This color sketch of a painting in the works by the artist Wallace Jones, will grace the cover of the third volume of the Bloody Mary trilogy once completed.
The book, scheduled to be completed by Christmas, will be action packed just like the rest.
The three books in this series are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the pirate queen’s exploits, with more volumes in the offing if these are successful.
Inspired by the story and images Dennis Strawderman has taken for his upcoming book, Bloody Mary and the Pirates of the Coast, artist J. Wallace Jones painted a portrait based on a photograph which was taken at the exquisite Virginia House at Agecroft Hall in Richmond, Virginia. Jones forever captures the fiery soul who is only known as Bloody Mary.
Under the pseudonym Frances Morgan, Dennis starts the first book in the trilogy covering the early years of the legendary pirate Bloody Mary and her reign of terror in Bloody Mary and the Pirates of the Coast.
In his second volume, Bloody Mary and the Brethren of the Coast, we follow the infamous female pirate into an even more dark and adventurous path. At the dawning of the Golden Age of Piracy, Bloody Mary blazed a path of death and destruction from the colony of Virginia down the Atlantic coast straight into the Caribbean.
We have yet to hear about volume 3 which is still in the works. All of the books will soon be available in Kindle and soft cover formats on amazon.com.
Soon the trilogy covering the early years of the legendary pirate Bloody Mary‘s reign of terror will be available through the Henricus Militia website. At the dawning of the Golden Age of Piracy she blazed a path of death and destruction from the colony of Virginia down the Atlantic coast straight into the Caribbean.
The Dutch pistols and wheel-lock carbine in this photo are original to the period and believed by some to be Bloody Mary’s actual weapons. The flag is a scaled down replica of the jawless skull and bones banner the pirate queen made famous in her day recreated using a contemporary sketch as a guide. Unfortunately the original has been lost to history. According to the legend the skull and bones cartouche at the base of the ancient Spanish cross served as the inspiration for the flag.
My daughter was a great pirate and the setting was perfect. These three photos are inspirations for an upcoming book based on the character Bloody Mary portrayed by my daughter Megan. To view full size images visit the Bloody Mary image gallery.
We had a wonderful time this morning. Upon arriving to the Virginia House, we warmed up, and were told about the history of the Manor House, everyone was very hospitable.
I took lots of photos trying to capture the mood of the 1971 Rolling Stones’ Hot Rocks album cover taken in front of Swarkestone Hall Pavilion in England, an image that impressed me at a young age that I have still remembered until this day.
In my opinion there are very few if any structures anywhere in the country that rival the majesty of the Virginia House. For more information on touring the historical site, visit www.vahistorical.org or go directly to the Virginia House webpage.
