Kill Your Darlings (Pirate Queens Book Tour)
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Welcome to the Pirate Queens Blog Tour!
To celebrate Women’s History Month and the release of Pirate Queens by Leigh Lewis and illustrated by Sara Gómez Woolley on January 11th, 5 sites will be featuring exclusive guest posts from Leigh and Sara plus 5 chances to win a Pirate Queens prize pack!
Kill Your Darlings
by Leigh Lewis and Sara Gómez Woolley
Leigh: As every writer knows, the key to successful writing is rewriting. Oftentimes, complete concepts are left out of the finished product, which they should be for the betterment of the final work. Though William Faulkner is commonly given credit for this idea, it was Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch who stated, “If you require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: ‘Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetuate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it—whole-heartedly—and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder your darlings.’” Since then, a paraphrased, “Kill Your Darlings” has become mainstream advice for authors looking to improve their work.
At some point in the early days of the acquisition of Pirate Queens: Dauntless Women Who Dared to Rule the High Seas, my editor at National Geographic and I were deciding which six pirates should be featured in the book. Rachel Wall was a strong contender, one whom I found fascinating mainly because of her ruthless and unique approach to piracy (more on that in a minute). In the book, I tell each pirate’s story in a different verse form, and it made perfect sense to me to have Rachel’s poem be an ode to her schooner, told as if Rachel herself were reciting it, almost like the love letter of a woman devastated by deceit. I reveled in the idea of The Essex, Rachel’s ship, being almost human, at least in Rachel’s eyes. However,in the end, it became clear that, for the good of Pirate Queens, I needed to Kill My Darling. So, here’s a sneak peek at a 7th pirate’s poem which nearly graced the pages of Pirate Queens, but in the end, was sent to the gallows.
RACHEL WALL
Rachel Wall was an American pirate who sailed on a ship called The Essex with her husband, George. Her trick was to maroon The Essex after storms near the Isles of Shoals, off the coast of New Hampshire, making it look as if she were shipwrecked. Rachel would stand at the helm, alone, a damsel in distress, and flag down people on passing ships to help her. Once they did, her crew would appear from below deck and kill the helpers, stealing their loot and sinking their ship. Wall’s pirating came to an abrupt end when George Wall and the rest of the crew were washed overboard in a storm, while Rachel survived. She gave up piracy, but not her life of crime, and was later was convicted of stealing a bonnet. For this, and not for all of the terrible acts she committed at sea, Rachel Wall became the last woman ever to be hanged in Massachusetts.
ODE TO ESSEX
(as told by American pirate Rachel Wall)
I
We tripped our way along the harbor
Finding no footing
No future
Shoes and souls worn
Hopes sinking with each tide
Seeking…What?
Shelter? Sanctuary?
II
Salvation!
Oh, Essex!
Our Plymouth schooner
You heard our cries
And materialized
Surely a mirage
A towering temptress
Rising through
the mist and yet
While the other ships rocked and bucked
You stood stock-still
Royal and regal
Your mane waving in the wind
You opened your arms
Beckoning
A respite for us weary wanderers
And whispered, “Come”
We wiped away the sweat
And the desperation, dripping off us in waves
Stepped on board,
Already yours
III
You revealed the script slowly
Taking pains to position the cast
You were the first to dress down
Reduce yourself to storm-torn
Our dresses tattered,
Yours and mine.
You cowered so I could rise
Set the stage for me to shine
We sailed you straight into
The Isles of Shoals
The crew, backstage
Some waiting in the wings
I perched at the rail
Raised the distress flag
Pleading for a savior
The rats scurried on board and took the bait
We stole their treasure
scuttled their boat
And buried the truth
Along with those four men
In a watery grave
Encore!
IV
What a show it was
Until you
Magnificent Essex
Upstaged
Were ready for your close-up
You insisted
The storm had passed
But you knew
We crashed through the eye and
It was only there
I saw you clearly for the first time.
Your battered bust burst through the waves
Demanding the spotlight
Your teeth
Rotten from
Tearing chunks out of the sea
Now greedily gulping it down
Your body,
Beaten and bruised
Destined to be discarded
Disregarded
Rising Crashing Ripping Thrashing
Over and over and over
You flung those men, my man, the treasure
Everything that meant anything
Into the abyss
And spit me out on your splintered spine
Salvation?
Hardly.
Utter devastation.
Oh, Essex.
****
Sara: Illustrators have to kill their darlings too. We come up with many different Ideas to solve the same problem. Sometimes we fall in love with our sketches along the way! They might be great ideas but just not be the right fit, for whatever reason, for the project.
The Pirate Queens cover is a great example. I loved so many of my sketch babies for this one, but ultimately only ONE design could be chosen. We narrowed it down to the one that seemed like the right one for the project, but we did ultimately decide to use another favorite on the title page as well. I wasn’t the ONLY one on our team who fell in love with our darlings!
“For readers who want more herstory in history.”
–Booklist
“…an ethnically inclusive selection of real-life women who commanded ships, wielded cutlasses, and struck fear into the hearts of others.”
–Publishers Weekly
This wow-worthy book proves that women have been making their mark in all aspects of history―even the high seas!
Meet Ching Shih, a Chinese pirate who presided over a fleet of 80,000 men (by contrast, Blackbeard had some 300). Get the scoop on Anne Bonny who famously ran away from an arranged marriage to don trousers and brandish a pistol in the Bahamas. And there are more!
Each pirate profile includes a dramatic original poem presented against a backdrop of gorgeous full-color art by award-winning illustrator Sara Gómez Woolley. Each profile is followed by fascinating information about the real life and times of these daring (and dangerous!) women.
Vetted by the world’s leading pirate experts and historians, this book is a cool and edgy gift. It’s also perfect for any curious kid who dreams of adventure and for parents who are eager to show their tweens and teens that history is more diverse, daring, and surprising than what is typically found in textbooks.
Leigh Lewis is a children’s writer and poet who has been “playing pirates” since she could walk. She does her best work in loud cafes, on long journeys, or in bed, late at night while everyone else sleeps. By way of her adventures on the high seas, she calls many places home, including Turkey, Greece, England, and Russia, as well as towns across the United States. She eventually navigated her way back to her hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Leigh spends her time there dreaming up stories for kids of all ages, buoyed by an amazing crew– her husband, their three indomitable daughters, and a four-inch turtle named Shellbert.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Sara Gómez Woolley is an award-winning Latina illustrator, graphic novelist, and educator living and working in Brooklyn, NY. Her children’s book Charlotte and the Quiet Place received a Foreword Reviews INDIES Book of the Year Gold Medal and an IPPY Award Silver Medal, and has been featured in Creative Quarterly: Journal of Art and Design.
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a hardcover of Pirate Queens, plus a bookmark, sticker, temporary tattoo, and eye patch!
- US/Can only
- Ends 3/20 at 11:59pm ET
- Check out the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!
Blog Tour Schedule:
March 7th – Novel Novice IG
March 8th – Mrs. Book Dragon
March 9th – YA Books Central
March 10th – Imagination Soup
March 11th – Casia’s Corner
KEEP READING
I can’t wait to learn more about Ching Shih.