Fish

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any vampires in the story?

No. Just pirates.

How about werewolves?

No again.

Why did you write about pirates?

I've been setting up treasure hunts for my nieces and nephews for years, and each one grew more elaborate and complex than the next. It was incredible to see how pirates and treasure hunting can capture the imagination of both boys and girls; my nieces were just as into the games, and the hunts, as my nephews. At some point they asked me to write a pirate story, and although I was well aware of the fact that there are about 10,000 pirate novels, movies, and picture books out there, I figured I'd try one anyway.

How long did it take you to write?

The book went through many revisions over the course of five or six years. I dropped it and picked it up again several times, and wrote and published an entirely different book in the middle. But through all that, the central idea remained the same. For me, the story has always been about this main character, Fish, a boy who loves to swim and hates to fight.

Where did you get the idea for the story?

I was a bit like Fish — the love of swimming and the aversion to violence, at least. I wondered how a kid with those qualities, plus intelligence and bravery, would fare on a pirate ship. Could he survive without swinging a cutlass? Would he thrive? I thought about it for a while, then I packed a ship with strange rogues, sent Fish off with them, and wrote down what happened.

Did you do any research?

Yes. I read many, many books about the real history of pirates. They were not nearly as fun as the types we see in movies! And I also found that the sheer number of myths about pirates makes it almost impossible to tell a historically accurate story. The myths have been a part of piracy from the very start.

Why doesn't anyone in the book say argghhh?

If one pirate said "arghhh," then they'd all have to say "arghhh" and timbers would be shivering and the language would all fall apart.

Did pirates really go to chiropractors?

Yes. That is completely true.