A story of the Royal Navy Press Gangs
In the continued celebration of the A to Z 2015 Challenge I'd like to share with you the story behind the book, a tale of the Royal Navy Press Gangs ~ Powder Monkey...
Thanks for dropping by and viewing my video on the Story Behind the Book!
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Best wishes,
Donna M. McDineMulti Award-winning Children's Author
Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!
Connect with
Donna McDine on Google+A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ New England Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
I hope you are enjoying the Story Behind my book series... Today, I'm profiling my historical fictional early reader picture book based on the Royal Navy Press Gangs, Powder Monkey...Powder Monkey was an initial manuscript I wrote and submitted to a different publisher that put out a request for manuscripts for the late 1700's to 1800's time period, specifically dealing with the Royal Navy. Being a lover of everything historical fiction I jumped at the opportunity. They turned it down, but after several rounds of edits with Guardian Angel Publishing Powder Monkey was awarded an acceptance.
The Royal Navy Press Gangs is incredibly fascinating to me, especially since the Press Gangs would kidnap boys as young as 12 years of age and force them to work on the ships. Appalling, but incredible for a writer to uncover. The story idea flowed as well as the characters making for a journey like non-other.
Often times I find knowing when to stop the research the most difficult. I never "throw our" my research, even if it all does not make it into the current work-in-progress...one never knows when it will come in handy for a new manuscript. Here's to the next bit of research taking a life of it's own on!
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Purchase via Write What Inspires You or at my website for autographed copies. Once purchased go to the Rafflecopter link below and enter receipt number, your name, email and title of book ordered. Contest ends midnight November 30th and winner will be announced and notified by December 2nd.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDineMulti Award-winning Children's Author
Ignite curiosity in your child through reading!Connect with
Donna McDine on Google+A Sandy Grave ~ January 2014 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ 2014 Purple Dragonfly 1st Place Picture Books 6+, Story Monster Approved, Beach Book Festival Honorable Mention 2014, Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Powder Monkey ~ May 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Favorite Five Star Review
Hockey Agony ~ January 2013 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc. ~ Story Monster Approved and Reader's Farvorite Five Star Review
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
~ Literary Classics Silver Award and Seal of Approval, Readers Favorite 2012 International Book Awards Honorable Mention and Dan Poynter's Global e-Book Awards Finalist
Winston Churchill is surrounded by many popular and well-entrenched myths. Despite his long and close relationship with the Royal Navy, he is regarded by many as an inept strategist who interfered in naval operations and often overrode his professional advisers with inevitably disastrous results. In his new book, Churchill and Seapower, author Christopher M. Bell gives us the first major study of Winston Churchill’s record as a naval strategist and his impact as the most prominent guardian of Britain’s sea power in the modern era. In the video below, we chatted with Bell, who shed some light on the misconceptions behind the Battle of the Atlantic.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Christopher M. Bell is Associate Professor of History at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He is the author of The Royal Navy, Seapower and Strategy between the Wars (2000), co-editor of Naval Mutinies of the Twentieth Century: An International Perspective (2003), and author of Churchill and Sea Power (2012). Read his previous blog post.
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The post On the Battle of the Atlantic appeared first on OUPblog.
Saturday was beautiful. We had a deck roof to put on, grass to cut, a huge to do list. Blue sky, light breeze, no humidity. Perfect weather for projects!
"Let's go to the sea!" I said. So we did.
Much better than slaving away hammering and staining. We had all day Sunday to do that (which we did).
Playing hookie we scooted Down East to Schoodic Point, a beautiful, wild nature reserve about 1.5hrs drive. The backdrop view from this finger of Maine granite is Acadia National Park. The colours were breath taking. Bright cadmium reds in berrys and hips and haws thrown against viridian green leaves and the ultramarine and prussian of the sea. Surf bubbled and foamed throwing up spits of azure creaminess against grey granite and sparkling malachite rocks. Superb.
Sometimes you just have to obey your desires and GO.
All this beauty was, ofcourse, followed by a cracking fish and chip lunch. OK, not quite up to Yorkshire standards (what is?) but good enough.
This 'call of the sea' seems to be a pervading theme in y life this week. A sketch here from my sketch blog ...
The biggest 'call of the sea' is that we've made the decision (been coming on a long time) to begin the search for a place to live nearer the Maine coast. My hubby works in Belfast, Maine and has a daily commute of about 45mins one way over some beautiful, but very hilly, roads. In winter it can be treacherous and means over 2 hours or more travelling. We have lived in our current house (which we built ourselves) for seven years. It's longer than we imagined we'd stay here. Do I have the seven year itch? Undoubtedly. The 'Call' is strong.
Before I moved to America (2000) I always lived by the sea. I grew up in Scarborough, England, a beautiful fishing town. Then spent 6 years in the Royal Navy and 10 years after that in Portsmouth, England. Coming to America (first to SC) I felt extremely land locked. Although we are only 45 minutes drive from the sea right now ... it's just not the same. Heavens above, if I ever had to live in the Mid West!
That's what's on my mind a lot right now. This move. I am not looking forward to it. The disruption of work and routine. I will be sad to leave our little house, just when we have finished it - it took a while . But the restlessness I am feeling won't be satisfied and gets worse with each passing season, birthday and new year. Better to get the pain over with.! So ... realtors are alerted, their nostrils flared and twitching. Meantime, if you know anyone who would like to buy a sweet logsided house in a country area of Maine, send 'em along.
1 Comments on The Call of the Sea, last added: 9/13/2011
One must follow one's heart and desire. We will miss you and Mike when you leave.