Thursday, February 18, 2016

A-sailing we will go, with Susan Page Davis and James Samuel Davis ♦ Giveaway, too!

I am so excited to introduce you to the mother and son writing team of author Susan Page Davis and her son, James S. Davis.

There’s a free book available - see the purple (what ele?) arrow below


But first, let me give you a little something to whet your appetite.

clipper ship


With the captain dead in Melbourne, Australia, Alice Packard thinks the worst has happened, until she learns the crew has deserted her husband’s ship in favor of the goldfields. Only one old man, Gypsy Deak, sticks by her, but Gypsy alone can’t raise a crew from the depleted population. In desperation, Alice turns to the only source of plentiful workers: the women of Melbourne. In a bold move, she and Gypsy empty a brothel, promising the escaped women a new life. Her all-woman (save one) crew put their backs and hearts into the voyage, but Alice finds training her sailors much harder than she expected. Her faith is tested to the limit. With a cargo to sell, angry brothel and tavern owners in pursuit, pirates to evade, and a mysterious stowaway, will the seafaring women of the Vera B. survive to tell the tale of this daring adventure?

Welcome, Susan and Jim. I think this is a first for Whispers in Purple. I’m captivated by the synopsis above, and I can’t wait to read the book.

PEG: What made the two of you team up?

SUSAN: Jim was visiting my house, and we got talking about book plots. My usual output is historical romance or cozy mysteries. Jim enjoys writing fantasy and adventure. I told him the bare bones of a plot I had thought of and put aside, and he loved it. He started suggesting plot twists, and next thing you know, we were off and running.

PEG: I’ve never worked with a co-writer. How do the two of you do it?

SUSAN: In this case, we divided some tasks according to our strengths. Jim had spent some time earlier in Australia, so he did a lot of the research on that country. I knew more about some things, such as fashions, from previous research, and as the author of 60 previous books, I had a good grasp of structuring the book. We both boned up on sailing. When it came to the actual writing, we divided it by who had the strongest desire to write a particular section. For instance, I wrote most of the parts about Alice’s visit ashore in Brisbane. Jim outlined the pirate fight and wrote many of the scenes in Alice’s viewpoint, though not all, and Jim wrote most of those in Gypsy’s point of view. I wrote the scene where Kate and the other women escaped the bordello; Jim wrote most of the scenes where Lizzie is feuding with Ned. We shared the rescue party’s odyssey ashore. We live about 500 miles apart, so we spent a lot of time on the phone talking through each plot point and deciding who would write it.

PEG: As I said, this story intrigues me. Where/how did you come with the idea?

Susan: I had read about a real woman whose husband was a ship’s captain and died in a foreign port. She took the ship home. But of course, she had a full crew to support her and do most of the work. I thought, what if she didn’t? What if they all abandoned her and she had to find someone else to do it? And so the Seafaring Women plot was born.

PEG: I’ve read how England used to send women prisoners to Australia, most of whom probably ended up in brothels. But freeing the prostitutes to go sailing…? Tell us about that.

SUSAN: It’s fiction, to be sure. A couple of our characters, Nell and Brea, did arrive in Australia on convict ships. Most of the younger women were lured or forced into prostitution. As Alice and Gypsy seek for a new crew in the story, they learn that several women are desperate to leave their difficult lives in Australia. They are not legal prisoners, but their employers treat them harshly and will not let them leave the business. With the help of an enterprising tavern maid, Alice comes up with a plan to rescue them.

PEG: How much research did you have to do to learn about sailing ships for this story?

SUSAN: Tons. We both read Richard Henry Dana’s Two Years before the Mast again, because it takes place on the same type of merchant ship we were writing about. We also consulted his Seaman’s Friend and other books about sailing ships. We watched videos and consulted with people who work replica sailing ships. My brother, who is a retired Coast Guard officer and an avid sailor, was a great help. I also reread some old favorite books set on sailing ships, including Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, which tells of the real captain Nathanial Bowditch teaching his entire crew to navigate, right down to the cabin boys. But we’re not experts, and any mistakes are all ours!

Okay, Susan, now about the book details:

  • SeafaringWomenFrontFinal· Title: Seafaring Women of the Vera B.

  • · Publisher: Tea Tin Press

  • · Release Date: Jan. 20, 2016 (e-book) and Jan. 31 (paperback)

  • · Genre: Historical

  • · Stand-alone or series: We are working on book 2! This is book 1 in the Hearts of Oak series.

  • · Target Audience: Anyone who loves a good, clean historical adventure, with a hint of romance. The typical reader will probably be a woman in the 30-60 age group, but this book appeals to a wide audience.


PEG: Well, I can definitely say it appeals to me!

Give us the purchase Links:

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

JSD hdshotJames Samuel Davis is a writer who has traveled in Australia, China, Micronesia, and Alaska. He resides in rural Travelers Rest, S.C., with his wife and seven children.

Susan Page Davis cropped

Susan Page Davis, James’s mom, is the author of more than sixty Christian novels and novellas. Her historical novels have won numerous awards, including the Carol Award, the Will Rogers Medallion for Western Fiction, and the Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest.

Where can readers find you?

Find us at:

Arrow_Purple_Right_Transparent_PNG_Clip_Art_ImageWe’re offering either e-book or print copy, with the paperback restricted to the U.S., but the e-book can be anywhere it’s legal. To enter, just leave a comment below, along with your contact email (in case you win!) Giveaway ends Friday, February 26, at Midnight, Central Time. Winner will be drawn via random.org and notified by email on Saturday or Sunday.

Thank you, Susan and Jim, for visiting Whispers in Purple blog. This has been a fascinating interview. Please come back for a visit when Book Two releases!

32 comments:

  1. Peg, it's great to be here talking about books! Thanks for having us here today.

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  2. The pleasure is all mine, Susan. I enjoyed having you with me this week.

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  3. I do not normally read historical fiction, but this sounds fascinating. I would love to win it as an e-book.

    Bonnie

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  4. I agree with you on the fascinating part, Bonnie! Thanks for stopping by. Your name has been entered into the drawing :)

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  5. Thanks for taking a chance, Bonnie! If you do read this book, of course we hope you will love it.

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  6. What a great plot! I do read historical, not so much fantasy and adventure, but I can handle it- lol.

    I'm also interested in the duo-writing process, so thanks for sharing.

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  7. Hi, Gail, thanks for the visit. Duo-writing, huh? :)
    Your name is in the drawing, too.

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  8. It's a challenge, Gail, but writing together has great rewards.

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  9. This sound like an excellent adventure in writing and a great read too!

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  10. Thanks, Paula! It's been a great experience for us.

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  11. Hi, Paula, so glad you dropped in for a visit. And, your name has been entered in the drawing. Keep and eye on your email next weekend :)

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  12. It is great to get a bit of history in a novel. I learned a lot from this interview. The questions were great and so were the answers.

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  13. Hi, Jan! Thanks for visiting and leaving a comment. I've entered your name in the drawing for a free copy :)

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  14. Glad you enjoyed reading it, Jan. The research is half the fun!

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  15. I was fascinated with how Susan and Jim wrote the book from 500 miles apart; I'll bet that was a challenge but also a pleasure. I'm looking forward to reading the book.

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  16. Thanks for dropping by, Suzanne! Got your name in the drawing. Good luxck!

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  17. It was a learning curve, Suzanne, but worth the effort. Thanks for coming by!

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  18. This sounds like a fascinating read, especially since I know only a tiny bit about Australia - like the location! So this will not only be an intriguing read but one that I can learn about the time period and location(s). I think it is a great idea to see Susan and Jim sharing their talents to put together a whole; it has been quite a long time since I've read any of Susan Page Davis' books. What a treat!

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  19. Hi, Jeanie, so glad you stopped by. AND...you are entered into the drawing.

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  20. Thank you, Jeanie. If Jim hadn't spent time in Australia, it would have been more daunting, I think. He has a good feel for the culture.

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  21. Very interesting to learn what it takes to co-write a book with someone. The book sounds like it is full of adventure and excitement. Definitely adding it to my ever growing TBR list.

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  22. Hi, Heather, so glad you stopped by for a visit. Like you, I've added this book to myt TBR list, too. Can't wait to dig into it. Your name has been added to the drawing.

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  23. Thank you for your kind words, Heather!

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  24. Enjoyed the interview. This is a fun way to learn about authors. Mother - Son duo. Fascinating.

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  25. I really enjoyed the interview. Great way to learn about authors. Loved the mother, son duo in writing the book.

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  26. Thank you, Brenda! Glad you stopped by.

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  27. This sounds like a great book. I can't wait to read it.

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  28. Well, Lynne, you might get your chance to read it. I've just entered your name into the drawing to be held in the morning. Watch your email this weekend.

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  29. Thank you, Lynne! I'm excited to see who the winner is.

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  30. Janet K Brown (@janetkbrowntx)February 26, 2016 at 9:05 AM

    It sounds fabulous. I wish you well, Susan & James. Thanks, Peg, for sharing. I've never heard of this. Glad I made it in the drawing in the nick of time. Ha! JanetDOThopeATattDOTnet I would love to win.

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  31. Hi, Jamet! Thanks so much for dropping in. Your name is now entered into the drawing and the winner will be notified via email this weekend.

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