Today, it is my pleasure to introduce author Eddie Jones and his YA book, The Curse of Captain LaFoote.
Eddie, welcome to Patti's Porch. tell us what prompted you to write a story about a sea adventure.
When my boys were young, I'd tell pirate stores on the bow of our sailboat. The lead character was Captain Stinky Foot. Captain Stinky Foot was named after my youngest son. If you've ever spent any time on a boat in August with a crew of unwashed young males then this needs no further explanation. I've always been fascinated by the stories of boys snatched away from London and Bristol and forced to serve before the mast. Seems to me life at sea was more fun than peeling potatoes. And more dangerous.
So The Curse of Captain LaFoote is a pirate tale awash in buried treasure, romance and dead men's bones. The truth is, this book and the ones that follow in the Caribbean Chronicle series are love stories. For Ricky Bradshaw, the hero of the book, the story is a quest to find his father, soul mate, and purpose in life. For guys, finding their father and gaining his approval is huge. Of course finding love is pretty high up there, too. It’s aimed at teen/tweens and middle-grade readers. The publisher gave it PG 13 rating due to a few killings. The age of
the lead is 15. It's aimed at boys but I think girls will enjoy it, too. The female is a strong character.
Did you have a specific message in mind when you created the story?
That courage costs. Near the end of the book Ricky has the chance to go back to his old life. We get to do the same thing, go back to our old way of doing things. But Christ says there is a cost for doing the right thing. Ricky faces that choice.
Why did you choose epilepsy as Ricky Bradshaw’s affliction?
Early in the story I needed a reason for Ricky to fall into the water. I did the same thing years ago. Jumped into the Neuse River in February while holding an outboard motor. So I knew how Ricky would react to the shock of cold water. I also knew Ricky would surface and be okay if I didn’t give him another wound.
A friend suggested that I let my lead have epilepsy. She said when she has episode she sort of zones out: like daydreaming except she can’t stop it. She also said she knows when it’s about to happen, that she smells something like burning wires. So I gave Ricky epilepsy and finished the story.
It wasn’t until much later that I realized the book had a larger purpose. I met another woman at a writer’s conference whose son has epilepsy. During the conference, her son suffered a seizure — the first one he’d ever had without his mother present. The look on her face that morning convinced me that Ricky Bradshaw could be a champion for those sufferi
ng from epilepsy.
It’s not cancer or heart disease but over three million Americans live with epilepsy. If the sale of this book can raise awareness, then the book has done its job. For each book sold, the publisher and I will donate “a few pieces of eight” — half a sandy dollar — to the foundation’s Heroes Among Us program. Our goal is to raise ten thousand dollars in honor of Ricky Bradshaw.
It sounds like there are other books to come in the Caribbean Chronicles series. Can you give us a sneak peak of what readers can expect?
Right now I’m working on Dead Calm, Bone Dry. This is Ricky’s journey to find his father. Through he died when Ricky was a toddler, because Ricky is living during the age of pirates, Ricky has the chance to visit the place where souls are knit together. “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.” Psalm 139:15. This passage fascinates me: the idea that God has a special place where he stitches us together. So Ricky journeys into the depths of darkness and to the gates of Hell in search of his father. For boys, this is our ultimate quest: to find ourselves within our father... and kill him. So there is both a physical need and spiritual theme woven into the story. Through the execution of His Son, we attempted to kill God the Father on the cross. And every day we continue to stab him with our sins. That’s part of the message of the second book. But like the first, it’s a fun, fast story that opens with a hanging and takes off from there.
How long did it take you to write The Curse of Captian LaFoote?
About a year. I write slowly. Actually I rewrite. I’ve heard all the advice about getting the rough draft down first but I’m OCD. Can’t leave a thing undone. So until a chapte
r is perfect I can’t move forward. Terrible way to write. I’ll never get rich writing at this pace but I enjoy the process too much to hurry it.
Did you create an outline or are you a seat of the pants writer?
No outline but I do follow the thirteen plot points. I know what 4 plot points need to be in Act One. When the curtain comes down on that section I move on. I know what 5 plot points I’ll need to hit in Act Two, but I let the characters motivation and secrets drive the story. I’ve tried plotting out from an outline but my personality is one of an explorer. That’s why I write a boating column called Hard Aground. I don’t read charts or study boating guidebooks. I just set the sails and go. Often this leaves me hard aground but I also find some pretty interesting places: coves others would never venture into because they were warned against them. I want my stories to be that way: Off-the-beaten path, interesting and dangerous. If I know how it ends then I’m bored and a bored writer is a bad writer.
What kind of advice would you give to young writers who are interested in
crafting a novel?
Buy my Plotting, Not Plodding book. It’s only a dollar as a Kindle or Nook book and $5 for print. This isn’t a pitch to sell books, since at $.99 I’m not going to get rich. But plotting is key. I find a lot of authors, even best-selling authors, struggle with plotting. Character development sells books but plot keeps the story moving forward. Without key plot points, the reader gets bored and hops off. It’s like crawling in a car with a crazy cast of characters. It’s fun for the first few hours but if, after a while, you sense everyone is lost, you want out. So learn plot. Then work on scene development. This is structure and can also be learned. Character development is harder. Dialogue is tough but that can be fun if you work at it. I teach all four of these as basic writing classes at conferences. And I used all four in the writing of Captain LaFoote so if they worked for me, they’ll work for anyone.
Be sure to participate in our "Buy A Boy A Book!" campaign and spur their imagination. Create within them a desire to read and set sail for a life of adventure, wherever that journey may take them. Learn how you can participate at this link.
Where can your book be purchased?
Print Edition can be purchased for $9.95 at this link:
Kindle eBook can be purchased for $2.99 at this link:
Kindle eBook can be purchased for $2.99 at this link:
Below is my review of The Curse of Captain LaFoote:
The Curse of Captain LaFoote is written for YA boys. However, I am female, have left my YA years in the dust miles ago, and I enjoyed every moment of this delightful story. Having grown up in close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, I was thrilled to be whisked into the throes of ocean waves with Ricky Bradshaw as he encounters one heart-pounding adventure after another.
Author Eddie Jones brings young Ricky to life as a common everyday adventure-seeking boy who, after a fire breaks out in his apartment, is whisked into a world of adventure, danger, and romance. His affliction in the form of epilepsy reminds the reader that we all have weaknesses to overcome. The formidable Captain LaFoote represents the evil we all must battle on that rocky road called life. Other characters, including Barnacle the dog, add spice and variety to an already elegantly crafted story. The lovely and engaging Rebecca adds charm and sweetness to an otherwise bitter experience for young Ricky.
The messages Jones conveys to young people in this tale are that certain things are worth fighting for, we all possess courage, and loyalty can help us overcome even the most frightful adversity. Join Eddie’s “Buy a Boy a Book” campaign and purchase a copy of this enchanting adventure story for a boy you know or donate a copy to your local library today.
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