I’m sure you can tell by the cover (and title!) that my upcoming release, “Evil on the High Seas“, is going to take place on a ship–an ocean liner, specifically; one of the grand floating palaces of the Transatlantic Twenties.
“Evil on the High Seas” will be released this spring, but the date is up in the air, I’m sad to say, due to my entire family having come down with Covid for the second time since the start of the new year. We’re all ok, but it’s been pretty miserable and my heart is so deep in this story that I can’t bear the thought of doing it the injustice of rushing!
I’ve known since around Rosemary’s third book that eventually I wanted to do a spinoff series that takes place in the States, and I’ve also known I didn’t want to release it as a cold series. Instead, I wanted to introduce the new premise through the eyes of our intrepid sleuth, Rosemary, and her friends (More on the new series as it’s developed). Of course, the only way to get them to American during this era would have been by ship.
So, to get you primed and ready for Rosemary’s journey, I’ll be sharing with you some of my research findings in the hopes that by the time the book is released, you’ll be itching to book your own ticket!
Now, something you might not know about me is that my dad was in the US Navy, and I grew up hearing stories about his time aboard the USS Biddle. I remember discovering that pirates weren’t just the stuff of fairy tales and being so intrigued by that concept. And then, sometime in grade school we learned about the fate of the Titanic and my interest was irrevocably captured. It wasn’t just the tragedy that intrigued me, although of course it did; it was that for the first time the historical people we were discussing weren’t all that historical. This would have been the late 80’s-early 90’s, and there were still quite a few living survivors at that point. It was living history to me, even as a child, and it inspired a curiosity that eventually led me to earn my Anthropology degree. But, I digress.
It wasn’t just the tragedy, like I said; it was the ship, the travel, the lifestyle that interested me. I became enamored with the idea of traveling on such a vessel–sans the iceberg, of course. Except, sadly, air travel decimated the passenger liner industry and while modern cruising has filled the gap left by its absence, personally I would far prefer to go back in time and do it like they did it during the height of the golden age of luxury liners.
I mentioned that specifically, our gals and guys would be taking an ocean liner, and I’ve used that term several times during this explanation but–what does it mean?
A cruise ship is designed to carry passengers between close ports in calm waters. Speed is not a factor; it’s about the journey as much as the destination. These ships are wider and can carry more people, but they’re not suitable for sustained travel between continents.
An ocean liner, on the other hand, is designed to operate on a set schedule and via a regular route or line (hence the name) between two distant ports. Liners have stronger hulls and longer bows that slice through the water and allow for faster travel.Well, prior to the 1890s, ships used for transatlantic travel had piston engines. They were still far superior to the sailing ships that preceded them, but it took weeks to get across, and conditions were…let’s just say less than luxurious. People didn’t travel for leisure; if you were on one of those ships, you were likely in search of a better life across the pond. Enter the steam turbine engine. Very quickly, the entire seascape changed.
In addition to ferrying goods and correspondence faster than ever before, these new liners could also transport passengers between continents in a timely, fairly safe fashion. By the 1920s, during that golden era of prosperity, luxury had taken on a whole new meaning. Unfortunately, as we all know, the 1930s-1940s was a turbulent time and many of the beautiful ships I’ll show you over the next few weeks were refitted for use in the war effort. Afterwards, some of them were returned to their former glory, only to be quickly usurped by the advent of air travel.
