There is a saying, 'truth is stranger than fiction' ......

... this could be something absolutely fantastic or somewhat really weird.

Secrets of the Deep, book one of the Red Sails series was a concept / book which dawned on me after I had watched the TV series, 'Black Sails'.

I had wondered about the possibilities of women pirates. I checked and researched (not too well, it would seem) back through history, found a few little tales, however they were largely part of a ship's crew.

I then considered writing a story of an all-female crew plying the high seas and chasing down pirates. From there, I had to consider why they would do this, and how … this is where the world-building starts: not only developing a 'plausible' environment, but creating a society where such a concept was feasible.

As mentioned, I had overlooked a situation very early in history ... real history … however a good friend of mine, John, sent me a YouTube clip While not exactly what I had envisioned, I think that there are some definite and uncanny similarities to Secrets of the Deep. I promise you, I had no idea of this until this week.

Truth IS stranger than fiction!

Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359), also known as Jeanne de Belleville, Blood Jeanne, the Lioness of Brittany, was a French/Breton noblewoman who became a privateer to avenge her husband after he was executed for treason by King Philip VI of France. She crossed the English Channel, targeted French ships, and regularly slaughtered almost their entire crew. It was her practice to leave at least one sailor alive to carry her message of vengeance.

I wonder now if I can classify Red Sails as 'historical fantasy'?