The Admiral's Daughter is a fictional period drama with fantasy elements and pirates, and I'm in the later editing stages of writing it. If that sounds awesome to you, feel free to follow along for updates, ramblings, snippets, and whatever else I happen to create for this work along the way!
story summary: When Maristella Arrington, the admiral's daughter, meets a charming young lieutenant named Adrian, he convinces her to join the royal navy. She enlists, alongside her best friend, Verity.
A few days before her graduation from the naval academy, she receives word that Adrian's ship, while engaged in battle with a pirate vessel, was sunk, and he perished along with it. Maristella then sets out to get her revenge on the pirates who sent Adrian to his watery grave, which proves difficult when she finds that the pirates haven't killed him— they've recruited him— and she must join forces with them as well in order to save Verity's life.
THIS BOOK IS OUT NOW! ORDER HERE!!
book two current wc: {47,434 words}
playlists: entire wip | adristella | music i like to write to | adristella (taylor's version) | ao3 chapter titles | maristella arrington | adrian alyward | verity sterling
character intros under the cut!
Maristella Arrington: Maristella is the eldest daughter of Admiral Charles Arrington. She loves nothing more than spending a few short months of the year at sea with her father, and is fascinated by life at sea and naval battles. She is confident and loyal, which makes her a strong leader to those around her.
Verity Sterling: Verity has been inseparable best friends with Maristella since they were kids. She's skilled in swordplay as well as giving supportive advice, and she would do anything for those close to her.
Adrian Alyward: Adrian joined the navy with his sister, Evelyn, and they quickly rose through the ranks after their bravery in saving the Admiral's life at the Skirmish at Bedisa Sea. Upon meeting Maristella at the Admiral's Ball, he's immediately smitten with her, but their blossoming potential of a relationship grows complicated when he joins forces with the treacherous pirates that frequent her seas.
Evelyn Alyward: After joining the navy so she and her younger brother, Adrian, can make a name for themselves, Evelyn soon becomes captain of The Noble Guardian. When they have an unfortunate run in with a nasty lot of pirates, her fate is changed for the worse, and she must look to the brother she's always sought to protect to come through and save her from an unpleasant demise.
Admiral Charles Arrington: Admiral Arrington is in charge of most of the navy, and captains his flagship The Star of the Sea, but most his favorite role is that of dedicated husband, and of father of six. Though he'd never claim to have favorites, his soldiers and family alike know he has a soft spot for his eldest daughter, Maristella. Despite his fatherly concern for her safety when she joins the navy, he's excited for the opportunity it provides to spend time with her.
Victor Durand III: Victor has been a rival of Maristella's ever since she was eight and he was five and her dad got promoted to Admiral while his was still a commodore. He enlists in the navy just shortly before Maristella does, and while both of them would deny it, they grow to tolerate and even, on rare occasions, appreciate each other.
Conroy Lewin: Conroy's father, Professor Lewin, is the professor of general studies at the naval academy. He quickly becomes friends with Maristella and Verity, as someone who understands what it's like to grow up in a navy family. He enjoys studying and sharing information, and joins the navy around the same time as Maristella.
Lenna Arrington: Lenna is Admiral Arrington's wife, and she runs a tight ship at home while her family is away. While she's always happy to support her children and their dreams, a part of her still wishes her eldest daughter, Maristella, had chosen to settle down and get married instead of pursue a life of high-seas adventure.
Cordelia Arrington: Cordelia is eight years younger than Maristella, and though she's the closest in age to Maristella, they share little in the way of hopes and dreams, and Cordelia can't wait until she's old enough to attend some fancy balls and tea parties of her own.
Dylon Arrington: Dylon is the oldest boy among the Arrington children. There's a year in between him and his siblings on either side, and Maristella and her friend Verity often train him in swordplay, strategy, and, much to his chagrin, ballroom dancing. Of all his siblings, he's the one who looks the most like their father.
"Lil" Arrington: Lil is Charlie's twin sister, named after their mother. She loves reading and studying and is quite level headed for a child, often commenting on situations well above her expected level of knowledge.
"Charlie" Arrington: Charlie is Lil's twin brother, named after their father. At eleven years old, he shows quite promise with his writing and creative thinking, but he often struggles with controlling his temper.
Randolf: Randolf is the youngest of the kids, and his favorite thing in the world is when his dad tells stories and he gets to help act them out.
Got a teeny bit of writing done this week, and also got to talk about my book a tiny bit!
ALSO I have a huge announcement tomorrow! If you look back through my past, like, 26 days of posts (here or on instagram or facebook) you might be able to find a clue as to what it is! I won't say too much, today, but as a fair warning, if you haven't read Maristella Arrington: The Admiral's Daughter yet, you may wish to block the tag "#ma tad spoilers"
oh hey btw if you've read maristella arrington: the admiRal's daughter and you enjoyed it, don't forget to leave a review! that's how others can find out if they want to read it too!
QUERY: how do you pronounce Alyward, my brain is stumbling over it and I like to know how things sound when I'm reading XD also I am very busy so alas I am only one chapter in but I am loving it so far!!
OKAY FIRST OFF I WANNA APOLOGIZE when I was first trying to name Adrian I stumbled upon the last name "Aylward" and I liked the kinda gaelic vibes I picked up from it (though it is an old english name.) I jotted it down in my name ideas note, and somewhere down the line I found I'd swapped the Y and L, resulting in the name "Alyward," which I'd already grown quite attached to, so I just kept it that way.
I've been pronouncing it kinda like alley-word, but death of the author certainly applies to pronunciations as well!
And I'm glad you're enjoying! I accidentally made the first chapter, like significantly longer than all the others, so it'll go much faster once you finish that one!
