Ripples in The Sand by Helen Hollick

I was delighted to renew my acquaintance with Captain Jesamiah Acorne and his wife Tiola Oldstagh, the heroes of Helen Hollick's excellent Sea Witch series. In Ripples in the Sand, the fourth novel of the series, the couple return to England for the first time.  Jesamiah is persuaded to take Sea Witch to Spain where he soon finds himself in danger of losing his fidelity, his freedom and mabe even his life. Meanwhile Tiola fights her biggest battle yet with Tethys the sea spirit.  It is set at the time of the Jacobite rebellion and there is a wealth of nautical and historical information which is informative but never detracts from the story. And it is a good story which had me hooked from the first page to the last and of course left me wanting more. I am very happy to recommend it.

I am also very happy that as part of her 2012 blog tour, Helen Hollick agreed to answer a few questions for me.

When writing about a real historical character you have to keep to the facts, but with your own fictional characters you can do anything you like with the plot. Which do you prefer?

Definitely the made-up plots! Having said that, by using real facts the ‘plot’ is already there, dates, times, events if making these up everything has to be thought out. I think I have the best of both worlds with my Sea Witch Voyages, though, because I base the adventure around real events which gives me a foundation to build upon.

In Ripples In The Sand, for instance, the story took hold from the true fact of the 1719 Jacobite Uprising. The Spanish really did organise an armada in an attempt to place James (III as he should have been) on the English throne. History repeated itself from the more famous Elizabethan Armada when a storm destroyed the fleet.

I enjoy slotting Jesamiah Acorne into the reality of what happened – Bring It Close, the third Voyage is a good example. The villain of the story is Blackbeard. We know a lot about his demise because the remainder of his crew were tried (and hanged) in Williamsburg, Virginia, and therefore, there were court records of the trial, plus Naval log books of the battle at the Ocracoke.

In my story, Jesamiah led that raid – but he very clearly states that he did not want his name mentioned. Which is why you do not find him there in any of the records!

Having decided not to have magic in your Arthurian novels, what made you write the Sea Witch novels as fantasy?

I emphatically did not want any magic or supernatural in my Arthurian Trilogy because I set out to write the what might have really happened story – in which case, no knights in armour, no holy grail, no Lancelot or Merlin. Instead, a man who had to fight hard to gain his kingdom, and fight even harder to keep it. For the Sea Witch Voyages, though, I wanted to write a good sailor’s yarn – a nautical adventure that was fun to research and write, and as much fun to read. And let’s face it, most sailor’s yarns are not meant to be believed!

Do you have your future Sea Witch novels planned or does each one lead to the next?

I have a vague plot planned.

For Ripples In The Sand I knew I was going to use the attempted 1719 Jacobite Rebellion, that Tiola was going to ‘travel’ back in time, and I knew the ending (which I will not reveal here). Beyond that, the story unravelled as I wrote it.

For the next Voyage, On The Account, I already know that Jesamiah is going to be accompanied by a mysterious Nightman, called Mahadun, in a search for a highly valuable wooden casket (mentioned in Pirate Code.) There will be misunderstandings, fights, romantic scenes and lots of high-action adventure …. What other secrets Jesamiah intends to reveal to me as I write, I have no idea!

What is next for you after you have finished the Sea Witch series?

I hope to write a couple of books about Madoc the Horseman. The first one is to be called Foals of Epona. They are set during the late 5^th Century and will be a spin-off from my Arthurian Trilogy. And one day I must write a follow-up to Harold the King (UK title) I am the Chosen King (US title)

Who are your own favourite novelists?

Elizabeth Chadwick, hands down – her books are so beautifully written and you can rely on her research. I also enjoy Suzanne McLeod’s Spellcrackers.com series, and Dick Francis. I also love finding the gems that are among the indie published Historical Fiction that are sent to me for review (I am the UK editor for the Historical Novel Society)

What would your advice be to anyone who is thinking of publishing with an independent publisher?

Think quality and professionalism.

It is often easy to spot an Indie book because the font and layout is incorrect. The cover is probably created by a relative and looks somewhat amateurish. More often than not there are typos and errors because there has been no professional edit – so if you are going Indie, then do so, but do it properly. Which costs money, but you are investing in yourself – aren’t you worth every penny?

Having said all that, my first Indie published experience broke all those rules (apart from the editing – although even then there were missed typos!) I learnt from my mistakes and now have a trusted editor and a proof reader, a professional graphics designer for the covers and I use a reliable and 100% trustworthy publishing company to produce my books (Silverwood Books UK)

Mind you, there are still typos…. I am convinced that gremlins put them all back in as books go to print!