COLUMNIST TURNS PASSION INTO BOOK.

Byline: Sharon Cotal Staff Writer

Former Daily News community columnist Victoria Giraud has published her first novel, a work of historical fiction set in the 18th century titled ``Melaynie's Masquerade.''

Always a history buff, Giraud said the 18th century got into her blood when she attended the country's second-oldest university, the College of William and Mary, in Williamsburg, Va. So after 20 years of working in journalism, she decided to try her hand at creative writing.

The book follows the adventures of a young woman from Plymouth, England, who, deciding that men get to have much more fun, disguises herself and signs on as a captain's boy for Sir Francis Drake. The fictional action takes place as part of one of Drake's actual voyages that Giraud researched for the book.

Giraud has been a writer since age 14 when she wrote for her high school newspaper. She wrote a column called People and Places from 1996 to 1998 for the Santa Clarita edition of the Los Angeles Daily News.

The column focused on one person each week and included ``the wheelers and dealers, volunteers, theater people, artists, business people - all the interesting people in Santa Clarita,'' Giraud said.

Her journalism experience helped her in writing the book, because it helped her understand people.

``Plus, I think you have to have a love of writing to be a journalist,'' she said.

``There is nothing like the thrill of seeing your book in physical form,'' she said of the finished product that took five years of writing off and on to complete.

``Melaynie's Masquerade'' is published by 1st Books Library and is available in hardcover ($17.95), softcover ($12.95) and in e-book form ($4.95). It can be ordered at local bookstores, amazon.com, or at the publisher's Web site, 1stbooks.com.

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