Johnson applied the Page 69 Test to Pirate's Alley and reported the following:From page 69:Learn more about the book and author at Suzanne Johnson's website.Jean struggled, but Etienne only pressed harder on his windpipe. “You might not die forever, Jean, but this will hurt like hell while you’re healing.”In a lot of ways, page 69 is a pretty good representation of Pirate's Alley. DJ and her companion, the undead pirate Jean Lafitte, are facing off against a regent of the realm of Vampyre and the Wizards’ First Elder—both of whom are on the run from the authorities. Jean, who is human except for the immortality thing, doesn’t have the strength to hold out long against vampire Etienne, and he’s in trouble. DJ is determined to save Jean even though she knows he’s immortal and she isn’t.
Damn it, Jean was about to get himself killed again.
I clutched the staff more tightly and rolled to my knees, pointing it at Etienne and willing it to fire. A heavy rope of red flame shot from its tip and ignited the grass to Etienne’s right. He jerked his head up but didn’t release his hold on Jean’s throat.
Jean’s breath had turned to a definite wheeze and he’d quit struggling. I had to save him this time.
I shifted the aim of the staff to the left. That had been a warning shot. Even I couldn’t miss from here.
“Move. Away.”
And she holds her own. In Pirate's Alley, DJ is very much growing into her powers as a wizard-elven hybrid with a lot of magic at her disposal. She shows in this scene that she is willing to do whatever she has to in order to protect her friends—it’s a trait that becomes a major theme in the book.
Since the scene ends with her confronting the powerful vampire, I hope it would entice a reader to turn the page!
Coffee with a Canine: Suzanne Johnson & Tank and Shane.
The Page 69 Test: Elysian Fields.
Writers Read: Suzanne Johnson.
--Marshal Zeringue
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