andy cannon

Charted Passage Off the coast of Jamaica, Five Days from Port Royal The order had come down from the commodore’s flag with the usual brevity: Absolute was to put in at Port Royal to replenish stores and take on new orders. It was a routine instruction on its face, but everyone aboard understood what it meant. It meant the last days. Word spread quietly, without fuss. Lieutenant Pitt would be leaving them. The news drifted down the chain of command not with fanfare, but with

Mr Arbour's Brentwood series is sweeping in scope and meticulously researched, and he took one possible path through thicket of issues around gay historical fiction. I had not thought of sending the boys to Italy, but that is a charming possibility. Maybe William Pitt captaining a ferry boat between Sorrento and Capri while Jamie Blake runs a B and B?

A lot to wrap up in the next few chapters, that's for sure.

In the Wake Midshipmen's Berth, Afternoon Watch The days passed slowly, thick with heat and sameness. The Absolute patrolled the southern reaches of the Windwards, her course weaving between merchant lanes like a needle through worn cloth. Each day bled into the next. Sun at zenith, canvas shimmering in the still air, gulls circling with bored indifference. A breeze might stir the awnings but never lasted. Even the sea seemed reluctant to move. Jamie Blake lay stretched on

This chapter is the proverbial calm before the storm?

Thank you for the kind words and the recommendation. I will look into that book since that is such a fascinating corner of history.

That is sadly true. The historically accurate options for William and Jamie for a romantic relationship seem to be limited to 'none' and 'less than none.'

Ack! The readers are revolting!

Nothing like a good conspiracy to spice up a story!

The bartender tried to warn us, but I am very concerned about young Rókus. Great start!

Where the Stars Speak The moon rode high, a pale coin over the Caribbean. Its reflection shimmered across the swells, broken only by Absolute as she slipped through the night wind. The storm of earlier hours had left her hushed, though not at rest. Lieutenant Pitt stood on the quarterdeck, coat unbuttoned just enough to betray his disquiet. Beside him, Midshipman Blake leaned against the rail, his left arm bound and cradled in a makeshift sling. The linen showed a faint shadow wher

I can be petty and vindictive, but Australia has done nothing to me -- so far-- that would cause me to inflict Vane on them.

This is a very promising start, and I can't wait to read more!

Really sweet chapter. Great to see Nick and Jack have so much support.

Sherlock Kenny is on the case! It's only a matter of time until Steve's scheme is uncovered for all to see.

There are six more chapters and an epilogue to go, so it should all be posted by next week.

A lovely Christmas chapter, very cozy and domestic.

I don't remember if it was Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) or an equally ignorant book of the same era that assured curious readers that gay gourmets used butter to ease anal intercourse and auto mechanics commonly used motor oil. It may not have contributed to a lack of progress to Gay Rights, but it certainly dampened the enthusiasm of teenage me to try anal.

That is perceptive, and I think it's at the heart of what I see as the differences between genre fiction and literary fiction. In genre fiction, the protagonist has to be likeable, and there has to be a happy ending (believe it or not I am plodding towards a happy conclusion!). The main characters' flaws are more quirks, while in literary fiction there can be a fatal flaw. Billy Budd has that stammer that flusters him and ultimately drives his tragic conclusion. In spite of O'Brien's sarcastic hyperbole, Jamie does have flaws: his sword handling is not adept, he is impulsive, he is indiscreet in what he commits to paper and what he admits to Mr. Turner, the surgeon. None of that rises to the level of a fatal flaw. O'Brien is oblivious to what could be Jamie's fatal flaw, namely he is queer in a milieu that does not tolerate the expression of that.

That was a big part of compensation in the Royal Navy. After the Crown took its share, the Captain took 1/4, the Lieutenants 1/8, the mids and petty officers 1/8, the warrant officers 1/8, the Admiral 1/8, the Marines and the rest of the crew 1/4. Of course, in true bureaucratic fashion, the payout could be delayed for years.

But, now I have a lingering question…why would we need to be unstoppable? What would there be to stop us from living as we do? What or…who? Well, there's nothing ominous about that. No, sir, nothing at all!

The Seagull and the Storm HMS Absolute passed a restless night after the reconnaissance sortie failed to flush the French cutter. Dawn found the ship surging windward beneath a brisk breeze, sails taut and white against the blue. Lieutenant Morris, eyeing the trim of the topsail on the mainmast, gave a curt nod, and a party of nimble sailors clambered aloft to make the necessary adjustments. Bare feet gripped the ratlines; the sailors rose as dark silhouettes against the sky.

There are games within games going on here. Fantastic chapter!

I have not been to Kona, but this brings back fond memories of time in Hilo. Great chapter!

Interesting chapter with a complex theme handled with sensitivity.