Unforeseen Circumstances: A New Novel by Debbiann Holmes

 

Debbi Holmes  book "Unforeseen Circumstances" is available  at Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery

MEET THE ARTIST

Book signing with Portsmouth Novelist Debbiann Holmes

Friday, November 5, 2010

5 pm to 8 pm

Skipjack Nautical Wares & Marine Gallery

SIGNED COPIES BY THE AUTHOR AT SKIPJACK
Mystery and romance in modern-day Pirates of the Caribbean
New non-fiction takes off on the high seas
Available in:
6 x 9 Perfect Bound Softcover- $18.95
6 X 9 Dust Jacket Hardcover- $24.95

Cassandra’s comfortable life on board her boat in Virginia’s Portsmouth harbor is turned upside down when she falls for the captain of a visiting yacht. As the griping plot of Debbiann Holmes’ new novel, Unforeseen Circumstances (published by AuthorHouse) unfolds, Cassandra finds herself in the midst of secret pasts, mysterious men and modern day pirates.

 Inspiration for the Book
Inspiration can come in many forms and can be different for many people. For Debbi, the inspiration came last year when she was struggling to find a good book to read with a mixture of romance, suspense and action. Her husband joking said, “Why don’t you write your own?” Debbi stated, “I don’t think he thought I would follow through on that comment!” Debbi eagerly got to work writing her book.

The storyline needed to have all the components she was looking for: romance, suspense and action. The idea came from stories she heard from “transients” that visit the dock, where she lives on her boat, about pirates in the Caribbean. She also had her nephew as a resource, who is in the Coast Guard, to provide stories about pirates coasting the Caribbean waters. She states, “I live on a boat so some of the experiences the characters have are interwoven from both my own experiences and fantasy.”

She had a co-worker read the book to get her opinion and see if was worth taking the time and expense to publish it. After her friend raved about the storyline and characters and encouraged her to follow through, Debbi began researching what it took to publish a book.

Patience is a Virtue

The good ole statement, “Rome was not built in a day”, is rule of thumb to keep in mind when writing and publishing a book. It takes both time and dedication to go through the process. Since she is a full time manager, the book was written at night and most weekends. “My husband found me disappearing from enjoying friends out on the dock, to being holed up in the bedroom, writing”, she states. Writing the story, for her, was the easiest part. She was able to finish the story in 3 months. Then it was time to design the cover, edit, and publish the book.

The cover was Debbi’s idea. She wanted to design a cover that would catch an individuals’ eye who is scanning the shelf for an interesting book to read. She utilized a photographer based on a referral and her daughter as the model. After 6 hours and over 80 different photo shots, she finally found the one that she imagined.

The road for editing was a little bumpy. She paid a student, who was working on their Masters in editing, to do the original editing. She didn’t think to go behind them to re-read the whole book. It went to the publishers and the first edition went out for people to buy. Luckily, only friends and family purchased the first edition and informed Debbi of misspellings, punctuation errors, and missing words. She immediately pulled it back out of print and had it re-edited by three different friends as well as going over the book herself an additional 2 times. “I have learned patience through this process and that has been the hardest thing for me”, she states. The second edition was completed and the book went back to printers. It is now available for purchase.  

Upcoming Projects

Debbi is not finished pursuing her dream. She is currently marketing her first book and has a few book signings lined up. She is half way through the sequel to the first book, which many are anxiously awaiting. She also has 2 other ideas for books that are going to be a completely different story line from the first two. She wants to maintain the theme of boats and water in all of her books, making it her signature style.

Comments from Fans

I had the privilege of reading Debbi’s book, which I must say was simply amazing. I was so engrossed in the story line that I could barely put the book down. She did provide a little snip-it of the sequel in the back of the book and I choose not to read it because I wanted to be completely surprised. I, like many others, are eagerly waiting for the sequel to be finished.

“When I heard that Debbi had written a book, I went online that evening and purchased it.  Just a few days later, I brought it to work and had Debbi sign it.  I was very excited for her and showed the book to everyone I saw that day.  I have to say, I really enjoyed reading Unforeseen Circumstances.  The early references to local landmarks sparked my interest in the beginning.  As I read on, I noticed that Debbi's descriptive story telling really made you feel as if you were right there with the characters.  This book had a little bit of everything, Romance, Suspense and Action.  There were times; I just couldn't put the book down.  I am looking forward to the sequel.” By: Sharon Hughes

“The story is so intriguing; I immediately got immersed in the characters lives.
Debbi has such great way of making the reader feel that they are a part of the story.  She's also a very descriptive writer.  When she talks about the beaches and some of the downtown Portsmouth landmarks, I can completely envision myself there! By: Michelle Garrett

For more information on the book and Debbi please visit www.debbiannholmes.com.
You can also purchase Unforseen  Circumstances  at Skipjack's web store: Click here!

Tall Ship Lynx Makes First Portsmouth Waterfront Appearance at Schooner Days

Privateer 'LYNX' will be participating in this year's Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race and Schooner Days in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia

The Lynx will make its' first Portsmouth waterfront appearance at Schooner Days from October 15 & 16, 2010.  This two-day celebration offers numerous maritime-related activities, many are free to the general public.

The Privateer Lynx will join the over 40 vessels to sail from Baltimore to Portsmouth for the 21st Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.  The race leaves Baltimore Maryland on October 14, 2010.  Vessels start arriving on the Portsmouth waterfront sometime Friday October 15th - depending on wind conditions.
The Portsmouth waterfront from North Landing to beyond the High Street Landing will showcase over 40 schooners from local and distant ports and is considered the largest gathering of schooners in the world.

Schooner Days in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia October 15-17, 2010

Lynx, America's Privateer, represents the first ships to defend our freedom. She was designed and built to interpret a privateer or naval schooner from the War of 1812. The 114 ton Lynx is an interpretation of a privateer or naval schooner from the War of 1812.  She is fitted with period ordnance and flies pennants and flags from the 1812 era making her one of the first ships to defend our freedom.

Color engraving of the original Baltimore Clipper USS LYNX.

The Lynx crew wear period dress and operate the ship in keeping with the maritime traditions of early 19th Century America. Lynx represents a “letter of Marque” Baltimore Clipper, considered to be among the finest privateer schooners ever built.  Because of their swiftness and maneuverability, these ships were most effective as blockade runners and offensive weapons of war.  Students and adults will recognize the War of 1812 as a significant element of American heritage and as a turning point in the development of our national identity. The educational early American history and science programs that are aboard Lynx meet specific State Standards.
The Privateer Lynx was hired to train the cast and crew of the hit movie Pirates of the Caribbean.
The Privateer Lynx will be offering Public Dockside Tours on Saturday and Sunday October 16 & 17 as part of Portsmouth’s '2010 Schooner Days’.  Climb aboard and step back in time as you relive history and feel the adventure.  On decks and below Lynx evokes the life, spirit, and atmosphere of a vanished age of sail.
‘Public Dockside Tours’ will take place Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon.  Once you step on board the Lynx, you'll be taking a giant step back in time.  You will learn firsthand, the important role that Privateers played during the War of 1812.  As you walk these decks of history, the crew of the Lynx will explain the Privateer concept and what the day-to-day life of a Privateer was like.  Relax, stay as long as you like and investigate every part of this unique living history museum.  This is truly an educational experience that is fun for children as well as adults.  Once you've taken the dockside tour, you will surely want to sign on for a Adventure sail.  A $5.00 donation is requested for the Dockside Tour.

A crew member prepares to fire a cannon aboard  the Privateer LYNX.

Lynx is available for school field trips, private charters, team building, and receptions.   Recipient of the American Sail Training Associations 2008 SAIL TRAINING PROGRAM OF THE YE AR AWARD and the 2008 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE PERRY BOWL AWARD.
About the Priviateer Lynx
The Lynx Educational Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan, educational organization, dedicated to hands-on educational programs that teach the history of America’s struggle to preserve its independence.  For donation information, please contact the Lynx Educational Foundation at 866.446.5969.  Their offices are located at 509 29th Street, Newport Beach, CA 92663.
For more information, go to www.privateerlynx.org

About Schooner Days
Schooner Days is a celebration of the world’s largest gathering of schooners along the waterfront of Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. It's held this year in conjunction with the 21st Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race from Baltimore to Portsmouth- racing to save the bay!

Schooner Days in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia October 15-17, 2010

Schooner Days was created in 2009 to commemorate Portsmouth’s rich maritime history with a variety of scheduled historical recreation events including demonstrations by shipwright artisans, maritime related musicians, costumed actors and even a hands-on building of a skiff!  Other exhibits will be on hand to bring awareness for the need to preserve and improve the natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay.
For more information, go to www.schoonerdays.com

About the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race
The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race (GCBSR) was founded to promote public awareness of the Chesapeake Bay's maritime heritage and to encourage the preservation and improvement of the Chesapeake's natural resources.

Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race from Fells Point, Baltimore,  Maryland 127 nautical miles down the Chesapeake Bay to Portsmouth, Virginia.

 Proceeds of the race are donated to one or more charitable organizations involved in conservation of the natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay.  To date, $137,624 has been donated to support children's education programs of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
The race begins in Fells Point, in Baltimore, Maryland, and ends 127 nautical miles down the Chesapeake Bay in Portsmouth, Virginia.  Entry is open to all schooner-rigged vessels.
More than 40 schooners are participating in this year's 21st annual race.
For more information, go to www.schoonerrace.org

The 'Atlantis' lands in Olde Towne

The premier week of the move "Atlantis Down" will be shown in Olde Towne Portsmouth at the Commodore Theater.

 October 1-7, 2010

Portsmouth’s High Street  was closed to traffic Friday night as limousines rolled up to the Commodore Theater, klieg lights illuminate the skies, and stars tread the red carpet.

The occasion was the premiere of the science-fiction thriller “Atlantis Down,” filmed, spaceship and all, in Hampton Roads and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The cast, headed by lead actor Michael Rooker, will parade. Parties followed. The movie will play for a week.

Executive producer Ethan Marten is a filmmaker and a showman. He acknowledges that it’s a big event for a little movie that doesn’t yet have a distributor and was made, according to his only budgetary statement, “for less than $1 million.”

Still, everyone has gotten on the premiere bandwagon, from the Italian Embassy in D.C. (honoring the film’s director) to the local Filipino community (honoring the movie’s leading lady) to the Virginia Film Commission (which contributed a grant to get it made) and proclamations from Virginia Beach and Portsmouth officials (where most of the film was shot).

About half the film was shot at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. Sets built at Studio 463 on Court Street in Portsmouth, just blocks from the site of the premiere, served for shooting interiors. One scene, depicting a desert wasteland, was shot in Kill Devil Hills in North Carolina.

The movie, set in 2025, begins in space. The shuttle Atlantis has become a private taxi between space stations. Rooker, whose breakthrough came as the title role in “Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer” in 1986, plays an alien who challenges a young astronaut to a game of chess. It becomes a psychological battle, pitting reality vs. illusion.

Marten and his family, particularly his father, have a history of ambitious film projects in the area. The Marten family built and managed Atlantic Film Studios, billed as Virginia’s first full-service motion picture studio. Ethan Marten founded 2nd Story Theater in the Ghent area of Norfolk. He became friends with Italian director Max Bartoli four years ago when both had award-winning films in the New York International Independent Short Film Festival – Bartoli for “Ignotus” and Marten for “Samaritan.”

A little more than a year ago, Bartoli, now located in Los Angeles, called Marten about a script called “Atlantis Down.” Marten encouraged him to bring the production to Hampton Roads.

“The script promised to be both entertaining and thought-provoking, and I could see how the whole thing could be filmed locally,” Marten said.

The two took the project to the Virginia Film Commission and got a governor’s grant.

“We had to be very time-conscious,” Marten said, “so it was a blessing that we learned that First Landing State Park could double for desert, tropical rain forest  and swamps, just by moving the camera a bit.”

Six sets, including the spaceship, were constructed inside a building that was formerly a Masonic temple, built in the 1890s on Court Street in Portsmouth.

Rooker plays both father and alien. The actor has appeared in a variety of films that range from “Mississippi Burning” to “Sea of Love,” “JFK” and “Days of Thunder.” His role in “Atlantis Down” is ambiguous. He appears to be a father who punishes his young son severely for losing at chess. But he might not be a bad guy – just one who is trying to teach his son not to give up. The audience is asked to choose.

The cast includes local actresses Pamela Good, who plays the mother who may have died of cancer, and Kera O’Bryon as an astronaut. She is a veteran of local theater, including the musical “Guys and Dolls.” Other Hampton Roads cast members are Travis Quentin Young as the young astronaut and Darla Grese.

Hollywood personages that flew in for the premiere include cast members Dean Haglund (of “X-Files”) and Greg Travis of “Starship Troopers” and “Showgirls.”

“Atlantis Down” plays for a week (October 1-7) nightly at 7 p.m. and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday. Students with an ID will be admitted free on Monday. Fifteen percent of proceeds from Tuesday and Wednesday’s screenings go to Operation Homefront.

On screen, it’s something like “Twilight Zone Meets Star Trek.” Off screen, it’s a great deal of partying.

Here's a link to the Commodore Theatre- http://www.commodoretheatre.com/index.php 

THE COMMODORE THEATRE is a luxuriously restored 1945 Art Deco style motion picture theatre presenting first run films with a fine dining restaurant within the main auditorium. 421 High Street in Olde Towne Portsmouth, VA 23704 (757) 393-6962. Just a short walk from the marinas and the High Street basin.