North Carolina has a passion for pirates. Ever since Blackbeard lost his head over Ocracoke, we have seen pirates as colorful rogues and rascals, meant to be idolized for their prowess in sailing, facing the salt spray and beating sun with a sort of rugged opposition. As kids, we were sure that Blackbeard's treasure was buried just under our beach blanket, and all we had to do was dig deep enough.
I've loved pirate stories and legends since I was a kid. I was always sure that ghost pirates walked my beach at night, if only I could sneak out late and see them. I somehow never made it out into the dark of night when I was six. So I made up for it when I wrote this book.
Not only do I cover the classics, with a different take on Blackbeard, along with Stede Bonnet and Captain Kidd, I cover some of the other piratical events from long ago, such as the last pirate of North Carolina, which was interesting to investigate. I certainly was going to include the ghost stories that are attached to pirate legends, including two about Theodosia Burr, and that was certainly enlightening to learn that pirates operated into the 1800s on our coast. And further along into the 20th century, with a rather mysterious and rarely told addendum to the ghost ship Carroll Deering legend.
It was a challenge to interpret the different eras. Who was a privateer, a hired gun, a pirate, or just an evil villain who operated like a pirate? Depends on which side of the deck gun you were on, I found. So, put your leg up on something and practice your yo-ho-ho-ing with Pirates In The Mists!