New Books from Old Salt Press
Captain Blackwell's Prize by V.E. Ulett
A romantic adventure from the days of wooden ships and iron men, Captain Blackwell’s Prize is a story of honor, duty, social class and the bond of sensual love.
A small, audacious British frigate does battle against a large but ungainly Spanish ship. British Captain James Blackwell intercepts the Spanish La Trinidad, outmaneuvers and outguns the treasure ship and boards her. Fighting alongside the Spanish captain, sword in hand, is a beautiful woman. The battle is quickly over. The Spanish captain is killed in the fray and his ship damaged beyond repair. Its survivors and treasure are taken aboard the British ...
The Elephant Voyage by Joan Druett
THE ELEPHANT VOYAGE - After their boats are blown offshore from one of the most icy and hostile islands in the sub-Antarctic ocean, twelve men are left to live or die by their own wits and stamina. Six survive, to be carried to New Zealand—where the inquiry and court case that follow become an international controversy, with repercussions that reach as far as the desk of the president of the United States.
Turn A Blind Eye by Alaric Bond
THE SOUTH COAST OF ENGLAND AND SMUGGLING IS RIFE... Autumn, 1801. Newly appointed to the local revenue cutter, Commander Griffin is determined to make his mark, and defeat a major gang of smugglers. But the country is still at war with France and it is an unequal struggle; can he depend on support from the local community, or are they yet another enemy for him to fight?
With dramatic action on land and at sea, Turn a Blind Eye exposes the private war against the treasury with gripping fact and fascinating detail.
By the author of the Fighting Sail Series.
Available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ...
JUDAS ISLAND by Joan Druett
Judas Island, the first book of the Promise of Gold trilogy.
As she stood on the deck of the brig Gosling, Harriet Gray was forced to face an unhappy truth. She had been duped, yet again. At eighteen, the lovely English actress had already known more than her share of betrayal. And now, a dishonest shipmaster had stranded her on board a ship that was manned by a lusty, treasure-hunting crew, with a pirate captain whose dangerous smile barely concealed his fury. And whose quest for the dark secret of Judas Island was about to unveil an ancient tragedy…
Judas Island is currently ...
CALAFIA'S KINGDOM by Joan Druett
Calafia’s Kingdom - Book two of the Promise of Gold trilogy.
Like a phantom dogging Harriet Gray’s trail, Frank Sefton is polished, charming—and utterly ruthless. Once, he abandoned the actress to a miserable fate on the far-flung shores of New Zealand. Now, he is back in her life—full of devious schemes to rob and mortify her, far from the protection of Captain Jake Dexter, and his gold-seeking crew.
Calafia’s Kingdom is now available on Kindle.
DEAREST ENEMY by Joan Druett
Dearest Enemy - Book three of the Promise of Gold trilogy.
That the Gosling Company should become a theatrical company was a preposterous idea—as crazy as the actual fact that Captain Jake Dexter, once a respectable Yankee mariner, was now an infamous pirate. Yet, he had already traveled such a long, strange path as a fortune-hunting adventurer that metamorphosing into the manager of the first theatre in Sacramento was just another step. But Jake Dexter could never imagine the danger that this involved for Harriet Gray, the young actress he secretly adored, or that his own life would be so threatened.
Dearest Enemy is available ...
HELL AROUND THE HORN by Rick Spilman
In 1905, a young ship's captain and his family set sail on the windjammer, Lady Rebecca, from Cardiff, Wales with a cargo of coal bound for Chile, by way of Cape Horn. Before they reach the Southern Ocean, the cargo catches fire, the mate threatens mutiny and one of the crew may be going mad. The greatest challenge, however, will prove to be surviving the vicious westerly winds and mountainous seas of the worst Cape Horn winter in memory. Told from the perspective of the Captain, his wife, a first year apprentice and an American sailor before the mast, Hell Around the Horn is a story ...
THE BECKONING ICE by Joan Druett
THE BECKONING ICE - The fifth in the Wiki Coffin series finds the U. S. Exploring Expedition off Cape Horn, a grim outpost made still more threatening by the report of a corpse on a drifting iceberg, closely followed by a gruesome death on board. Was it suicide, or a particularly brutal murder? Wiki investigates, only to find himself fighting desperately for his own life.
“Combining historical and nautical accuracy with a fast paced mystery thriller has produced a marvelous book which is highly recommended.” -- David Hayes, Historic Naval Fiction
BLOODY RAIN - a short story by Rick Spilman
BLOODY RAIN - Murder, Madness and the Monsoon.
The Queen Charlotte was anchored fore and aft off the Calcutta wharves in the Hoogly River, waiting for cargo. She was a fine, three masted iron bark; trim, low and fast on a reach - in all respects, the perfection of the shipbuilder's art. If she had a single great flaw, it was on her quarterdeck in the man that the owners had chosen as captain.
Captain John McPherson maintains absolute control over his ship and those who sail upon her. The only one that he cannot control is himself, slipping into murder and ...
A LOVE OF ADVENTURE by Joan Druett
A Love of Adventure by Joan Druett – Born at sea and raised on shipboard, adventurous young Abigail Sherman wants nothing more than to be wedded to the ocean for life. Like her mother, a pioneer seafaring woman, Abigail is convinced that her destiny is to be a captain’s wife at sea. Instead, fate conspires against her. A Love of Adventure steers the reader through Abigail’s incident-ridden voyage to a nail-biting conclusion, with many exotic landfalls on the way.
Captain Blackwell's Prize by V.E. Ulett
A romantic adventure from the days of wooden ships and iron men, Captain Blackwell’s Prize is a story of honor, duty, social class and the bond of sensual love. A small, audacious British frigate does battle against a large but ungainly Spanish ship. British Captain James Blackwell intercepts the Spanish La Trinidad, outmaneuvers and outguns the treasure ship and boards her. Fighting alongside the Spanish captain, sword in hand, is a beautiful woman. The battle is quickly over. The Spanish captain is killed in the fray and his ship damaged beyond repair. Its survivors and treasure are taken aboard the British ...The Elephant Voyage by Joan Druett
THE ELEPHANT VOYAGE - After their boats are blown offshore from one of the most icy and hostile islands in the sub-Antarctic ocean, twelve men are left to live or die by their own wits and stamina. Six survive, to be carried to New Zealand—where the inquiry and court case that follow become an international controversy, with repercussions that reach as far as the desk of the president of the United States.Turn A Blind Eye by Alaric Bond
THE SOUTH COAST OF ENGLAND AND SMUGGLING IS RIFE... Autumn, 1801. Newly appointed to the local revenue cutter, Commander Griffin is determined to make his mark, and defeat a major gang of smugglers. But the country is still at war with France and it is an unequal struggle; can he depend on support from the local community, or are they yet another enemy for him to fight? With dramatic action on land and at sea, Turn a Blind Eye exposes the private war against the treasury with gripping fact and fascinating detail. By the author of the Fighting Sail Series. Available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ...JUDAS ISLAND by Joan Druett
Judas Island, the first book of the Promise of Gold trilogy. As she stood on the deck of the brig Gosling, Harriet Gray was forced to face an unhappy truth. She had been duped, yet again. At eighteen, the lovely English actress had already known more than her share of betrayal. And now, a dishonest shipmaster had stranded her on board a ship that was manned by a lusty, treasure-hunting crew, with a pirate captain whose dangerous smile barely concealed his fury. And whose quest for the dark secret of Judas Island was about to unveil an ancient tragedy… Judas Island is currently ...CALAFIA'S KINGDOM by Joan Druett
Calafia’s Kingdom - Book two of the Promise of Gold trilogy. Like a phantom dogging Harriet Gray’s trail, Frank Sefton is polished, charming—and utterly ruthless. Once, he abandoned the actress to a miserable fate on the far-flung shores of New Zealand. Now, he is back in her life—full of devious schemes to rob and mortify her, far from the protection of Captain Jake Dexter, and his gold-seeking crew. Calafia’s Kingdom is now available on Kindle.DEAREST ENEMY by Joan Druett
Dearest Enemy - Book three of the Promise of Gold trilogy. That the Gosling Company should become a theatrical company was a preposterous idea—as crazy as the actual fact that Captain Jake Dexter, once a respectable Yankee mariner, was now an infamous pirate. Yet, he had already traveled such a long, strange path as a fortune-hunting adventurer that metamorphosing into the manager of the first theatre in Sacramento was just another step. But Jake Dexter could never imagine the danger that this involved for Harriet Gray, the young actress he secretly adored, or that his own life would be so threatened. Dearest Enemy is available ...HELL AROUND THE HORN by Rick Spilman
In 1905, a young ship's captain and his family set sail on the windjammer, Lady Rebecca, from Cardiff, Wales with a cargo of coal bound for Chile, by way of Cape Horn. Before they reach the Southern Ocean, the cargo catches fire, the mate threatens mutiny and one of the crew may be going mad. The greatest challenge, however, will prove to be surviving the vicious westerly winds and mountainous seas of the worst Cape Horn winter in memory. Told from the perspective of the Captain, his wife, a first year apprentice and an American sailor before the mast, Hell Around the Horn is a story ...THE BECKONING ICE by Joan Druett
THE BECKONING ICE - The fifth in the Wiki Coffin series finds the U. S. Exploring Expedition off Cape Horn, a grim outpost made still more threatening by the report of a corpse on a drifting iceberg, closely followed by a gruesome death on board. Was it suicide, or a particularly brutal murder? Wiki investigates, only to find himself fighting desperately for his own life. “Combining historical and nautical accuracy with a fast paced mystery thriller has produced a marvelous book which is highly recommended.” -- David Hayes, Historic Naval FictionBLOODY RAIN - a short story by Rick Spilman
BLOODY RAIN - Murder, Madness and the Monsoon. The Queen Charlotte was anchored fore and aft off the Calcutta wharves in the Hoogly River, waiting for cargo. She was a fine, three masted iron bark; trim, low and fast on a reach - in all respects, the perfection of the shipbuilder's art. If she had a single great flaw, it was on her quarterdeck in the man that the owners had chosen as captain. Captain John McPherson maintains absolute control over his ship and those who sail upon her. The only one that he cannot control is himself, slipping into murder and ...A LOVE OF ADVENTURE by Joan Druett
A Love of Adventure by Joan Druett – Born at sea and raised on shipboard, adventurous young Abigail Sherman wants nothing more than to be wedded to the ocean for life. Like her mother, a pioneer seafaring woman, Abigail is convinced that her destiny is to be a captain’s wife at sea. Instead, fate conspires against her. A Love of Adventure steers the reader through Abigail’s incident-ridden voyage to a nail-biting conclusion, with many exotic landfalls on the way.Turn a Blind Eye — a New Novel by Alaric Bond
Autumn, 1801. The South Coast of England and smuggling is rife…
Newly appointed to the local revenue cutter, Commander Griffin is determined to make his mark, and defeat a major gang of smugglers. But the country is still at war with France and it is an unequal struggle; can he depend on support from the local community, or are they yet another enemy for him to fight? With dramatic action on land and at se a, Turn a Blind Eye exposes the private war against the treasury with gripping fact and fascinating detail.
Available now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the Apple iBook store.
Joan Druett Interviewed by Quarterdeck
McBook Press‘ wonderful publication Quarterdeck, has a fascinating interview with Joan Druett in their June 2013 edition. We are reposting it here with permission.
Award-winning author Joan Druett sailed back into nautical fiction in 2005 with the launch of A Watery Grave, introducing the Wiki Coffin Mysteries, which are set against the U.S. Exploring Expedition in 1838. By this time, Druett was already an established author, writing maritime history, as well as fiction. Druett, who lives and writes in New Zealand, launches her Promise of Gold Trilogy this month. It will be digitally published by Old Salt Press, with trade paperback editions following.
Quarterdeck recently interviewed the author just as she was about the head out to sea:
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