A Pirate’s Life for Me! A Pirate’s Life Indeed! follows a pirate-obsessed boy who is swept into a world of ghostly dangers, strange creatures, and pirate lore. What drew you to pirates as a subject for a middle-grade adventure?

Growing up, I always loved adventure. Watching old movies like Treasure Island. I loved the idea of going on adventures in search of buried treasure! Sailing the high seas on a pirate ship, seeing the skull and crossbones on the Jolly Roger flying high atop the ship’s crow’s nest! Who wouldn’t as a young boy? I’m 58 now. I still feel the same way as I did when I was 9 years old. I always believed that if you keep a young heart in life, you will stay young in spirit. I guess I have. The romance of pirates still excites me to this day. I wrote this book for myself. I never dreamed in a million years it would ever get published. Especially after working on it for the past 30 years. This is a book for all ages, not just middle school children. It’s an epic! A “TOME”! It is purposely very descriptive with narration. 25 plus characters created! I wanted ALL readers to be drawn into the story. The smells, the sounds, the sights. I wrote this with the intention that if you closed your eyes and had someone read the story to you, it’s like you are actually there, tagging along with the main character, Thomas Patch, and his crew as they go on this incredible adventurous journey in search of Blackbeard’s lost treasure of gold! The pirate genre for kids, in many ways, has disappeared in the novel story sense. I want kids and people of all ages to turn off the TV, put the cell phone down, and walk away from their computers. I really hope they will pick up this book and get lost in the pirate world. It’s all about imagination, which I think has been missing in the pirate genre since the passing of the legendary Robert Louis Stevenson, my literary inspiration!

Pirate slang, asides, and exaggeration are everywhere. How did you decide how far to push the humor without overwhelming the story?

To be honest, I just went where my imagination took me. My mind over the last thirty years opened up as I would physically write. This EPIC book of 978 pages just happened to turn out like that? Every word, song I created, the rhyming clues I put as poems on treasure maps throughout the book for the readers to follow along with Thomas Patch in the story, re-writing Who’s On First in the books chapter called, ‘WHO’S ON DECK”, to pay homage to my comedic heroes Abbott and Costello…everything has its place in the story. What is written on the page is what came out of my head as my imagination opened at that specific time. I wanted to create a story that was fun for readers, so I pushed the creativeness, narration, and imagination full speed ahead! Because that was my vision.

Do you see the book as saying something about growing up, even within all its wild fantasy?

Absolutely! Although Thomas Patch, the main character in the story is only nine, he is far advanced beyond his years. He comes from a very small, quaint little town called Schooner Bay Cove. Tucked away somewhere along the Eastern seaboard. The story takes place in the year 1718. Blackbeard’s legendary reign. All Thomas Patch wants to do is be a pirate! He dreams of it! He has no fear sneaking aboard The Dirty Cutthroat in a barrel of apples in the story! He has no fear of sailing the high seas in an old rickety rowboat! He has no fear coming face to face with a crew of dirty, rotten, cutthroat pirates! He has no fear setting out on an incredible adventurous journey with Simon, Stix, Tubby, Wellington, and Robear in search of Blackbeard’s lost treasure of gold! He follows his heart always throughout the story! Thomas Patch lives by a code….”ALWAYS REMEMBER TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT….GOOD AND TRUE”! He learned that from his father, Courageous Patch, in the book! Although this book is about seeking out thrills, dangers, and adventure, it’s the emotional decency of the main character, Thomas Patch, that hopefully shines through. His ability at nine to be so brave, to show no fear, to follow his heart, to do what’s right…good and true is quite remarkable to say the least. Even at nine, Thomas Patch proves time and time again that he can make real-life decisions and choices under pressure. His wisdom speaks volumes throughout the entire story. Thomas Patch may have left Schooner Bay Cove as a nine-year-old boy. By the time Thomas Patch makes his return home at the end of the story, he has become a man……More than a man…THOMAS PATCH IS A REAL PIRATE!

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

That’s a very good question. It’s also a very hard question to answer. I worked on this book for 30 years! I went through four typewriters and 3 computers. Why? I typed so much I couldn’t see the letters anymore on the keys! I worked on it on every weekend, vacation, and any free time. The loss of my father and mother was devastating. I put this book in my drawer and left it there. One day, I took it back out. Why? This is going to sound crazy. I thought I owed it to the 25 characters I created to bring them all to life. I never dreamed someone would like my writing. Let alone help me self-publish my book. The story is rock solid. Not because I wrote it, but because it says something! It makes sense! I believe the wording and flow of the book to be beautiful! The characters are funny and wonderful. THIS BOOK IS NOT ABOUT ME! It has always been about the story and what it represents. I always said that if just one person liked my writing, I was blessed. Well, if the feedback relating to my book being a number one best seller in 23 countries simultaneously in CHILDREN’S ADVENTURE MARITIME PIRATE GENRE are true? If the labeling of me as the successor to the legendary Robert Louis Stevenson and my book as the Treasure Island of the 21st Century in professional trade catalogs like Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Waterstones in the UK is in fact true, I am beyond humbled, honored, and extraordinarily blessed. In that regard, let’s see how the book does. There is room for another book! I can’t give away the title. It’s brewing? The question is whether or not readers want another book? It’s up to them, really. I wrote this book seeing it on the BIG SCREEN AS AN ANIMATED MOVIE! I would love it if Pixar, DreamWorks, or Mr. Spielberg would reach out and say, “LET’S DO THIS”! I believe it has the makings of a great animated film! To God’s ears. Time will tell. Until then, thank you for giving me the time to do this interview! It’s been my honor and real pleasure. My name is Christopher David James, and my book is called A PIRATE’S LIFE FOR ME! A PIRATE’S LIFE INDEED! Happy reading, everyone!

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