Unanchored by Stephanie Eding + Interview – Sara Beth Williams, Author

Unanchored

By Stephanie Eding

Genre: Young Adult

Release date: April 17th, 2018

Buy links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39282902-unanchored

Synopsis:

Cecily Hastings fails to escape her captor when he gambles her away in a game of dice. Now, instead of getting her first taste of freedom, she’s rotting in a cell on the Hellbound, a pirate ship under the command of Captain Finnigan Worley. Cecily, however, has no plans of sticking around with a captain known for his heartless deeds.

As soon as they make port, Cecily attempts to alert the Royal Navy. While trying to get away, she stumbles upon Captain Worley liberating people from a life of abuse and servitude, which makes her question everything she thought she knew about the infamous buccaneer.

Soon she’s recaptured and taken back to the ship, and Cecily vows to figure out the captain’s humanitarian angle. The more she learns, the more she believes in his benevolent mission. With the Royal Navy closing in, she must decide if she’s willing to fight beside Captain Worley or turn him over to the gallows for a chance at her own freedom.

My thoughts

I. Love. This. Cover. It’s beautiful! Tell me you don’t agree!

Now that that’s out of the way. This story is wonderfully written, well-executed with a daring heroine who will stop at nothing to be free from slavery. Cecily is so sassy, she cracks me up. She knows when to be submissive, and knows when to stand her ground. I loved the witty banter between all the characters, and the layers Eding unveiled as the story progressed. Pirates were more than just disgusting, evil pillagers. There was a delicate balance between portraying the vile characteristics, and the redeeming qualities of the characters.

I have a ~~not so~~ secret love of sea faring stories, and have been known to watch POTC (The Curse of the Black Pearl) over and over again. Also, I’ve watched the commentary on the first three POTC (and would have on the 4th had it not been stolen – long story) Suffice to say, I love adventure stories 🙂

If you love adventure, anti-heroes, brave heroines, and quests for survival, you’ll really enjoy this story.

I was honored to have received an ARC in an exchange for a review.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: STEPHANIE EDING

I’d like to Welcome Stephanie to my blog! I’ve had the pleasure of chatting her up on Twitter and getting to know her better since we’re both with Anaiah Press AND since I’ve been working on my own YA sea-faring novel (for what seems like forevvveerrr)

Anyway, Thanks for joining us Stephanie! My first question for you is:

What inspired the writing of this story?

I have always liked pirates and the idea of a high seas adventure, but I never really thought I’d have an idea for a story. Since my favorite characters are always antiheroes, I started to get images of some pirates who weren’t really good–but weren’t really bad either. While watching how wonderfully executed the character of Captain Hook was in “Once Upon A Time”, I knew I wanted to go for it and see what I could come up with. That seemed to be all I needed for my brain to run with a story idea!

What did you find most challenging while working on this book?

I would say defining the lines between good and evil. Pirates were pretty terrible people in real life, so trying to play up some of that skewed morality while still making my characters redeemable was not the easiest task.

What are the challenges and benefits of writing in your genre in general?

The challenges and benefits have to be the same thing: historical accuracy. Getting it all right is just about impossible! I did a lot of research (which was truly fascinating!), but I also had to balance that with how readers would connect to the characters–particularly through dialogue.

I totally understand this challenge. I’ve spent years researching my YA WIP and just when I think I’m done researching, I find more information I need to verify!

What inspired you to begin writing toward publication?

That desire always lingered deep down, but I lacked the bravery to actually pursue it. When we moved eight hours away from our family and friends, I found myself at home all day with two small children and virtually no social life. I fell right into writing to help pass the time and distract myself from feeling glum. Focusing on my passion really helped get me through the season of loneliness. In retrospect, even though I didn’t want to move, I really feel that it was a blessing–kind of the kick in the pants that I needed to make my dreams come true.

Are there any future publication plans / works in progress you wish to share with readers?

Absolutely! I’m hoping to follow up UNANCHORED with two more in the series. The sequel is written but has some major revisions on the horizon. I’m also working on a women’s fiction where three friends decide that being 30 isn’t all it was cracked up to be.They move in together to try and turn their lives around before they hit 31. It’s all about friendship, new beginnings, and fried food.

About Stephanie Eding

StephanieEding

Stephanie Eding lives in Ohio with her husband Matt and child comedians Ross and Lizzie. She spends her days drinking coffee, working as an editor, and snuggling her three wild-eyed cats. Stephanie always wanted to be a pirate, but settled for writing about them to keep out of prison.

You can find Stephanie at:

Website: http://www.stephanieeding.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/saeding

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saeding/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/flapofcheese/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/39371027-stephanie-eding

Comments

2 responses to “Unanchored by Stephanie Eding + Interview”

Steven drake

April 23, 2018

I also was very taken with the cover art. The story is really different than the traditional pirate tale. Riding did a fantastic job in making the characters real and likeable. Loved it and want more!
1. S B Williams
  
  April 25, 2018
  
  I loved it too! Thanks for stopping by! I really enjoyed the story