Sabrina Jeffries Boards the Ship - And She’s Brought Friends!
Yes, I own a set of mini marauding pirates. I couldn’t resist–I got them from this online site called Archie McPhee’s that had a whole slew of pirate stuff. I also have a pirate Mickey Mouse and a POC puzzle that came with a poster of Captain Jack Sparrow. The poster is now firmly attached to my wall. My favorite cereal as a child was Captain Crunch (yes, I know he wasn’t a pirate, but they didn’t have pirate cereal). You could say that I’m a bit of a pirate-lover. Just a bit.
So how far does YOUR pirate obsession extend? Do you
a. Own any pirate action figures?
b. Own any pirate DVDs?
c. Actually talk like a pirate on Talk Like a Pirate Day? (It’s only a week off, you know)
d. Dress like a pirate on any day OTHER than Halloween?
Come on, fess up! Anybody get all four? *G*
September 11th, 2008 at 5:43 am
I work in a high school library where we celebrate odd events every day with signs at the circulation desk—so Talk Like a Pirate Day and pirate jokes are right up my alley. Got the poster all ready! I did a pirate display once too w/ Howard Pyle’s magnificentlly illustrated pirate book as the centerpiece. Once my son dressed like a pirate for Halloween. I’m right at home on the Romance Writer’s Revenge.
Sabrina, love your books. I know you have other collections besides pirates. Want to talk anout them too?
September 11th, 2008 at 6:46 am
Hi, Maggie!
Yes, I’m happy to talk about anything and everything (well, almost everything anyway). Wow, you’re up early!
September 11th, 2008 at 7:42 am
Morning Sabrina! I am a pirate here, but I admit to a lack of pirate paraphernalia.
Thank you for bringing Will and Jane to visit! LOL!! I cracked up.
Can you tell us a little about your writing process? I’m in revisions; any thing you can tell me that makes it less painful?
September 11th, 2008 at 8:13 am
I’ve got all four. Though I don’t do #3 all day on Talk Like a Pirate Day.
I have lots of pirate DVDs: all three POTCs; The Black Swan; The Pirate (musical with Gene Kelly); Cutthroat Island; Pirates (um, a thinly plotted movie with lots of fooling around) and I think there are one or two others…but I mostly watch the first three.
And I have a talking Captain Jack Sparrow action figure, as well as a bobble head doll. And I have three different pirate costumes–and I have worn one of them to a festival. (I haven’t worn it to go grocery shopping in January or anything…but that might be fun.)
And I totally bought The Pirate Lord the first time it came out! I’ve always loved pirates…it’s such a great book. I’m so glad it’s being re-released!
September 11th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Hm, I think of myself more of a ninja pirate. I come complete with a monkey on my shoulder and knife like sharp bananas for throwing like stars. But I talk like a pirate every day (of course, I have to or the Capt’n and Jack throw empty rum jugs at me and I like my rum jugs full if I’m going to be around them so I can drink like a pirate too). And I admit the only reason why I own a pirate movie is because Hellion bought it for me for Christmas.
Hellion is the ultimate pirate. I bow down to her pirateness.
Ms. Jeffries it’s an honor to have you on the deck today! I had to sneak peak the blog last night because I wanted to see the Will and Jane comic.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:46 am
Ah, me mateys, so great to be with kindred spirits. Pirates, yum!
Hellion, I will join Sin in admiring your pirateness, though I’m glad you draw the line at grocery shopping in the pirate costume. I could have scored all four if I’d ever dressed as a pirate for Mardi Gras, but alas, it never occurred to me. I always wanted to look girly (you get more beads that way). And I LOVE the Black Swan! I wasn’t, however, too thrilled with Cutthroat Island. For some reason, it just didn’t float my boat
Marnee Jo, what is it they say, “no pain, no gain”? Sigh, it’s true. I just finished revising a chapter (I revise as I write, multiple times) and it slowed me down for two days. When it’s a difficult change, it’s such a pain! I have an article about revising on my website at http://www.sabrinajeffries.com/cut-to-the-chase-in-your-writing.php . Take a look at it if you think it might help.
As for my own process, I edit (a lot) as I write. I can’t do the “discovery draft” thing that some writers recommend. If I don’t have the chapters right, I can’t go on. Period. I DO use a very thorough synopsis as an outline, and I also work off of character charts, but I find out a lot as I write, which is why I have to revise. If I wrote a “discovery draft” and then went back to revise, it would be pure crap and unusable, because I build everything on those early pages once they’re right. If that makes sense.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Okay, I just wrote a very long response and it disappeared. Ack! I will see if I can re-create it. Usually I copy my posts in case that happens, but I hit submit too quickly.
September 11th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Sabrina Jeffries!
I too am a huge fan. What’s to come in the future?
And no pirates for me. I’m way girly! And def no pirate talk… arg. ‘K maybe once in a while *w*
September 11th, 2008 at 8:49 am
Yeah, Sin, why don’t you also tell them you haven’t taken the PLASTIC off the pirate movie?
September 11th, 2008 at 8:51 am
Sabrina, sometimes our site “spams” people’s comments who aren’t actually spam. I de-spammed your long comment and it’s back up now…
September 11th, 2008 at 8:56 am
Thanks, Hellion, you’re a doll! We run into the same thing on Goddess Blogs, so I’d JUST written to Terri to ask if she could check if it was in spam. Wow, you’re fast!
September 11th, 2008 at 9:05 am
Hellion, which pirate movie did you give Sin?
Tiffany, next up is a story in a Christmas anthology coming out October 28th. I guess that’s the antithesis of pirate books, huh! I should write a pirate book where they celebrate Christmas. That would be fun. Rum all round!
Then next year Pocket is reissuing the earlier School for Heiresses books in preparation for the release in August and September of the last two books of the series (or what I THINK are the last two books, although I may spin off a character or two whom I’ve grown to love). The August book is about Lucy Seton from Let Sleeping Rogues Lie. The September book is Charlotte and Michael’s, where readers will find out who Michael is. I’m writing it now and having SO MUCH FUN.
I have no clue what the next series will be. I have some ideas but haven’t made any decisions.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:07 am
I get that a lot. *LOL* I have that Will Ferrell quote in the back of my head, “I wanna go fast, I wanna go fast”–it’s sorta my motto.
This is nothing. You should see me change clothes at the gym. It’s like a Bewitched episode. A slight wiggle and I’m in a completely new set of clothes, while my friends haven’t untied their shoes yet.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:08 am
*twiddling thumbs* I plead the fifth.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:11 am
I gave Sin the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The definitive movie. The movie in which, there is our fine Captain Jack Sparrow standing on the ship he’s about “commandeer” (the bait and switch scene) and Will says, “They’re coming.” And Jack SMILES. You know the scene, the picture I’m talking about…
Hell, I remember that scene in the teaser trailer before the movie even hit the big screen and I was slapping on my friend Jackie’s arm, making “hamster” noises that really have no translation except: “OMG, we’re seeing this movie on opening day.” Don’t worry, she was slapping me back, making the same noises.
But will Sin sit down and watch it? NOooooo. Pirate movies don’t interest her. *LOL*
I’m not bitter.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:16 am
*LOL* I’m glad you’re having so much fun with the newest manuscript! I love when writing feels like a gift rather than like trying to herd cats…
September 11th, 2008 at 9:19 am
I love that, too, Hellion. It doesn’t happen to me NEARLY enough. My character love to play with my head.
Sin!!! You haven’t seen POC yet? Are you insane?
I shouldn’t talk, though. I have yet to read a Harry Potter book or see a movie. I keep meaning to, but ….
Life is short, y’know.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:20 am
My CHARACTERS! Sheesh, I hate it when I write too fast for editing.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:21 am
Yes. I am insane. It’s what makes me a good ninja pirate. I have to be the anarchist of the group. Everyone needs one around to keep them sane. And I do that for Hellion.
I haven’t read or watched HP either.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:26 am
HP is my other obsession. (Okay, this implies I only have two obessions: pirates and HP, and really my friends and I can list another half dozen things I glomm on. But pirates and HP are the top two.)
In Sin’s defense, I think if there had been a vampire in the pirate movie, she would have watched it.
September 11th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Hi, Sabrina! I confess to being an alien among the pirates here. I’ve never seen a POC movie, Beauvallet is one of the few Heyers I do not own, and Only with Your Love is the only Kleypas not on my keeper shelves. I do love Frenchman’s Creek, I bought all the grands pirate shirts during an Outer Banks visit, and I’m a regular visitor to the RWR. Do I get pirate points for these things?
I haven’t read A Pirate Lord, but I have read the Swanlea books, the Royal Brotherhood trilogy, and the School for Heiresses books. I have Snowy Night with a Stranger on my TBB calendar. October 28, right? And I am so looking forward to Charlotte and Michael’s book.
And I have read the Harry Potter books multiple times.
Since you revise as you go, do you have difficulty ending the revisions of a scene or a chapter and moving on?
September 11th, 2008 at 10:45 am
Ho there, Sabrina. Kathy from Heart of Dixie waving a salute!! ‘Tis joy to speak to ye again. I read The Pirate Lord when it first came out but must make a note to pick it up again and reread it!!
I won’t bore these guys again, but I have mucho pirate stuff. I’m pirate obsessed! POTC is my all-time fav (next to POTO), and Hellion and I have had somewhat of a contest in the past to see who has the most pirate paraphernalia. If I may be so bold, I believe we may be at a tie.
Sabrina, your covers are always so beautiful. Do ye get much say in the cover art? Do ye hate fillin’ out the ol’ form and have the artists ever gotten it wrong?
Where do ye get yer ideas? Do ye start with an event in the past and build your characters around it or do ye start with characters first?
Aye, tis indeed a pleasure to have ye here. Let us fill our bellies with grog, wenches. That’s what makes the world spin on its poles!
September 11th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Kathy’s being modest. I’m pretty sure she beat me with her cell phone doo-dads. (But I hope to get a new cell phone soon, hopefully something less Amish and I can catch up to her Fan-Obsessed status.) But for a bit there, we were neck and neck!
September 11th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Hi Sabrina,
I’m just a deck hand when a little muscle is needed….spend most of my time behind the captain’s telescope admiring the stars.
I am new to your books and recently finished ‘Notorious Love’ which I enjoyed very much!
The real towns of Stratford, Evesham Aylesbury and London are introduced into the plot and I couldn’t help wishing that real Taverns/buildings on real streets had been used (I know these towns quite well) . My wife and I could then visit and it can be very enjoyable in bringing the plot to life.
Have you ever thought of doing this sort of thing?
I guess it might involve a lot more research to do it thoroughly.
September 11th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Pirate obsession, sheesh, where do I begin? Yes I own pirate movies. My favorite, for some reason, is Cutthroat Island. I read Treasure Island to my kids when they were little and I’m about to make them read it on their own and then Kidnapped. I have The Everything Pirates Book. I watch anything on the History Channel that remotely has to do with-pirates.
Ever since I can remember, my grandmother would recite sailor quotes to me, of course, her great grandfather was a cooper from Donegal, her grandfather was a lighthouse keeper, his brother-in-law was a sailor who smuggled whisky.
With stories like that-who wouldn’t be obsessed with pirates.
BTW, Sabrina, I had the pleasure of writing a review for one of your books for FreshFiction, don’t judge me, it was one of my first. But I loved the book. I’m so hooked on your writing.
I’m definitely going to check out your article on revising. I wish my stint would be over and done with. It seems as though revisions are never done.
Thanks for stopping by,
Renee
September 11th, 2008 at 11:18 am
Sabrina, I love your books. Love, love, love Let Sleeping Rogues Lie and am looking forward to the Christmas release. And yay to Charlotte and Michael’s book releasing next September. I’m so curious to find out who Michael is… This might seem like a stupid question, but how did you come up with that storyline? Was that one of those things that built over the books or was the Charlotte/Michael relationship well plotted out?
September 11th, 2008 at 11:31 am
Ah-harr! Yer too kind, Hellion. (bows humbly) But ye be the Captain of this blog. Ye have the wonderful blog posts and, dare I mention, intimate rendezvous and interviews with Jack himself. Plain beyond disputing that ye be in like flint with the Captain. Though the cellphone ring and picture of me heartie Captain Jack Sparrow follow me hither and yon, and me daughter’s boyfriend’s mom recently bought me a pink Pirate Princess shirt with bling to satisfy me habit, ye be THE master! (bows humbly)
September 11th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Hi Sabrina - love your books! I’ve read The Pirate Lord several times. When people do polls asking favorite secondary stories I always think of The Pirate Lord. I love the secondary story of the scarred cook and the abused woman from the island he falls in love with. Keep ‘em coming!
How long does it take you to finish a book (from inception to on the shelves)?
September 11th, 2008 at 11:39 am
*rushes onto the decks totally out of breath*
I can’t believe I’m late!!! You just wouldn’t believe the morning I’ve had. The little pirate woke with the strep throat we just finished taking medicine for two days ago! Now they think it might be mono. Shiver me timbers, this is NOT a good time for this!
But I’m here now and glad to see everyone having such fun. I was lucky enough to meet Sabrina in San Fran and she is one of the sweetest, most adorable and obviously generous people out there. She even lingered in a narrow aisle on the airplane just to talk to J and I.
I do not have pirate action figures but I do have POTC Christmas ornaments. I have one of the POTC movies and The Pirate Movie was my favorite when I was young. I know I’ve watched it more than 20 times. (And I’m well aware this is no where close to the # of times Captain has watched the POTC movies…LOL.) I have the Talk Like a Pirate Book so I throw out a bit of the talk on the big day, and I have dressed as a pirate for Halloween more than once, however, never dressed that way outside of the holiday.
I have The Pirate Lord (re-release) right here on my shelves and it’ll be up as soon as I can get to it. As I’m moving in less than 10 days, not sure when that will be. But I’ll be sure to unpack the books first so as to be able to find it!
Sabrina - I can’t believe you edit as you go. I used to be that way but convinced myself I had to vomit out the first draft or I’d never reach THE END. However, big difference between me (working on my first WIP and still learning how to do it) and you (uber-successful authoress). How long does it take you to write a book in this way and how often do you stray from the original synopsis?
September 11th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Oh, and I LOVE Will & Jane. I was so excited when you said you were bringing them along. So cool!
September 11th, 2008 at 11:50 am
*swaggers onto the deck* Hellion, my love, where are you? Ah, there you are, sweet… *pats Hellion’s bottom* Be a love and get me a pint of rum, will you? *catches sight of Sabrina*
SABRINA! *flinging arms wide and walking away from Hellion, unrealizing she was bending up kiss his cheek* It’s so wonderful to meet you! I love your books! The Pirate Lord is my favorite on Hellie’s keeper shelf. I read it all the time! *picking up Sabrina’s hand and kissing the back of it*
September 11th, 2008 at 11:52 am
I love the comic strip. That is absolutely hysterical. I love the Jane Austen action figure…I keep wanting to add her to my collection, but all the Jack Sparrow ones…and my new Harry Potter one is sorta hogging up my extra desk space right now.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
Janga, yes, it’t the 28th. As for revising, I rarely have trouble moving on. I personally don’t think my revision is just tweaking. In most cases, I’m working to get the chapter to where it satisfies me enough so I can go on. I do occasionally have to put the brakes on, but I always end up going back pretty soon, because I just can’t stand it!
September 11th, 2008 at 12:12 pm
That Captain himself is making an appearance. Nice of him to come out of Hellion’s state room for some fresh and to join us. LOL! I have no action figures. I think I need to get some.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Hi, Kathy (picture me waving my sabre–I use it to cut paper).
I have very little say in cover art. Like every other author, I cross my fingers and pray that the cover gods don’t screw me. I’ve been fortunate at Pocket, because the cover gods have been kind. They must offer sacrifices to them weekly up there. As for cover forms, I have yet to work for a publisher that has them. My editor says, “any ideas about cover” and I give her my piddling ideas. Then she says “Marketing says that too passe” or “not sexy enough” or whatever. Once in a while, they say, “great idea, we’ll use that!” Then they make it pretty. Thank God, since I’m not an artist.
I’m definitely plot-driven. I think that’s why this Charlotte and Michael book has been so fun–these characters have been writing to each other for five books. I actually KNOW them well. So I’m just kind of coming along for the ride. *G* Normally, I have a premise that leads to a plot that leads to characters who would make sense in the plot. Unless, of course, one of the characters appeared in an earlier book, in which case I have to do more plot tweaking.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Here’s the thing, Quantum–I mostly have to do my research online. I do have a book about Winchilsea, which I used in Notorious Love, and I have lots of books and articles on various English towns, but it’s hard to know what they were like then.
Unfortunately, travel is difficult for me. I have an autistic teen, and we would either have to bring him, find some crazy person willing to watch him in our house for two weeks (he’s good as gold, but he requires constant supervision), or I’d have to go alone and my husband would have to take the time off work, since no caregiver works ten hours a day. So I still haven’t made a trip to England. But we’re talking about doing a long one WITH him, and that would be great!
September 11th, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Renee, I always love hooking people, so I will definitely not judge your reviewing. Especially if you don’t judge my blogging skills.
And if I do a series on smugglers (one of my ideas), can I tap you for info?
Elyssa, the Charlotte/Michael thing was planned from the very beginning. Believe it or not, I based it on Charlie’s Angels. Michael is Charlie (and the heroine is Charlotte–get it, get it? Okay, lame inside joke). I loved the idea of an anonymous guy who drives this schoolmistress batty. Until he falls in love with her.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Irisheyes, I’m so glad you liked Louisa and Silas’s story! That was my favorite secondary romance ever, I think.
It takes me about 6-7 months to write a book, but a good bit of the writing takes place in the last two to three months. And I always panic at that point. I just dally in the early phases because a) I hate revising and b) I don’t yet know the characters well enough to be enthralled. That’s the honest truth.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Sabrina, I love the inside joke!
As to pirates, love them, too. My birthday coincides with the Talk Like a Pirate day. If that’s not pirates for you, I don’t know what else is. LOL.
September 11th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Ooh, ooh, terrio, I forgot I had a pirate ship ornament. I may even have two. Oh, and a skull and crossbones gold charm for my charm bracelet. And a pirate marionette and a little ceramic pirate, not to mention the necessary pirate books. Wow, I forgot about all that.
And don’t you let the Discovery Draft authors tell you that it’s the only way to write. It’s not. Some of us can’t write that way. We’d be crippled. It works well for some people, but I’m not one of them. While I do deviate from my synopsis, it’s usually in smaller areas, not in the greater plot points.
BTW, that’s why it takes me so long to write the first half of the book. I’ve been known to do as many as 11 versions of the first chapter. But the multiple drafts diminish as the book goes on until the end, where I’m doing only the occasional revision.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Elyssa, did you know that there’s a tall ship named The Elissa in Galveston, an 1877 barque? Hubby and I toured it once–it was very cool.
Captain Jack! Where have you been all my life? I didn’t know this is where you hung out. Can I have your autograph after you finish kissing my hand? I’m glad you approve of Pirate Lord–I would be embarrassed if the greatest fictional pirate of all time disapproved. Ahoy, matey!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
11 versions of chapter 1?! Is that before you could move onto chapter 2? LOL! Surely not. And this Discovery Draft (which is so much prettier a name than the vomit draft) is working for me. I have to get this story out and stop obsessing over every word. But I’ve met other authors who say they write like you. SEP is one great example. Except it takes her 18 months to finish one book so you kind of have to be THAT successful to get away with that. LOL!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
If y’all want to see more of Will and Jane, the comic appears regularly on the thegoddessblogs.com (hope the link doesn’t send me to spam hell again). I think I’m up to ten of them now. I’m redoing my site, so when that’s done, you’ll be able to go through the comics more easily than doing a search on gb for Will and Jane.
Hellion, I bought a whole bunch of new action figures for the comic when I bought the marauding pirates (those are very cheap, btw). I got Casanova, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, and Oscar Wilde. They had Blackbeard, but he’s not my favorite pirate. I like Captain Kidd myself.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Let me elaborate on the revision thing. I write chapter one. Then I sometimes rewrite it. Then I write chapter two. I discover Important Information about a Key Character. So I rewrite the parts of chapter one that are pertinent. Then I go on. At chapter three, I realize that the blithe little explanation of some plot point that I put in my synopsis doesn’t actually work. I think through a new, more logical reason. I rewrite chapters one and two to reflect it. I go on. Halfway through chapter four ….
Well, you get the idea. I layer and revise and rework the first few chapters many times while I press on through the book until I get to the point where I’m kind of sailing. Oh, and sometimes I have to stop to revise because of research. Like the time I wrote a romantic suspense (as Deborah Nicholas) and realized halfway through the book that Poland wasn’t nearly the Iron Curtain country that I thought (yes, this was MANY years ago) and I had to change it to Romania. That necessitated renaming several major characters. What a pain!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I didn’t know about that pirate ship. My name actually comes from the actress Elyssa Davalos, who used to be on How the West Was Won (my parents liked her name, her character, and thought she was pretty). I’ll have to check it out.
I tend to write straight through, but I always end up reworking the beginning at times. My first chapters tend to go through around the same number ofediting as yours.
September 11th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Oh, and for all you pirate lovers, here’s something I think you’ll love. I have a friend who’s an artist (a rather bizarre and interesting and brilliant but down-to-earth artist) who does product images for products she thinks SHOULD exist, but don’t. Here’s the one featuring pirates: http://www.metalandmagic.com/modules.php?set_albumName=oddities&id=piratetampon&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_photo.php
And be sure to read the explanation at the bottom. I laugh everytime I see it!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
I LOVE IT!!!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
OMG! That’s hysterical!!!
September 11th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I’ve seriously got to get me one of those signs! HILARIOUS!
September 11th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
OMG, that is the funniest thing I’ve seen all week.
LOL!!!
September 11th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
I know! She has the most twisted, hilarious mind of anyone I know. She’s also, believe it or not, a children’s book writer. Her name is Ursula Vernon, and she always keeps me laughing!
September 11th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
That is awesome! I think it’s a great advertisement to geer towards men running out for a few last minute necessities! It would help with instructions, also - “just grab the box with the pirate on it!” LOL
September 11th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Well, mateys, I’m headed off to bed as soon as I swig a little grog, swab a deck or two, and put the marauding pirates away. I just wanted to say thanks so much for having me. It was great fun!
September 11th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Thank you so much for spending the day with us, Sabrina! It’s been a blast and your generosity is once again an example of why authors are the coolest people on the planet. Especially those with a thing for pirates.
September 14th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
I absolutely love your Will & Jane, Sabrina! They crack me up everytime I see them.
I love pirates, I just finished watching POTC#3, and am getting ready to start reading THE PIRATE LORD…