Nero's Pirate / El Pirata de Nerón / Neroşi Khorsani

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Aniket is an admiral in Caesar Nero's navy, but he thinks all the rules make life boring. Thankfully, the Emperor needs someone to do his dirty work on the high seas! Together, they hatch a plan. But when Nero dies, what will Aniket do? This is a real life legend of a former slave turned pirate!

An action packed adventure book based on the true story of ancient Lazi man who would do whatever it took to survive. This book is especially appealing to boys, although a few pages may raise some laughter while learning about history. After all, did you know Nero kept a pirate?

#526 in the Bilingual Legends series. This book is in both English and Laz (a South Caucasian language).

Author's Website

Talking With Jessy Carlisle

What was the inspiration for writing Nero's Pirate?

I like to highlight endangered minority languages where I can. The orthography of the Lazuri language has only recently been standardized and it is still very much overlooked. By writing a story about a pirate from the area who worked for Emperor Nero, I hope to draw attention to the enduring culture of a little-known people.

What was the writing process like for Nero's Pirate?

There wasn't a lot of information around for this one so I conflated the lives of two men named Aniket who lived around the same time. That enabled me to throw in some additional historical references and blend the whole tale into an action packed adventure while also giving anyone interested in history some leads to investigate further.

What music did you listen to while writing Nero's Pirate?

I don't always listen to music while writing but my tastes are wide. I listen to everything from folk and classical music to country and metal.

What was your favorite scene in Nero's Pirate to write?

Probably the scene where Aniket is on Sardinia and Marius comes to visit him. It's really the only relaxed scene in the book yet it still shows what an opportunistic scoundrel Aniket had been his whole life.

What was the hardest scene in Nero's Pirate to write?

I'd have to say the final scene. As an Australian, a part of me wants to see Aniket beat the system again. That's not to say I don't believe in justice. But, despite how bad a character he was, in the end he was just trying to make the most out of his life with the skills that he had. What do you think? Did Aniket deserve his fate?