It is true what they say about writers putting pieces of themselves in their stories.  Love of the Sea has some hidden gems as well.  The matronly character Pamela is based on my grandmother who acted as my nanny growing up.

I fashioned Pamela’s physical appearance after what I remember most about my nanny – the soft and chubby, but strong frame.  She was not a tall woman as Pamela is, but my nanny was a strong woman who commanded any room she stepped in.  As Pamela does, my nanny gave the warmest and most comforting hugs.  The differences though are the small.  My nanny was strong, but also sickly.  She had many ailments that she successfully hid from me and my family until the bitter end.  Pamela is as healthy as a horse with no known ailments aside from her arthritis that flares up when a storm is coming.  Pamela is a boisterous woman, loud and in charge.  My nanny was just as commanding, but in a quiet and gentle way.  She never needed to raise her voice in order to achieve obedience from me or my younger brother.

It was easy for me to fashion Pamela after my nanny due to the role she plays in the story.  Pamela is the motherly figure that looks after Cormack, as his mother is dead and his father is consumed with plans for war and conquest.  My nanny was my main caregiver as a child because both my parents worked high profile office jobs in the city, while we lived in the suburbs.  They were gone for the larger portion of the day during the week, and often had to travel for business.  Their roles are also similar in that Pamela was also a close companion to the late queen (Cormack’s mother).  My mother and my nanny were always very close due to that my nanny was a single mom raising my mother and my aunt.  Giving Pamela this type of role fit naturally into the story and it was a joy to feel my nanny’s presence while I was writing her character.

One of the biggest characteristics that Pamela and my nanny share is that they want the happiness of those they love over their own happiness.  Pamela bids Cormack farewell when he chooses the sea over his kingdom in the name of love for Asrai.  Even though it pains Pamela greatly to lose her surrogate son, above all she wants him to be truly happy.  My nanny was the same.  All she ever wanted was my true happiness.  She supported me in all my endeavors, especially my dream of writing.  Though it pains me that my nanny was not alive to finally hold my first published book, I know she is with me and shared in my incredible victory.

Love of the Sea is currently available on Amazon!