When inspiration knocks, writer Eric Murphy answers.

It’s not unusual for the Canadian writer to be hammering out a chapter at 4am.

“If you don’t answer when the muse knocks, she leaves,” laughed Mr Murphy.

It’s a formula that has worked well for him.

He’ll be in Bermuda later this week to launch his third children’s book, The Bermuda Shipwreck. It’s his first novel based in Bermuda; The Phantom’s Gold and The Dead Man’s Boot were set in Lunenberg, Nova Scotia.

“I am a frequent visitor to Bermuda,” Mr Murphy said. “My wife and I first came to Bermuda five years ago when my daughter moved there with her husband. He works in an insurance company and I have two grandchildren there. I even have my driver’s licence which allows me to help with family life.”

Mr Murphy has learnt much about the island’s culture and history through Bermuda friends.

“Before coming to Bermuda I had no idea Bermuda had such a rich history,” said Mr Murphy. “I’m a real history buff.

“I developed a taste for history while writing my master’s in political science at Laval University, in Québec City.

“As I became more acquainted with Bermuda’s past, I realised that there was more than enough material for my third novel. In the process I discovered that Bermuda and Halifax were hotbeds of Confederate spies during the Civil War.”

Bermuda history is deeply woven into the plot of The Bermuda Shipwreck.

In The Bermuda Shipwreck, cousins Will and Harley sail to Bermuda to deliver a customer’s sailboat. Will is looking forward to getting some scuba diving practice, while Harley is excited about reuniting with an old friend.

But when the cousins discover something on the boat that they shouldn’t have, they are forced, at gunpoint, to dive for gold on the wreck of a Civil War era blockade runner.

Mr Murphy visited many historic sites on the island to write the book, such as the Rogues and Runners museum in St George. He also spent a day shadowing Bermuda’s marine police.

“I’m grateful for their kindness and their help,” said Mr Murphy.

“The ride along with them was very informative. I have become friends with one of the officers. He has been very patient with my questions.”

“There are two things I love about writing a historical series, storytelling and these fabulous characters,” said Mr Murphy. “The book is dedicated to the memory of Joseph H. Rainey, one of the more captivating individuals to have walked St George’s narrow streets. To me, he is a beacon for literacy.

“Mr Rainey and his wife fled to Bermuda during the Civil War. She ran a dress shop in Hamilton while he resumed his trade as a barber in St George. During his exile, Mr Rainey taught himself to read and write, something illegal for a black man to do in the South, before and during the Civil War.

After the cessation of hostilities and armed with his new skills, he returned to the Carolinas where he became the first black man elected to the US House of Representatives.” Mr Murphy is a great proponent of literacy.

His motto is: “It is hard to be the author of your own destiny if you can’t read or write.”

He used The Phantom’s Gold to spearhead a literacy campaign in Regent Park, a Toronto housing project. He frequently visits schools to talk about his two passions: literacy and sailing.

This week he’ll be speaking at CedarBridge Academy and Saltus Grammar School.

Mr Murphy previously wrote film scripts and did some acting.

“The Phantom’s Gold, the first book in the series of historical novels, began its literary incarnation as a feature script that got optioned by a producer,” he said. “It got development money from Telefilm Canada, but the producer let the option lapse which happens a lot in the film industry.”

A friend suggested he turn the script into a novel for young adults.

“I thought yeah, there is an opportunity, as one door closes, another one opens,” he said. “I didn’t know at the time that it would spawn a series. There are at least three more books in the offing.”

He studied novel writing at Humber College in Toronto and fell in love with the craft.

“You have 120 pages maximum in a script,” he said. “You have to express yourself as succinctly as possible whereas with a novel you can indulge a little more, and delve more deeply into the characters’ motivations.

“I have grown fond of writing novels. That’s not to say I would turn my back on a film script again if I had the chance to do it. Separate from the series, I am now working on a fourth book, this one for adults, and I am almost finished with it, although if you believe Oscar Wilde, a book is never finished, just abandoned.”

The Bermuda Shipwreck will launch tomorrow at the Bermuda National Library from 5pm to 7pm. He will sign books, speak and answer questions.

The book will be on sale at the Bookmart at Brown & Co. For more information see eric-murphy.com.