Monday, April 9, 2012

Monday Morning Post: The Cutlass Edition

Happy release day to me! Er, well, to US, since it was a group effort. I am proud to announce the release of Cutlass - Ten Tales of Pirates, a new anthology that was compiled and edited by the amazing Rayne Hall. It's available on Smashwords and Amazon (so far). Check out the company I'm keeping on this one!

1. KHABALLO by Margo Lerwill
Careened on a cursed island, the old captain and her men are caught between warring navies. 

2. VICTORIA AND THE IRONCLAD by Douglas Kolacki
An escaped slave and a pirate captain race to capture the Confederacy's ultimate weapon.

3. BLIND MAN'S BLUFF by Jonathan Broughton
The trickster's reward is deceit.

4. SKRITCH by John Blackport
Your enemy may be your best ally.

5. DIAMONDS AND BONES by Kris Austen Radcliffe
In space, you may need to deal for the diamonds your bones need.

6. UN HOMME DE COULEUR LIBRE by Liv Rancourt
Fate sets Robert's life on a new course.

(Yeah, I made mine bigger. So? It's my blog.)

7. SCYLLA AND THE PEPPER PIRATES by Rayne Hall
A spunky young woman sets out to rescue her long-lost lover.

8. BROADSIDED by JK Kiegan
Love can take you off course.

9. THE PENSIONER PIRATES OF MARINE PARADE by Jonathan Broughton
Rebel pensioners revolt.

10. THE BOOK OF ADVENTURES by Douglas Kolacki
In the Great Depression, two brothers find two kinds of escape.

For those of you who have been following along with this blog, my short story, Un Homme De Couleur Libre was written from the perspective of a 16 year old boy (check out my post here), and the piece is set in 1810 New Orleans. I'd love for you to read it and let me know if I managed to pull it off - both the perspective and the historical setting. And in the interest of garnering that feedback, I'd like to give away three copies of Cutlass. Leave a comment on this post, and next week I'll announce the winners. 

There's a snippet below to whet your appetite. Thanks so much for reading along!
Peace,
Liv



Excerpt...



February 4, 1810
New Orleans, Louisiana

             They say I am not yet a man. Maybe not in years on earth, but by my own measure, yes. I am old enough to love and I promise I am old enough to bed a woman. I am old enough to lie, and I'm old enough to do what I believe is right, even when it leads me to kill. The last one has aged me faster than any other thing.   
            At first, I was simply running, while trying not to appear rushed. The streets of the French Quarter were busy with people celebrating the start of Carnivale. I moved quickly through the laughing crowds, their gaudy silks and linens splattered by mud from the street and their perfumes barely covering the stench of the open sewers. They were French and Spanish and Creole, along with a few rude Americans, and everywhere there were dark-eyed women on the arms of fair-skinned men. 
            At Canal Street, I passed a pair of lamplighters working together to raise the ladders needed to light the oil-fueled lanterns that hung from iron poles along the street. I had run out in only my breeches, shirt and waistcoat, and while I blended with the rowdy crowds on Decatur street, here my missing coat would raise questions. I hoped to avoid notice because although I was one of the gens de couleur libres, or the free men of color, without the backing of my family, my safety was not guaranteed.
            The French Quarter's gardens and wrought iron balconies were replaced by the raw and unfinished American Quarter. I turned onto Magasine Street, a block away from a stretch of warehouses that covered the ground down to the banks of the Mississippi River. If I could make it to the river, I could perhaps climb aboard a barge heading north towards Destrehan, my father's plantation. I knew I couldn’t stay there, but it was the only idea I had. Before I could take action, the lamplighters turned the corner and began working their way towards me.
            I dropped into the shadow of a spare two-story clapboard building and pressed myself up against the wall, then slowly edged around until I was in the strip of weeds that separated this building from its neighbor. The clatter of horses’ hooves told me another party of men had joined the lamplighters. Angry voices knifed back at me from the street. I recognized my brother's friend Philippe. Someone must had watched me leave the lodging and followed, or else they never would have come this close. I couldn't clearly distinguish their words, but from the ire in Philippe’s voice I guessed that the lamplighters weren't providing him the information he sought. I had a moment of hope that they would pass by.
            A soft growl from behind me destroyed my tenuous sense of relief. I glanced back and saw the glistening eyes of an angry dog. The growl erupted into a staccato burst of barking.



19 comments:

  1. Congrats on your new release. Your story sounds pretty good. I'd love to read the rest, as well as the other stories in the anthology. My pirate story "Treasured Chest" was also to be a short story for a pirate anthology, might've been this one, not sure. But I've learned that writing short stories is a whole different animal than writing a novel. I couldn't develop the story around 7,500 words allowed. It read too rushed and I've decided to forgo on the publishing it as it was and work on it to develop it to a full novel. Though I've read some place that publishing a short story is a great way to build up some hype over the full length novel to be published later.
    You definitely pulled off the New Orleans and the voice for the times. Great job.

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  2. Hi Liv, Great excerpt. Times were different then and I think 16 yr old boys had to grow up fast and become men earlier. I thought his voice came through very well. I've been to New Orleans twice, not in 1810, but I can picture if vividly. Nice job.

    Good luck and Congrats. PS I know Kris Radcliffe from another group and critiqued her pirate story. It's a lot of fun. You two should meet. You would like her, she's very funny ;)

    Debbie

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  3. Haven't read it yet but I will, primarily because its title was the largest on your listing. You crack me up. Congratulations!

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  4. Congrats! I'll definitely have to pick this one up. I like pirates. They're the ninjas of the sea ;)

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  5. Thanks Zrinka! I hope to see your full-length pirate story some day.
    ;)

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  6. Deb - would love to meet (e-meet?) Kris! Am looking forward to reading her story. Thanks!

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  7. ...and you, Sara, crack me up.
    ;)
    Thanks!

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  8. Thanks Rabia! Short stories are fun because of the instant gratification factor.
    ;)

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  9. Thanks Leslie! Appreciate the positive vibe.

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  10. But be warned, Mike, there's NO Courvoisier in this one.
    ;)
    Thanks!

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  11. Great excerpt, Liv! Congrats on your release day, too! I've been to New Orleans several times and I thought you captured it well. You main character's voice sounded like a 16 y.o. from that time as far as I can tell. Nicely done!

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  12. Nice excerpt, Liv. I like the voice. I could picture the scene in my head as I read. Great job. :-)

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  13. Hi Liv. Congratulations on your release. I enjoyed the voice.

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  14. Thanks Tami! I'm jealous...would love to go to New Orleans some day.

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  15. Thanks for the "voice" love, Empi & Bev. It was quite a departure for me...

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  16. I like the voice of the boy, you captured the atmosphere and place. The plot definitely pulls me in and make me want to read further.

    Congrats on the release. So exciting!

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