Throwback Thursday with Vanda Vadas

 

The Pirate Lord by Vanda Vadas is a sweeping tale of romance and adventure set during the golden age of piracy. In this interview, Vanda Vadas shares the inspirations behind her debut novel, the challenges of crafting believable characters in a brutal eighteenth-century world, and why The Pirate Lord remains a defining milestone in her writing career.

Mary Anne: What first inspired you to write The
Pirate Lord and set your story in the swashbuckling world of the high seas?

Vanda: My fascination with the golden age of piracy stems from my early childhood. Evidence of this exists within the pages of a Grade Four ‘Composition Book’ which I’d kept from my school days (I’m sentimental in that way). As a nine-year-old, I’d written a poem about a pirate and had even drawn a pirate ship. I have absolutely no recollection as to the source of its inspiration. My family was living in Papua New Guinea at the time, and we didn’t have a TV, so I daresay a book or a comic had stirred my imagination.

Decades later, my husband and I were cruising the Caribbean Islands—thanks to a work-related holiday—and my muse kicked in. Penguin Random House Australia published The Pirate Lord and to my absolute delight, a pirate ship features in the background on the cover.

Mary Anne: When you began this book, what excited you most about portraying life aboard pirate ships and among coastal communities?

Vanda: I’d started writing The Pirate Lord well before holidaying in the Caribbean. It’s one thing to gather research from academic books, journals, articles, documentaries etc, but it’s another to visit the destination in which your story takes place. I was so incredibly excited to visit Barbados, St Kitts, Dominica and Martinique. For me, this was tangible research heaven. I took hundreds of photos and videos and wrote copious research notes. Being there engaged all the senses. Breathing the air, seeing up close the flora and fauna, and visiting museums and historical buildings of note. Scenes in the book that took place above and below deck were easier to write after having navigated my way around what used to be a real pirate ship.

Mary Anne: What was the biggest challenge you faced while building believable characters in such an adventurous setting?

Vanda: The biggest challenge was grounding larger-than-life adventure in believable human behaviour. Pirates of the mid-eighteenth century are often portrayed as romantic or mythic figures but the people who lived in that world were shaped by brutal realities: class divisions, violence, imperial politics and survival at sea. I had to make sure the characters felt like real people responding to those pressures, not modern personalities dressed up in period clothing.

Mary Anne: How did you balance historical adventure elements with the romantic storyline so they complemented one another?

Vanda: At its heart, The Pirate Lord asks whether love can survive in a world driven by revenge, secrecy, and survival. I balanced the historical adventure and romance by letting them constantly collide. Miles’s pursuit of justice and vengeance creates the very circumstances that bring Eloise into his life, while falling in love forces him to question everything he’s sacrificed for that pursuit. The romance doesn’t soften the adventure, it sharpens it.

Mary Anne: Was there a moment during your research or writing when the story took an unexpected turn for you?

Vanda: I can’t say that the story took an unexpected turn, however, there was one chapter I revisited to add an integral scene which demonstrates just how gutsy a heroine, Eloise is. Unbeknownst to Miles, Eloise is adept with a sword. When conflict between them escalates, the matter is solved not with words, but by the blade.

Mary Anne: Looking back now, which character in The Pirate Lord do you feel most connected to and why?

Vanda: I’m most connected to Eloise, because she’s driven by principle rather than convenience. No matter how dangerous or emotionally complicated her situation becomes, she holds fast to her sense of right and wrong. That commitment to integrity, even at great personal risk, is something I admire and strongly relate to.

Mary Anne: How has writing this book influenced the way you approach setting, action, or character in later works?

Vanda: Writing The Pirate Lord taught me to think of setting as an active influence rather than a backdrop. The world shapes the characters, the action tests their values, and every choice carries consequences. That perspective has stayed with me and continues to inform how I approach storytelling in subsequent novels.

Mary Anne: What’s one piece of feedback from readers that has stayed with you or shaped how you think about your work?

Vanda: Readers often tell me that my writing makes them feel as though they’re actually there, experiencing the story alongside the characters. That feedback has stayed with me and continues to shape my work, reminding me that emotional immersion is just as important as plot or historical detail.

Mary Anne: If you could revisit your first draft of The Pirate Lord, what would you tell your earlier author self?

Vanda: I’d tell myself to trust the process and the characters. The heart of the story was always there, and revision is where clarity, confidence, and depth truly emerge.

Mary Anne: Finally, as you reflect on this novel’s place in your career, what does The Pirate Lord represent to you creatively?

Vanda: Creatively, The Pirate Lord represents perseverance. It was my first novel, but it took years of learning, rewriting, rejection, and growth before it reached its final form. I always believed in the story, even when I knew my skills had to catch up to my ambition. Seeing that persistence rewarded with traditional publishing offers made the novel a defining milestone in my career.

Mary Anne: Thank you, Vanda, for sharing such thoughtful insights into the journey behind The Pirate Lord. Your reflections on perseverance, research, and character bring a deeper appreciation to a novel that continues to resonate with readers. It’s been a pleasure exploring the story behind the book that launched your career, and we look forward to seeing where your storytelling takes us next.

Check out the blurb:

Can love for his beautiful, aristocratic captive rescue Miles from his lust for revenge?

A family tragedy steeped in deceit and betrayal saw Lady Eloise Blakely vow never to fall victim to a man's charms, let alone invite him into her bed. Until fate swept her aboard a pirate's ship and into its captain's embrace.

Yet when he reveals a dark secret, her lover becomes her enemy . . .

Ten years ago, Miles Zachary Fenton was framed for murder. For so long he has fought to clear his name and reclaim his dukedom. Now, when both appear to be just within reach, he is forced to abduct a meddling beauty, one who wreaks havoc with his emotions and complicates his plans . . .

This story is waiting for you. Available as an ebook — pick up your copy HERE and start your adventure.

Before residing in Australia, Vanda's birthplace and early childhood years were spent in Papua New Guinea. At the age of eleven, a holiday in England sparked an interest in the days of old. Castles, ruins and discovering Jane Austen novels inspired her interest in all things historical, a passion that later kick-started Vanda's desire to write historical fiction.

Vanda's locale and global visits to faraway places inspire her to create fictitious characters and dramas - past and present - set against authentic and geographical backdrops.

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