In this episode, Vanessa Riley dives beneath the glitter of Hollywood’s pirate myths to uncover the real stories—of women, of survival, of truth—and connects that search for authenticity to the modern struggles of publishing, timing, and creative perseverance. It’s a call to “do the math,” embrace truth over nostalgia, and keep telling the stories that matter, even when the system isn’t built for you.
Keywords:
pirates, publishing, truth vs myth, Vanessa Riley, historical fiction, women pirates, creative resilience, writing journey, representation, Black authors, fact versus fiction, storytelling, perseverance, Fire Sword and Sea, do the math, Write of Passage, author encouragement, marginalized voices, book industry, creative truth, authors
Episode Notes & Extras
Find my full show notes, behind-the-scenes thoughts, and extras on Substack → vanessariley.substack.com
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