Today, I'm delighted to welcome historical fiction author Tonya Ulynn Brown to the blog. Her latest novel, What the Ocean Brings, is inspired by the true story of the Carricks shipwreck during the Irish Potato Famine and explores themes of survival, love, and resilience in the face of tragedy. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to chat with Tonya about the inspiration behind the novel, her research process, and the journey that brought Breanna’s story to life.
But first, let's take a look at Tonya's new book!
Quebec, Canada, 1847. While trying to escape the Potato Famine, shipwrecked Irish immigrant Breanna Clarey awakens injured and alone on an unfamiliar beach. To make matters worse, she has been separated from her family, and her friend, Crow, is lying dead at her feet. But when Dawson Roberts, a reclusive fisherman with a guarded past and big dreams for his future, finds Breanna, he puts his plans on hold to offer her shelter and help find her family.
But life for an Irish immigrant isn't easy. Facing a deadly quarantine station, dangerous immigration officials, and grief over her missing family, Breanna struggles to exert her independence and navigate her new world. While Breanna confronts an unknown future, Dawson is plagued by a painful past. They each must determine their own course, even if it means ignoring the pull they have on each other.
When the future takes an unexpected turn, only the ocean that has brought them so much devastation can help them find their way back to where they belong.
What first sparked your journey into writing, and when did you realise you wanted to become an author?
I first became interested in writing after reading and researching the life of Mary, Queen of Scots. I was moved by her tragic life story and wondered if things would have turned out differently for her had she had advisors who truly cared about her and the kingdom, and not just what she could do for them. I began imagining a character that could be that friend and confidant for her, and because I am a romantic at heart, he, of course, had to be a love interest as well. I wrote mostly during what little free time I had while in grad school and never had any intentions of actually publishing the book. It was my husband who encouraged me to try to get it published. After The Queen’s Almoner was published, I realized how much I enjoyed immersing myself in the past and writing about the real characters that make history so interesting.
What inspired the idea for What The Ocean Brings, and how did Breanna’s story begin to take shape in your mind?
What the Ocean Brings was inspired by the true story of the Carricks of Whitehaven that set sail from Sligo Harbor in Ireland in 1847. She carried almost 200 passengers who were looking to start a new life across the Atlantic Ocean, where they were supposed to settle in Quebec, Canada. A snowstorm blinded their way, and instead of sailing up the St. Lawrence River, they crashed upon the coastline around Cap-des-Rosiers. In 2019, I read a news article in The Washington Post about how a windstorm had uncovered a mass grave in Gaspe, where dozens of children’s bones had been buried. Professionals eventually traced the grave back to the Carricks shipwreck, where a few of the surviving passengers had actually settled after the tragedy.
The novel is set during the Irish Potato Famine in 1847. What drew you to this period of history, and what surprised you most during your research?
I honestly can’t say that I was ever really “drawn” to this period of time, nor to the Irish people, per se. Most of my research before this book was focused on Scotland and the Stuart Monarchs. I was just moved by the story of the Carricks shipwreck and the uncovered mass grave, and decided I wanted to write about it. I (foolishly) thought the book wouldn’t take as much research, since I wasn’t really writing about a particular real person. But I soon found that what historical information I already knew from my research of 16th-century Scotland was vastly different from what life was like in 19th century Canada. The book still took me less time to write (four months) than my first book (eight years), but there was a good amount of research that went into this story as well, to make it as authentic as possible.
Breanna shows a strong sense of independence despite her circumstances. Do you see any of your own traits reflected in her character?
I can’t say that I intended her to be so, but I guess maybe she got her stubbornness from me. And, as I’ve already stated, I’m a hopeless romantic, and Breanna would definitely choose love over money if ever faced with the choice, so perhaps she would be considered a hopeless romantic too.
Dawson is a complex character with a guarded past. What do you most enjoy about writing characters who carry emotional baggage?
I think this makes the characters more realistic. Life is messy, and hardly ever do we enter into relationships where one if not both, parties have some type of baggage. The payoff is when they can work through their mess and find a way to love one another regardless of their past.
What does your typical writing process look like—from first idea to finished manuscript?
An idea for a book starts with one little seed, usually a scene or a conflict that I then begin building around. Sometimes the characters start forming in my head immediately with a name and general characteristics. I then spend quite a bit of time brainstorming, thinking about the plot and how the characters will interact with each other. It might be weeks before I actually sit down and start writing the story. I do a lot of jotting down ideas before I start. That might be on paper, a Notes app on my phone, or a Word document. I use a storyboard that I created in PowerPoint to dump all my information: character traits, plot points, settings, etc. I can go back to this storyboard throughout the writing process to refresh my memory about characters and descriptions, so everything stays consistent.
The ocean plays a powerful role in the story. Do you have a personal connection to the sea or nature that influenced your writing?
Some of my favorite places in the world are found on the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, around the Orkney Islands and the Isle of Skye, and so forth. I love the sea, but I am not a tropical, beachy type of person. I prefer moody, Old Man and the Sea-type vibes. I would choose a rainy, wind-swept beach with a rocky shoreline and puffins and seals dotting the sands over hot, sunny beaches with coconuts and palm trees any day.
Writing historical fiction often involves balancing accuracy with storytelling. How do you navigate that balance?
I try hard to stick to the facts and to stay as accurate to the time period as possible. The nuances of different time periods are what give Historical Fiction its beauty, after all. But in the end, I am writing historical FICTION. If I must change something for the sake of a smooth or interesting plot, then I try to relay those changes in my Author Notes. I hope readers understand that if I included something anachronistic, there must have been a good reason.
What have been some of the biggest challenges—or most rewarding moments—in your writing career so far?
The biggest challenge yet has been writing a book where I had to plot the whole storyline myself. In my Stuart Monarch series, most of the storylines followed events and timelines that actually happened, which made it a little easier to plot. However, with What the Ocean Brings, the characters weren’t real, and I only had one event that I had to work the timing around, and that was the actual date of the shipwreck of the Carricks. In some ways, that was freeing—to write what I wanted—but it also presented a challenge because there were no true events to use as a climax or culmination in the story.
The most rewarding moments are when a reader tells me that one of my books got them back into reading or triggered their interest in a certain time period. My desire has always been to not only entertain but to shed light on my characters and their plights, which are usually based on real people and events. So for me, that is the biggest compliment.
For readers or aspiring writers inspired by your work, what advice would you give them as they begin their own creative journey?
Just do it. You’ll never know if you can write a book until you start trying. Do it consistently, set aside some time every day, or as much as possible, to write. The more you do it, the better you will become at it. Find a writing/critique partner, someone you trust that will give you honest feedback about your writing–someone who is not a relative or close friend, who feels comfortable being honest with you about your writing. Be open to learning and fixing mistakes. And give yourself some grace. It usually takes time to create something worth reading. Allow yourself that time.
A huge thank you to Tonya U for joining me today and sharing the story behind What the Ocean Brings. It's been fascinating to learn more about the historical events that inspired the novel, her approach to research, and the characters who bring the story to life.
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