There is something undeniably cozy about a group of misfits deciding that they are a family. In my upcoming release, When Jack Fell, this trope takes to the high seas aboard the Hermes.
While you often read about how superstition sailors can be about women aboard in maritime romance, and this is likely historically accurate. The Other Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn was one of the first of the genre I read, and at the time I was shocked by how isolated she was, but after reading many more nautical romance adventures, that made more sense. Even so, I liked the relative freedom of heroines on the seas in some of Bree Wolf’s sea adventures or Mary Jo Putney’s Once a Scoundrel, and I wanted Jillian, who had lost so much of her family, to have the experience of found family on the ship.
To begin this, I examined the unspoken agreement of a crew that protects its own. Enter Joe, the orphan cabin boy who finds a home among the rigging and the salt air. Joe isn’t just a side character; he represents the heart of the ship, a reminder that family isn’t always who you’re born to, but who picks you up when you’re adrift.
Writing the scenes between Jack, Jillian, and Joe felt like blocking a play where the ship itself was a character. Every interaction, like their game of nine pins, helps weave Jillian into the kind of world I want to build: one where everyone has a place, regardless of where they started.
When Jack Fell is about more than just a literal fall. It’s about falling into a life you didn’t know you were allowed to have.