BLACKHEARTS by Nicole Castroman | Cover Reveal & Author Interview

Hello and welcome to today's exciting cover reveal for BLACKHEARTS by debut author Nicole Castroman. I LOVE this cover, and I can not wait to share with you. Before I reveal her stunning cover, here's a little bit about her upcoming release:

ABOUT THE BOOK 

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything. This is their story.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England? 

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

C

H

E

C

K

O

U

T

T

H

E

C

O

V

E

R

What do you think of this cover? I LOVE this cover! I love the pirate ship in a bottle. I'm really looking forward to reading this one! 

BLACKHEARTS will be released on 2.9.16 by Simon Pulse. You can pre-order it from Amazon starting on June 5th, HERE. 
Add it to Goodreads. 

What to find out more about BLACKHEARTS? Read my interview with Nicole below:

I love that your wrote a story about Blackbeard, the infamous pirate, prior to his being the feared pirate he was. What inspired you to write a story about a younger "Blackbeard"?

My husband and I were planning a trip Charleston, SC. It's such a fascinating place and like the history nerd I am, I did my research and found out that in 1718, Blackbeard held the entire city of Charleston hostage. His one demand was medication for his sailors. I decided to dig a bit more and discovered that only the last two years of Blackbeard's life are recorded. I took what was known about him and deconstructed that information to come up with my story. I knew I wanted him to have a love interest who would basically be responsible for setting him on his path to piracy. This is as much his story as it is hers. Is it okay to say that I fell in love with my characters? Cause I did. J

Let's talk about this AWESOME cover of yours. I LOVE it. What was your first thought when you saw it?

When Sara Sargent, my fabulous editor, first showed me my cover, I was speechless. And then I teared up. No joke. Karina Granda at Simon & Schuster nailed it. She did such an AMAZING job of capturing the essence of this story. The ship in the bottle is emblematic of both Anne's and Teach's struggle for freedom and I could not have imagined a more perfect cover. It's simple, yet edgy and I LOVE it.

When coming up with your title, was this something you came up prior to writing the story, during writing the story, or after?

The same day I thought of the story, I came up with a title, which was THE LEGEND OF EDWARD TEACH, but not everyone was a fan. So my agent and the wonderful team at Adams Literary brainstormed ideas. In the end, Josh Adams came up with the winning title of BLACKHEARTS. And just like the beautiful cover, it fits the story perfectly.

How would you describe BLACKHEARTS in 10 words or less?

I'll give you my elevator pitch. "BLACKHEARTS is pre-pirate. It's what made Blackbeard become a pirate."

What's one thing you admire about your young Blackbeard?

After spending a year at sea, he comes home and realizes he doesn't fit into his way of life anymore. Traveling has opened his eyes and broadened his mind. I think what I admire most about Teach is that he understands that appearance doesn't make the person, it's their actions that truly represent who they are.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Sandy, Utah, Nicole was lucky enough to come with her very own best friend…she has a twin sister who can read her mind and finish her sentences for her.

At the age of 13, she went to Europe for the first time and it changed her life. She loves learning about different people, languages and cultures and speaks fluent German. She knows enough Spanish to get herself into trouble and can still read the Cyrillic alphabet from when she studied Russian.

She received her B.A. from Brigham Young University and has lived in Germany, Austria and two different places called Georgia. One is the country located on the Black Sea. The other is the state of Georgia where she now lives with her handsome husband and two beautiful children who continue to amaze her.

Find Nicole: Twitter | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads