QUINTSPINNER – A PIRATE’S QUEST is a daring adventure story of love and lust, loyalty and betrayal, all bound together with a dash of superstitious magic.

Set in the early 1700’s, it is the story of sixteen year old Tess Willoughby, an unwilling passenger on a merchant ship bound for the pirate-infested waters of the West Indies, and of William Taylor , a young press-ganged sailor. Coming into possession of a legendary Spinner ring, Tess is torn between her new-found attraction for William and her new-found realization that even though her fiance is ruthless and covets her only for her mysterious ring, he alone can secure her safety throughout  their perilous journey.

When pirates attack the merchant ship, Tess is forced to make several unexpected and heart wrenching decisions in order to save herself, and in a moment of heart-stopping clarity, Tess realizes that maybe, just maybe, with the help of the strange influence of her spinner ring, she will be compelled to make a final choice: save the lives of those she needs or save the lives of those she loves. And yet an additional dark and powerful possibility rises to the forefront – that of wreaking revenge upon those who have threatened and damaged her. The ring is urging her to decide quickly…

We like the sound of this. Is it just us or does it have a whiff of Pirates of the Caribbean about it?
The book’s characters are NOT quite the warm and fuzzy pirates from Pirates of The Caribbean.

I intended for it to be in the historical genre but a peculiar thing has happened: book bloggers and readers have also listed it as a favorite book in Romance (OK, there’s not only a romance between two teenagers, but also one that blooms between a middle-aged couple), Action and Adventure ( well, it IS a pirate story), Young Adult (Yup. Protagonists are teenagers), and Fantasy categories (invasive presence of mysterious Spinner rings – objects of superstition and supposed powers of healing and prophesy, still used in the Caribbean and tropics today). One reviewer, Chickymara at books&brands, wrote, “In Quintspinner, Dianne Greenlay has developed a brand-new genre I like to call ‘Pirate Adventure-Fantasy-Romance’ “.

Sounds like Chickymara loved it – who else will it appeal to?
Readers will enjoy this story if they are those readers who enjoy a fast-paced plot as well as some heart-tugging romance, and yet don’t mind a little gritty historical reality thrown in. Geared at older teens and adults alike, it will appeal to the swashbuckling romantic.

Tell us a little more about the characters that people this story.
Tess, the daughter of a London physician, is a head-strong young woman who accidentally witnesses the murder of a renowned elderly seer and unwittingly becomes the keeper of the woman’s prophetic spinner ring. A not-so coincidental meeting with the old woman known as the Crone reveals that Tess is a “Quintspinner”, a person chosen by fate to wear one of five ancient Spinner rings. The Crone tells Tess that she will be drawn to the remaining rings, and that those rings will likewise be drawn to her.  Even so, Tess never dreams that she will soon find herself and her family sailing aboard a merchant ship bound to the West Indies, along with a dangerous man who covets her ring.

William is a young farm hand who is press-ganged into servitude upon a ship, where the demands are harsh and his need to survive forces him to adapt to his new situation or die.

Dangerous circumstances at sea soon throw Tess and William into each other’s arms and Tess’s quest becomes William’s, as passions ignite between the two.

This is a series, right?
DEADLY MISFORTUNE is Book Two in the Quintspinner series, and it continues where QUINTSPINNER leaves off.

Have you written any other novels?
In the completely different genre of humor/comedy, I have written THE CAMPING GUY, a story of two very mismatched campers as they spend a weekend camping together in the wilds of the Rockies.

That iscompletely different.
Tell us a little about yourself.
Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, besides embarking on a writing career, I am a physiotherapist, a retired EMT, and also the Creative Director of a long running and very successful theatre group, “Darkhorse Theatre”.

I travel. A lot. Writing in the historical genre requires much research, and I have hauled sail on a tall ship, cave spelunked in Belize, snorkeled and dived off the shores of several Caribbean islands, swum through clouds of jellyfish, hiked through rainforest, and climbed in the Rocky mountains. In summary of all of this, let’s just say that my first aid and medical background has come in handy quite often.

I began writing QUINTSPINNER as a challenge to myself, to “write a novel”, something that had been on my bucket list. It was either that or learn to play the bagpipes. My husband is grateful for my choice.

Do you have a website where we can keep up with your work?
www.diannegreenlay.com

How can we follow you on Twitter and/or Facebook?
@diannegreenlay on Twitter, and
https://www.facebook.com/dianne.greenlay on FB

What’s next?
I am presently working on Book Three in the Quintspinner series, and have rough outlines for two more books, one in the humor genre, and another in non-fiction.

How easily do new storylines come to you? If we give you four random words – Man, Woman, Airport, Darkness – can you give us a brief storyline?
I struggle to outline my stories for quite a long time before actually writing them, and I often end up changing the direction of the plot when the characters come to life in my imagination.

You don’t have to if you don’t want to.
Hmmm…

A man standing outside of the arrival lounge at an airport is trying to hail a taxi. A limousine pulls up and a woman steps out. She enthusiastically embraces the man, much to his surprise, as she is a complete stranger to him. He is so surprised at her advances that he barely notices the tiny momentary prick at the back of his neck, before a noisy whirr fills his head and his legs collapse under him, as darkness closes over him.