Why Carysa Locke Wrote Pirate Bound

Pirate Bound is billed as a prequel novella, and that is exactly what it is. But it isn’t the first Telepathic Space Pirates book – that would be Pirate Nemesis, due out in June.  That book is a full-length novel, and deals with characters readers don’t meet in the pages of the prequel novella – Mercy and Reaper. I wrote the first draft of Nemesis years ago, and that book has lived with me for a long time. But I also wanted to do something I had seen many other authors do successfully. I wanted to write a novella set in my universe that showcased some side characters from the novel. Since Reaper’s brother Dem had a family already, I thought “What a great opportunity to show how that happened.”

Reaper and Dem are very different men, but they are both Killers, people born with the psychic gift to see everyone’s vulnerabilities and the most efficient ways to kill someone. They can literally kill with a thought. They both also struggle to emotionally connect to others, which is something that goes hand in hand with their gifts. But beyond that similarity, they are very, very different. Especially when we meet them together in Pirate Nemesis. By that time, Dem has softened quite a bit. He’s managed to connect with his wife, Sanah, and his daughter, Tamari. Reaper doesn’t understand that. He really struggles to accept who his brother has become in Nemesis, so Pirate Bound gave me a chance to show readers who Dem was before he had a family. He meets Sanah, this empath, and his whole world changes overnight.

Since the novella has debuted, a lot of readers have given me feedback that they want to see more of Dem and Sanah, and I hope those readers will enjoy the scenes in Pirate Nemesis that really showcase their little family and how they’ve evolved since the time of the novella, which takes place about 4 years earlier in the timeline. They have a very special, very unique little girl. She’s the daughter of a Killer and an empath, and that is a combination no one in that universe has ever seen before. Seeing her gifts develop over time with the series will be one of the fun aspects to writing it.

I have three more novellas planned, in between each full-length novel in the series. I feel novellas are a great opportunity for authors to tell stories they might not get the chance to, otherwise. Important stories that have an impact on the fabric of the series as a whole, but that don’t have to be included in the novels. I’ve deliberately written them so that readers don’t have to read the shorter works to enjoy the main series, but they certainly add elements that I hope are fun and complete the story in their own unique way.

About Pirate Bound: 

A desperate gamble…

Sanah would do anything to protect her little sister, even if it means taking refuge with ruthless pirates. But the psychically Talented pirates terrorizing Commonwealth space are not quite the monsters she has been led to believe. When Sanah’s empathic gift shows her the truth behind the stories, she is no longer certain who the villains are in her world.

A race on the verge of extinction…

Dem’s only goal is to protect his people, especially since a deadly bio-weapon decimated their population. Only a handful of women survived, and every day is a fight to rebuild. With Sanah’s empathy and her sister’s rare ability to heal, they could be the salvation Dem and his people have been looking for.

A dangerous secret that could destroy everything…

But how can Sanah trust Dem with her life? Especially when he’d kill her if he knew the truth.

Bio:

Carysa Locke is the pseudonym for writing team Carysa Locke and MaLea Holt, two best friends who have been creating imaginary worlds together for more than twenty years. The worlds they write in exist first as roleplaying games, where much of the bare bones of world building and character development take place. Carysa is a high school English teacher, and MaLea helps support families with special needs children. You might say, they work as super heroes in their day jobs!

Their obsession with pirates and adventure goes back many years, when they started another hobby together – costuming. They regularly attend Ren-faires and Pirate Festivals. They currently reside in the Pacific Northwest with their families, where they still routinely roleplay and costume together, when they aren’t too busy working on the next novel.

Find Carysa:

Website  Amazon  B&N  iBooks  Kobo

Thanks so much for stopping by, Carysa! I think pirate stories are pretty hot right now. What do you think, readers? To pirate or not?

I love comments so much that I pick a favorite to receive my monthly AnaBanana gift basket ($25 value).  Recipient is announced the first blog post of the new month.

Perilously yours,

Pauline