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Month: May 2026

  • Whispers in the Ink — Decipherin’ the Secrets of a Sea Chart

    Ahoy again, mates. Bootstrap Ginny here, and today we ain’t just admirin’ a pretty map — we’re readin’ it. Aye, there’s a world o’ meaning tucked into every scratch o’ ink, and if ye can learn to hear the whispers, the sea’ll start speakin’ to ye proper. Ye remember this chart from our previous plunder?…

  • Ink, Salt, and Secrets — Why Maps Meant Survival

    Ahoy, mateys! Welcome back! We’re startin’ a new plunder series that focuses on some REAL pyrate treasure! Aye, not gold, not silver, not jewels…MAPS. Aye, because if’n a pyrate is sailin’, they kinda need to know where to go and how to get there, savvy? The oceans are HUGE, mates, did ye think that settin’…

  • Block Island: Storms and Shipwrecks – The Weather Witch Connection

    Ahoy, mateys! Welcome back! We’re still plunderin’ the pirate history of Block Island and how this mysterious place gave birth to Haunted Pirate Tales from The Pearl Inn and Weather Witch: Tales from the Pearl Inn. Now, ye’ve heard how Block Island’s shores were trod by smugglers, privateers, and even Captain Kidd himself. But there’s…

  • Block Island: A Brief History of Block Island’s Pirate Past

    In the Style of Captain Johnson, with a Lantern Held by Bootstrap Ginny Though small in size and oft forgotten by the grand chroniclers of the age, Block Island has long stood as a quiet sentinel in the Atlantic — a place where the sea keeps her secrets and men keep theirs even tighter. Situated…

  • Block Island: William Kidd Steps Ashore

    Ahoy, mateys! Bootstrap Ginny here with some more plunderin’ for ye. Last time, we were about to step ashore to Block Island, a pirate haven back in the day. It’s true that Block Island is one of the stars of my books, Haunted Pirate Tales and Weather Witch, and besides being a great place to…

  • Pirate Haven: Block Island, Home of the Pearl Inn

    Ahoy, mateys! Bootstrap Ginny here with some more plunderin’ for ye. If’n yer goin to be travelin this summer, yer probably lookin for pirate friendly spots, savvy? Bootstrap Ginny can help ya out! Block Island is one of the stars of my books, Haunted Pirate Tales and Weather Witch, and besides being a great place…

  • Pyrate Road Trip to Under the Black Flag -Part II

    Charleston Creekside Inn Bootstrap Ginny and Black Mel will be staying at the Charleston Creekside Inn during Under the Black Flag. It sits right in the marshes that surround Charleston. Perfect for a pyrate hideout. The marsh around the Charleston Creekside Inn feels like the kind of place where all pyrates (and, really, anyone), should…

  • Pyrate Road Trip to Under the Black Flag -Part I

    Bootstrap Ginny and Black Mel are settin’ sail for the Under the Black Flag event in Charleston, May 15-16, 2026! It’s going to be a pyrate holiday! We’ll be hoisting the sails and plotting a course: First stop: Savannah, Georgia The Pirates’ House! The Pirates’ House is always part of Bootstrap Ginny’s plan if’n she’s…

  • Weather Witch: Tales from the Pearl Inn Available Now!

    The character of Marianne Williams Ward, (loosely based upon the real-life sister of pirate Paulsgrave Williams), was first introduced in my novel, The Devil’s Treasure.  Her appearance in that story was brief, but, (unbeknownst to me at the time), Marianne was going to be living rent free in my head for years, (which, by the way,…

  • Charles Town Pyrate Trial: Part III— The Verdict: The Trial of George Raynor and the Red Seamen

    1696. Charles Town. Captain George Raynor and his Red Seamen waited MOST anxiously for a verdict. Would they be found guilty as pirates and hanged? Or, would they somehow escape the noose? The magistrates stood in the draft that swept through the Great Hall. The crowd leaned forward as one creature — breath held, knuckles…