There Should Be a 'Captain' Somewhere

Hello, dear readers! If you've read Where the Clouds Catch Fire, you're probably familiar with Captain Tamlane McMahon. He is a wonderful person, a skilled sea captain, and a good friend of Alynn's father. Although his fate is uncertain after the storm that sank the Circlehawk and presumably the Darting Swallow as well, I found some old correspondences we'd had via carrier pigeon. I've recreated the conversation as best as I could:

M.J.: It's quite an honor to speak with you, Captain. Where are you right now?
Tamlane McMahon: We're on our way back from Francia. We had to stop in England for supplies, but we stopped in three towns before we found one that wasn't having a smallpox epidemic. I'll be glad to return to Scotland.
M.J.: I thought you lived in Ireland.
T.M.: I was raised in Ireland, aye, but born in Scotland. Now that I'm a captain, I live all over the place. I spend some winters in Mount Shannon with my mum, and others in Dumfries with my cousins.
M.J.: Where did you meet the McNeil family?
T.M.: I grew up with Rowan--we lived next door to each other in Mount Shannon when we were lads. He was a sight--this tall, scrawny thing, and he could never get his hair to lay right. He was fifteen before he grew into himself.
M.J.: And how well have you kept in touch with him?
T.M.: I ran into him a couple months after I signed onto my first ship--just as a deckhand. After that, I'd see him every few months. He didn't stay in one spot for long. I was glad when he settled down in Limerick City. I was having a hard time keeping track of him.
M.J.: So you're close?
T.M.: We're brothers in all but name and blood. You ought to be talking to him yourself. He's a fierce important character.
M.J.: You may not realize this, Captain, but you're a very important character as well. You're what filmmakers call a MacGuffin.
T.M.: I thought I was a McMahon.
M.J.: You are. But a MacGuffin is a literary device that propels the plot forward. Without you, there would be no Where the Clouds Catch Fire. 
T.M.: (humbly smug) I'm a bit of wind in your sails, aye? Much obliged. How do I manage to do this in the first two chapters?
M.J.: Without you, the McNeils wouldn't be leaving for Scotland. And if they didn't leave for Scotland, there would be no plot.
T.M.: Anyone could have brought the McNeils to Scotland. Ye could have just made a run-of-the-mill ship, and a nameless captain, and done the job just as well.
M.J.: I could have. But since I'm the author, I'm not limited by your perspective. I see everything that happens in this story, and in the stories to come, and I can plan things accordingly. You're doing precisely what I need you to be doing.
T.M.: Just by sailing my ship, aye?
M.J.: Yes, just by sailing your ship. By doing the job you were designed to do.
T.M.: If ye're writing another story, milady, ye might consider putting me in more than two chapters.
M.J.: I'll put you where I need you. Don't worry.
T.M.: My men just found the supplies we're needing. I'd best leave. We sail at dawn and I've yet to find a decent place for the night. It's always a treat to sleep in a bed that doesn't move.
M.J.: I trust it is, Captain. Thank you for your time, and be sure to reward your carrier pigeon. It does good work.
*Here the correspondences end. Either Captain McMahon didn't send another letter, or something happened to the pigeon.*

Do you want to read more about Captain McMahon? Let me know in the comments below! God bless you, dear readers, and don't forget to like us on Facebook!