The Pirates Nightingale

As a young woman growing up in a quaint English town, Hannah Catherine Devereaux has few complaints... With a loving family, a pleasant community, and a devoted following of schoolchildren begging her to share her wild fairy tales, Hannah has never considered leaving her childhood home. When she even manages to catch the eye of the dashing young heir next door, her blissful future seems to be written by the fates in stone... But when a chance encounter with a rogue sailor leaves her mind wandering and her heart racing, Hannah begins to question her quiet existence. As she finds herself dreaming about far-off destinations and undiscovered treasures, this imaginative story-teller realizes that there may be more to life than just writing about adventure... When she finally puts her fears aside and embarks on a spontaneous (and often reckless) adventure of her own, Hannah’s notions of love, family, morals and happiness are challenged by the curious characters she encounters (including a motley ship crew in desperate need of a cook and an eccentric old man who drives a horse-drawn carriage through the car-filled streets of London). But when Hannah finds her path following the same trajectory as one of her own fairy tales, can she make the difficult choices that will keep her from fulfilling her own self-told prophecy? The Pirates Nightingale is a a story that will appeal to readers, both young and old, who yearn for adventure in the most unlikely places. With an engaging cast of characters, vivid scenery, and all the mishaps inherent in any impulsive quest, readers will feel as if they are walking in Hannah’s determined footsteps. An exemplary coming-of-age story, The Pirates Nightingale reveals that while the destination may be worth reaching, it is really the journey along the way that will define the person you are to become. Written almost entirely in the month of November 2010 (thanks to the encouragement of family, friends, and the fabulous organization that hosts National Novel Writing Month every year), this is Nicole Draney's first self-published novel (and "technically" the last, since she will now be writing under her married name, Nicole Alexandria Johnson). She hopes to have many more stories on the shelves in the future...