The Sword and the Rose
J. G. Sutherland
Type: Beta project
Genre: Historical fiction
Word count: 130,000
Warnings: Graphic violence
Doña Inés, a Spanish noblewoman, loses all she values in Henry Morgan’s sack of Panama. Five years later, Inés is returning to Spain on the treasure galleon. She learns her brother in Cuba is plotting to invade Jamaica. Captain Garrick, a British privateer, captures the galleon. And he knows about the Spanish plot to attack the island he calls home. Please note: this book is over 120,000 words, so you will have three weeks to complete it.
When Henry Morgan sacks Panama in 1671, Doña Inés, a Spanish noblewoman, loses both her husband and her dearest friend. Inés escapes her burning home with the help of a British privateer who takes pity on her.
Five years later, Inés is finally returning to her home in Spain a wealthy woman. She learns her brother, the Duke, is involved in a Spanish plot to re-take the island of Jamaica from the British. The treasure galleon is captured by Captain Robert Garrick, a British privateer seeking revenge for the murder of his family at the hands of the Spanish. Inés is plunged into a nightmare of captivity, torture, and vengeance. She fights all attempts to make her talk, hoping to escape when the ship arrives in Port Royal, Jamaica, and sail to Havana to warn her brother that he and his men are walking into a trap. She has six weeks.
As a high school Spanish teacher, I used storytelling to show that though cultural differences among peoples are diverse, we are very similar at heart. I hold a BA and a MA in Hispanic language, history, and literature and have lived in both South America and Spain. I have a short story published in an anthology. I received an award from the American Pen Women’s fiction competition and, in 2016, was also a finalist in historical fiction for the Pacific Northwest Writers’ Association competition. In sailing as a teenager, I developed a lifelong fascination with the sea and sailing ships, one of the settings for The Sword and the Rose.
Registration closed early due to high demand.
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