Pearls of Fire

Life sometimes takes interesting turns, such as the day I met a gem hunter who had traveled to ancient lands and found mysterious gems, the stuff of which legends are made. This gem hunter spoke of a necklace of pearls once owned by a Vietnamese emperor, each magnificent pearl identical to the others to form a perfect strand. He called them pearls of fire because they were the colors of a sunburst and larger than most pearls one would commonly find in the seas around South Pacific. These pearls were not created by oysters and it took him years of hunting to figure out the fabled sea animal that had made them. Which sea creature made them you ask? You’ll find out in my upcoming novel which is aptly called Pearls of Fire. This Pirates of Britannia story is scheduled to come out in late November. Make sure you're following me on BookBub to receive a new release alert.

This is how ideas spring up - a chance encounter, an interesting word, a mystery to be solved. The moment I read about these pearls, I knew that I had a wonderful historical romance in the making. A roguish hero, a heroine in need of his assistance, and a missing heirloom necklace make for a story that will take you from the ballrooms of Regency London to the exotic islands of the South Pacific where the fabled pearls were found.

When this gem hunter spoke at the Museum of Natural History in New York, I had to go hear the lecture. It was as fascinating as I knew it would be and he showed the audience another gem, a large purple one and asked us to try to guess what it was. Well, turned out to be another pearl, this one the beautiful color of lilacs and larger than any pearl ever known to exist. What animal had created that pearl? Well, that’s another mystery to be solved!

I hope you’ll enjoy my pirate captain, Hugh, and Emma, the beautiful daughter of the Earl of Bourne who reluctantly turns to him for assistance. They are drawn together by the pearls of fire, but it is their love for each other that binds them. I can’t wait to share this story with you!

What is your favorite gemstone?