Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney

Today, Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Jeffery S. Williams, author of Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney.

Good day Jeffery and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

What motivated you to write Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney?

Jeffery:

I’ve always enjoyed stories and anecdotes — listening to and reading them. My father was an avid reader and a good storyteller. In college I discovered my own “fire in the belly” to tell and write stories. But my first attempts at writing fiction college were not promising; teachers deemed my writing too cliché and florid. I majored in English nonetheless because I savored reading the world’s literary masters.  

After a stint as a journalist and editor, I experienced a Hemingway-ian realization concerning my syntax and word selection. In other words, “half of art is knowing when to stop.” After a couple years of churning out news and features stories, my interests turned toward fiction. I thought I had a novel or two in me.

Oliver Wendell Holmes principal, “It is the poor man who dies with his music still inside him,” prompted me to return to college, earn my master’s in creative writing in the mid-90s and begin writing fiction. After writing several short stories, I yearned to tackle a novel. 

 During this time, I was reading a bedtime story to my son, a book about pirates. That was the first time I heard about Anne Bonney. Later that night I googled Anne Bonney and learned more about her story. It captured my imagination. But matching muse with motivation was a challenge. Through the constant support of my wife, and the enthusiastic encouragement of my students, I finally completed novel.

Norm:

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Jeffery:

The creative impulse can be a frustrating and exhilarating experience. After fending off writer’s block, I always found the process of writing an enjoyable outlet. It never ceases to amaze me how our minds can take us in directions we never initially intended. There were many times I would plan a particular direction for my characters but by the end of my writing session, I found the characters taking on a life of their own and making choices I had not considered before. Writing is an aesthetic odyssey into the unknown. Such an adventure keeps me motivated to return to pen and paper again and again. 

Norm:

Do you agree that to have good drama there must be an emotional charge that usually comes from the individual squaring off against antagonists either out in the world or within himself or herself? If so, please elaborate and how does it fit into you novel?

Jeffery:

A good story includes either ordinary people in extraordinary events, or extraordinary people in extraordinary events. Otherwise, the story is likely to be too banal to engage a reader. Simply put, stories are written to entertain, which could mean they are inspirational, educational, enthralling or personally meaningful.  

When writing Pirate Spirit I know I was emotionally engaged in the lives of the characters, and thus far, I have received a fair amount of feedback that the novel has proven an engaging and poignant experience. While Anne Bonney’s story has its dramatic twists and turns outside of herself, it also offers a dramatic journey of the soul — one that many women have told me they can identify with.

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. But how much is too much?

Jeffery:

I assume the liberties writers take with source material largely depends on the depth and number of research documents available. Readers would expect a higher level of historicity from a fictionalized account of Abraham Lincoln than they would a novel about Anne Bonney.  

In writing Pirate Spirit, I realized early on that the amount of research available was limited, which is why I decided to clarify in the author’s note that the book is “inspired by historical accounts.”  To write an engaging story, an author needs to strike a good balance between character reflection, dialogue and action. So I had to conjure the dialogues between characters as well as the insights and reflections of Anne, and I had to fill in some of the spaces between the major events of her life that are documented. Ultimately, I would describe Pirate Spirit as a hybrid of historical and literary fiction. How much is too much? That depends entirely on what the author claims in his or her introduction.

Norm:

Can you explain some of your research techniques, and how you found sources for Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney?

Jeffery:

I plundered the local libraries for every volume on pirate history I could find. The Golden Age of Piracy and the stories of Anne Bonney, Mary Reade and Calico Jack Rackham are well documented, but I found the research is largely broad strokes with few specifics concerning what the principal characters said. So while most of the names and events are historical, what the characters thought or said in my story is a product of the creative process. While the historical documents recount Rackham’s and Reade’s last days, Anne Bonney’s are unknown. I considered various historically plausible theories before I decided which direction to take the conclusion of the novel. 

Norm:

In your Acknowledgements you mention that your wife Katherine helped you write your book. Please elaborate.

Jeffery

Because Pirate Spirit is written from the perspective of a woman, I enlisted my wife to assist me in editing scenes as well as provide her perspective. Several times she helped me understand the feminine mystique and the experience of pregnancy and childbirth. I also have to give her credit for helping me with the romantic scenes.  

After reading my first romantic scene, she set it down and said, “How can you leave me so unsatisfied?” At first I had to make sure she was talking about the book and not me. She shook her head and said, “MEN, THEY JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND ROMANCE” and then proceeded to help me rewrite some of the romantic scenes.

Our interactions about what was a female vs. male view of romance got pretty hilarious sometimes. Katherine also has a keen sense for the consistency of character. She has always enjoyed observing people, reading stories and watching movies. She is quick to point out inconsistencies in character and offer suggestions that would have made the book or film better. I don’t believe I’ve met anyone intuitive than her. 

 She contributed a great deal of insight to me as I developed Anne’s character from child to teen to adult. She has also been a source of continuous encouragement and support, not to mention one who has worked behind the scenes as a publicist in getting the word out to friends, family and strangers. It has been an awesome experience working alongside of her. And she has been pitching in a literary hand on my latest project as well.

Norm:

How did you create the characters of Anne Bonney and Jack Rackham?

Jeffery:

Anne Bonney, Mary Reade and Calico Jack Rackham are historical figures. From the available research, I wrote down everything I knew about them and tried to imagine what I thought would be reasonable conclusions about their personalities, motivations and philosophies. 

Norm:

Who are your favorite writers of historical fiction? What draws you to a work of historical fiction – interest in a particular period or event or simply the search for a good story?

Jeffery:

I am a bibliophile and I love all kinds of books. My taste in historical fiction is linked to the literary. Michael Shaara’s Killer Angels is a literary and historical masterpiece. Novels of more literary than historical would be Hugo’s Les Miserables and Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. More contemporary examples would be Mary Tremaine’s Restoration and Tracy Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. Steve Yarbrough’s Visible Spirits and Prisoners of War are a couple other literary yet historically-based novels I admire. 

Norm:

Today, historical fiction is quite popular. What do you think explains it popularity?  Would it be due to the fact that it is so much easier to research now, with so many libraries, archives, and other resources online?  I wonder if this increasing ease of research hasn't led to more historical fiction being written.

Jeffery:

I think you are right on target. The accessibility of research coupled with readers’ love for the “real events” of human experience make historical fiction and nonfiction increasingly popular today. In addition to an enjoyable story, readers want to leave a book feeling they have learned something about the world’s story.

Norm:

What has been your experience with self-publishing? Why did you self-publish?

Jeffery:

Originally, I had agent representation for the Pirate Spirit manuscript, but after more than a year of trying to find a publisher, we gave up. At the time, I knew I could continue the long process of trying to find a publisher, but I felt I would rather try a different avenue. By paying self-publishing and getting my book into the public venue, I felt I would have a greater potential of being noticed for future projects. So I made the investment with iUniverse, which provided professional feedback on the manuscript and the cover.

The book sold 500-plus copies during its first 10 months, which made it a Reader’s Choice and Editor’s Choice at iUniverse. It also earned a prize in the Readers Views Literary Contest and was a book club selection for CatholicMom.com.  Pirate Spirit has also caught the attention of a Hollywood screenwriter, who is in the process of writing a screenplay based on the novel.

Because of strong sales and positive reviews, I approached iUniverse with a proposal to consider making the book a Star title so that it could be placed in channels such as Barnes and Noble Bookstores. With the success of the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and the heightened interest of pirates in general, iUniverse decided Pirate Spirit could enjoy good even better sales. Time will tell.

Norm:

When you wrote your book, did you have a particular audience in mind?

Jeffery:

I’ve read that the major readers of fiction are women. So my hope was that Pirate Spirit would appeal to them, especially since the novel is written from the perspective of Anne Bonney. But I have been pleased to hear a number of male readers tell me they enjoyed the novel as well.

Norm:

How can readers find out more about you and your endeavors and what is next for Jeffery S. Williams?

Jeffery:

I am in the editing process of a psychological thriller/detective story titled Redeemer, which is set in my hometown of Fresno. I have also completed the first book, Who’s to Blame, in a five-part series, featuring Shakespearean era sleuth SherChristispeare, who investigates the crime scenes of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. Who’s to Blame is a mix of pastiche, spoof, sequel and whodunit of Hamlet. I am currently seeking agent representation on both novels. The following websites include additional information about me as well as other shorter pieces I have written.

http://www.catholicmom.com/br_williams.htm

http://www.readerviews.com/InterviewWilliamsJeffery.html

http://www.jefferyswilliams.com/

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Jeffery:

In addition to fiction, I write shorter pieces for editorial pages, short stories for literary journals and lesson plans for educational books. I was recently honored with a California Teachers of English “Classroom Teacher of Excellence Award for 2007, which came as a pleasant and humbling surprise. Some of my lesson plans can be found on my website as well.

What’s it say in Ecclesiastes? “Be warned: the writing of many books is endless and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body”? How’s that as a final plug for my novel? There are literally millions of books readers can choose from. The competition for the eyes, mind and time of the reader is incredibly stiff — so I want to sincerely thank those who invest their time, energy and expense into reading my work. It is flattering and humbling. And I can only hope you enjoy Pirate Spirit as much as I loved writing it.

Norm:

Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

 To read Norm's Review of Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney CLICK HERE

Click Here To Purchase From Amazon Pirate Spirit: The Adventures of Anne Bonney