The Seafarer’s Secret

May 17, 2024

The Seafarer’s Secret

About The Seafarer’s Secret

The Seafarer’s Secret
Cozy Mystery
Setting – North Carolina
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Beaufort Books (March 26, 2024)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 310 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0825310288
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0825310287
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZBCSG86

Secrets are revealed. Lies are exposed. And in order to have a future, William and Eva will have to delve into the past.

William Templeton, widower and police chief of Eden, North Carolina is working the scene of a local woman’s drowning when the body is found with an old gold coin in her pocket – identical to a coin that was discovered on Catherine’s body, his estranged wife, over a year ago. Catherine’s case, originally deemed a tragic accident, has been reopened, forcing William to step down as police chief.

Historian and Blackbeard expert, Eva Knightly, is brought into the investigation to help identify the coins and can’t understand why her good friend Catherine never mentioned anything about it. When more coins surface at a local church, Eva and William know it’s more than mere coincidence. With the entire town whispering about Blackbeard, cursed coins, and lost treasure, it becomes hard to separate what is true and what is a myth.

The Seafarer’s Secret is a thrilling cinematic mystery featuring the exigent slow-burning romance between William and Eva as they work together to reveal the secrets and lies of Eden, North Carolina. Though, in order to have a future, they’ll have to look deep into the past to keep from being a modern-day killer’s next victim.

About Carol Ann Collins

Writing allows Carol Ann Collins to combine two of her favorite things, history and romance. Her work is a combination of historical fact, pure fiction, and a vivid imagination. Though she is an introvert who had no problem staying inside during quarantine, she enjoys traveling with her husband and two adult children. In her spare time, she is an avid book collector and bargain shopper who loves to combine the two. To date, her favorite find is an 1869 edition of Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain purchased for $10.

Q&A With the Author:

What was your inspiration for writing this book?

The Outer Banks of North Carolina is filled with more history, mystery, and magic than any one place should have. You have the Lost Colony, the Graveyard of the Atlantic, and sand dunes that swallow entire hotels. It was Blackbeard’s hangout and where the Wright brothers first took flight. It’s hard to get to with parts so remote the only residents are wild ponies, and every summer there’s a good chance of a storm destroying the one road connecting you to the mainland. It’s a treasure trove for authors (if you’ll forgive the pun).

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?

Though I complain about how many drafts it took to get this book right and what a long process it was, looking back, I’uy0uo m grateful for the lessons it taught me. I learned that if something isn’t working, its’s okay to put story down for a bit. Maybe the characters aren’t ready to talk yet. It’s okay, even, to leave it alone for a long time, if that’s what it takes. Eventually, you’ll pick it back up.
I also learned that sometimes you have start at very beginning and change everything. You might have to do this repeatedly. It’s hard, but worth it in the end.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?

As a big reader myself, I appreciate how difficult it can be try a new-to-you author. So if you’ve picked up SEAFARER or plan to do so, I offer you a grateful thank you for taking a chance on me. And if you haven’t, or don’t plan to, I offer you the same, for reading this far.