The character of Nora Mandrake, captain of The Lady Amalie and a small fleet of sailing ships that make up the modest Mandrake Marine Ltd., came to me because I loved Pirate tales, and although this book isn't exactly that, it's as close as I will ever come. And after all the pirate and seafaring novels I've read, I knew I wanted to make the captain of this ship a woman. A special woman--one who loves special women.