Researching my current novel in progress, The Captain's Governess, which is set in Jamaica, I came across this timely historical note for today, June 7. Here's the scoop of Port Royal's destruction one sunny summer day. Was it a judgment of God? Some thought so.

   

Here's how history records the destruction:   On June 7, 1692, a massive earthquake devastated the town of Port Royal in Jamaica, killing thousands. The strong tremors, soil liquefaction, and a tsunami brought on by the earthquake combined to destroy the entire town.

 The earthquake occurred without warning on the morning of Tuesday the 7th June at 11:15a. m., and continued for less than 15 minutes, during which time it destroyed every building or other substantial structure in the Island, a total of nearly 3000.

Port Royal was called the "wickedest city on earth"; a den of pirates, prostitutes, and slavers unlike any the world had ever known. ... It was a city so overrun with liquor, slavers, and prostitution that one in every four buildings was either a bar or a brothel.

Members of the Jamaica Council declared

 "We are become ... an instance of God Almighty's severe judgment," therefore every future "seventh of June ... be kept and observed by all the inhabitants of this Island, as an anniversary day of fasting and humiliation, in hopes that acknowledging "manifold sins and wickednesses committed against his Divine Majesty, may "appease God's imminent wrath and prevent heavier judgments."

Eye-witness Rev. Emmanuel Heath, the Anglican rector for Port Royal, had finished his morning prayer service at St Paul's Church and was meeting with John White, president of the island's council, when the floor began "rowling and moving" and they "heard the church and tower fall."  Rev. Heath wrote:  "Port Royal was terribly destroyed by an earthquake and breaking in of the sea upon it. The destruction was sudden ... in four minutes multitudes were killed by the falling houses. I believe God I never in my life saw such a terror ... the earth opened and swallowed up people before my face ...The sea swallowed up the greatest part of that wretched sinful place ... They are so wicked, I fear God ... will utterly destroy all by this dreadful Judgment ...  By this terrible judgment, God will make them reform their lives, for there was not a more ungodly people on the face of the earth." So goes the story of the destruction of Port Royal on June 7, 1692. Today the site is one of the most important underwater sites in the world with its rich repository of historic shipwrecks and the city of Port Royal. Hope you find history like this as interesting as I do. Blessings, Elva  Elva Cobb Martin is a mother and grandmother who lives in upstate South Carolina. She is the president of  ACFW-SC Chapter. All her Christian romance novels have spent time on Amazon's 100 Bestseller's list for Women's Religious Fiction.  Link to her books on Amazon https://amzn.to/2ksRfTw Connect with Elva Website: http://www.elvamartin.com  BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/elva-cobb-martin Pinterest  https://www.pinterest.com/elvacobbmarti

Character Sketch of a Pirate Hero

by Elva Cobb Martin

Portrait of Pirate Hero Captain Lucas "Bloodstone" Barrett

This is actually Scottish actor Gerard Butler in his role as Attila. 

                Character Sketch

Career: Buccaneer captain/privateer/pirate and new Christian, educated by tutor father

Description models: Gerard Butler, Errol Flynn, Robert Taylor, Johnny Depp

Age: 25

Height/hair/coloring: 6' 4" tall,  long dark hair often in plaits; tanned
    by long days in the tropical sun on deck of his ship, the Blue Heron.

Build: lithe, muscular

Eyes: startling green that shoot sparks when angry (like the bloodstone   gem from which he got his nickname)

Strengths: leadership skills, master of the sea and sailing ships, physical prowess, swordsmanship, takes up for underdog, hates slavery, hard worker, determined to live our his new found Christian faith.

Weaknesses: inability to forgive master of his indentured parents and what happened to them, and wanting to wreck revenge on Spain for the Inquisition and his parent's capture.

History: Lucas was born in England of a noble mother who married a tutor and was then disowned by her wealthy family. The family came to Charles Town as indentured servants when Lucas was 10. Their papers were bought by Sir Roger Poole, Sr., who mistreated them. The parents were captured by the Spanish while being sent on a ship to the Poole's sugar plantation in Jamaica. Lucas ran away and joined the British navy and gained much knowledge about sailing and leading men. As the story opens, he has his own merchant ship which he also uses for privateering when it suits him. He has recently been led to the Lord by Rev. Ethan Wentworth and his wife Hannah when they begged passage on his ship from England to Charles Town.

Spiritual
As a new Christian Lucas has battles to fight with his old nature and with forgiveness to those who have wronged him or his parents. He is respected by most of his crew. He will find his faith greatly tested as the story progresses.

Do you have other traits to add to a hero's character sketch? Next time we may take a look at a villain's character sketch.

Thanks for stopping by. Do leave a comment and I hope you'll  share the blog on Twitter and FB, if you liked it.

Elva Cobb Martin

Detailed Character Sketch for Travay Allston

by Elva Cobb Martin @elvacobbmartin

If you read my previous blog, you will know that last week I sent in my requested full manuscript, In a Pirate's Debt, to a publishing house. Today I want to begin sharing how I prepared to write this inspirational historical novel. It finished out at 74,000 words.

In preparation to plot In a Pirate's Debt, I wrote out a detailed character sketch of my heroine and hero. Here is the sketch I completed for my heroine, Travay Allston, age 17.

First, I found a photo I liked. It's a lot easier to fill in characteristics while looking at a photo. I found this on the internet, I think for hair color ads, and I don't actually know the model's name.

Travay Allston, heroine, In a Pirate's Debt

Character Sketch

Physical and Emotional Attributes: 

Golden auburn hair, blue eyes, full lips, flawless ivory complexion, feminine, a smile that lights up a room.
Medium height - five foot seven inches, slender but well endowed (Olivia de Havilland, Maureen O'Hara)
Age: 17
Educated, able horsewoman, can do needlework, knows how to run a large house.
Fiery, proud, independent spirit, quick temper, quick to judge and jump to conclusions but also has determination, courage, and tenacity.

History

Born In Charles Town on a rice plantation to wealthy parents, Travay takes riches and position for granted and is proud. Governesses and her mother taught her how to be an accomplished, aristocratic young woman. A boy from the Poole's neighboring plantation, Lucas Barrett, the son of indentured parents, was her frequent childhood play mate whom she often got into trouble. He later ran away to sea. When she was 10 her planter father was killed by pirates coming back from a trip to England. When Travay was 12 her mother remarried a deceitful charmer and gambler, Karston Reed. He lost the Charles Town rice plantation in a game and moved Travea and her mother to their sugar plantation in Jamaica. He is cruel, heartless and greedy and Travay's mother dies an early death when Travay is 17. Her stepfather loses the sugar plantation and Travay's hand in marriage to Sir Roger Poole. The story opens with the scene of Travay running away to escape this terrible fate. 

Spiritual:
As a result of the bad things that have happened in her life, Travay has lost most of her mother's Anglican faith. She thinks she can go it alone without God (but God is waiting for her to turn to Him). 

Negative Traits: 
Travay is quick to judge and jump to conclusions. She extends little mercy to anyone, especially a confessed pirate who tries to make excuses for his pirating by calling himself a privateer. Through the course of the story, she discovers her own need of mercy and how to extend it lovingly to others.

Values: 
Travay values a good name, wealth, heritage,compassion and determination.

Goal: to escape a forced marriage and win the love of a good man, find security and regain her lost estates.

Epiphany (a sudden intuitive leap of understanding). 
Travay will come to see her pride and spoiled attitude as wrong and become humbled by her love for Lucas, whom she rediscovers as the pirate Captain Lucas Bloodstone Barrett. During the crisis of his arrest and sentencing to hang, Travay comes to a vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. She determines to save Lucas from the hangman's noose, no matter what it costs her, and repay a debt she owes him for his earlier rescues.

Do you have other ideas to add to a character sketch? Next time we will look at my hero's character sketch, Captain Lucas Bloodstone Barrett.

Thanks for stopping by! Do leave a comment and share the blog, if you enjoyed it, on Twitter and FB.

Elva Cobb Martin