Title: The Red Flag
Author: Julia Maiola
Narrator: Thomas Cardwell
Genre: Historical Fiction
Book Blurb:
Captain Stephen Boswell sails under the red flag, a symbol of no mercy. It's the only reason he has lived this long. The only reason the navy has not found him yet. But they are closing in. And if they catch him, they will execute him for piracy.
Ten-year-old Alice Bradford doesn't know why she is alive. When Captain Boswell found her hiding on his ship, she expected him to kill her, and it seemed his own crew had expected likewise. But now she is his prisoner and she fears that she will be forever. Somehow, though, it seems that the captain might be more afraid of the navy than she is of him. Something from his past has him ill at ease, Alice realizes. Even if the navy cannot bring him to his knees, his own paranoia will.
Excerpt:
Now Alice shivered. She sat up in bed and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. The memory had already started over again in her head. She stood suddenly. The wood floor of the ship felt rough under her bare feet. She lifted a leg and took a step toward the bedroom door, easing it back down without a sound. Opening the door about an inch, she pressed her eyes to the crack, and gave a peek.
He was sitting at the desk, asleep, his head resting backward against the chair that he occupied. Alice watched him for a while. She noted the way his chest rose and fell with each breath that he took. Right now he looked like any average man. He didn’t look like a pirate captain capable of merciless murder. He didn’t look like the evil monster that had killed Alice’s father in cold blood. Yet he was.
Carefully, Alice closed the door and went back to bed. As much as she feared being grabbed back into that memory, she feared waking the captain more. Much more. So she stared at the ceiling with wide eyes, felt the pirate ship rock gently. Felt it closing in around her. Crushing her.
And the captain in the next room, she imagined that she could hear his breathing. Imagined that his breath was somehow suffocating her like a poison. The ten-year-old remained in this state of mind for the rest of the night.
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Author Biography:
Julia Maiola is a professional ice cream scooper from Rochester, New York. She received her Bachelor’s in English at the end of 2018. The Red Flag is her first novel, the first of many to come. A science fiction title is currently in the works and will be followed by more in the fantasy and historical fiction genres. When Julia is not writing, she is gaming and skateboarding, but most of her spare time is spent reading adventure novels.
Narrator Biography:
Thomas Cardwell is a fearlessly silly actor with a giggle that could turn lead to gold. With a resting mischief face, that lends a sense of the troublemaker to his almost accidental charm, he’s the Favorite Uncle, or the Goofball Best Friend. An International Man of Mystery, a part-time Pirate, and an occasional mustache-twirling villain. Also a Director and Writer, he co-founded EclecticPond Theatre Company in Indianapolis, and served as its Artistic Director for six years. Uncle to six, Dog Dad to two, Husband to one. Amateur Neuroscientist.
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