True Colors

About the Book

True Colors by Valerie Roosa, is historical nautical fiction at its finest. In this book Valerie has achieved an intriguing blend of history and fiction. (You may also visit her website at www.daystarartstudios.com).

The main character Henry Stapleton has been press-ganged into the British Navy at the onset of the war of 1812. He is torn away from his wife and family in opposition to British law. As a Methodist minister he is supposed to be exempt from such outrageous practice. But it is too late! Being in the wrong place at the wrong time Henry finds himself on board a British frigate, and forced to serve his country by participating in war at sea, along with twelve other men who have also been captured.

Britain is at war with France during the Napoleonic wars, and all of Europe is ablaze with war. Life for Henry soon becomes one of hardship and suffering along with the rigid discipline that accompanies war at sea during the nineteenth century.

Henry makes numerous friends amongst his shipmates, but also encounters some vicious enemies along the way. Within days on board, his ship is engaged in action, and the stark reality of sudden death and destruction around him brings him into a full awareness of what his life will be like from now on.

True Colors will fill every reader’s desire to step back into history and be part of Henry Stapleton’s life on the cruel seas. Share his dreams, his disappointments, his personal grief and his courage as he faces the possibility of death on a daily basis. Will he survive this war? Get out your telescope; hoist your mainsail, and find out as you sail through the pages of this book.

The second of the series is Shadow on the Water.

Customer Reviews from Barnes and Noble
Tom Leach, Sales Manager., 10/13/2006 As a new reader to nautical fiction I wasn't sure how I would enjoy this type of book. I am now sold on True Colors and its exciting story so much, that I am anxiously waiting for 'Shadow on the Water' the next in the series to be published! Tom Leach, Middlebury, Indiana.

Angel Boyle, Oscoda, MI, A nationwide business traveller, 10/11/2006 I really enjoyed TRUE COLORS. Usually, I stay away from historical fiction, but I would highly recommend the book to anyone with an interest in seafaring. I found Captain Weatherby and Henry Stapleton to have great depth of character, and empathy for their fellow shipmates. Having recently viewed a square rigged tall ship, I could actually feel what it must have been like living and fighting onboard from the colorful description of the ship's contstruction and riggings. The artwork on the front cover is wonderful, and portrays the impending peril at such close range. I am looking forward to SHADOW ON THE WATER the next book in this series, as soon as it is released.

Rodney Schmidt, A Commodore of large sailing club !, 10/10/2006

About the Author

Author Valerie Roosa has a passionate interest in history, and the sea. Educated in England with a Royal Society of Arts degree in English, she has been writing for national sailing and wildlife magazines for many years, and has now graduated to historical nautical fiction. She has currently written two books in this genre, with a third in the offing. She is also co-author of A Cross for this Land. A lifelong sailor, together with her husband, she is certainly no stranger to the turmoil and hazards of life at sea. They currently sail on the Great Lakes.