K. Pearson Bradley is a local author who writes historical fiction set in the 18th century. Her Merchant Tides series follows a Greek teenager navigating identity, family, and survival, starting in the Mediterranean and later spanning the burgeoning British colony of East Florida around the time of the American Revolution.
The series includes Tears of Chios (2022), Scions of Smyrna (2023), and Mists of Menorca (2025), with future installments to explore the colonial settlements of New Smyrna and Saint Augustine. These novels blend historical adventure, maritime life, and coming-of-age narratives and explore themes of identity, family, community, moral choice, and the quest for freedom. Bradley is currently working on the fourth installment, Eyes of East Florida, which releases in June 2026.
Author Kim Bradley at her first book signing.
Her latest book in the series, Mists of Menorca, is a sweeping historical adventure set in the Balearic Islands during the 18th century. It follows Sebastian (Seba) Krizomatis, a Greek teenager torn between a longing for freedom and the weight of familial responsibility after escaping the Ottoman Empire. In 1767, after a harrowing year-long voyage across the Mediterranean Sea, Seba washes ashore on the British-occupied island of Menorca, where Dr. Andrew Turnbull is preparing his indentured workers to leave for a new venture in East Florida. Against a backdrop of political disputes, deadly pirate raids, an oppressive military leader, and shifting family dynamics, Seba must dispel the mists of Menorca and discover where his true loyalties lie. He forges alliances with the unlikeliest of characters (from Catholic Sisters and criminals to sure-footed horses and gin makers), leading to a life-or-death choice between safety and conscience.
For more about the Merchant Tides series, visit www.kpearsonbradley.com
Q&A With Kim Pearson Bradley (Author) and Shelby Fox (Information Specialist at SAHSRL):
Who and what has been your inspiration as a writer of Florida historical fiction?
“The 18th century naturalists John and William Bartram were a great inspiration to me as I embarked on my writing journey. Their travel diaries and journals read like adventure novels penned by wry observers, including harrowing encounters with alligators, snakes, black bears, and panthers that appeared to enthrall, rather than terrify them. What comes through in their journals is that curiosity is a superpower. Their detailed descriptions and drawings of the area’s local flora and fauna convey the magic of Old Florida, which is something I aim to do in my fiction.”
How did the concept of this series come to mind?
“I credit my Menorcan-American neighbors with the idea for this series. When you live on the banks of Pellicer Creek, Menorcan culture is part of the landscape, and I couldn’t get enough of the story of how my neighbors – the Pacettis, Andreus, Masters, and Manucies, to name a few – could trace their lineage back to a group of people from the Mediterranean. I wanted to know more about their origins and their journey. When I learned there were Greeks, Corsicans, Italians, and possibly some Turks who traveled with this group, I knew I had to write about all of them. Around that same time, a very dear Greek friend shared a family legend with me: one of his ancestors escaped the Ottoman empire and came to America in a manner so extraordinary that his family thought he made it up. We did a little research and discovered that his remarkable journey to freedom was true. My friend generously allowed me to add the details of his family legend to a Greek-Menorcan origin story that begins in the Aegean Sea and concludes in British St. Augustine.”
Why did you choose British Period Florida and specifically St. Augustine as part of your setting and plot within this series?
“As often happens with historical fiction, the timeline revealed itself through the historical record. The Menorcans, Greeks, and other Mediterranean indentured workers arrived in East Florida five years after Britain took control from Spain. These laborers toiled on a plantation in New Smyrna during the British colonial period, and finally gained their freedom from East Florida’s second British governor, Patrick Tonyn. Thanks to the incredible work of Dr. Daniel Schafer, Dr. James Cusick, and students from the University of Florida and the University of North Florida, the correspondence, inventories, reports, maps, proclamations, and legal documents of the British Period have been made available to anyone who has an interest in learning more about East Florida under the rule of King George III. These resources form the basis for the parts of my series that take place in New Smyrna and St. Augustine.”
When were you introduced to Italian, Greek, and Menorcan culture and history here in St. Augustine and what led you to write your main character Sebastian “Seba” Krizomatis as Greek?
“I ate my first bowl of pilau (PER-low) about ten years ago, and it was then that I knew I was going to research and write about the Menorcan experience. I followed my neighbors around, asking questions about their heritage and culture, which they freely shared, along with recipes, songs, proverbs, and their own family legends. I interviewed Dr. Schafer early on; after learning he was the world’s foremost authority on Dr. Andrew Turnbull, the founder of the New Smyrna settlement and the reason why so many Mediterranean immigrants settled in this area. Dr. Schafer patiently answered my thousands of questions and told me of his own research journey into East Florida’s British Period.
As for the Greek connection, my dear friend Tony, who is like a brother to me, inspired me with stories of his ancestors from the Greek island of Chios. Tony even agreed to let me use him as the inspiration for Sebastian’s grandfather, whom he lovingly calls “Papouli.” One day, I looked for Chios on a map, and low and behold, it was eight miles from the coast of Anatolia, and from there, a two-day walk to the city of Smyrna. The same Smyrna where Dr. Andrew Turnbull’s wife, Gracia Maria du Robin, was born and raised. There was no question in my mind that my fictional Greek main character would run into the infamous Dr. Andrew Turnbull in Smyrna.”
Official book cover for the Merchant Tides series book 3, “Mists of Menorca.”
What historical knowledge surprised you the most about St. Augustine’s British period?
“The most surprising knowledge about the British Period is also the most humorous. The colorful ways that the various aristocrats traded insults in correspondence to London’s Board of Trade, the Colonial Office, and local publications, brought St. Augustine’s history to life in a way I didn’t expect. They called each other “malicious calumniators”, “cowards in power”, “petty tyrants”, and “assassins” (of reputation). In addition, their personal diaries read like the Burn Book from the movie Mean Girls. For example, here’s an excerpt from the diary of Governor James Grant, East Florida’s first official governor: “Mrs. Woolridge abuses the country & will continue to do so. She is an inconsistent Bitch & will go home, the sooner the better to get rid of her.” James Grant Diary, Wed., February 18, 1767, El Escribano, vol. 41 (2004), p. 89.”
As we have discussed previously you have been an avid reader of the high fantasy and science fiction genres. What got you interested in historical fiction to the point of publishing a historical fiction series?
“As a young reader, I was drawn to high fantasy and science fiction, hounding the bookmobile librarian to stock the van with dragons, elves, hobbits, Martians, Fremen, Prydainians, Tripods, and any tale that hailed from a far-flung galaxy. The more unlikely the alliance among characters, the better the adventure. (Legolas and Gimli, anyone?) The epic narratives were not simply escapist; they offered profound hope that individuals, no matter how small, could overcome insurmountable odds. I believe that historical fiction has the same potential, with the added bonus of connecting us to locations that we can visit and experience for ourselves. I may not have lived in 18th century British St. Augustine, but I can sit on the coarse coquina walls of the Castillo de San Marcos at dawn, feel the cool breeze on my face, smell the salt air, hear gulls call overhead, and be filled with the same gratitude as my characters who experienced the same awe-inspiring moment of daybreak over St. Augustine’s harbor two hundred and fifty years before. That is the magic of historical fiction.”
As a historical fiction author, what does your research and writing process look like?
“Because the Merchant Tides series begins with the Mediterranean origins of St. Augustine’s Greek and Menorcan communities (and because I’d never been to the Mediterranean before becoming an author), my process for the Merchant Tides series has been one of immersion. Book One, Tears of Chios, is set in a fictional mastic village on the Greek island of Chios, so I went to Chios, stayed in a 14th-century stone-walled village in the mastic-growing region, and experienced life (as best I could) through the eyes of my main character, Sebastian. Book Two, Scions of Smyrna, is set in the bustling 18th century port of Smyrna, Türkiye, so I booked a flat on the site of an old Roman agora which marked the Greek quarter of town in the 1700s, walked the market stalls, and imagined Silk Road caravans loading their cargo on British merchant ships bound for Europe. Book Three, Mists of Menorca, is set in British-occupied Mahón, and I was fortunate to rent a room just a few blocks from the fish market and the Menorcan museum of history, where I soaked up the atmosphere of the largest natural harbor in the Mediterranean Sea, tasted Mahón-esa (yes, that’s where mayonnaise originated), and learned about the gorgeous black Menorcan horses called Cavall Menorquí.
I’m currently working on Book Four, Eyes of East Florida, which is set much closer to home (in New Smyrna and St. Augustine), but my process still involves immersion: scanning microfilm at the St. Augustine Historical Society Research Library, asking Charles Tingley a million questions, wading out to New Smyrna’s old stone wharf archaeological site at low tide, poring over 200-year-old historical maps, sailing up the Tolomato River, hiking the King’s Road, eating grilled redfish from the Matanzas River, and watching alligators sun themselves on the muddy banks of Pellicer Creek.”
In your professional opinion, what are the must-haves for a well-written historical fiction novel?
“A well-written historical fiction book transports the reader to the time and place of the story, complete with its sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and tactile experiences. I incorporate lots of local food in my books, because it is a great way to include all five senses in the reading journey. In addition, well-written historical fiction features characters who feel like people you might know in real life; they may be separated from you by centuries, but their relationships reflect the timeless human desires for love, acceptance, autonomy, friendship, purpose, freedom, and connection. Finally, well-written historical fiction highlights the resilience of the human spirit, teaches us something about ourselves, and entertains us in the process. It’s a tall order, but well worth the effort!”