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The Blood-Stained Foot of a Pirate

12/25/2014

Because sailors of the 19th century sometimes worked barefoot to improve their grip when climbing ratlines and walking sodden decks, pirates might arm themselves with three-pronged tack-like objects and toss them onto the decks of vessels they boarded. Also, sometimes the decks of ships expecting immediate pirate attack would be sprinkled with sand to decrease the chance to slipping if—or when—the deck became bloodied.

Since I was planning another blog about the life of pirates, I wanted to include this information. But first I thought I'd find a picture to post with it. I did a quick search of a photo agency and used appropriate search terms: "Blood" and "Foot"

I didn't get that many results since really, how often does someone want to post a picture like that? I also forgot my photography motto: If it hasn't been done before—there's usually a good reason.

I asked my husband to go outside, take off his shoes, stand on a board (deck) and let me sprinkle red paint on him so I could take his picture. He just wasn't in the mood.

So I decided to use my own foot, but I had on toenail polish. A pirate doesn't wear toenail polish, although I assume Jack Sparrow would have if he had a color he liked.

To get around the problem with the toes, I decided to do an appropriate crimson footprint on a board. So I got paper towels, red paint and a weathered board.

The bloodied footprint didn't turn out so well, and I didn't have a lot of board to spare on repeated attempts. But I noticed that I had an amazingly injured looking foot. So I took a selfie. Of the bottom of my up-turned foot lying against a board. It wasn't easy. I got a cramp, nearly fell when I was hopping on one foot so the "blood" didn't get dirty, and things didn't get better.

But the picture of the foot? Oh, I think it turned out pretty realistic. So realistic I am afraid to post it. To me, it looks a bit too accurate. Do I want—for the rest of my life—to have such a picture like that appearing on Google if someone types my name in the image search--because we all know it's not usually the pictures we prefer that show up in searches.

I write romance. Not murder mysteries.

So I came inside and stepped into the shower and washed the paint off my foot.

I didn't take a picture of the splattered shower with water draining red, but I did some quick scrubbing. I didn't take a photo of the soaked paper towels in the waste basket either. But that's how I ended up with a crime scene in the bathroom and a sore ankle.

Photo Credit: Fotolia
(Sometimes it's best to play it safe.)

Next post: Ketchup versus red paint

The Retirement Plan of a Pirate

12/16/2014

Pirates might have dreamed of spending their final days living under an assumed name while enjoying the fruits of their thievery but it's likely they had a more realistic view of their retirement options.

Pirates in the 1800's had the same sailing duties as honest sailors, and a life at sea wasn't easy. Diets sometimes included weevils. Medical care as we know it was non-existent. Climbing the ratlines had to be done in all weather conditions on a moving vessel. Ships leaked and the deck might be slippery—sometimes with blood.

To reduce the amount of sailing time, pirate vessels could stay close to shore and rely on ambushing other ships. But this could lead to an increased chance of capture.

Pirates were often hanged when caught, and sometimes their bodies displayed in cages to deter others who might be tempted along the same path. Or, in the case of Blackbeard, the capturing ship hung his head on the bowsprit.

A few of the pirates were pardoned, but that seems to be the exception. Of course there's the theory that no one knows the names of the successful ones who escaped with their bounties. Enough of them met a quick end, however, to justify the assumption that a pirate didn't need a retirement plan.

The villains sometimes committed themselves to blowing up their ship or killing themselves before surrendering to capture. Some took their meeting with the hangman as a last chance to show their bravado. In Villain's of All Nations, Marcus Rediker tells of William Fly, a pirate who supposedly viewed his noose, and then re-tied it to show the proper way the rope should be knotted. His efforts worked.

Almost a Mermaid Tale

12/7/2014

I looked forward to writing A Captain and A Rogue for at least six months before I could begin the story.

I'd put the hero, the captain, into the first scene of the previous book, and I liked him instantly. He is the youngest of three bothers. I imagined him as lighthearted.

So I started writing about Captain Forrester. During the revision process, I put more information about his childhood into the book, and it didn't turn out at all like I expected. His life wasn't the carefree romp I planned.

Plus, I also decided it might not be easy to be the youngest child in a family. You have a lot of people in your world who feel qualified to give you advice, and a lot of people who have already trekked the path ahead of you and learned from their mistakes before you've even had a chance to make yours.

The heroine is the middle child of her family, and has been in the shadows of the others. I imagined her as almost a mermaid. I wanted the hero's idea of a perfect woman to be mystical and unobtainable. He doesn't have to worry about falling in love and getting sidetracked from his life. He's a sea captain. He can't stay home. But what if he met a woman who was as near to his imagined woman as if humanly possible, and he knew he'd never, ever meet another woman like her? And what if, once before, he'd walked away from the people who loved him? Now his crew is his family, and to be with his dream of a woman, he would have to turn his back--again--on the people he cares for and who depend on him.

The day after I sent the manuscript to the editor, I really missed the story.

So now Captain Forrester's tale is a finished book in my hands. I'm glad
to have him back.

You Can Judge a Cover By Its Book

12/3/2014

When I saw Captain Forrester on the cover of the latest novel, his eyes intrigued me. The photographer and model did a great job with the pose. I plan to get a print of it.

When my previous book was published—I saw the cover and fell for it. I have an enlargement on my wall. I suggested to my husband that I mat the print and get a larger frame. He said, "We don't want it to pull the wall down."

The Blood-Stained Foot of a Pirate

The Retirement Plan of a Pirate

Almost a Mermaid Tale

You Can Judge a Cover By Its Book

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