We've discussed nautical fiction gaming before, here. Clash has written Nopoleonic (and derived) games. Naval settings usually have strict hierarchies that you have to deal with because the setting calls for them. The are Captains at the top of the pyramid, then Lieutenants, and Midshipmen, and Specialists, and so on. To some degree, Come Looking For Me, sweeps much of this rigid hireachy under the rug. The Captain isn't the most important character, and the washerwoman and child labour on the ship get much more airtime. What impact would this have on naval gaming? Does it change how you might run things?

Was the setting for this historical novel against the backdrop of the War of 1812 convincing? Did the war itself come through? The Americas? Similarly, we met characters from England, Scotland, Quebec, and the USA. How well do you feel that Cooper captured this diversity through her use of character, language, and backstory?

How does Come Looking For Me compare to other naval fiction you've read? Have you only read the club books, like Harry Homewood, or have you read others like O'brien, Forester, Kent, or Woodman?

Come Look For Me is rich in characters, both important ones, like Emily, Mrs Kettle, Leander, and Magpie, middle characters like Fly Austen, Octavius Lindsay, and Prosper, and lesser ones like Gus Walby, Captain Moreland, Bisuit, Maggot and Weevil, and Brodie. How did these resonate with you. Were they well drawn? Diverse enough? Considering the action takes place on a ship full of sailors, how do you think she handled the quantity of characters?

Cheryl’s articles and stories have appeared in numerous Canadian periodicals, and in 2010 she made her book publishing debut with Come Looking for Me, a work of historical fiction set on the high seas during the War of 1812. She completed its first draft in the 2004 Huntsville Festival of the Arts “Muskoka Novel Marathon,” and earned top honours from the panel of judges. After several more years of research, her greatly expanded and refined novel was published by Blue Butterfly Books. Her second and third novels, Second Summer of War and Run Red with Blood were published by Dundurn Press in 2014 and 2018 respectively. All three of her works are part of the Seasons of War series.

When Cheryl is not at her desk writing, she is on the road speaking, addressing various clubs and organizations on the historical backdrop of her books. In her spare time she enjoys journaling, sketching landscapes, reading fiction, travelling, and spending time at her cottage on Browning Island, Lake Muskoka.