By Cate Masters
I love love love to write. Always have. Writing a great sentence gives me a high like no other. Maybe that’s why I never dabbled with drugs. :) All I had to do was pick up a pen and start writing. On my blog, front and center, this Rudyard Kipling quote appears: Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind. For me, it couldn’t be truer. The old commercial comes to mind with the egg frying in the pan: this is your brain on drugs. Well for me, it’s my brain when I’m not writing. The grey matter tends to unravel in messy strands, each following its own story thread. The stories build up, threatening to spatter everywhere if I don’t release them. I know, eck. No one wants to clean up that mess.
Fortunately, these days I write plenty. My muse has a somewhat sadistic sense of humor, tossing ideas at me while I’m in the shower, or driving, or at that moment where I’m almost asleep, and she whispers some amazing story premise in my ear to rouse me. She’s always loved to get me in trouble. In school, she’d point out the geese flying in a V over the amber- and crimson-tinged treetops, the sunlight streaming through lighting them as if they were aflame. I’d jot down a poem. And miss the entire class. To this day, I blame my muse for my poor math skills.
All that writing made exercise a problem. My husband jokingly said he’d hook up my laptop to the treadmill, and I grew excited. Perfect! I actually wrote an entire novel last summer on the treadmill. Deciphering the chicken scratch later came as a challenge, though. And somehow I wrote it scene by scene, out of order. But the end result made me very happy.
During a vacation in the Florida Keys years ago, we visited a maritime museum on Key West. My muse went into overdrive. A story flashed through my head (no drugs or alcohol were involved, I swear!). While my family went parasailing and jetskiing, I was in the library copying old documents about the wreckers and every aspect of the wrecking industry. It felt like finding buried treasure. I knew I wouldn’t be getting back to Key West anytime soon, so took advantage of my time there. It took me a few years to piece the research together, but that story in my head stayed with me.
On July 27, Freya’s Bower released that story: Angels, Sinners and Madmen. Set in 1850s Key West, it follows wrecker Sam Langhorne and Livvie Collins, whose ship wrecks on the reef beyond the tiny island. So many wooden ships did, the wreckers enjoyed quite large rewards. But they also risked their lives every time. It fascinated me. I hope the story will fascinate you too.
Here’s the blurb:
What happens in Key West, stays in Key West. Especially in 1856, when men outnumber women by ten to one. Wrecker Sam Langhorne came to Key West eight years earlier to forget his ruined engagement. When he rescues Livvie Collins from a watery grave, he’s swept away by her beauty and spirit. He’s sworn off love, but is soon captivated by Livvie’s wit–and her determination to remain single.
The death of Livvie’s father leaves her no other option than to sail to New Orleans to live with her brother Wendell. Though she hopes to support herself by writing novels, she’s sure Wendell will try to soon marry her off, and is determined to experience life to its fullest before reaching New Orleans.
Sam is handsome and attentive, constantly surprising her with his intelligence and his interest in current literature and happenings. She gives herself to him in a night of passion so she can know the true emotion at least once in her life. But can she save herself after she arrives in New Orleans?
Cate Masters writes fantasy/dark fantasy, historical, contemporary and speculative fiction, described by reviewers as “so compelling, I did not want to put it down,” “such romantic tales that really touch your soul,” “filled with action scenes which made it a riveting story,” and “the author weaves a great tale with a creative way of using words that makes the story refreshing to read.” Visit Cate online at http://www.catemasters.com/, http://www.catemasters.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
I love love love to write. Always have. Writing a great sentence gives me a high like no other. Maybe that’s why I never dabbled with drugs. :) All I had to do was pick up a pen and start writing. On my blog, front and center, this Rudyard Kipling quote appears: Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind. For me, it couldn’t be truer. The old commercial comes to mind with the egg frying in the pan: this is your brain on drugs. Well for me, it’s my brain when I’m not writing. The grey matter tends to unravel in messy strands, each following its own story thread. The stories build up, threatening to spatter everywhere if I don’t release them. I know, eck. No one wants to clean up that mess.
Fortunately, these days I write plenty. My muse has a somewhat sadistic sense of humor, tossing ideas at me while I’m in the shower, or driving, or at that moment where I’m almost asleep, and she whispers some amazing story premise in my ear to rouse me. She’s always loved to get me in trouble. In school, she’d point out the geese flying in a V over the amber- and crimson-tinged treetops, the sunlight streaming through lighting them as if they were aflame. I’d jot down a poem. And miss the entire class. To this day, I blame my muse for my poor math skills.
All that writing made exercise a problem. My husband jokingly said he’d hook up my laptop to the treadmill, and I grew excited. Perfect! I actually wrote an entire novel last summer on the treadmill. Deciphering the chicken scratch later came as a challenge, though. And somehow I wrote it scene by scene, out of order. But the end result made me very happy.
During a vacation in the Florida Keys years ago, we visited a maritime museum on Key West. My muse went into overdrive. A story flashed through my head (no drugs or alcohol were involved, I swear!). While my family went parasailing and jetskiing, I was in the library copying old documents about the wreckers and every aspect of the wrecking industry. It felt like finding buried treasure. I knew I wouldn’t be getting back to Key West anytime soon, so took advantage of my time there. It took me a few years to piece the research together, but that story in my head stayed with me.
On July 27, Freya’s Bower released that story: Angels, Sinners and Madmen. Set in 1850s Key West, it follows wrecker Sam Langhorne and Livvie Collins, whose ship wrecks on the reef beyond the tiny island. So many wooden ships did, the wreckers enjoyed quite large rewards. But they also risked their lives every time. It fascinated me. I hope the story will fascinate you too.
Here’s the blurb:
What happens in Key West, stays in Key West. Especially in 1856, when men outnumber women by ten to one. Wrecker Sam Langhorne came to Key West eight years earlier to forget his ruined engagement. When he rescues Livvie Collins from a watery grave, he’s swept away by her beauty and spirit. He’s sworn off love, but is soon captivated by Livvie’s wit–and her determination to remain single.
The death of Livvie’s father leaves her no other option than to sail to New Orleans to live with her brother Wendell. Though she hopes to support herself by writing novels, she’s sure Wendell will try to soon marry her off, and is determined to experience life to its fullest before reaching New Orleans.
Sam is handsome and attentive, constantly surprising her with his intelligence and his interest in current literature and happenings. She gives herself to him in a night of passion so she can know the true emotion at least once in her life. But can she save herself after she arrives in New Orleans?
Cate Masters writes fantasy/dark fantasy, historical, contemporary and speculative fiction, described by reviewers as “so compelling, I did not want to put it down,” “such romantic tales that really touch your soul,” “filled with action scenes which made it a riveting story,” and “the author weaves a great tale with a creative way of using words that makes the story refreshing to read.” Visit Cate online at http://www.catemasters.com/, http://www.catemasters.blogspot.com/ or follow her on Facebook or Twitter.
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8 comments:
Them there pesky muse have a lot to answer for, don't they? Wish I'd thought of using them as an excuse for my poor track record through school!!
Love your blog, thanks for sharing. :-)
Thanks for your kind words! If only parents and teachers would've accepted that excuse! But my muse knew best. :)
I know what you mean about your muse popping up at inopportune moments and keeping you awake at night. Now that I'm taking a short break from writing, I'm getting so much more peaceful sleep. :)
Yes, sometimes I think muses are related to the mischievous Pan! She's crazy but I like having her around.
I never heard of wreckers. Very interesting concept for a story. I always like to read historicals that I know nothing about and come away learning something new.
kelleyheckart.com
Thanks Kelly! I'd never heard of them until our Key West vacation, but the wreckers' history fascinated me. Just thinking of those men diving to the bottom of the ocean without equipment, in the middle of terrible storms, captivated my imagination.
I want your treadmill attachment!!!
Actually I must've edited out a sentence somehow - I wrote it by hand, which is why it was illegible chicken scratch. So the only attachment was a notebook and pen, attached to my hands!
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