sailor and internationally acclaimed poet, M. Kei.
Due to the terms of the contract with Bristlecone Pine Press, the e-book publisher that is publishing all three books, PoNS 2 is no longer available for free on this site. It will be available in print from Lulu.com/Keibooks and in a variety of e-book formats from http://www.bcpinepress.com on or about March 22.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Gay Nautical Novels on Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/R2DRBGWMK8XMM4/ref=cm_lm_pthnk_view?ie=UTF8&lm_bb=
Pirates of the Narrow Seas isn't in print yet, but soon, very soon, it will be. I know of a few other nautical novels featuring gay characters, so I made up a list at Amazon.com using their Listmania feature. Please note, I have not read all the novels on the list. The contents are variable. Some are erotica, some are 'breeeches rippers' (m/m equivalent of bodice rippers), some are . . . whatever it is that they are. The literary quality varies and degree of sexual explicitness also varies. Reader discretion is advised.
The list in no particular order is:
Pirates of the Narrow Seas, M. Kei
False Colours, Alex Beecroft
HMS Submission, Jack Gordon
Ransom, (Royal Navy 1), Lee Rowan
Winds of Change, (Royal Navy 2), Lee Rowan
Eye of the Storm, (Royal Navy 3), Lee Rowan
Fortunes of War, Mel Keegan
Spunky Sailor, Ken Smith
Aquamarine, Mel Keegan
The Deceivers, Mel Keegan
Storm Tide, Mel Keegan
Captain's Surrender, Alex Beecroft
Golden Boots, A. Jane
Following Tides, D. Bistrow
Azure Seas and Dragon Isles, Tygati
Mariner's Luck: Scarlet and the White Wolf, Kirby Crow
Saturday, September 19, 2009
PoNS Wins Sweet Revolution Award!
The Sweet Revolution Award is for same sex romances published on Fictionpress.com, the archive for the original draft of Pirates of the Narrow Seas. PoNS 1 was nominated and won in the category of 'best full cast' and was a special judge's pick as well.
Thank you, readers.
Please visit the website above for further information.
~K~
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Epilogue to Pirates of the Narrow Seas 1
Thank you for reading this far! I hope you enjoyed your nautical adventure and the characters you met along the way. If you did, fear not, book two is on the way. I had so much fun writing the first one that I had to carry the story forward.
Pirates of the Narrow Seas 2 : Men of Honor
What happens when Lt. Peter Thorton is caught up in the war between Spain and the Sallee Republic, but Admiral Walters is determined to hang him for the crime of loving another man? More battles and duels, storms at sea, allies, schemes, and skullduggery.
The revision is complete and will post on August 1.
~K~
Monday, July 13, 2009
Chapter 1 : England
Lieutenant Peter Thorton did not want to get up. The sun, if so dark and dreary a thing could be called a 'sun,' had risen, but the change from night to day was nearly imperceptible due to the cold rain falling. Moreover, Thorton had been sick in bed for several days and the habit of indolence had acquired a certain appeal. Yet he was a naval officer and racked with guilt that it was now after seven of the clock in the morning and he was still in bed. Guilt warred with illness, but the bed was warm and the room was cold, so guilt alone was not sufficient to haul him out of his berth to get under way. Yet he felt that, if only the room were not so cold, he was recovered enough that he could very well get up and about. Which meant he would have to. Rising compelled him to wash and shave, which was followed by donning his least dirty linen shirt, a fresh stock, a shabby wool coat and thin breeches, freshly darned wool socks, worn out shoes, and gloves with holes in the fingers. He clamped his battered tricorn on his head, and thus properly attired, went down two flights of stairs to the privy.
Coming in from that errand he passed through the kitchen where a thin cook was at work. A thin cook is never to be trusted and the runny eggs and scorched oatmeal she gave him were proof why. "Your friend is in the breakfast room," she told him.
He gladly took his plate into that mean room with its remnant of coal-fire and exclaimed, "Perry! I didn't hear you come in last night." He set his plate down and took a seat opposite his friend and fellow lieutenant. The two, being lieutenants without positions, were on half-pay and sharing a garret room at the top of a narrow house to save on expenses.
Perry smiled and said, "I didn't come in. I had agreeable female company last night." He flicked his fingers across the lapel of his coat and raised his eyebrows for emphasis. Thorton noticed that the coat was fine and new, a good thick dark blue wool shiny brass buttons stamped with the Tudor rose. It was double-breasted, but he wore it with fastened with hooks and the lapels buttoned down flat. The skirts were ample and the white boot cuffs deep. "She gave me this and much more yesterday. Of course I spent the night."
Thorton momentarily envied his friend's good fortune, but he realized how he had acquired it. Perry was a fine looking man with curly brown hair and dark eyes. He cut a very dashing figure in his brand new frock coat. And there, on the table, next to his breakfast, was a brand-new tricorn. "She must like you very much. Who is she? A rich widow?"
"Almost as good. She is a butcher's wife. She's going to send round some mutton for you and I tonight, which Cook will happily ruin for us." His tone was jovial.
"A married woman?" Thorton was scandalized.
Perry waved his fork at him. "I see you haven't entirely given up your plan to become a preacher. Ten years of service with the British navy ought to have taught you that many a woman is married to a cuckold."
Thorton eyed his friend's fine coat. Many things chased through his mind, not a few of which were the sordid transactions he had endured in the middle deck in the days before he became an officer. He sighed and stirred his congealing mass of disagreeable oatmeal. "I couldn't do it, Perry. But if you and she are content with the arrangement and her husband doesn't find out, I suppose that's the way things are."
Lieutenant Roger Perry grinned at him as he lounged over the remains of his own breakfast. "I plan to go up to the Admiralty today and see if there are any orders. There won't be, but if there are, I'll beg them to give me yours since you've been sick. Which they won't, but maybe we'll get a piece of luck and find a new clerk that hasn't yet had his humanity crushed by the British navy." His tone was cheerful. "There's no reason for you to go out in this rain when you aren't well."
"I'm much better, thank you. And I'm bored and restless. I'll walk up with you and you can tell me all about Madame Butcher and her mutton. I wouldn't mind a pair of mutton chops tonight."
"Are you certain? 'Tis powerful cold and windy and the rain is coming down in needles."
Thorton smiled across at his handsome friend and said, "Yes, I'll come." His hair was a sandy blond and his face had paled over the winter, but there was a slight blush of color in it.
"You are looking better, you're getting your color back," Perry replied, unaware of anything more than the obvious state of his friend's health.
Thorton realized he had gazed a little too frankly and started shoveling oatmeal. "Let me finish, then we'll go." He kept his eyes down and tended to his food. He couldn't taste it which was just as well.
Perry said, "I'll get your cloak then." He ran lightly up the stairs to their mutual room.
Thorton sighed. He wished for orders. To room with Perry and never betray his true feelings was an ordeal he didn't think he could withstand much longer. At first it had seemed like a delightful opportunity: share a room, a bed, a day, a week, a month . . . But while close quarters had lead to certain confidences, those confidences included Perry's reports on his successes and failures with various women. So Thorton had taken to rolling over in bed with his back to his voluble friend and saying crossly, "I'm tired Perry. I can't run about all night like you do," then lie there pretending to sleep.
Perry for his part did his best to inveigle his friend to loosen up and enjoy himself in the public houses, but Thorton was a man who could make a pot of small beer last all night. He was exceptionally parsimonious with his money which Perry attributed to having been raised by an equally parsimonious parson with the same career in mind for his stepson, but in truth, money came easily to Perry and just as easily went, thanks to his charm and good looks. Never was this more on display than this wet soggy morning as the two young gentlemen went along the street.
A girl was standing in the door of a bakery looking out and when she saw them, sang out, "Lieutenant Perry! My goodness! Why are you out on such a rainy morning?"
Perry swerved over her way and stood under her door's awning to say, "Why Sissy, you know I'm an officer in the King's Navy. And this is my friend, Lieutenant Peter Thorton. We're going up to get our orders. You never know what adventure His Majesty is going to be sending us on. I might not see you after today!"
"Oh!" Her blue eyes widened and her hand went to her mouth. "Will it be very dangerous?"
"I'm sure it will be. It always is," he replied solemnly.
She wrung her hands. "Oh dear, oh dear. To think you're going away! Maybe to be killed!"
A sharp voice came from inside. "Matilda! Don't be blocking the door! Let the gentlemen in, girl!"
So she stepped aside and they entered. Perry surveyed the buns and cakes and other treats with a very judicious eye. "Can I have a sample of that? If it is good I'll recommend it to Admiral Throgmorton when I see him." Instantly the case was opened and the girl handed over the hot cross bun. Perry took it and waved to Thorton. "What do you think, Thorton, what else might the Admiral like?"
Thorton had never heard of an Admiral Throgmorton and wondered who Perry was talking about. But he was an officer and that meant never admitting when he was lost. "Maybe some of those crescent rolls? I hear they're all the rage in France, thanks to their alliance with the Turks," he ventured. So a crescent roll was handed over to him, very moist and tender and flaky.
Perry expressed his approval with his eye on Sissy's bosom. "Excellent. I will recommend you to Admiral Throgmorton when I see him. I'm sure he will be most pleased to patronize your shop."
The girl tittered and was very pleased; she was not at all adverse to the compliment he paid her wares.
The two went on their way. They'd gone about ten paces down the street when it dawned on Thorton what his friend had done. "Perry! You can't just go off without paying! That poor girl will be in trouble if the pastries are missing!"
Perry kept walking and Thorton had to hurry to catch up. He grinned at his friend. "But I was completely honest. If I ever meet an Admiral named Throgmorton I will be sure to recommend the shop to him."
Thorton stood stock still, then ran after him. "You're horrible. That poor girl!" But he was laughing all the same.
Introduction
I'm a fan of nautical history and fiction, especially from the 18th to early 19th century, and especially fore-and-aft rigs. I served my apprenticeships aboard a historical wooden sailboat on the Chesapeake Bay (USA) and currently crew on board a tall ships. I have published two books of poetry based on my experiences with the boat and the land and water (Heron Sea and Slow Motion).
Unfortunately, I have been frustrated by the lack of gay heroes in nautical fiction. There have been hints here and there, but they are extremely minor characters and always come off badly in their encounters with the virile and masculine and admirable heterosexual male protagonists. One day, feeling cheated once again by such an encounter, I decided to write a story to amuse myself. I had no idea where it would lead or what I would write about, but I didn't let that stop me.
The character of Lt. Peter Thorton, a repressed gay man serving with the British navy of the mid-18th century immediately sprang full grown from my brain. It struck me that having a gay character would be an interesting twist on the usual nautical adventure -- nautical fiction is rather formulaic, and it's hard to make a fresh and interesting story when following at the heels of Roderick Random, Frank Mildway, Mr. Midshipman Easy, Ishmael, Harvey Cheyne, Jim Hawkins, Horatio Hornblower, Jack Aubrey, Lord Ramage, Alan Lawry, and the many other fictional heroes of what is very likely the oldest genre in English.
The Adventures of Roderick Random was first published in 1748 and set the mold of a roguish but resourceful heterosexual male hero, following him from his childhood of petty delinquency into his early years as a very junior officer aboard ship, the bedding of many women, humorous misadventures, and the eventual success and rehabilitation of the hero. Even that modern movie member of the genre, Pirates of the Caribbean, follows a similar course, albeit with magic thrown in for good measure.
I posted the first draft to http://www.fictionpress.com/~mkei where I have been frequently frustrated with the FictionPress interface. However, it does provide various advantages, such as tracking how many people read each of your stories, forums, and a ready-made readership that go there looking for stories. But, as I have been working on the revision to the novel, it occurred to me that I could blog it and present the story in a way that is easier on the readers -- and hopefully myself. Blogging technology is a lot less buggy than FictionPress.com, even if it doesn't give me stats on the number of readers.
Unfortunately, I have been frustrated by the lack of gay heroes in nautical fiction. There have been hints here and there, but they are extremely minor characters and always come off badly in their encounters with the virile and masculine and admirable heterosexual male protagonists. One day, feeling cheated once again by such an encounter, I decided to write a story to amuse myself. I had no idea where it would lead or what I would write about, but I didn't let that stop me.
The character of Lt. Peter Thorton, a repressed gay man serving with the British navy of the mid-18th century immediately sprang full grown from my brain. It struck me that having a gay character would be an interesting twist on the usual nautical adventure -- nautical fiction is rather formulaic, and it's hard to make a fresh and interesting story when following at the heels of Roderick Random, Frank Mildway, Mr. Midshipman Easy, Ishmael, Harvey Cheyne, Jim Hawkins, Horatio Hornblower, Jack Aubrey, Lord Ramage, Alan Lawry, and the many other fictional heroes of what is very likely the oldest genre in English.
The Adventures of Roderick Random was first published in 1748 and set the mold of a roguish but resourceful heterosexual male hero, following him from his childhood of petty delinquency into his early years as a very junior officer aboard ship, the bedding of many women, humorous misadventures, and the eventual success and rehabilitation of the hero. Even that modern movie member of the genre, Pirates of the Caribbean, follows a similar course, albeit with magic thrown in for good measure.
I posted the first draft to http://www.fictionpress.com/~mkei where I have been frequently frustrated with the FictionPress interface. However, it does provide various advantages, such as tracking how many people read each of your stories, forums, and a ready-made readership that go there looking for stories. But, as I have been working on the revision to the novel, it occurred to me that I could blog it and present the story in a way that is easier on the readers -- and hopefully myself. Blogging technology is a lot less buggy than FictionPress.com, even if it doesn't give me stats on the number of readers.
Anyhow, I figure it's worthy trying out to see how well it works. If you like what you see, Follow the blog for chapters as they become available. And do post your comments -- I'd love to hear from you!
~K~
M. Kei
~K~
M. Kei
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
