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Keep a Young Heart
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!
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Have ye ever wondered what it would be like to sail the high seas aboard a real pirate ship? Do ye want to know if pirates actually walk around with parrots/crows on their shoulders, drool, cuss, womp, burp, drink rum, sing songs of the sea, eat fish gruel stew, walk the plank, or walk around on peg legs? Have ye ever wanted to search for buried treasure? Have I grabbed your attention yet? Good! Very good! Then I just have one more question for ye mates: Have ye ever wondered what it would be like to be a pirate? If ye answered yes to this question and it’s thrills, danger, and heart-pounding adventure ye has been searching for, then look no further! Boy, do I have a story for ye!
A Pirate’s Life for Me: A Pirate’s Life Indeed is about a nine-year-old boy who wants nothing more than to be a pirate! That nine-year-old boy’s name is Thomas Patch! If ye thinks ye has the moxie, then tag along with Thomas Patch on his thrilling, heart-pounding, adventurous journey in search of Blackbeard’s lost treasure of gold! In the story, Thomas Patch comes face-to-face with Scar! The dirtiest, rotten, cutthroat pirate to have ever sailed the high sea! Scar captains a crew of highly dysfunctional pirates! They are far from being dirty or rotten to say the least! Accompanying Thomas Patch on his amazing journey in search of Blackbeard’s lost treasure of gold are two funny, dysfunctional pirates from Scar’s crew known as Stix and Tubby; a talking sea turtle named Simon who just loves to surf and drink Pirate Pop Cola and speaks seven languages; Wellington, Simon’s trusted guardian; and a crotchety and cranky old crow named Robear who wears pajamas and loves to watch Steinfeld! I have come to really love all these characters over the last twenty-seven years! I hope as you read along, you will come to love them too! Enjoy the adventure and happy reading!
A Pirate’s Life For Me! A Pirate’s Life Indeed!
Christopher David James’s A Pirate’s Life For Me! A Pirate’s Life Indeed! is a big, boisterous middle-grade pirate adventure. It’s a treasure hunt, a comic fantasy, and a tall tale all at once, built around Thomas Patch, a pirate-obsessed kid from Schooner Bay Cove who gets swept into a world of tiny pirates, ghostly dangers, strange creatures, and Blackbeard lore. Right from the start, the book announces its style with absolute confidence. Horatio’s running narration, the exaggerated pirate slang, and the nonstop asides give the whole thing the feeling of a storyteller leaning across the table, grinning, and saying, come on, you’ve got to hear this.
What really defines the book is its voice. This thing doesn’t whisper. It sings, shouts, cackles, and barrels forward. Schooner Bay Cove is introduced with such loving excess that the setting becomes part of the entertainment. The food, the harbor, the fish market, the tavern, the apple festival, all of it feels oversized on purpose, and that gives the novel its personality.
Thomas Patch is the center that holds all that comic energy together. He’s earnest, excitable, and funny, but he’s also guided by a simple moral core that gives the book more heart than its noisy surface might suggest. One of the clearest examples comes early, when he remembers his father’s advice to “Always do what is good…right and true.” That idea keeps echoing through the adventure, and it helps turn Thomas from a kid dazzled by pirate spectacle into someone who can make real choices under pressure. The book’s action matters, but its emotional engine is decency.
The supporting cast is a huge part of why the novel stays lively over such a long run. Tubby, Stix, Simon, Wellington, Robear, and the rest give the story a warm, scrappy group dynamic, and the humor depends a lot on the way they bounce off one another. The book loves repetition, catchphrases, running jokes, and comic timing, and that can feel a little relentless, but it’s also the source of its charm. Even in the middle of danger, the story makes room for silliness, affection, and oddball tenderness. By the time one character tells Thomas, “I think ye are gonna be all right…kid! Ye is among friends,” the book has earned that note of belonging.
What I came away with most is that this book is an all-in adventure for readers who want imagination pushed to full volume. It’s crowded, playful, sentimental, and committed to its own pirate mythology. Christopher David James doesn’t just tell a story about pirates. He builds a whole comic emotional world around the idea of pirate adventure and lets it run wild. It’s easy to see why Thomas keeps returning to the promise, “A pirate’s life for me! A pirate’s life indeed!” That line isn’t just a catchphrase here. It’s the book’s whole cheerful, unruly mission statement.
Pages: 1207 | ASIN : B0GPF7M1KG
Kraken Crew
The Kraken motley crew of pirates have big plans to sail to Mount Doom and steal the gold treasure from the fierce dragons. This dangerous mission has never been accomplished before but Captain Kraken knows his crew is up to the job and with teamwork they can reach the island and get the gold. Banshee, Storm Boy, Elf Witch, and parrot sail the ship with Captain Kraken. Together they encounter several dangerous obstacles and each time, a member of the ship uses their special skill to help the crew escape. When they reach Mount Doom, it looks hopeless as the swarm of dragons comes out and attacks. Can the crew use teamwork and defeat the dragons or will they too end up at the bottom of the sea?
Kraken Crew is written and illustrated by Dan Malster. This picture book is written in a fun rhyme scheme that will draw in children and keep their attention. There is a good balance of scary situations with fun and laughter with the crew. The illustrations that go with the text are fantastic. The artwork is bright and colorful, the images have a lot of details that you can pick out from each scene. Each page has something hidden, a mouse, a worm, or a fun detail to highlight the power each crewmate has. My favorite little detail was the list of ship rules when the crew is eating, number six is “Captain’s hat is not a toilet!”
The moral messages presented in this creative story make this fun book spectacular. Malster shows that everyone has special talents that can be helpful and every person is valuable. He also shows that teamwork is needed to accomplish big goals, that no one person can do everything themselves.
Kraken Crew is a magical children’s fantasy picture book for kindergarteners and young elementary students. This enchanting story will enthrall children with musical rhymes and dramatic artwork.
Pages: 36 | ISBN : 1739824601
Underlord of the Netherworld
![Underlord of the Netherworld by [Jinsei, Juna ]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51FvhkLMcWL.jpg?w=604&ssl=1)
Decades after the fateful battle with the ruinous shadow monster, the Neverlanders are living comfortably in the afterglow of victory and harmony. As families grow and tribes evolve, the congruous balance amoung civilizations has nourished fairies, men, and mermaids alike. All good things must inevitably come to an end though, and with the abruptness of a sudden treacherous storm, the Neverlanders once again find themselves prey to a cataclysmic force, an invading army of Malomen. Author Juna Jinsei returns to the Neverland series with Underlord of the Netherworld, once again brilliantly melding age old wisdom and youthful spirit into this daring tale of life after Peter Pan.
As a fan of the first title in the series, The Essence of Neverland, I had naturally high hopes for this sequel. There was a charming poignancy to the first book, as impactful as it was impressive. Author Jinsei certainly did not disappoint with the caliber of thoughtfulness infused into this followup story. The profoundness of self-discovery is every bit as present, although the lessons themselves have shifted somewhat. Again, I really have to applaud Jinsei’s remarkable talent for exploring significant themes with such clever insight and casual relatability.
Although Underlord of the Netherworld may be lacking some of the more macabre moments entailed in its predecessor, the story is still steeped with hearty action, interjected on occasion by gut-wrenching moments of tragedy. The invasion of Malomen, a swarthy society of bloodlusting sea creatures, has brought with it the tides of war. Despite the love and unity shared among the Neverlanders, the cruel reality of battle leaves many villages devastated, ravaged by the unwelcome army. These passages were particularly moving to me, written with such vividness and sincerity that I couldn’t help but to imagine vast cities of war-torn wreckage, not unlike those we sometimes see on the news. In fact, much of the conflict within The Underlord of the Netherworld can be paralleled to our society’s current political struggles. Despite their progression and intelligence, the Malomen have little regard for the lives of the foreign land-faring civilizations, seeking to claim those territories as their own. Their lust for conquest is driven by greed, and fueled by ego, pride, and racial tension. I was incredibly impressed at Jinsei’s ability to craft such strong parallels to modern society, while remaining loyal to the setting and tone of Neverland and its inhabitants.
True to the style of the first novel, Underlord of the Netherworld earnestly explores the powers of communication, compassion, and community. Without spoiling any of the juicy bits, I will say that the resolve comes together beautifully, with a respectful nod to the opening title. It is almost incomprehensible to me how casually Jinsei weaves the severity of self-discovery into the light-hearted nature of the characters. Without being too stuffy or, alternatively, too childish, Underlord of the Netherworld is the perfect balance of altruistic deeds and daring actions. I’d happily recommend this book and will be crossing my fingers for the next title in the series!
Pages: 248 | ASIN: B06XS121SH
Suzy Spitfire Kills Everybody
Suzy Spitfire is a take-no-bull fugitive on the run. Her best friend Aiko, who was her father’s lab assistant and is also on the run, wants to see her and she’s taking a big risk by coming back to Earth. She wastes her time at the bar flirting with Ricardo until Aiko shows up. Her friend reveals the location of a top-secret Artificial Intelligence her father developed for the government, and also informs her that her dad’s death was a murder, not an accident. Almost on cue, the bar is raided by the feds. Ricardo comes to their rescue (while stealing a case of whiskey on the way out) and they are on the run again, this time with a price on their heads and Special Forces on their heels.
With the feds, a fleet of pirates, and a criminal gang all gunning for them, this crew of outlaws has nowhere to turn. Blurr, the Special Forces commander, has no qualms about using extreme methods to get what he wants. Getting to Suzy – and the secrets she knows – would be even better.
I really got into the rapid-fire action. There’s never a dull moment in this book. Suzy is a larger-than-life antihero who would rather shoot than talk, and when she does speak, it’s usually a string of smartass remarks. Surrender is for weaklings and arguments are best ended with her pistol set on “stun” so she can mock the loser later. The action escalates through the book, with the crew of the Correcaminos Rojo bouncing between criminals, pirates, and the law, trapped on posh spaceships, hell-hole prisons, and domed spaceports. Her banter with Ricardo is fun, and her inability to keep her mouth shut gets her in trouble more than once.
Along the way, Suzy begins to second-guess her impulse to fight and starts listening to Ricardo. There may be a lot more to the guy besides his stunning good looks and bad poetry. She realizes she might be falling for him, but she can’t be sure that he’s not working for one of the factions trying to chase her down. It makes for a nice romantic subplot that may or may not involve bullets before it’s all over.
I also liked getting occasional glimpses into the stories of the people on the other side of the fight. Getting insight into what was going on behind the action provided a break between fight scenes and added a lot of scheming and intrigue. I don’t want to get into spoiler territory, but getting the inside scoop on other key characters added a lot of excitement to the story.
If I had to criticize one thing, it would be that the action gets a little repetitive. Several encounters with enemies are similar, but the great thing is that none of these situations resolve in the same way. It was nice to see the characters playing to their strengths and weaknesses, and the author does a great job at blending screwball humor into the mix. There is a minor loose end concerning a secondary character, but that might be covered in a sequel.
I would absolutely recommend this for a quick, fun, summer read. It’s a great blend of over-the-top action that reads like classic pulp fiction, and characters who play their tropes for all they’re worth. Suzie Spitfire Kills Everybody will leave you smiling.
Pages: 297 | ASIN: B072PXT1P7
Violence and Piracy
M.J.L. Evans Author Interview
No Quarter: Wenches follows two characters; Atia Crisp as she finds herself imprisoned in the wickedest city on earth, and Captain La Roche who must find a way to liberate the woman he loves while waging a war against the English. What was your inspiration for creating a women’s adventure novel involving pirates in the 1600’s?
I am inspired by stories/movies with strong female characters, so naturally if I was going to write a story, I would be drawn to having strong female leads. I wasn’t particularly drawn to writing historical fiction until I read the original No Quarter Series (Dominium and Wenches) scripts written by GM O’Connor. He’s always been fascinated with history, particularly during the time of pirates. He asked me to read the scripts and I thought they would make a great book series. So we collaborated our interests and I became fascinated with getting all the details (locations, costumes, furniture, architecture, ships) as accurate as possible. We also use a combination of real-life inspired and fictional characters, which adds realism and adventure.
No Quarter crosses many genres. What books or authors were the biggest inspiration for you?
Moonfleet by J. Meade Falkner was the most inspirational book as it told the tale of smuggling, pirates, treasure, a sea voyage and a hurricane in 1898. It was very rich in details and I felt very transported by it, so I wanted to do the same for No Quarter. Also the book Port Royal, Jamaica by Michael Pawson was inspirational as it gives a glimpse of every day life in 17th century Port Royal and details locations, how they imported food/water and even what ships were around and what they were used for.
This is a very fun novel. Did you have fun writing it?
Yes, it was very fun writing this. My co-author GM O’Connor and I would have brainstorming sessions to come up with entertaining names and comedic dialogue/scenarios. Or sometimes we’d come up with something just buying groceries, watching movie or wake up at 3am with something hysterical and had to write it down before forgetting it.
No Quarter is the first volume in a series. Where do you take the characters through the rest of the series and how does the development of their characters progress?
Atia for example, is indentured, so she’s quite complacent, but she also has a rebellious side that hasn’t been fully explored yet. When she starts working at a Port Royal tavern, she starts to understand the workings of the city and she learns manipulation and eventually turns to being a spy. Basically, she grows up and becomes a fighter. La Roche is already set in his piratical ways, it’s in his blood, it has been since he was a child. When he meets Atia, he’s drawn to the idea of a “normal” life with marriage and children. His development hinges on his willingness to let go of violence and piracy. He wants to retire from it all, but that’s not an easy task, as situations arise which require him to be piratical. He eventually comes to peace with his internal conflicts and finds balance.
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In 1689, Atia Crisp finds herself imprisoned in the wickedest city on earth, Port Royal, Jamaica, while the refugees from Strangewayes’s plantation in the Blue Mountains are on the run and seeking a new home, deep in the Caribbean. Captain Jean-Paul la Roche must get them to safety and find a way to liberate the woman he loves while waging a war against the English with the pirate Laurens de Graaf. While besieged people suffer and starve, a group of women form a secret and illegal society deep from within the bowels of the city called: WENCH. A network that deals with smugglers, merchants, cutthroats and thieves. Dragged into the struggle for supremacy of the Caribbean, the women are divided and find themselves engulfed in bloodshed. The pirates of Port Royal and former enemies may be their only hope of escape. Hell hath no fury like a cross wench!
