Lord Of The Sea (34 page)
Authors: Danelle Harmon
Author’s Note
Though
Lord Of The Sea
was written in 2013, it actually had its origins many years before when, as a young woman, I headed over to nearby Newburyport during my lunch break to see the “tall ship” that was visiting. Aside from that grand old lady
USS Constitution
in Boston, I had never seen a “tall ship” before, and I was unprepared for the visual impact of driving into the waterside parking lot and seeing, rising above the trees with her pennants flying from their highest reaches, two tall, sharply raked masts. Though the ship herself wasn’t all that big, these proud, distinctive masts towered over our little city, and the name of the ship to whom they belonged was
Pride of Baltimore
.
Pride
was a faithfully replicated Baltimore privateer, built in 1977 to celebrate Maryland’s maritime heritage and to act as a goodwill ambassador for the city of Baltimore. Sailing to many ports around the world, the sleek black topsail schooner captured the hearts of all who saw her. Sadly, just a year or two after she took our collective breath away here in Newburyport, the magnificent
Pride
was lost at sea to a freak squall in the Caribbean, taking her captain, three crewmembers and her two cats with her. Her loss brought unmeasurable grief and pain to all who loved and admired the “wild black mare” for she was arguably the most beautiful ship in the world, and while eventually Baltimore pulled from the ashes of its grief a replacement ship which was christened
Pride of Baltimore II
, there would never be another like her.
A few short years after
Pride
’s tragic loss, I found myself under contract with Avon Books and committed to writing a second seafaring romance (
Captain Of My Heart
) to follow up my bestselling debut book,
Pirate In My Arms
. I knew I wanted the book to be set in my hometown city of Newburyport, knew that it would feature a unique and magnificent ship, and knew that it would be my memories of
Pride of Baltimore
that would step up to fill the role.
Pride
was
Kestrel
. Or maybe
Kestrel
was
Pride
. In any case they were, with very slight modifications, pretty much the same ship, and though
Kestrel
was a New England-built schooner of 1778 (and I confess to taking certain anachronistic liberties with her), she was never anything but what she actually was and what I always meant her to be: a Baltimore privateer.
Those who know the story of
Pride
’s unforgettable nine years and her tragic and untimely loss will recognize many similarities between her story and
Kestrel
’s—similarities that go far beyond the simple things like identical specifications of depth, draft, beam and hull length, and pet names that their respective captains had for each ship. These similarities are deliberate and intentional, and are my way of paying homage to a ship I only knew for a short time, but which left me with a lifetime of awe and admiration, and dare I say, love.
I hope I’ve done her justice.
— Danelle Harmon,
near Newburyport, Massachusetts
December 21, 2013
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author Danelle Harmon has written twelve critically acclaimed and award-winning books, with many being published all over the world. A Massachusetts native, she has lived in Great Britain, though these days she and her English husband make their home in New England with their daughter Emma and numerous animals including three dogs, an Egyptian Arabian horse, and a flock of pet chickens. Danelle enjoys reading, spending time with family, friends and her animals, and sailing her Melonseed skiff,
Kestrel II
. She welcomes email from her readers and can be reached at [email protected] or through any of the means listed below:
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READ BELOW FOR MORE BOOKS FROM DANELLE HARMON, including a special sneak-peak from her # 1 Kindle Store download, THE WILD
ONE
!
The
Kestrel
Books include, in order:
Captain Of My Heart (Captain Brendan Merrick and Mira Ashton)
My Lady Pirate (Sir Graham Falconer and Maeve Merrick)
Wicked At Heart (the Marquess of Morninghall and Gwyneth Evans Simms)
Lord Of The Sea (Connor Merrick and Rhiannon Evans)
(see below for more information)
Discover more titles from Danelle Harmon’s popular and bestselling
HEROES OF THE
SEA
SERIES:
(Heroes of the Sea Series, Book # 1)
The emotional and unforgettable story of a tough Royal Navy captain and the beautiful Irish stowaway who teaches him how to love once again.
(Featuring Captain Christian Lord and Deirdre O’ Devir, parents of Delmore Lord and Colin Lord)
An Amazon KINDLE Top Ten Bestselling Historical Romance!
An Amazon KINDLE #1 Bestseller (Sea Adventures)!
###
(Heroes Of The Sea Series, Book # 2)
Thrilling romantic adventures abound on board the 1778 Yankee privateer schooner
Kestrel
, captained by dashing Irishman Brendan Merrick — who meets his match in the outrageous shipbuilder’s daughter, Mira Ashton!
An Amazon KINDLE Top Ten Bestselling Historical Romance!
An Amazon KINDLE #1 Bestseller in Sea Adventures!
# 8 on the New York Times Bestseller list as part of FOUR IRRESISTIBLE ROGUES!
# 11 on the
USA
TODAY Bestseller list as part of FOUR IRRESISTIBLE ROGUES!
# # #
(Heroes Of The Sea Series, Book # 3)
The sexy, swashbuckling tale of Pirate Queen of the Caribbean Maeve Merrick, and the powerful English hero who is determined to win her heart at all costs.
Winner of Romantic Times Magazine’s Reviewers Choice Certificate of Excellence!
Winner of Romantic Times K.I.S.S. Hero Award!
An Amazon KINDLE Bestseller!
# # #
(Heroes Of The Sea Series, Book # 4)
Disgraced naval hero Colin Lord wants only to pursue his new career as a
London
veterinarian and put his tragic past behind him. But when fugitive heiress Lady Ariadne St. Aubyn convinces him to help get her prized racehorse to
Norfolk
before every reward hunter in
England
can catch her, Colin finds himself swept up into an adventure he could never have imagined. A treat for animal lovers everywhere!
An Amazon KINDLE Regency Bestseller!
# # #
(Heroes Of The Sea Series, Book # 5)
A Beauty-and-the-Beast tale of love and redemption between the dark and brooding Marquess of Morninghall and Lady Gwyneth Evans Simms, the woman who is determined to heal his tortured heart.
Winner of a Romantic Times Magazine K.I.S.S. Hero Award!
Nominated for Romantic Times Magazine’s K.I.S.S. Hero of the Year!
An Amazon KINDLE Bestseller in Historical Romance!
###
A sweet and sexy short story/novella about second chances, with appearances by Captain Brendan Jay Merrick, Captain Christian Lord, and the de Montforte Brothers!
An Amazon KINDLE bestseller in Short Stories!
An Amazon KINDLE bestseller in Anthologies!
# # #
and:
THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING, AWARD-WINNING, CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
DE MONTFORTE BROTHERS SERIES:
"The bluest of blood; the boldest of hearts;
the de Montforte brothers will take your breath away."
Meet the dashing and aristocratic De Montforte Brothers by Danelle Harmon:
THE WILD ONE
(try it free on Kindle!) - read on for a special sneak peek
