All About Pirates With Douglas Boren

I'm so excited for today's guest. It's not often I get the chance to speak to not only the author but to the characters. Today's guest is Doug Boren.

 

The tropical paradise known as the Caribbean was anything but peaceful when settled by the nations of Europe. Perhaps the most destructive and brutal terror was inflicted not by navies or armies, but by the ships plying the waters manned by pirates.

Rafe Alexander fled England at an early age to join the pirate crew of the Cutlass, and soon learned of the brutal harm his mother endured at the hands of Ramirez, his own father he had never known.  Joining the fleet of the Black Widow, queen of the largest pirate fleet to ever sail, he vowed to exact his revenge.

But the Black Widow was also driven by the need for vengeance against Ramirez, and she and Rafe plotted their revenge even as their fiery passion consumed them.  Together, they would become the most feared and powerful force the Caribbean would ever see.

But is revenge truly enough to sustain an empty heart?  Can love replace it and soothe the burning of the soul?  As events would move Rafe towards the explosive confrontation, he would find out…and his world would be turned upside down.

Up Close and Personal 

Doug: First of all, I want to thank Golden Pen for the opportunity to talk with them about my new book, Pirates Revenge. It’s an honor. You know, sometimes people ask me if my characters are based on anyone real that I know. I have to admit, that my main character, Rafe Alexander is pretty much me. He says, thinks, feels, and does an awful lot of what I would do in any…

Rafe: Yeah, yeah, cut the crap, mate, and let me talk.

Doug: See what I mean? Sometimes the line gets a little blurred.

Rafe: Well, my vision’s a little blurred ‘cuz me and my mates are on the beach in San Blas, effecting repairs to the ships after a big battle. The rum goes down real well right now.

Doug: OK, then Rafe, tell it your way.

Rafe: I never started out wanting to be a pirate. I was raised in London’s worst slum. My mother had been raped by a Spaniard named Ramirez, which resulted in me. I hated him for what he did to her. But over the years she came to know a sea captain named Sam, who became sort of a father figure to me. We were happy, until… well, Sam and I had to leave England…rather quickly. We didn’t start out with the intention of being pirates, but we were sick and tired of the stench of poverty, and there was really nothing else for us. Besides, I wanted my revenge against Ramirez, even if he was my father.

It’s hard to believe, how many years have passed since we last sat on this beach, on this very spot. It’s hard to believe, how many years have passed since we first went to sea under the Jolly Roger.

Angus : Aye, T’was when we first met the Black Widow.”

Green: A lot has changed since then; we’ve come a long way.

Angus: And the boss… The Black Widow… has her own reasons for wanting Ramirez dead. Remember, I was there!

Rafe: I know. She’s as driven by the need for revenge against him as I am. You know, it was Sam’s last wish that I quit piracy and put the revenge thing behind me. Instead, I’ve become second in command to a pirate nation. There’s not a fleet in the Caribbean that can stand against us.

Angus: Lad, ye have too good a heart for this line of work. But the fact is, you do it well…exceeding well. We live the life that’s dealt us, and there’s nary a thing we can do about it. At least we have both survived and prospered. Much of it thanks to you, and of course, the boss.

Green : Especially you, Rafe. To get between the thighs of the Black Widow is reward any man would be happy with.

Rafe: Mates, you have no idea…

Sands: Arrggh…enough of this melancholy. We be pirates, and pirates we’ll die. In between, we grab for all the life we can…and apologize to no one.”

Doug: All right, guys, that’s enough! I’m going to have to pull rank on you and cover you over. The nice people at Golden Pen may want to say a few words.

Golden Pen: Geez guys…um Mates thanks for stopping by. I know a little about everyone, well Rafe in particular from reading Pirates Revenge so I’ll focus my questions there. Rafe how are things with you and the Black Widow? Being a woman myself I know it must have been hard for her to live a life on the seas but do you really see her as someone capable of love?

Rafe: (sighing and grinning) she is one of the most remarkable people I’ve ever known. She’s as ruthless as she is cunning, as she is beautiful.  Would you believe the day we met she almost ran me through with her sword?  A disagreement over prisoners.  But we have become very, very close, she and I, because of our shared need for revenge against Ramirez.  I know her better than anyone, and I can tell you that despite her rough exterior, there is a heart, and she does feel pain, and yes, even love. But she’ll not show it, at least not to anyone but me. She’s my boss, my friend, and my lover.

Golden Pen: Thanks for the insight Rafe. Now Doug tell us how it that you keep everyone in line? No offense to the pirates. Just doing my job here.

Doug: It’s not that hard.  During the course of writing I feel that I come to know these characters very well, as if they were real people.  I even come to love them as if they were real people, and wish I could hang out with them.  Amongst them, and me, there is a lot of mutual respect going on. Sounds strange, I know, but that’s how I feel.

Golden Pen: Oh I see. So what’s next for you? Any new books, book signings, ect?

Doug: I’m putting the finishing touches on Patriot’s Point, which is the sequel to Pirates Revenge.  It centers on Rafe’s adult children during the American Revolution.  It is my intention to write for each generation of the Alexander Family Chronicles right on up to the present day. I’m always looking for opportunities to promote my works. I have another interview in a couple of weeks, and I will be at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville in October. Finally, I strongly urge everyone to go to my websites which are dedicated to each of my works.  Go to www.dougboren.homestead.com

Golden Pen: Well Doug thank you and the crew for stopping by. Please be sure to check out Pirates Revenge wherever books are sold.