Historical Fiction/Nautical Fiction
Date Published: June 23, 2026
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
The murder of his wife at the hands of British soldiers prompts American privateer Captain Jonas Hawke’s vow to make Britain pay.
A grief-stricken Jonas strikes deep into the heart of the enemy, driven by his personal vendetta. When he raids a port city, one of his men crosses an unthinkable line, which forces Jonas to come to terms with the anguish that distorts his definition of justice.
Concerned his wrath will bring irreparable harm to the cause for America’s freedom, Jonas grapples with his role as a warrior and as a man. When he learns the Royal Navy is hunting his ship, he fears his deadly decisions may have cost him and his crew everything. It’s too late to turn back. Instead, he must continue on and face the inevitable perils of war.
Perilous Shores is a gripping, action-packed, and historically authentic tale of revenge, survival, and one man’s relentless pursuit of his country’s independence.
Interview with Thomas M. (Tom) Wing
Author of Perilous Shores
Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?
I happen to live in Brooklyn, but I did visit several sites in New York City, including Wallabout Bay/Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, and Fort Greene Park. Wallabout Bay is where the British prison ships were anchored for the duration of the Revolution. I needed to imagine for myself the ships sitting there, and the burial parties who disposed of the dead in the mud flats that surrounded the bay at the time. Fort Greene Park hosts a Monument to the Martyrs at the highest point in the park, beneath which they have reburied the bones of hundreds of prisoners that washed up or came up during construction over the 125 plus years after the Revolution ended.
I also travelled to Philadelphia to view the waterfront and the river below Philadelphia, so I could see for myself the distances and the flow as ships moved up and down the river. It’s important to me to be able to communicate what the river looked like when Jonas’s ship sailed down to the sea.
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?
Some folks might think it’s strange that I research the phase of the moon and the state of the tides and currents when events took place. I want it to be accurate when I say that it was nearly high tide when Resolute anchors at a certain point, or that the ebb current began at mid-day on the day they left Philadelphia.
What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?
A lot! The only think I make up from whole cloth are the sea battles, and even some of what takes place during the fighting is based on real events. I want my stories to show the effects of real historical events on regular people, and how they reacted or might have reacted.
Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.
My late writing mentor had the greatest impact the day he talked to me, after having read my first attempt at a novel. He said he had been prepared to tell me it was no good. Instead, he told me with polish and some improvement in my skills, it was worthy of publication. He had 28 books to his credit at the time, and two movies made from his screenplays, one of which was nominated for a Cable ACE award. He is why I kept going.
Do you write in the same genre all the time?
Only if you count nautical fiction as a genre! Just kidding. No, I’ve written a modern military thriller, as well. For the next couple of years, I’ll stick with historical fiction, but I already know I’ll stray into adventure fiction and alternate history after that. Probably science fiction at some point, too.
Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?
I enjoy writing Jonas Hawke overall the most, though I also really enjoyed writing Admiral Heather Simpson, in Against All Enemies, and John Masefield, in In Harm’s Way and Perilous Shores. Simpson is decisive and an outstanding leader, but I love her quirks and willingness to inject humor into very stressful combat situations to relieve the tension on her staff. Masefield has his hands full reining in his captain’s worst impulses, but he remains stoic through it all, and continues to be a great antagonist for Jonas, forcing him to grow.
About the Author
Tom’s first novel, Against All Enemies, earned gold medals from the Military Writers Society of America and Literary Titan. In Harm’s Way, the first in the Sea Hawkes Chronicles series has also garnered several awards.
He resides in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife and daughter and a cat and a dog. Whatever free time he has is still spent on the water.
For more about the author and to follow his blog about nautical and naval trivia, visit his website ThomasMWing.com.
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1 comments:
Sounds like the perfect summer read!
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