Author’s Bio: I was a very shy military child and went to many
different schools. At 14, a teacher discovered I could sing and convinced me to
be in the school talent show. I felt the extreme joy of being someone else and
was hooked. I did my first professional
show at 16 (Hello Dolly) and was a working actor for over 40 years, loving
every minute.

I also discovered I have a real
passion for teaching and had a thirty-year relationship with AMDA (American Musical and Dramatic Academy), a performing
arts university.  I traveled extensively,
giving master classes in audition technique, acting for the camera and career
preparation. I loved and still love my students.

Then, life intervened. I re-encountered my Italian
soulmate after 30 years apart, got married at 60, recovered from Cancer, went
through my husbands’ cancer with him, and began a new life on a hilltop in
Italy. After twelve wonderful years Covid hit, we were in isolation.  With extra time on my hands, my wonderful
pirate came roaring onto the page and now I am a published author. What????

I describe myself as fierce, funny, friendly. Or kind, calm,
creative. I also try to live by this quote: “Dance like
nobody’s watching; love like you’ve never been hurt. Sing like nobody’s
listening; live like it’s heaven on earth.” –Mark Twain.

Deliah Lawrence: What inspired you
to write your book?

Brooks Almy: In the early
80’s, I found a book on female pirates in a museum bookstore in San Francisco.
Fanny only had one paragraph, but it stayed with me. And after the internet
happened it became clear that she might or might not be real, but her original
story, written in the 1800’s had inspired many women to disguise themselves as
men, to fight in wars or to be in a male dominated profession.  My version of Fanny is a fierce, capable and
proud 18-year-old, determined to forge her own path. She is a strong
protagonist with a lot of heart.

DL: What is your writing process?

BA: Something, a news story
or a passage in a book I am reading sparks a little idea. I sit with a notebook
and write longhand and it just pours out of me. It is like the creative passage
has opened and I don’t stop. My husband has come to me after 5 hours and said,
you must stop now and eat!! 

I never edit while I write. I just write. Then I go
back later, edit and check my research to make sure what I am writing about is
accurate.  For example, I was looking up
info on Cuba, since that is where Fanny is going, and I came across the story of
the Taino. They were the indigenous people in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola
etc. I ended up including Taino characters and Lifestyle in the last chapters
of my book and a Taino pirate on board the Bloody Rose.

DL: Is there any particular
author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?

BA: I loved Treasure Island (Robert
Louis Stevenson), Shogun (James Clavell), Hawaii (James Michener)
Captain Blood (Rafael Sabatini), Dragonfly in Amber (Diana Gabaldon).
Also, the entire James Bond series (Ian Fleming).

DL: What was the best writing
advice you’ve ever been given?

BA: Put the pen to the page
and write. Tell your truth.

DL: If you were hosting a dinner
party which three authors would be your dream guests?

BA:  I will give you four: Andrea Camilleri, Yuval
Harari, Jane Austen, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

DL: What tips would you give to aspiring
writers?

BA: Don’t be discouraged.
Just keep forging ahead. Don’t listen to the haters. Rejection only means it
wasn’t your turn yet, or that wasn’t the right situation for you. Some of the
most successful writers had hundreds of rejections. Stephan King, JK Rowling,
Dr. Seuss, and Hemmingway just to name a few.  And have a good team to help you with things
you aren’t good at. I am good at research, but terrible at marketing.

DL: What do you like to do when
you are not writing?

BA: Spend time with my
husband and our beasts. Sit in front of the fire and cuddle.  Work in our garden, bake, read, listen to
music, watch movies, Travel all over. Eat focaccia and gelato.

DL: Would you like to share an
excerpt from An Accidental Pirate?

BA: Sure, here you go:

Book excerpt:

“Sit down, seaman. I have some questions,” Captain Thorne
said sternly.

Fanny took a seat on the other side of the large carved
desk.

“The most reasonable place to start is why. What made you
dress up as a man and sign onto that scow, Mary of Leeds? That was asking for
almost certain death.”

“Long story, sir. The shorter version is that my husband,
Will, was captured by the Spanish and has been imprisoned in Cuba for over two
years now. My only thought was to rescue him, and I could see no other way. I
was not going to leave him there. The British government abandoned him and his
men.”

221      “They
do that, don’t they,” said Thorne bitterly. “And what was the plan?”

“No plan, sir. I am going to get to Cuba and figure it
out there.  If this ship isn’t going
south, I will have to find another one.”

“You are determined.”

“I love him, sir. He is my other half. The only man who
saw me as I am and didn’t run away in fear.”

“I understand that. You are a formidable man and an even
more imposing woman. I think I would like your Will very much.”

DL: What new projects are you
currently working on?

BA: Book 2 of the Fanny
Campbell series. Book 3 of a yet to be published children’s series about a
curious sea lion and a cookbook for people who don’t know how and don’t want to
learn.

DL: Where can readers learn more about
you and purchase your book(s)?

BA: Readers can get more
information here: 

• Website: https://www.brooksalmy.com/
• Amazon Author Page: An Accidental
  Pirate
• Instagram: brooksalmy
• Tiktok @brooksalmy
• Book Buy Links: https://amzn.to/3ZgrMvd 

DL: Thanks so much for being
here with us today. I know my readers will enjoy getting to know you and your
work.

BA: Thank you!

Originally Published on https://vocalexpressions.blogspot.com

Deliah Lawrence Attorney, Author, Blogger, Workshop Facilitator

Deliah Lawrence is a Maryland-based attorney and award-winning author of two romantic suspense novels (Gotta Let It Go and Gotta Get It Back) set in Baltimore. She’s also a blogger and workshop facilitator who writes poetry and short stories.

When Deliah isn’t writing, you can find her reading a book, indulging in her addiction to investigation discovery shows; or painting her yet-to-be exhibited oil artworks of landscapes, portraits or whatever else comes to her creative mind. Constantly on the go, she is also a member of the Black Writers’ Guild of Maryland and Sisters in Crime.