Hello Lovely Readers,
Today we welcome Marsha Canham to the blog answer a few questions in honor of the release of The Pirate Wolves boxed set!
Welcome! Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into writing?
My first book, China Rose, was published in 1984, which qualifies me, I believe, as a dinosaur. I wrote four books before China Rose was accepted, and all four manuscripts remain unpublished and locked away in a dusty bin in my basement, never to see the light of day. I like to think I learned something with each failed attempt, each rejection letter, and compare the experience to going through school. You don’t go from kindergarten to university without having to learn a great deal along the way.
I was not driven to be a writer, it was never on my to do list. I was a voracious reader, however, mostly historical fiction and crime thrillers. A neighbour of mine used to read thin paperbacks that came free in boxes of laundry detergent and she gave me one to read … something with a woman rescuing a calf on a rainy night then trying to pass the calf off as a pet to a handsome motel owner. I returned the partially read book to her with as polite a review as I could manage and her response was: If you can do better, write one yourself.
I started pounding out the great Canadian novel on a clunky old Underwood manual typewriter that required copious amounts of white-out to make a page legible. I was infinitely proud of that first 150 page effort, but I don’t even include that attempt amongst the four unpublished manuscripts. It was that terrible. I persevered, I learned, I discovered historical romances, which I had never read before, and found a niche I could explore, and, because I loved history books, could dive into head first.
That neighbour, to this day, still reads every book as I write it, telling me where I’m going right and where I’m falling into the predictability trap. Every author needs someone like that, who isn’t afraid to tell them if a book sucks. I have scrapped whole, finished books after she’s read the final edit and politely told me, yeah, it’s okay, but its sort of predictable and boring in places.
The kiss of death for any author. Boring and Predictable.
Are there any books that have really influenced you as a writer?
I would have to say Gone With the Wind, War and Peace (yes, I slogged through all the Russian names), Hawaii and Shogun. They all read to me like movies I could see playing out in my mind, not just words on the page. Mastering that art is what I still strive for forty years later. I try to write word pictures to put the reader right into the thick of the action and if it’s a battle scene, let them smell the sulphur from the cannon fire, hear the clash of swords, see through the fog and mist.
I do make a point of not reading any books in my own genre. As much as I loved reading historical romances when I first began thinking up stories of my own, I did not want to be influenced by any plotlines or characters. The odd one I do read, because they are written by close friends I’ve made over the years, I try not to think to myself: ooh, I would have done this here or that there.
Best just to avoid them.
What do you enjoy most about writing Historical Romances?
I’ve written one contemporary novel, which shall go unnamed, and it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was difficult to play the scenes out in my mind when I had to worry about cell phones and subways. I much prefer swords to Glock handguns, and pirate ships to volkswagons. Plus, there is sooo much history out there, from Medieval knights and damsels in distress, to pirates and cowboys and Highland heroes. I like to use history as part of the story, another character, if you will, rather than just as a colourful backdrop. I use real events and real historical figures where possible, especially if there is some mystery surrounding them, as in my Medieval trilogy. I came across a tiny phrase in a huge history research book that mentioned “the lost princess of Brittany” and bam! I had my story. I threw in my love of Robin Hood and included all of the various rumours that went into making the legend of the man, and in the end, I had my three volume Medieval series.
What drew you to write about swashbuckling pirates?
Simple answer: Errol Flynn. I watched every one of his swashbuckling movies when I was a kid. Captain Blood, the Sea Hawks… I watched them over and over and imagined myself there on the deck of the ship with him, swinging down from the yards, knife clenched between my teeth! I got my toes wet with China Rose, making the hero a rogue pirate-smuggler. Then I waded in up to my knees with Bound By the Heart, setting more than half the book on the sea. With the Wind and the Sea, I was all in and had a blast writing it. Reading up on the history of the Barbary Coast, plotting the sea battles took hours of research but I loved every minute of it. And this was back when there was no internet, so it meant days in the library, and armloads of books to wade through.
I took a break after The Wind and the Sea to spend some years writing my Scottish trilogy, the Medieval trilogy, and one Western, specifically on a request from my dad. But then the adventure drew me back to the sea. The Spanish Armada had always fascinated me, and why it failed to attack England. I read about the Sea Hawks, real swashbuckling heros who saved the realm, and started writing Across A Moonlit Sea. My Pirate Wolf took the helm during the burning of Cadiz, a year before the Armada launched. In subsequent adventures, his daughter was featured in the second book, The Iron Rose, which was named one of the seven best mass market fiction books that year by Publisher’s Weekly. After that, were books featuring her two brothers, and now, a fifth one featuring a descendant of the Iron Rose sailing into the Gulf of Mexico to help the Americans defend against the British attack on New Orleans.
Can you tell us about your writing space? Where do you do most of your writing?
Unlike some authors, I can’t write just anywhere. I need the comfort and familiarity of my office clutter around me. About 30 years ago I had back problems and, on the advice of my chiropractor, had a desk designed specifically for my height. (I took his further advice and had all of my kitchen counters raised 2 inches above the normal height…what a difference THAT makes!) The desk plus an ergonomic chair and ergonomic key board are about the only way I can write comfortably. And when I say office clutter, I do mean clutter. Post-it notes everywhere, research books, rough handwritten notes and chapters (yes, I still write everything in longhand first before putting it on the computer). I even have pictures of what I would imagine my hero should look like. Usually quite inspiring lol.
What helps you when you have writers block?
I’ve had a rough few years that I wouldn’t blame on writer’s block. More like writer’s delay. There was a hostile divorce to work through when the last thing on my mind was writing a romance novel. Then came the realization that, even though I took the house in the settlement, I couldn’t carry it on my own so I downsized and moved. Then the worst possible thing happened, I lost my son, my only child, so once again I was not even looking at my office, let alone venturing inside. Another move to get away from the memories, another bout of downsizing all contributed, not to a block, but a loss of purpose. Even a loss of belief in myself. How did I get through it? Being part of OHB, being taken under Tanya Anne Crosby’s gentle wings and being reassured that I was still a valued member of the team definitely helped.
I used to say, when I worked for print publishers, that I never made a deadline, I was always late. Sometimes by a month, once by an entire year when my very blunt and honest reader friend read what I had and said it was not good enough so I tossed the whole book out and started again. I’m working on a self-imposed deadline now and I’m hoping I can meet it. Having an honest reader helps immeasurably and I can’t say that enough to newer authors. Find someone to tell you honestly if it’s good or if it’s awful or ordinary or predictable. The quickest way out of a writer’s ‘delay’ is to have a chapter come flying back with the words Nope. You can do better. That just happened to me last week when I couldn’t decide which way to direct the storyline… I had two alternatives and was stalled trying to work out which one was the better choice. I sent both passages to my friend, calling it the Which Way passages, and she made the clear and what should have been obvious to me choice. But if I didn’t have her virgin eyes reading it… meaning she’d never seen either passage before…I could have sat on the indecision for weeks. Fresh eyes, harsh criticism if needed, gentle guidance when wanted…best advice I can give for working through a problem.
What are some things you are really enjoying reading right now? Books, TV, foods, etc.?
As I said, I don’t read romance novels, either historical or contemporary. I’ve been reading crime and thriller novels for as long as I can remember. Michael Connelly, Lee Childs, John Sandford, Brian Freeman, Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Nelson De Mille, Agatha Christie, Ann Rule are all high on my list of auto-buys. My TV tastes run along the same lines, Night Manager, all the Bourne movies, the MI movies, most WWII movies and the old classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, A Fistful of Dollars, Maltese Falcon, and of course all the Errol Flynn era swashbuckler movies. My dad was a huge Western fan, so that has carried over as well. Not into horror at all, so if it’s creepy or too bloody I give it a pass.
Curling up to watch a movie on my Big Blue Chair with my two pups, a plate of Chinese food, and a good glass of wine is my idea of the perfect evening.
I do love hearing from readers, especially the ones who remember me lol. I’m hoping the newest installment in the Pirate Wolf series…tentatively titled The Black Wind… will be ready for release this summer/Fall. I will have information and updates on my website www.marshacanham.com. I can also be reached at marshacanham@yahoo.com
Want to know more about The Pirate Wolves Box Set?
From the author dubbed by Romantic Times as “the Queen of Swashbuckling Romance!” The Pirate Wolves contains four complete novels in one volume featuring dashing heroes and fearless heroines in a series of rip-roaring, high-seas adventures.
ACROSS A MOONLIT SEA
Simon Dante, the Pirate Wolf, meets his match in battle and in love when he crosses swords with Isabeau Spence. Together they join forces with Sir Francis Drake on a daring attack on Cadiz.
THE IRON ROSE
Bound for the Caribbean on a mission for the king, Varian St.Clare’s ship is attacked by a Spanish galleon. When a pirate ship, the Iron Rose comes to their rescue, cannons blazing, the emissary is suprised to learn the captain is a woman, Juliet Dante, daughter of the infamous Pirate Wolf.
THE FOLLOWING SEA
The long-awaited and anticipated story of Gabriel Dante. Book three of the award-winning Pirate Wolf series which began with Across A Moonlit Sea and The Iron Rose.. The story takes place on the Spanish Main, with pirate attacks, high-seas adventure, lost galleons and sunken treasure.
THE FAR HORIZON
Jonas Dante is the eldest son of Simon Dante, the infamous Pirate Wolf. While conducting business in London, Jonas meets the beautiful jewel thief, Bellanna Harper. When Dante rescues her from an attack that leaves her homeless and hunted by killers, Bella finds herself in even more peril, trapped aboard Dante’s ship and carried south to the Pirate Wolf’s tropical island stronghold.
Be prepared for sea battles, intrigues, betrayals and heart-pounding adventure swirls, all written around a breathtaking romance between two evenly matched, indomitable characters.
Award-winning, USA Today bestselling author Marsha Canham lives in a quiet, historic town north of Toronto, Canada. For someone who has always loved and watched the the classic swashbuckling films of the 50’s and 60’s, it is no surprise she chose historical romance as the genre that allows her to live vicariously through her pirates, Medieval knights, Scottish Highlanders, even Western and Regency adventures.
Rogues and renegades might rule the romance, but Marsha’s heroines are known for being just as strong, clever, and capable. No wilting butterflies there. Most are more familiar with swords and pistols than cups of tea.
