Dark Sapphire - Softcover

Jackson, Lisa

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0451407792 ISBN 13: 9780451407795

Publisher: Signet, 2000

Synopsis

Fleeing terrible events at Castle Ogof, Sheena stows away aboard the Dark Sapphire, but after she is discovered, she finds romance with the Captain. Original.

About this title

From the Back Cover

She'd once saved his life helped him escape from a fiery hell in Wales, and then the thankless youth abandoned her to the cruelty of her father.

Years later, the rogue is Captain Keegan, a ruthless pirate on whose ship, the Dark Sapphire, she stows away, now fearing for her life. Accused of a ruthless crime, she's fled her home at Castle Ogof, a massive bounty on her head. The dark captain has no memory of her fearless endeavor on his behalf and has vowed never to allow his heart's passion to outweigh his mind's cold calculations. And yet, a hot desire ignites aboard ship, and this time they must both run for their lives.

About the Author

Huckleberry Finn Childhood Fuels Lisa Jackson's Novel Success

When asked what has inspired her to write more than 50 novels brimming with adventure, intrigue, hot passion and high emotion, best-selling Oregon author Lisa Jackson gets a mischievous smile on her face. Then the words flow as fast as her fingers fly on her computer keyboard when she writes.

Her eyes sparkling with memories, she tells stories of her youth, stories of a Huckleberry Finn childhood in the small lumber town of Molalla and on her grandparents' nearby farm in the hilly region of western Oregon. There in the old growth timber, Jackson rode bareback and raced along the ages-old sheep, cattle and deer trails. In the nearby river, she skinny-dipped and caught crawdads in her bare hands. An inventive child, she sneaked out of the house and rode her bicycle or horse in the moonlight and dreamed up childish pranks that would have done Tom Sawyer proud.

"Nobody could have had a better childhood," Jackson remarks, her twinkling eyes and got-away- with-something grin giving her a youthful appearance that defies the fact she is in her mid-forties and the mother of two college-age sons. "My childhood was enchanted. We were a small, tightly knit family. My mom and dad were and still are my greatest supporters."

Why then does Jackson write lousy dads and conniving relatives into the plots of books that regularly earn berths on such national bestseller lists as USA Today's and Waldenbooks'?

"I think the most intense angst people can experience is what can develop among family members, because our emotions run so deep there," Jackson replied. "Deep down, we care about these people, but being related doesn't mean we think alike or want the same things. I also think manipulative people are fascinating. Characters like that help me keep the readers' interest. I love it when readers write me to complain that they didn't get any sleep the night before because they had to finish my book."

For her ability to write such reader-pleasing page turners, Jackson is sought after by publishers, currently writing for three. In style and career path, she has been compared to author Sandra Brown. Like the mega-New York Times bestselling author, Jackson built her reading audience in the romance genre. Like Brown, she went on to write bigger books splashed across a broad literary canvass that appeal to men as well as to women. As in Brown's newer novels, a romantic relationship is at the core of Jackson's stories, but there's a lot more going on, even in her shorter genre romance novels. In both authors' books, the reader encounters bold, strong heroines who inspire them to take charge of their own lives. The characters' gutsy nature brings to mind the indefatigable Jackson herself.

Jackson studied English literature at Oregon State University for two years before she married. In 1981, when her younger son was a year old, she began writing novels. But she decided she needed a steady income and, drawing on her experience in the banking field, applied for and landed a $9/hour bank job.

"Before I could begin work, the woman who would have been my supervisor was arrested for embezzling, and that was the end of my job." Jackson recalls. "I wasn't too disappointed, because about then I sold my first book, A TWIST OF FATE, and my author career took off. In one of life's little ironies, though, the plot of that first book revolved around a woman suspected of bank embezzling."

Since that first sale, Jackson has written enough novels to fill a bookcase. Drawing on her small- town upbringing, she writes contemporary novels that are more often than not set in rural areas, like her hometown in Oregon. Favorites with readers are the medieval romances set in 11th and 12th century Wales that she writes for Penguin Books. In her latest, DARK SAPPHIRE (Signet August 2000), the finale in her dark jewels trilogy, the heroine, Sheena, is accused of a horrific crime and flees her home at Castle Ogof, tormented by what she has seen. She stows away on the Dark Sapphire, but the ship's crew soon discovers her and delivers her to the dark captain. He has sworn never to allow his heart's passion to outweigh his mind's cold calculations, and there's a massive bounty on her head.

"I enjoy doing these period pieces," said Jackson, who earlier wrote as Susan Lynn Crose. "Women were so trod upon in medieval days. By nature of women's lot in life then, I can generate sympathy for the medieval heroines. They're underdogs from the get go! Tell me what woman doesn't root for the underdog!

When the recently divorced author makes appearances to promote her novels, she is frequently asked to share her tongue-in-cheek insight into today's dating scene. Her humorous "Dating Tips for the New Millennium: Hero or Zero?" turns signings into entertaining events, with men, as well as women, share their experiences.

When not writing or making promotional appearances, Jackson enjoys spectator sports, reading, watching "The X-Files" and socializing now that she's a single mom. Her favorite authors include Pat Conroy, Nelson DeMille, Stephen King, Patricia Cornwell, Dick Francis and other authors who also write compelling page turners.

About this edition

• Publisher: Signet
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0451407792
• ISBN 13: 9780451407795
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320