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An epic, dazzling tale based on true events, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye illuminates a woman of colour''s rise to power as one of the few purported female pirate captains to sail the Caribbean, and the forbidden love story that will shape the course of history. In the tumultuous town of Yaquimo, Saint-Domingue, Jacquotte Delahaye is an unknown but up-and-coming shipbuilder. Her dreams are bold but her ambitions bound by the confines of her life with her self-seeking French father. When a violent coup seizes power and results in the death of the Governor, she is forced to flee her home and become a woman on the run along with a motley crew of refugees, including a mysterious young woman named Teresa--the late Governor''s wife. Jacquotte and her band of refugees become indentured servants to the infamous Blackhand, a ruthless pirate captain who rules his ship with an iron fist. As they struggle to survive his brutality, Jacquotte finds herself unable to resist Teresa despite their differences. When Blackhand hatches a dangerous scheme to steal a Portuguese shipment of jewels, Jacquotte must rely on her wits, resourcefulness, and friends to survive. But Jacquotte discovers there is a grander, darker scheme of treachery at play, and she ultimately must decide what price she is willing to pay to secure a better future for them all. An unforgettable tale told in three parts, The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye is a thrilling, buccaneering escapade filled with siege and battle, and is also a tender exploration of friendship, love, and the search for freedom and home.
About the author
Briony Cameron is a queer, disabled writer based in Cardiff. Her father was of Caribbean, Panamanian and Cuban heritage and her mother is of English and Welsh heritage. She studied English and Creative Writing at University, graduating in 2020. She has a keen love of history that began with her first reading of The Three Musketeers as a child. She has been writing since she could pick up a pencil, first emulating the comic books her dad raised her on before moving on to novels. In 2020 her short story The Nantes Affair was longlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's Short Story Competition, and her debut novel was longlisted that same year for the Penguin WriteNow Competition, and in 2021 it was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Prize. Alongside writing, she is an avid knitter and she loves to play videogames and spend time with her dog, Keanu.
