Christians Read

I hope you’ve been enjoying my journey to tell how I developed my Ahab’s Legacy book series. Here’s the next installment, this one about Book Three.

 Son of Perdition is the coming-of-age story of Timothy Jacobs, a young man determined not to be like his infamous father. But how should I develop this character? What setting should I use? I could have come up with a clever tale and then shaped history to fit my plot. But that’s against everything I believe in as a historical writer. Instead, I studied my chosen era and shaped my protagonist’s life around what really happened. (At left is the e-book cover designed by Jeff Gerke.)

Of course, the first thing I wanted to do was tell a compelling, character-driven story, one with plenty of internal and external conflicts. In this case, I’m creating the tale of a young man determined not to be like his father, whom the maritime community regards as evil. Starting out, all I knew was that Timothy would, like any good protagonist, run into many obstacles on his life journey, one of them being a major war and another being a worthy adversary.

For Timothy’s antagonist, I chose Isaiah, the son of Mr. Starbuck, Captain Ahab’s late, lamented, and godly first mate. (In Moby Dick, both Ahab and Starbuck have young sons.) And, of course, a handsome young man like Timothy must have a love interest, so I gave Isaiah a younger sister named Jemima, a fairly common name for girls on Nantucket Island during that time. Because Isaiah despises Timothy for being the son of Ahab, he creates all kinds of havoc when Timothy and Jemima fall in love. Now conflicts abound.

Next, because I had been date specific in my first two books, I chose a timeline of nine years, 1857–1865, which would include events before and during the Civil War. Timothy comes from a seafaring family: his father was a whaler, and his stepfather is a cotton importer, who also just happens to smuggle slaves out of Norfolk and into Boston, an activity based on actual historical events. Therefore, Timothy will love the sea and will seek a seafaring career. Coming as he does from a well-to-do family, he will be well-educated and will train for a position of responsibility and leadership. Thus, the next logical step for him is to receive an appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis on his way to becoming an officer in the U. S. Navy.

Beginning my story in 1857, I decided to use names of real-life faculty to interact with my fictional characters, placing these characters in situations and conversations that actually could have happened between faculty and students. I was careful not to malign anyone or have them do anything out of character. If anything, I might have gone a bit overboard in my heroic portrayals based on what I had read about these people and quotations about them from their contemporaries.

This brings me to the research part of my project. I started looking for books that would give me a true history of the Naval Academy. Among the many resources I found on Amazon.com, a golden jewel of information rose above all the rest: The Spirited Years: A History of the Antebellum Naval Academy, by Charles Todorich (Naval Institute Press, 1984). When I got my hands on this book, I knew heaven had opened and manna had come down. This is the definitive book on the antebellum U. S. Naval Academy, just what every author dreams of owning. It contains details of what and whom my hero would encounter, even obscure and complex details needed to reveal the daily lives and personalities of the midshipmen at the academy.

This book was Charles’s master’s thesis at the University of Maryland, meaning he did extensive and detailed research and took years to write it so he could get it right. His credentials as a naval academy graduate and his degrees in law and American history gave me confidence that I could count on his work being accurate. While writing my novel, I travelled to Annapolis with my husband and we had only two hours to search the stacks at the Academy’s Nimitz Library. No way could I ever have dug out everything I needed. Fortunately, Charles had done the work for me. I could use his book to frame the action in mine.

As a non-military person, I needed to find out what it takes to make a naval officer. I needed to know what the attitudes and ideals of the times were, how the academy personnel and students got along with the citizens of Annapolis, and what the young men did when the Civil War broke out and cherished friendships among northern and southern cadets were shattered. Charles writes about all of these in detail in The Spirited Years. These are the details that add TEXTURE and REALISM to my story.

The value of historical fiction is that it helps to make the past personal and relevant. Charles’s book has the best of both because he personalizes the midshipmen through real stories. I believe that the best fiction includes the personal human dramas of history. Since he had done all the research, all I had to do was wander through the orchard and pluck the ripe fruit from the trees. In addition, and actually most important, he gave me insights into the kind of men who stayed the course through the rigorous academy training when others were dropping out. (At left is the original print book cover.)

Here are some of the specific parts of his book I used to frame my story:

First, the actual buildings, the stage for my play. Now I knew where the midshipmen lived, studied, ate, drilled, attended class and church services, and played.

 Second, the midshipman course of study, essential to reveal the rivalry between my protagonist, Timothy Jacobs, and his antagonist, Isaiah Starbuck, each of whom was determined to be first in his class, an honor that actually went to Midshipman William T. Sampson. I certainly did not change that bit of history.

 Third, the administration and faculty, including Superintendent George S. Blake, especially his character, personality, demeanor, physical description, and how he interacted with the students. I also learned that Blake’s wife took on the responsibility of teaching the young men proper social behavior and even invited them into her home, as did many other citizens of the city.

Fourth, the interaction between the people of Annapolis and the Academy also includes the annual Winter Ball and other events in the Academy’s lively social life, which are essential to any young person’s coming-of-age. I also appropriated several actual midshipmen, such as Alfred Thayer Mahan, George Dewey, William T. Sampson, and others to interact with my characters. I took special care to include one Charles W. Flusser so that in my small way I could honor this most popular and gallant young man who died in a naval battle during the Civil War. Before reading Charles’s book, I’d never heard of this heroic patriot. Another Academy faculty member, Thomas T. Craven, developed and oversaw the summer cruises, upon which the midshipmen learned seamanship. The details of the summer cruises provided several dramatic moments in my story.

Finally, because my timeline included the Civil War, I was greatly appreciated Charles’s discussion of the arguments among the midshipmen over slavery. This is the most important historical issue I hoped to bring forward in my novel. Everyone in American knows about the Civil War. But because of some of the poorly researched or outright misleading books and movies, many young people have been confused and ill-informed about what really ignited that terrible conflict that took the lives of 600,000 of our citizens.

During his research journey, Charles uncovered first person letters and narratives that revealed the agony each young man went through in deciding what he would do once war was imminent. I incorporated his accounts into my story. For instance, he wrote a short passage in The Spirited Years describing the departure of southern midshipmen and the heartbreak it caused among close friends. Next time, I’ll post my rendering of that same scene using my fictional characters, two southerners and two northerners.

After finding The Spirited Years, I contacted Charles and we became friends. He served as my advisor and approved the final manuscript. Because of his help, it’s a project I’m very proud of.

Here’s the story:

Timothy Jacobs, a handsome midshipman at the U. S. Naval Academy, is determined not to sail the disastrous course that destroyed his infamous father, Captain Ahab. Certain of his own goodness compared to the man he both hates and admires, Timothy feels his good works are salvation enough. But after he is wounded during a Civil War sea battle, his all-consuming rage at God launches him on a bitter journey all too reminiscent of the father he vowed not to be like. (At right is the Monongahela, the ship Timothy served on during the Civil War.) Will Timothy learn the lessons his father ignored? Will childhood sweetheart Jemima show him the account of his father’s ill-fated voyage in time? Can Timothy accept that both he and his father have misunderstood the merciful, loving nature of God? Don’t miss this stunning conclusion to the Ahab’s Legacy Series, which began with Ahab’s Bride. “Louise M. Gouge has once again combined history, romance, and adventure to create a story as grand in sweep as the distance from the bottom of the sea to heaven on high.” Charles M. Todorich, Author the The Spirited Years: A History of the Antebellum Naval Academy

If you’ve missed any steps on this journey, please check this list of all my posts on Ahab’s Bride.

Today is the first day of May, a month in which there are two major holiday. Mother’s Day on May 13th and Memorial Day on May 28th. It’s also a month were many of the states begin to thaw out from the long winter’s chill.

But here in Texas, spring is in full bloom. The wildflowers are popping up in the pastures and along the roadways. The trees are green again. New life is springing up everywhere.

This is one of my favorite times of the year. The famous Texas humidity hasn’t made an appearance yet. The days are warm and the evenings cool. Perfect.

It’s the time for new beginnings and I have a brand new release out this month entitled Past Sins. This is the third book that takes place near the fictional town of Soaring Eagle, Wyoming.

In Past Sins, FBI Agent Samantha Morning Star barely survived a serial killer’s knife when the Night Slasher captured her, intent on making her his next victim. Samantha’s narrow escape still haunts her, sending her fleeing to the one place where she has always felt safe. The Durante Mountain Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Northern Wyoming. But Samantha’s past sins are all there waiting for her. The young boy she once loved and left behind is now all grown up and the chief of police for the reservation.

Chief Zack Standing Elk can’t believe it. The woman who tore his hearts to shreds is back. But Samantha isn’t the same person she once was when she left the reservation behind after her grandmother’s death, insisting that he not wait for her. Samantha is one troubled soul. It isn’t long before he realizes the reason behind the fear in her eyes, when the killer who took her hostage follows her to the Cheyenne reservation determined to claim her as his once more.

With the clock ticking on the Night Slasher’s latest victim, Zack’s past sins come back and haunt him as well. Can he find out the Slasher’s true identity before he takes another innocent life? And will he be able to stop the killer who is coming after Samantha full force?

So, wherever you are, I hope spring has made an appearance there. Happy Spring!

All the best…

Mary Alford

http://www.maryalford.net

Our Past Shapes Who We Are

By Margaret Daley

In Lone Star Christmas Rescuemy heroine is found passed out in Big Bend National Park by the hero, Texas Ranger Drake Jackson. “Kay” has amnesia and doesn’t know how she ended up there with a baby. Question after question overwhelms her mind. She has no idea who she is. Have you ever imagined what it would be like, not remembering anything in your past? How do you know even simple things like what you enjoy eating or your favorite color? It also makes you wonder about what kind of person you are?

When I develop a new character, I start by building his/her past. What a person goes through as she grows up shapes who she is. But with Kay, I couldn’t do that the same way I do for other characters. I started with a blank slate, putting myself into her shoes. I show her personality developing as she discovers who she is. It was fun as the writer to discover who my character is as she goes deeper into the story and begins to remember parts of her past. She has to learn to trust herself—and the memories coming back to her. But that doesn’t stop her from questioning what she thinks is true because it feels right. It doesn’t stop her from wondering if the memories are real.

Her past meets the present and sometimes there are clashes between the two. Amnesia can come from both physical and emotional trauma. In Kay’s case, it was more emotional. She went through a horrible ordeal, and as she remembers the past, she wants to deny it. But she has to learn to reconcile the two.

Lone Star Christmas Rescue

By Margaret Daley

A baby’s frantic cries lead Texas Ranger Drake Jackson to an injured woman in Big Bend Park, the infant by her side. But “Kay” has no idea who she is or what happened. All she seems sure of is that she’s in terrible danger. When someone comes after her—determined to snatch the child—Drake takes her and little Kaleb to his family’s ranch to protect them. But with the attackers circling closer as Christmas approaches, the guarded ranger knows they won’t be safe there for long. Vowing to uncover her identity and catch her attacker, Drake plans to give mother and child the holiday they deserve…safe by his side forever.

Buy Links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iBooks, Kobo, ChristianBooks, and Google Play

As Mary Alford said in this past Tuesday’s post, readers find book series very appealing because they want to know what happens next to the characters they’ve come to love. With that in mind, we authors often plan ahead and include in our first book characters and situations that might occur in the next book of books in the series.

When I wrote Ahab’s Bride, I knew my heroine, Hannah Ahab, would need to move on in life after Ahab’s death. (By the way, Ahab’s Bride is the only book I’ve written without a happily-ever-after. But Ahab’s death was inevitable, and so was his loving widow’s grief.) Hannah lived a shadow of a marriage to Ahab. She spent more time wishing for him than being with him. In waiting for him to return from his whaling voyages, she was waiting for happiness. Her marriage to Ahab had only been a dream, except for the son he left her. At right is the original paperback cover.

Hannah now has this impressionable son, Timothy, to protect from his father’s ruined reputation. Once known as the best whaling captain to sail out of Nantucket, Ahab is now reviled for having destroyed his crew in his insane quest to kill Moby Dick. His widow and son are now shunned or taunted by the hardworking whaling families of their home island, a closed community that grudgingly welcomed Hannah when she was a bride. Regarded as an “Off-Islander,” she had struggled to earn her place, only to lose it because of Ahab’s actions.

If you were a mother with a six-year-old child, what would you do in these circumstances? Hannah flees the Nantucket Island and goes west to Indiana, where her father’s family welcomes her while she sorts out her choices. But she grows restless and decides to take a long overdue trip to Europe, the one Ahab promised and then failed to deliver.

During a stopover in Boston, where she spends time with old friends—friends who knew Ahab and did not judge Hannah for his actions—she finds her travel plans postponed time after time.

The first task I had in developing my plot was to study the historical era. What was happening in Boston in 1847? Many actual events of the times made it easy to frame her new life. I had great fun researching ways my heroine would be drawn back into life after her devastating loss. Where will she live? Whom will she meet? What will she read? How will these things affect the decisions she makes for herself and her son?

It all comes down to choices my heroine must make. When she was an adventure-seeking girl of eighteen, she chose to marry the exciting, dangerous, and much older Captain Ahab rather than the godly young minister who loved her. Now she is determined not to marry again because that first marriage was so troubled and not what she’d expected at all.

But, as with many widows who make such vows, suitors seem just as determined to change her mind. When a handsome naval captain from the South and a former whaling captain she’s known for years vie for her attention, what choices will she make this time? And will her choices bring Hannah happiness for herself and security for her beloved son?

In 1847, Boston was a hotbed of abolitionist activities. In Ahab’s Bride, I didn’t include this important movement, despite its origins on Nantucket Island, because I was focused on other issues. In writing Hannah Rose, I would have been remiss if I didn’t make slavery and abolition the focal point of the main conflict: Hannah’s choices.

Where will she live? Having inherited Ahab’s great wealth, she has many options. She chooses a townhouse in the relatively new Louisburg Square (the picture at left shows a similar townhouse), only a few blocks from Louis Hayden’s house (below), where many slaves found sanctuary. She reads Frederick Douglass’s autobiography and boldly discusses it with one suitor, a slave owner.

As more old friends enter her life, she begins to sort it all out. I enjoyed helping Hannah figure out all of her choices. Wouldn’t you like to know what she did in Boston?

Historical fiction takes us away from our daily lives to another time and place, “the good old days,” when life was simpler, morality and manners were the mainstays of social order, and everyone knew his or her place. But were those times truly better than today?

Here are a few more issues I included in Hannah Rose:

In the pre-Civil War Nineteenth Century, people faced devastating difficulties. Life expectancy was short due to disease and lack of medical knowledge, and many children never reached maturity. All over the Eastern seaboard, thousands of immigrants poured into America from Europe seeking better lives, competing with and threatening the livelihoods of lifelong residents of English descent. And our nation was faced with an impending conflict as people of conscience formed the abolitionist movement to eliminate slavery, which formed the backbone of the wealthy Southern economy.

Against this turbulent backdrop, my heroine must make decisions that will affect her son’s future and her own. No longer the naïve young woman who had married dashing, dangerous Captain Ahab, Hannah has developed a strength that often surprises her, although her friends know she has what it takes to go beyond herself and live for others.

The power of a story such as this comes from the reader’s ability to live the experiences of the characters. It is my hope that readers will enjoy walking with Hannah and Timothy through their uncertain journey.

You may enjoy reading about their adventures in the award-winning Hannah Rose. At the right is the Kindle cover.

If you’ve missed any steps on this journey, please check this list of all my posts about Ahab’s Bride.