Title: Walk the Plank (Walk the Walk Book 1)
Author: Marilyn Barr
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Book Blurb:
Branko learns he will be sold into slavery when they dock in Charles Town, so he doesn’t hesitate to jump ship onto a neighboring sloop in the harbor. This boat will weigh anchor with him at the helm–once he decides what to do with the lady chained in the cargo hold who claims she’s a vampire.
Magda Dashkovari’s body has been given to science while she’s still living in it. Her prayers are answered when a pirate boards her boat, but she should have asked for her rescuer to be less bloodthirsty than she is…
Scientists hunt her in town, plantation owners hunt him from the north and south, Blackbeard blocks Charles Town Harbor to the east, and a war rages between settlers and natives to the west. These unlikely allies will have to link together to escape a life in chains…but will their trust in each other endure their journey to freedom?
Excerpt:
“Who is Blackbeard?” My heart skips a beat at her naivete. Her accent is foreign, so I forgive the slight. Unfortunately, she takes the opening to worm her way further into my mind. “We got off to a poor start. I am Magda Dashkovari, and I am a vampire.”
My disbelief bubbles like a good ale as we reach the deck. Gut-busting, belly-aching, side-stitching laughter brings tears to my eyes. From a madman captain who masquerades as a demon to a madwoman boat owner who masquerades as a vampire—I can pick ’em, can’t I? She wraps her wrist with furious revolutions while I wipe my tears.
“I don’t care what you are,” I tell her, “as long as you are leaving.”
“I could drain you.”
“I could throw you overboard.”
“I’m staying.”
“—in Charles Town Harbor, and this boat is leaving.”
“I will sink this boat before I let you return it to my husband! Whatever he has promised in reward is a lie. Once you are in his harbor, one of his minions will drain you—”
“Oh, he’s a vampire, too. Is there a whole colony waiting for me somewhere? Listen, sea hag, I don’t know your husband, and the last thing in my future is to return his boat. This boat—”
Alarm bells ring onshore. The sound draws the townspeople to the shore like moths to a lantern. Where there was a handful of people a moment ago is now a mob. Men scurry to battle stations on their respective boats. Drunks stumble out of the tavern while the wenches run after them to collect their tankards. Torches are lit along the beach. Their tendrils of smoke blot out the stars. Shouts threaten to drown out the warning bells. My instincts pull my sight toward where The Queen Anne’s Revenge was docked.
She’s gone.
No...she’s at the mouth of the harbor, blocking all of the other boats in. Anyone who passes will become part of her fleet or her plunder. The best part of Charles Town is that there’s only one way out to sea, but it’s also the worst part of Charles Town. The merchant ships are flies caught in the spider’s web. Each Captain must make a choice to wait it out in Charles Town Harbor or run the gauntlet of Blackbeard’s fleet in hopes his toll isn’t too steep. If they have an offload date in Europe, they might consider buying a few extra barrels of supplies to try to bribe their passage out—a strategy which will work. If the Captain has newly stolen their boat because he’s on the run from Blackbeard…
Goodbye, new sloop.
“Are those wedding bells for you?” Her dry question pulls me from my panic. A new plan forms, but I must get rid of she-who-thinks-she-is-vampire.
“The harbor is blocked. Blackbeard is hunting for me. I hope you can swim, sea hag. I’m about to blow up your boat.” I rush back down the stairs to access the cannon rows below. Perfect—each cannon has a small bucket of balls beside it along with a small horn of powder. I only need two each for what I have planned. If the wench knows what’s good for her, she’ll run.
“Show me what to do and I’ll help.”
I drop the cannonball from my hands onto my foot. Ouch, shite that hurt! The projectile rolls away innocently after denting my boot. My shocked eyes meet her determined gaze. Is she serious? My toes throb in time with the opening and closing of my mouth.
“I want revenge, and blowing up his boat is an excellent start.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Grab your e-copy on Amazon for only 99 cents from 10/13 to 10/31 or free on KU!
If you could dress up as anything or anyone this Halloween, what or who would it be and why?
My son has picked our costumes since he was two years old. We’ve been Charlie and the Chocolate Factory characters, Santa & elves, Swedish Chef & lobsters, and many others. This year our family is dressing up as characters from 101 Dalmatians. My 12-year-old son is still on his quest to convince me to allow him to have a dog, so he picked to be a dressed. It’s never happening, so I will be the bad guy—Cruella DeVille.
Explain why your featured book is a treat to read:
Walk the Plank is the spooky story of two villains on the run (from scarier villains.) In 1718, the colonists of the New World weren’t just intolerant of those who were “other.” Being the wrong color or having the wrong accent meant being enslaved—now that is horrifying. Out hero, Branko, was rescued from a slaver’s ship to climb the ratlines of Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge. When his freedom is sold out from under him to the Governor of Carolina, he jumps ship. Aboard this ship is our heroine, Magda the Vampiress, although Branko doesn’t believe she’s one. After serving under Blackbeard for years, Branko can’t tell who is in costume and who is a monster in the flesh. Will he believe Magda before her vampire nature sabotages their chance at freedom?
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US or Canada) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to be eligible.
Runs October 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on November 1.
Author Biography:
Marilyn Barr lives in the wilds of Kentucky with her husband, son, and rescue cats. From medical school reject to spiritual healer, physics teacher to homeschool mom, and scientist to paranormal romance writer, she has a diverse collection of experiences which she sprinkles into her works. She has nine books with The Wild Rose Press in multiple romance subgenres from sweet, new adult romance to erotic, fantasy romance. She loves to place monstrous characters with hearts of gold in historical romances and her historical, paranormal romances have won the Crowned Heart Award, 2nd place in National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) Contest, Imadjinn Award for Best Paranormal Romance, and Grand Finalist for the InD’Tale Magazine’s RONE Award.
When engaging in the real world, you can find her with the Kentuckiana Romance Writers as President Elect, volunteering with her son’s Special Olympics teams, or dancing around her kitchen. She is a sucker (haha) for cheesy horror movies, Italian food, punk music, black cats, bad puns, and all things witchy.
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