Author Shanna Robillard

What can I say? I love creating and fleshing out new characters for my books. It’s funny because my first couple of books didn’t have many characters. There were precisely five – FIVE – in the first book. Either I was afraid of getting lost in the sauce and being unable to keep up with them, or I wasn’t smart enough to think bigger. Regardless, by book three, I had added ten brand new characters, and the list has been growing.

In my latest book, Queen of the High Seas, there are a female main character and a male main character: the Printesa Cailean of Wyster and the Pirate King Merrick Stoneheart, respectively. However, they each have both a tovaras (companion/guardian) and a first mate. They also each have “family”. The Printesa has her steadfast parents, the Rege and Regina of Wyster, while Merrick has a revolving door of people in and out of his life from a young age. And most, if not all, of these people have their own tovaras. After all, this fantasy world is a BIG WORLD.

But let’s start with the Printesa. From the time she is born, she is feisty, talented, and intelligent, not to mention beautiful. As an adult, she has terrifically long red-gold hair, bright green eyes, pale skin, and an athletic frame. She has been raised with scholars, sorcerers, and swordsman at her disposal, learning and training to become skilled in just about everything she can get her hands on and anything her father indulges her in. She also dreams of becoming a pirate, of having the freedom of the open ocean, with waves at her feet and a sword in her hand. This is why she balks at discovering true love with a kiss. No, she believes true love can be found at the end of a sword and insists on being bested in combat.

Across the world, Merrick Stoneheart is born into a large and loving family. He inherits his parent’s mahogany hair and amber-colored eyes, as well as their spirit and vigor. He, too, dreams of being a pirate. However, while still a young child, his family is killed in a bombing by the Imparat (Emperor) of another continent. His surviving sister disowns him, and he’s left to survive on the streets. His family had taught him to read and write, to treat women as ladies; yet the streets instill in him survival instincts and how to get by on very little. Around the age of 13, he decides to pursue his childhood dream and through unique circumstances, finds himself on one of the most infamous of all pirate ships. They become his new family, providing him with all manner of instruction and life lessons that lend to his eventually becoming the Pirate King.

The Printesa has a tovaras named Declan, an Irish Wolfhound. He is friendly, sympathetic, encouraging, and helpful. He believes in her and supports her, no matter what, with an unfailing loyalty she deeply values.

Merrick has a tovaras named Ono, a Great White Pelican. A sage advisor, he is known to have a delightful sense of humor as well. He has been through travels and battles with Merrick, seen him at his lowest and yet continues to provide him guidance much as a family elder would do. He, too, is loyal to his charge, leaving love behind in favor of his bonded one.

As I wrote earlier, the main characters each have a first mate. The Printesa has Atarangi, a fierce little woman from the southern islands who is skilled in piracy. She couldn’t believe her luck in finding a strong woman to be her captain. Merrick’s first mate is named Stian, and they have known each other ever since Merrick first found him as a babe on the streets of the High City. He is humorous, dedicated, and considers Merrick to be like an older brother to him.

The Rege Lutrell and Regina Gabriella of Wyster are as royal as their names. He is from the north, with red hair and green eyes, while his wife is from the central part of the continent, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Where Rege Lutrell can be stern and commanding, his wife balances him in her softness and amenability. But don’t let that fool you. They both know how to lead a country and not flinch in the face of defeat.

Vrajitor Tanlen is a loyal sorcerer who devotes himself to training the Printesa in core magic. But it was far from his choice to do so, and it is his resistance that causes trouble.

The Red Sea Hag is a gorgeous and lethal pirate who takes in Merrick when he comes aboard her ship as a young man. With long, vibrant red hair, blue-green eyes, and a face that could have been sculpted, she is a true beauty to behold; however, she is also fierce and the greatest pirate to ever sail the five seas. She bestows all of her knowledge to young Merrick, molding him into the formidable Pirate King.

There are other characters, too, such as:

• Velana, the first mate to the Red Sea Hag.
• Marina, a member of the pirate crew.
• Yarma St. Von, the doctor.
• and of course, the Imparat himself…

To learn how all of these characters come together, just pick up a copy of my book, Queen of the High Seas. Its currently available on Amazon in e-Book and paperback formats, with an amazing audio book version read by the supremely talented Emily Coates coming soon!