Around the Fire with Marilyn Barr and her new release Quarter-Master.

Welcome to the fire Marilyn. While I grab some pirates grog for us, why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you. How long have you been writing? 
I started writing in 2018. I used to write books to be printed at our local office supply store, so my friends could read them after their homeschooled kids went to bed. We would meet for drinks and an informal book club to giggle over the dirty bits once a month. When the pandemic canceled my husband’s business travels, he found out about my “playing author.” Within his first 24 hours at home, I had a website, business cards, manuscript queries sent, and a membership to the Kentuckian romance writers. 

Wow not just supportive but a git'er dun kinda guy. I know you write in a number of genres and I'm a fan of your Wylder series. 
I may bounce from pirates to cowboys to scientists to monsters, but all my books are paranormal.
They say you must write what you know, and my life is too strange to write anything else.

Lol! I've read you Vampire/Pirate stories. So tell us about your book that releases today. 
Quartermaster is a paranormal pirate romance and a spin-off from the Walk the Walk series. Branko
and his vampiress may be living their HEA as landlubbers but Patricia’s Wish sails on with Captain Teeth
at the helm and Chub returning as Quartermaster. It’s 1725 and most of the pirates have taken pardons
from the Spanish or English government. Teeth and Chub are on the hunt for treasure—not gold, but
love. The sidekicks are ready to become heroes.

What is it that you drove you to writing about pirates?
I’m a homeschooling mom. I needed to teach the foundations of democracy to my then-10-year-old.
From Hammurabi’s code in ancient Mesopotamia to the pirate parlay code, I found democracy was found
in more places than in ancient Greece and the colonial USA. In fact, women and people of color had
equal rights on the sea, but not on land in colonial America. I fell in love with the governing systems of
what I always thought were “lawless scoundrels.” Every job aboard was a voted position from Captain to
poop deck scrubber, and each person holding those positions had an equal vote. Pirate Captains were
slave liberators and portrayed by villains because the ones losing money are the same men writing the
history. The truth is buried in the shipping logs from the port masters and merchant boat Captains. I was
fascinated!

Like I said, I read your  vamp/pirate books. I've learned a lot about pirates and their life from your work. How much research was involved? Did you stay on point or were you tantalized and went off on rabbit trails?
Quartermaster comes from a love of psychological warfare in the records of 1700s piracy. In the
movies, pirates are portrayed as brainless sword-slashers when historically, they hardly ever boarded
another vessel. They depended on their reputations to scare their opponents—easy when the general
population was superstitious. I fell in love with the tales of Sam Bellamy taking the Whydah by making a
pretend ghost ship, Blackbeard braiding firecrackers into his beard to appear possessed, and the rest of
the shenanigans of the 4 years called the Golden Age of Pirates. While I wrote about this time period in
the Walk the Walk series, Quartermaster takes place in 1725. Most of the pirates had taken pardons and
retired from the sweet trade to a landlubbing life of agriculture or crime. I wondered what would happen if
a boat refused to retire. They would be hated by the Spanish, English, and colonial Americans…
 
Quarter-Master is a long novella, how long did you take to write the book?
I wrote Quartermaster in a month. I was already half in love with Chub from his role in my other book
series. I knew I wanted him to represent tough men who weren’t tall, dark, and classically handsome
gentlemen. Chub is a 5 foot 5 inches tall, freckled, red-headed pirate with more brains than manners.
What he brings to the table is a patient disposition, a talent for teaching, and a huge heart. He teaches
the young crew how to sail, the Captain to read, and his lady love to trust again. I wanted his HEA so
badly, the story wrote itself.

Quartermaster
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BRWRPDBF
By
Marilyn Barr
Can the love of a pirate heal the wounds inflicted by a gentleman?
Catalina
He violated me. Don Rodrigo took my family’s business, home, and titles, but he will never own me. I’m on the run. He’s threatened to expose my secret. My last hope is to intercept the ship carrying my dowry before our match is permanent. Trusting pirates to give me a fair share is foolish but not as much as staying on the same island as my attacker…
Chub
The letter from our arch-nemesis was written in feminine calligraphy but our nutmeg Captain Teeth didn’t notice. Blimey that because the author of the letter is my lady love. I’d bet my last doubloon. If only she didn’t shrink away from my touch… Killing every scoundrel who dared to hurt her isn’t helping…but it cools the rage I hold inside.
Can Chub teach Catalina to assemble her shattered fragments into the strong woman she wants to be or is she too broken to believe in herself? Will she accept a pirate’s promise of true love or was the Mortar & Pestle’s message too late for lonely Chub to claim his lady love?

Ancient World Historical Romance (Kindle Store)
Romantic Fantasy (Kindle Store)
Sea Stories

Marilyn Barr
I have a diverse background containing experiences as a child prodigy turned medical school reject, published microbiologist, special education/inclusion science teacher, homeschool mother of a savant and advocate for the autistic community. This puts me in the position to bring tales containing heroes who are regular people with different ability levels and body types, in a light where they are powerful, lovable, and appreciated.
I currently reside in the wilds of Kentucky with my husband and son. When I’m engaging with the real world, I’m collecting characters, empty coffee cups, and unused homeschool curricula. I love to read paranormal romance as much as I love to write it. Connect with me on Goodreads to find out what I am reading.
https://www.marilynbarr.com/
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