Sea Dust by Margaret Muir
In order to escape the clutches of a drunken husband, Emma stows away on a sailing ship bound for Australia. Despite the help of a French sailor, nothing can protect her from the diabolical evil which lurks on board.
Set in 1856 in Whitby, Cape Town, Sydney and at sea, SEA DUST was my first novel with Robert Hale Ltd, London.
It was first published in Dec 2005 and sold out soon after publication.
Fortunatley, it was reprinted (Jan 2006) and is still available in LARGE PRINT format from Ulverscroft.
Sea Dust is available from your local library (or you can order it).
Or purchase from Amazon UK or Ulverscroft.com direct.
Pic: Cover of the large print edition is quite different to the original hardback
Set in 1856 in Whitby, Cape Town, Sydney and at sea, SEA DUST was my first novel with Robert Hale Ltd, London.
It was first published in Dec 2005 and sold out soon after publication.
Fortunatley, it was reprinted (Jan 2006) and is still available in LARGE PRINT format from Ulverscroft.
Sea Dust is available from your local library (or you can order it).
Or purchase from Amazon UK or Ulverscroft.com direct.
Pic: Cover of the large print edition is quite different to the original hardback
SEA DUST - an overview
Domestic violence, drunkenness and rape, like loss and grief, are products of no specific era.Until 1878 in England, even if a man were convicted of aggravated assault against his wife, she could not gain separation from him.
Today, women still suffer abuse, living with memories and yearning for some way of escape.
Emma Quinlan is no different. For her, her chances of finding love seem as illusory as the luminescent particles which shine in the sea. They sparkle for a short time only, then disappear.
From the blood-splattered aprons of the Whitby fishwives, to the flaccid droop of a spilled sail, and the thunder of an anchor chain bursting from its locker, Sea Dust is Emma's journey, in which her emotional conflict is set against the backdrop of the ship.
The events which unfold are as unpredictable as the changing moods of the sea.
Image is from the original book cover - Hale Books
My Inspiration for writing Sea Dust
I have stood on the deck of a square rigged ship and witnessed the marine particles shining in the sea.I have sailed on a barquentine on the Indian Ocean and crossed the Atlantic on a clipper, and felt the full force of the sea's anger.
I have listened to the ship's music: the thrum of wind through rigging and the beat of the bow as it pounds into the swell.
I have tasted the salt.
I have stood in the shadow of Whitby Abbey and have watched the North Sea gnawing at the face of the rugged East Cliff.
I have felt grief and loss, fear and happiness - and I want to share them with you.
Photo: Star Clipper off the Island or Madeira
The sea's magic - you must see it to believe it
What is it that shines in the sea at night?
In Sea Dust, the marine luminescent particles which shine in the sea are explained to Emma by Charles Whitton. (Don't forget they are on a sailing ship in 1856)"Those illusive diamonds, as you call them, have puzzled men for centuries. Long ago, men thought they were the sun's rays which had dived into the sea.
"At night, they said the fiery spirits tried to escape the water and fly back to the heavens. Some said the troubled sea created sparks like those emitted when a flint is struck upon a stone. Some said they were small fish or insects which were able to glow like the firefly. Some said that sometimes those particles come alive and swirl together in a shining mist of colour which floats across the sea turning like a spinning top. Some say it that is an aurora. Some say it is an illusion."
"But, tell me, what do you say it is?"
"I say the sparkling in the sea is a wonder. I say we have so much to learn and so little time to do it."
Charles sighed to the twinkling water cascading along the hull.
"Each flash of light," he said, "is from an animalcule, a minute organism. It only glows when turbulence disturbs it. The Morning Star is causing it to shine."
He looked at her but her eyes were fixed on the metallic sea. "Your tiny stars are no illusion, Emma. They are real. Millions upon millions of them. And perhaps as you suggest they lie in wait for ships to pass so they can come to life and dance together in the foam."
The fact is you will never see this phenomenon on a cruise ship. There are too many lights and it's impossible to get close enough to the bow wave.
I first witnessed, what I knicknamed 'sea dust' or my 'illusvie diamonds' when I sailed for a 10 day voyage on an 1860s style barquentine, the sail training ship, Leeuwin 2 on the Indian Ocean.
I was standing on the bow of an 1850s style barquentine on the 12-4am watch. The ship's main deck was pitch black save for a glow from the charthouse and my eyes had become accomstomed to the darkness.
It was then, as I stared into the foam, I saw the sea's magic.
You can read more excerpts from 'Sea Dust' book on my webpage at http://www.margaretmuirauthor.com
The title - Sea Dust
Have I got it right?
A book's title, while it's a work in progress, is like a pair of old slippers - comfortable, warm, and fits like a glove.So what happens when the publisher says he doesn't like it?
The old slippers have to go and you have to break-in a new pair.
Of course, they don't really fit and your feet don't slide in easily.
But, before too long you find yourself wearing them and not noticing the difference.
But are they ever the same as the old ones?
I wrote my first novel with the working title, 'Illusive Diamonds'.
This name relates to the bioluminescent marine organisms, which appear and disappear in the sea at night - as if by magic.
In turn it alludes to the illusive (and elusive) nature of love - which at times can appears as if out of the blue. But it can vanish equally as quickly.
When a critic advised me that the title, 'Illusive Diamonds', should go, I took his advice and changed it to Sea Dust.
The words, 'sea dust' carry similar connotations regarding the marine particles, but 'sea dust' also carries the darker connotation of 'ashes to ashes, dust to dust', and of those whose bodies are committed to the deep.
As my novel has a strong nautical component - the new title seemed fitting.
Do you agree?
Photo: Anchor - HM Bark Endeavour (replica) M.Muir
Author's thoughts
31 December 2005 - my first novel, SEA DUST, was published in London. Unfortuately I live in Western Australia.That leaves me in a strange situation.
I know my book is out there somewhere, but I don't know how it is going or what the public think about it.
Hopefully no news is good news!
Will keep you posted....
1 February 2006 - At last, books arrive in Western Australia which means they should also be available in the other states.
A couple of reviews have filtered in - good ones, I'm pleased to say.
1 April 2006 - I received an email a week ago to say that the publisher had only 2 copies of SEA DUST left in stock.
I hope this means there will be a reprint. It would be even better if another publisher made an offer to print in paperback.
Fingers and toes crossed!!
Photo: Yours truly onboard STS Leeuwin sailing to Dampier on the West Australian coast.
Book Launch - Wow!!
Sea Dust launched
On 26th March 2006 in a country town in Western Australia about 40 people drank chapagne and toasted the official launch of SEA DUST.It was a delayed party tinged with sadness.
It had been planned to take place on publication day - 30 December - board a cruise ship as it sailed from Sydney Harbour (where the ship in the story finishes its voyage), but that was not to be.
My partner, Peter, who was to launch it for me and who had been my right hand during the writing process, died in a vehicle accident only a few weeks before the event was due.
Needless to say when the launch finally took place in March, it was a great day and I have attached a photo of me (the author) and my son who did a wonderful job of MC.
It's a long process from writing a book to seeing it in print - and it was very nice to hear the champagne corks popping at last!
Links to my other sites
- Margaret Muir - author - blogspot
- Variety is the spice of life - Updated regularly
- Margaret Muir - author - my website
- Fairly static - about me and my books + a CONTACT PAGE
Regardez - the feathered figurehead!
Inspiration for a chapter in Sea Dust
"A seagull sat on the end of the bowsprit content as a duck on a clutch of eggs. It looked as much a part of the 'Morning Star' as the brass bell engraved with the same name. Though the bell swung rhythmically to the ocean's pulse, the gull showed no inclination to change its position. It was oblivious to the sweeping motion of the bow, carried up one moment like a rising shuttlecock, then crashing back to the sea like a sack of lead shot. Perched at the tip of the ship, the seagull sat proudly like a feathered figurehead."Photo: It was this seagull which hitched a ride on the bowsprit of the STS Leeuwin which inspired a chapter of my novel, SEA DUST
FitzRoy and Sea Dust
The Sea's Magic - The boy sailor and marine luminescence
Robert FitzRoy was to become famous as the Captain of HMS Beagle - Charles Darwin's vessel, and also as the inventor of the weatherforcast.Born in 1805, like so many young gentlemen from artistocratic families, FitzRoy joined the Royal Navy at a very early age.
In 1818, at the tender age of only 13, he wrote a letter to his father.
It reads:
Last night when I was coming back, the boat I was in was going very quick, and I put my hand into the water and the little ripple of water it made Sparks, at least they looked exactly like it ... like from a flint and steel, and I could not make out what it was for the oars did the same...
He asks his father to write and tell him what it was he had seen.
It was during my first voyage on the tall ship, STS Leeuwin that I first witnessed marine bioluminescence.
I shall always remember the experience, sitting alone on bow watch in the early hours of the morning watching the tiny pin-pricks of light glittering in the sea, appearing and disappearing as if by magic.
I was amazed by the phenomenon and called the particles "illusive diamonds".
It was my "illusive diamonds" which inspired me to write my first novel, Sea Dust.
Reading the biography of FitzRoy by John and Mary Gribbin (2003), I felt an instant empathy for the boy sailor sitting in the small boat 200 years ago. I wanted to tell him I had marvelled at them also.
SEA DUST - synopsis
When Emma's child dies, she receives no sympathy from her husband.
George Quinlan, an alcoholic, subjects her to both mental and physical abuse. She considers her possible alternatives: administer a dose of rat poison to him, or run away.
Following a severe beating, she is helped by Francois, a French sailor. Unable to secure a passage for her, he secretes her onboard his ship which is bound for Australia.
Joshua, her thirteen year old son, signs on as a cabin boy.
After several days hidden below decks, the stowaway is discovered and brought before the Captain. Assuming her to be a woman of low morals and a thief, the Captain vows to put her ashore in Portsmouth, but bad weather in the Channel make landfall impossible.
Following a vicious rape by one of the seamen, Emma is nursed back to health by entomologist, Charles Witton, a passenger. He empathises with her situation and recent loss.
Once recovered, Emma is allowed on deck. One day she sketches the outline of a seagull. Recognising her artistic talent, Charles offers her work, assisting him with his research.
Emma is happy to be occupied but remains troubled by her feelings for the Frenchman. She also fears the sailor who continues to stalks her. Her trauma is exacerbated by the death of one of the seamen.
A volcanic eruption, an encounter with a group of desperate slaves, a collision at sea and a violent storm, all add to the onboard tension.
When the ship finally docks in Sydney ..... well you will have to read the book to find out.
George Quinlan, an alcoholic, subjects her to both mental and physical abuse. She considers her possible alternatives: administer a dose of rat poison to him, or run away.
Following a severe beating, she is helped by Francois, a French sailor. Unable to secure a passage for her, he secretes her onboard his ship which is bound for Australia.
Joshua, her thirteen year old son, signs on as a cabin boy.
After several days hidden below decks, the stowaway is discovered and brought before the Captain. Assuming her to be a woman of low morals and a thief, the Captain vows to put her ashore in Portsmouth, but bad weather in the Channel make landfall impossible.
Following a vicious rape by one of the seamen, Emma is nursed back to health by entomologist, Charles Witton, a passenger. He empathises with her situation and recent loss.
Once recovered, Emma is allowed on deck. One day she sketches the outline of a seagull. Recognising her artistic talent, Charles offers her work, assisting him with his research.
Emma is happy to be occupied but remains troubled by her feelings for the Frenchman. She also fears the sailor who continues to stalks her. Her trauma is exacerbated by the death of one of the seamen.
A volcanic eruption, an encounter with a group of desperate slaves, a collision at sea and a violent storm, all add to the onboard tension.
When the ship finally docks in Sydney ..... well you will have to read the book to find out.
Chapter 1 - The opening scene
Whitby, North Yorkshire, February 1856
Emma shivered. The cold spell had been cruel. Very cruel. Yet the picture, framed by the window, had a stark beauty about it.
The fishing port nestled in the valley was shrouded in white. Snow covered the docks and wharfs; the sand flat, Belle Island; and the hills and open moors beyond. Only the treacherous face of the crumbling East Cliff had escaped the winter mantle.
From the attic Emma gazed down on the rooftops; to the chimney stacks poking up from the snow like bare stumps awaiting spring, to the icicles hanging from the clay tiles like a line of glass organ pipes, and to the street below. Vestal white. Untouched.
To the north, the sea was strangely still. There were no white caps on the water. No waves breaking along The Scaur. The grey sky and sea melded in a haze of mauve. There was no horizon.
Near the old lighthouse, half hidden by the pier wall, Emma could see the masts of a ship. It was moving slowly towards the fishing harbour. But it carried no sail.
A bird fluttered moth-like against the window and distracted her. It landed on the sill settling its claws into the mat of tangled snowflakes.
She watched as it hopped to the end of the ledge and started pecking at the crack in the corner of the glass. She listened to it, tap-tapping on the window as if wanting to be invited in. Then she remembered the other sounds she listened to in that room: the cough. The wheeze. The crackled breath. Now those sounds were gone and the room was silent save for the bird's beak tapping on the pane.
It regarded her, or appeared to, cocking its head from side to side. She wondered if it could see her. She thought not. Her dress was dark. Her shawl, spun from the fleece of a black Corriedale, even darker. And there was no lamp.
How long was it since the sun had warmed the town?
The bird fluffed out its rust-red chest feathers and stretched one of its wings.
She heard stockinged feet padding up the stairs and waited for the distinctive creak of the three steps outside the attic door.
The latch clicked as it was lifted. The bird cocked its head and, when the door rasped on its hinges, it flew away.
Emma shivered. The cold spell had been cruel. Very cruel. Yet the picture, framed by the window, had a stark beauty about it.
The fishing port nestled in the valley was shrouded in white. Snow covered the docks and wharfs; the sand flat, Belle Island; and the hills and open moors beyond. Only the treacherous face of the crumbling East Cliff had escaped the winter mantle.
From the attic Emma gazed down on the rooftops; to the chimney stacks poking up from the snow like bare stumps awaiting spring, to the icicles hanging from the clay tiles like a line of glass organ pipes, and to the street below. Vestal white. Untouched.
To the north, the sea was strangely still. There were no white caps on the water. No waves breaking along The Scaur. The grey sky and sea melded in a haze of mauve. There was no horizon.
Near the old lighthouse, half hidden by the pier wall, Emma could see the masts of a ship. It was moving slowly towards the fishing harbour. But it carried no sail.
A bird fluttered moth-like against the window and distracted her. It landed on the sill settling its claws into the mat of tangled snowflakes.
She watched as it hopped to the end of the ledge and started pecking at the crack in the corner of the glass. She listened to it, tap-tapping on the window as if wanting to be invited in. Then she remembered the other sounds she listened to in that room: the cough. The wheeze. The crackled breath. Now those sounds were gone and the room was silent save for the bird's beak tapping on the pane.
It regarded her, or appeared to, cocking its head from side to side. She wondered if it could see her. She thought not. Her dress was dark. Her shawl, spun from the fleece of a black Corriedale, even darker. And there was no lamp.
How long was it since the sun had warmed the town?
The bird fluffed out its rust-red chest feathers and stretched one of its wings.
She heard stockinged feet padding up the stairs and waited for the distinctive creak of the three steps outside the attic door.
The latch clicked as it was lifted. The bird cocked its head and, when the door rasped on its hinges, it flew away.
Whitby - famous for Captain Cook and Count Dracula
Wher history was recorded and fiction created
James Cook sailed on his first ship from Whitby as an ordinary seaman. It was called the 'Free-love'.But in 1768, Captain James Cook sailed away on the converted Whitby collier, 'Endeavour'. His voyages of discovery took him to New Zealand, the coast of Australia, the Antarctic ice fields and the South Sea Islands.
When the sailing ship, 'Demeter' ran aground off Whitby all its crew were dead or missing. Only a large black dog jumped from its deck.
It rang along the rocky beach and lept up the 199 church steps which lead up the East Cliff. The hound was last seen entering the graveyard.
That was, of course, Count Dracula on his voyage from Transylvania.
Perhaps it was the swirling mists which inspired Bram Stoker to pen his haunting scenes when he paid a visit to Whitby in the 1890s.
The gaunt ruins, the crumbling cliff and the mists drifting in from the North Sea all helped to inspire me to set my novel in Whitby.
Photo: Captain James Cook on the West Cliff at Whitby (M.Muir)
Reviews - SEA DUST
It must be said that for this humble reader, the requested task (reading this extraodinarliy beautiful novel by local author Margaret Muir and writing a review) was one of those rare occasions when the answer was a swift and enthusiastic 'Yes, I'll do it!'
Having had the pleasure of hearing Margaret read passages of her book and then talking about its beginnings at our February Members' Meeting, I was well and truly primed for the job.
And what a great read it was. From the very first sentence, "Emma shivered." one has an empathy for its main character, for her surroundings, and the sparseness of her life. The author draws her reader in with ease to the hopelessness of Emma's situation, tied in so closely to the fluctuating fortunes of a town so dependent on the capricious nature of the sea.
The flow of the narrative, the steady development of the plot and the treatment of the various characters are all handled with equal aplomb and professionalism. Most important of all is its historical realism, and this is adhered to with a faithful awareness and detail throughout the book, making it an education for all landlubbers as well as a great story.
Margaret's love for tall ships is very apparent in her writing, and her ability as a writer brings to life a different world aboard the Morning Star as it makes its way from the North Yorkshire coast to the distant colony of Sydney in the year 1856.
The greatest compliment I feel an author can receive, perhaps, is to know that the reader was able to identify so well with her characters that there is a sense of loss when the story ends. I felt that loss.
I thoroughly recommend Sea Dust to all our members. This is what we all aspire to. My heartiest congratulations to you, Margaret, and I look forward with anticipation to your next novel!
Louise Evans (Louise Evans is a poet and member of the Peter Cowan Writers' Centre, Perth, WA)
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From the start of the novel, I was taken by the vivid use of descriptive language.
It seemed that I was inside the house at Whitby, or on the ship with Emma.
Sea Dust is very well crafted and the descriptions of life aboard ship are well detailed.
I look forward to reading more of your writing.
Jan Garner-Smith, Western Australia (Teacher/Librarian)
Having had the pleasure of hearing Margaret read passages of her book and then talking about its beginnings at our February Members' Meeting, I was well and truly primed for the job.
And what a great read it was. From the very first sentence, "Emma shivered." one has an empathy for its main character, for her surroundings, and the sparseness of her life. The author draws her reader in with ease to the hopelessness of Emma's situation, tied in so closely to the fluctuating fortunes of a town so dependent on the capricious nature of the sea.
The flow of the narrative, the steady development of the plot and the treatment of the various characters are all handled with equal aplomb and professionalism. Most important of all is its historical realism, and this is adhered to with a faithful awareness and detail throughout the book, making it an education for all landlubbers as well as a great story.
Margaret's love for tall ships is very apparent in her writing, and her ability as a writer brings to life a different world aboard the Morning Star as it makes its way from the North Yorkshire coast to the distant colony of Sydney in the year 1856.
The greatest compliment I feel an author can receive, perhaps, is to know that the reader was able to identify so well with her characters that there is a sense of loss when the story ends. I felt that loss.
I thoroughly recommend Sea Dust to all our members. This is what we all aspire to. My heartiest congratulations to you, Margaret, and I look forward with anticipation to your next novel!
Louise Evans (Louise Evans is a poet and member of the Peter Cowan Writers' Centre, Perth, WA)
--------------------------------------------------
From the start of the novel, I was taken by the vivid use of descriptive language.
It seemed that I was inside the house at Whitby, or on the ship with Emma.
Sea Dust is very well crafted and the descriptions of life aboard ship are well detailed.
I look forward to reading more of your writing.
Jan Garner-Smith, Western Australia (Teacher/Librarian)
Reviews - post publication
"Confronting and real.Margaret Muir pulls no punches in portraying the dark side of family life and the lives of those bound by the sea. This story inspires the reader to begin their own sea-faring adventure.
Dramatic from start to finish."
Nicole Biber, Melbourne - random testimonial
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"The story is engaging and moves at a good pace. One empathises strongly with Emma and the author captures the sense of menace particularly effectively."
Dr Richard Rossiter - author and academic
Dr Richard Rossiter is senior lecturer in the School of International, Cultural and Community Studies at Edith Cowan University, where he teaches literary theory and Australian literature and Culture. His publications include Reading Tim Winton (with Lyn Jacobs) and The Model: Selected Writings of Kenneth Seaforth Mackenzie. He is joint editor of Farewell Cinderella published by University of Western Australia Press.
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"The author has a good feel for the historical genre. The novel is well written with good naturalistic dialogue, nicely understated and at times quite stylish. The situations are described with clarity and there is an emotional impact."
Dr Chris McLeod - writer and editor
Dr Chris McLeod PhD is a Writer and Editor, author of three novels and two collections of short fiction. Former fiction editor of 'Westerly' a leading Australian literary journal. Examiner of post graduate Creative Writing theses. Book Reviewer.
_______________________________________________________________
"There is an edge to Margaret's writing that reminds me of Helen Garner. A roughness, I guess, that's terrific. Rarely do I see such confidence on the page."
Glyn Parry - author and editor
Glyn Parry, young adults author was winner of the Western Australian Premier's Prize in both 1995 and 1999, the only children's author to have been awarded this prestigious prize twice. Glynn is an editor for a leading publishing house in Australia and has taught creative writing at both high school and university in Western Australia.
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THE CONDOR'S FEATHER is due July 2009.
To order at a BIG discount price and with FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY go to:
The Book Depository is an on-line bookshop which not only gives discount prices but provides Free Worldwide Delivery.
If you live in the UK you have choice of on-line booksellers including the publisher, Hale Books, who offers free postage within the UK.
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Hi, my name is Margaret Muir. I am an author and I live in Western Australia.
Sea Dust is my first published novel. My second novel has recently been...
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