Darlene's Digest

When they were all assembled, he looked out over the assortment of Yankee privateers and their British doctor and said, “Men, I have news from home.” He waited for the murmurs to die down. “I received correspondence on St. Martin that I wish to share with you. Last August, while we were at sea fighting for the rights of sailors and free Americans, the British burned our nation’s capitol, Washington City.” Now the mutters from the men were angry as they shifted their feet and looked at one another. The Americans had burned York in Canada, and Great Britain might be justified in saying it’s tit for tat to burn the Americans’ capitol, but Charley just scratched her ear and wisely refrained from pointing that out. --SEA CHANGE Today is the anniversary of the burning of Washington, DC and the White House in 1814.   But I don't think we can blame the Brits for the earthquake.

WORLDCON 2011 or "HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER VACATION" Nearly 4,000 SF fans and pros from around the world gathered in Reno, Nevada this week for Renovation, the 69th World Science Fiction convention.  It was a blast.  I had five days of hanging out with some of the best writers and most amazing fans in the world.  I worked in Program Operations at the con, and enjoyed that as well.  Much of our work was dealing with crises involving program items--panelists who don't show up, communications breakdowns regarding room set-ups--and I again appreciated just how many volunteer hours go into making a Worldcon happen.  I was also on the program at Worldcon.  My first panel was on Thursday afternoon: "Tall Tales vs. History in Pirate Research".  What a great discussion! The room was full of fans and my fellow panelists were Tim Powers (On Stranger Tides), Carrie Vaughn of "Kitty the werewolf" fame, A.C. Crispin, who wrote Jack Sparrow's backstory for Dis...

Am I the last romance reader in the world who's bothered by constant head-hopping?  I'm reading a novel now by a popular paranormal author (no, I'm not going to name her) and the abrupt POV shifts back-and-forth within a single page are giving me a headache!  I'm willing to tolerate it from Nora Roberts when I read one of her books because she's Nora freakin' Roberts and she's that good, but the rest of you?  Not that good. Yet. Dorothy Dunnett's six book Lymond Chronicles are told from everyone's POV except the hero.   We're only in his head for one sentence .  And yet I defy anyone to read and enjoy those books without coming away feeling like you know the hero. It takes effort to stay within a single POV for a scene, especially in a romance because you have two protagonists.  I've written scenes where I switched POV midway through because I thought it was necessary for the story, and I've written scenes where I deliberately went b...

I'm sometimes asked about the "proper order" for reading my novels.  I write all of them to be read as stand-alone books, but some of them are linked, so I'll post a little reading guide here: Read The Bride and the Buccaneer before Captain Sinister's Lady .  A younger Morgan Roberts, aka "Captain Sinister" is a secondary character in Bride . Pirate's Price is set a generation before Smuggler's Bride .  The heroine of Smuggler's Bride is the daughter of the H&H of Pirate's Price , and characters from that novel make appearances in Smuggler . Right now Sea Change is fully a stand-alone novel, but I have an unpublished novel that features a secondary character from Sea Change as the hero. Stay tuned!

My Renovation (Worldcon 2011) Schedule #renosf  Here's my final schedule for the 69th Worldcon,  Renovation, August 17-21 in Reno, Nevada.   If you're trying to decide whether or not to go, they also sell memberships at the door. Where there's an (M) next to my name, I'm moderating that panel.  If you're coming to the "Pirates for Kids" panel on Friday at 5 p.m., have pity--I'm going to have to sprint to make it there on time.[g] Thu 16:00 - 17:00, Arrrggh! Tall Tales versus History in Pirate Research Pirate fiction is a popular sub-genre. While grounded in history, research about pirates can be tricky. Records are erratic and often exaggerated. What are some of the more reliable resources? And what about when the truth about pirates is stranger than its fiction? Carrie Vaughn (M), Darlene Marshall, Tim Powers, John G. Hemry, A. C. Crispin Fri 11:00 - 12:00, The Continuing Popularity of J...

Watched the 2011 "Jane Eyre" movie tonight.  I knew how it ended--I'd read the book.  I still believe the BBC production with Timothy Dalton is the gold standard of Edward Rochesters (and I'd seen Orson Welles and George C. Scott do it), but Michael Fassbender wasn't bad. And I confess, I have a soft spot for Sinjin Rivers.  I always hoped his ship to India would get overrun by pirates led by a hot lady pirate who would take him prisoner and show him a good time.  He needed it, poor lad.

I had to cancel my book signing at Books Plus in Fernandina Beach this Sunday due to a family obligation.  I'll post a notice when it's rescheduled, and I apologize if this inconveniences anyone.

Watched "A Tale of Two Cities" (1935) on TCM tonight.  I knew how it ended--I read the book.  So many great performances in this film--Ronald Colman as Sidney Carton defined the tragic romantic hero.  And I'd nearly forgotten Blanche Yurka's outstanding performance as Madame Dufarge. Leonard Malkin gives it four out of four stars, and I have to agree.  To say they don't make them like they used to is cliched, but there is validity to it. By the way, SF fans, Fritz Leiber is one of the actors in this classic.

A SNIPPET FROM "THE HOT PIRATE'S SECRET BABY"[WORKING TITLE] Writing is going well this morning, the kind of morning where I feel like I made the right career choice after all.  Since it's been a while, here's a snippet from my WIP.  You're going to see it warts and all, and it shows part of my writing process. When I don't like a word or have doubts, I put it in brackets and move on. It 1817 pirate Robert St. Armand is sailing from the Caribbean to England.  Aboard the Prodigal Son is his young daughter Mathilde, age 8 or so.  Robert realizes he needs some quality childcare, and happens to know Mathilde's former governess is aboard another vessel in these waters. [Working Title) The Hot Pirate's Secret Baby “I am contemplating murder at this moment, Captain St. Armand. Leave me alone to continue to St. Thomas!” “That I cannot do, and I am done discussing this.” She gasped as he hoisted her in his arms. “I suggest you cease struggl...

BOOK SIGNING IN FERNANDINA BEACH Ahoy, Florida First Coast!  I'll be signing books at Books Plus in delightful, historic downtown Fernandina Beach on Sunday, August 7 from 1-5 p.m.  The bookstore is a cozy spot with coffee, wi-fi, gifts, and a children's corner for the littlest book fans.  Of course, any day at the beach is wonderful, and you can explore this special area once known for being a haven to pirates and smugglers. The Bride and the Buccaneer is partly set in Fernandina, so I'm really looking forward to returning to the town.  Be sure to drop by and get a signed copy of one of my books for your summer beach reading.

To the winners of the Goodreads Giveaway:  Thank you for your patience while I was at the beach doing research (that's my story, and I'm sticking to it).  Your signed copies of Sea Change are now in the mail winging their way to you!

My Renovation (Worldcon 2011) Schedule I've received my schedule, and they've got me on panels with some heavy hitters, including GoH Tim Powers.  If I wasn't a highly professional author you'd be hearing my fangirl squeeing all over the place!  Where there's an (M) next to my name, I'm moderating that panel.  You can still buy memberships to Renovation, August 17 in Reno, Nevada.  Kudos to the Renovation Program staff for putting together such a great line-up of talent across the programming spectrum. Thu 16:00 - 17:00, Arrrggh! Tall Tales versus History in Pirate Research Pirate fiction is a popular sub-genre. While grounded in history, research about pirates can be tricky. Records are erratic and often exaggerated. What are some of the more reliable resources? And what about when the truth about pirates is stranger than its fiction? Carrie Vaughn (M), Darlene Marshall, Tim Powers, John G. Hemry, A. C....

As I mentioned, I'm at the beach while my husband attends his annual state conference.  Poor guy, he's tied up in sessions all day while I get to do my work while looking out over a stormy Atlantic.  I took one of the resort bikes today for a ride south along A1A.  It was invigorating to be back on a bike, and when the rain blew in suddenly it was refreshing as well as invigorating.  If it clears up this afternoon I may go for a dip in the ocean. In the meantime, I'm aware the summer is winding down and I need to be hard at work on my next novel, so I'm hoping that this jaunt away from my normal distractions may stimulate some quality writing.  It's worked in the past, and I'm going to put some real effort into it. So later, gators.  Hope your summer is going equally well.

Congratulations to the three Goodreads Giveaway winners!  Your copies of Sea Change will be winging their way to you as soon as I return from the beach later this week.  I'm researching my next book, which may be called Lifestyles of the Pirates of Palm Beach or Marauders and Mojitos or That Costs How Much?  Hold on While I Dig Up My Treasure Chest . Yep.  Research.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Today is Bastille Day, a lovely opportunity to salute the French by having a nice glass of wine, a bit of cheese and a baguette.  In honor of the day I'm posting a snippet from my WIP, Castaway Dreams .  If you've read Sea Change (and if you haven't, get yourself to your favorite bookseller and buy it!), then you know who Alexander Murray is.  He's the hero of Castaway Dreams , and the villain is a pirate named Robert St. Armand.  St. Armand has designs on the heroine as this conversation between St. Armand and the mate illustrates.  So why this snippet on Bastille Day?  St. Armand may--or may not--be a Frenchman: CASTAWAY DREAMS “‘Daffy Daphne’ was the topic of choice in many a club and drawing room, for you seldom see looks like that combined with money.” “A lot of money?” “Oh yes, enough to keep a man happy for many, many years. And what impressionable young woman is not in love with the idea of a bold buccaneer? A voyage across the ocean i...

Time is running out!  Enter the Sea Change giveaway now!         Goodreads Book Giveaway                                                                     Sea Change                                       by Darlene Marshall                                                  ...

I'm re-reading A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pirates by Captain Charles Johnson.  I've read it many times, but wanted to come back to it now because it's a plot device in my WIP [working title] The Hot Pirate's Secret Baby.  In the WIP, the pirate captain hero reads aloud to his daughter from Johnson's history as a bedtime story, doing some judicious editing on the fly.  The governess heroine is less than pleased with his choice of literature, but little Mathilde (who's taken on the pirate name of "Marauding Mattie") loves hearing about Anne Bonny and Mary Read, Blackbeard and the rest. Johnson's book is the ur-book of pirate stories in the West, and much of our knowledge and images of pirates comes from him.  The book is entertaining and lively.  It doesn't hurt that "Captain Johnson" may in fact be Daniel Defoe, a man who knew how to write a rousing story!  It still reads well after 300 year...

I thought Conner Calling was a huge success.  If you couldn't hear the show today, Hank will archive it after a few days and you'll be able to hear it on the web.  We talked about changes in the book industry, historical romance, and I read a couple scenes (slightly edited) from Sea Change.   The hour flew by!  I hope we can do it again soon.

INDEPENDENCE DAY       Charley didn’t know anything about guns, but the sailors and Mr. Silas Stuart, the mate, seemed impressed with the speed of the “Cannies” at their stations. Naturally, they placed bets on whether the next shot would hit the barrel floating off the starboard bow.       “They’re fast, but accuracy counts,” Stuart said. “Now, if you want to see real accuracy, watch the Americans. ‘Cousin Jonathan’ is so skinflint about outfitting ships I suspect the cost of each ball that doesn’t hit its mark is deducted from the sailors’ pay!”       “Those Yankees will never be able to stand against our big Navy guns,” the cook said with a grin. -- Sea Change The cook aboard the Lady Jane was wrong.   The United States Navy was able to stand against the Royal Navy's guns in war, not once, but twice within 40 years.  Each time, the young nation proved itself a force to be reckoned w...

I've been invited back to Conner Calling , on Friday, July 8 from 1-2 p.m. EDT.  We'll be talking about ebooks and ereaders, Sea Change , the business of writing, and whatever else Hank wants to discuss or the listeners phone-in/email-in and ask. Remember, you can listen online from anywhere in the world via your computer.  Just click on the link at the website.