Quarterdeck September October 2009

Qu arte rd eck Author Interviews: Julian Stockwin Richard Woodman

September/October 2009

CONTENTS September/October 2009

DEPARTMENTS 3

Scuttlebutt The latest in news about authors and forthcoming titles in nautical and historical fiction.

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By George! Superior Summers

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FEATURES 6

Julian Stockwin English author Julian Stockwin chats about his new Thomas Kydd sea adventure, Invasion, which is the tenth title in the series.

11 Richard Woodman English novelist and maritime historian Richard Woodman discusses his writing career, including his shift from fiction to history.

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RECENT RELEASES The Gladiator by Simon Scarrow Mutiny on the Bounty by John Boyne When Fortune Frowns by William H. White Conspiracies of Rome by Richard Blake Azincourt by Bernard Cornwell

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Cover: Detail from a painting of the Battle of Trafalgar by English marine artist Geoffrey Huband.

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SCUTTLEBUTT DAVID DONACHIE An Ill Wind by David Donachie, the sixth title in the John Pearce naval adventure novels, will be published in the United Kingdom in David Donachie November. It is 1794, and John Pearce and his Pelicans are going home – to gain their freedom and, using the evidence they have from Admiral, Lord Hood, to put Captain Ralph Barclay in the dock. But first they must take part in the evacuation of Toulon.

The UK edition will be published concurrently by William Heinemann.

ALEXANDER KENT In the King’s Name by Alexander Kent, which chronologically follows Heart of Oak in the Richard and Adam Bolitho Alexander Kent naval fiction series, is scheduled for release in the US by McBooks Press in October 2010.

DEWEY LAMBDIN King, Ship and Sword by Dewey Lambdin, the sixteenth title in the Alan Lewrie Naval Adventures, is tentatively scheduled for publication in February, 2010. It Dewey Lambdin follows The Baltic Gambit.

HARRY TURTLEDOVE Harry Turtledove, who has been dubbed “the master of alternate history,” will be featured in the November/ December issue of Quarterdeck. His current hardcover Harry Turtledove release is Give Me Back My Legions, which is set during the time of the Roman Empire.

N EW B OO K P UB LI C ATI O N D ATES 2009 - 2010 US (United States) UK (United Kingdom) PB (Paperback) TPB (Trade Paperback) HC (Hardcover)

September The Making of the British Army (UKHC) by Allan Mallinson October The Burning Land (UKHC) by Bernard Cornwell Invasion (USHC/UKHC) by Julian Stockwin The Privateer’s Revenge (USTPB) by Julian Stockwin The SeaHorse (USTPB) by Michael Aye November An Ill Wind (UKHC) by David Donachie January Agincourt: A Novel (USTPB) by Bernard Cornwell February King, Ship and Sword (USHC) by Dewey Lambdin

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BY GEORGE!

Superior Summers A

on the bronze sand and receding. Ore carriers – Great Lakes long ships – would pass in and out of our two harbors, white sails stood out against the brilliant blue sky, and fish tugs carried their fresh catches to the docks. All of this contributed to the age-old rhythm of life near the sea. It soothed the soul then and it does so many decades later. As our recent summer faded, I again sat by the shore, this time on a rocky beach, watching as the angry, slategray rollers, topped by white caps, slammed into the Presque Isle Harbor breakwater, exploding upward, cascading over the concrete barrier. This is a common sight on Superior, but one that draws folks to the shore over and over again. Summers in the late 1940s and 1950s were spent aboard my grandfather’s boats – Lady Isabel, a 44-foot luxury yacht built in 1907 (now on display in the Wisconsin Maritime Late summer waves crashing against the Museum at Manitowoc) and the sleek, Presque Isle breakwater (photo by author) ... black 24-foot cabin cruiser Idleour Superior of which I speak – the place that Gramps built himself. Early lessons in has generated so many dreams and mem- seamanship were learned rowing the tenders for these boats, along with time at ories. the helm. I was born on the shore of “... the In between adventures along the shore shining Big-Sea-Water,” written about and weekend voyages on Superior, my long ago by Henry Wadsworth imagination was sparked by a growing Longfellow in “The Song of Hiawatha.” collection of comic books, which ranged As a young boy, Superior in its many moods was my constant companion. Our in subject matter from Donald Duck and town – Marquette, Michigan – was nearly Superman to World War II stories. Friday evenings, the family would head downsurrounded by the lake. It seemed as town to shop. This was an opportunity though water was always in view. On a breezy summer afternoon, tucked for Gramps and me to slip away from under the curl of a dune, I would watch CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 and listen as the waves rolled in, breaking utumn has cast its lengthening shadow. Soft September evenings grow darker, the air has a crispness, and the first leaves are falling. Early snow, sweeping into southwestern Michigan, off Lake Michigan, cannot be far away. But my Superior summer lingers, always in the recesses of my mind, to draw upon during winter’s bleak times. It is the big blue lake called

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BOOKSHELF

Invasion By Julian Stockwin "Stockwin has done a wonderful job of keeping control over a breakneck chain of events with his usual delicious sprinkling of salt to compliment it. Well done!" Tyrone G. Martin, naval historian and former captain of USS Constitution

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ulian Stockwin reaches a milestone in his naval saga featuring Commander Thomas Kydd, RN, with the launch of Invasion, the tenth title in his celebrated series of sea stories. After a succession of emotionally trying episodes in the two most recent novels – The Admiral’s Daughter and The Privateer’s Revenge (published as Treachery in the United Kingdom) – Kydd returns to the quarterdeck of his beloved brig-sloop Teazer. The year is 1804. In France, Napoleon Bonaparte is believed to be mustering forces and vessels to mount a seaborne invasion of England. Sailing from Guernsey, Teazer encounters a brig-of-war towing barges laden with Bonaparte’s soldiers along the French coast. The terror of invasion is real, and Teazer is ordered to the Downs Squadron to defend England’s Channel coast. Kydd’s felicity at leading the Teazers against the French is short-lived, when he is suddenly recalled from the fleet and is ordered to Dover on a mission cloaked in secrecy to protect American inventor Robert Fulton, who has designed “infernal machines” that can turn the tide of battle at sea. Fulton maintains that his inventions – an undersea vessel he calls the submarine, and the torpedo – will provide a significant advantage to the navy that possesses them. Despite a firm belief that noble sea battles are fought in the traditional manner – shipto-ship and man-to-man – Kydd is duty-

bound to assist Fulton in testing his ruinous weapons, which may determine the fortunes of war between France and Britain. Stockwin’s faithful attention to historical detail in this fast-paced tale places readers in the moment, as his narrative unfurls. The facts behind Robert Fulton’s activities during the war are relatively obscure, compared to his invention of the commercially successful steamboat. But this authenticity is what readers have come to expect from Stockwin. The particulars of Kydd’s world, so well drawn in Stockwin’s words, add texture to the fabric of his prose. The crunch of shingle underfoot is palpable as Kydd steps ashore at Deal, and observes: “... luggers were drawn up before humble cottages and huts ... with men working on them or just sitting in the sun with a comfortable pipe and baccy.” Invasion is yet another master stroke from Stockwin’s pen. US HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $24.00 UK HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $49.95 Signed & Numbered UKHC Special First Edition (with bookmark and postcard ... (while supplies last)

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JULIAN STOCKWIN

Seeking Authenticity With ten Thomas Kydd sea adventures in print, Julian Stockwin says he’s nearing the halfway mark in the series, as he looks ahead to the Battle of Trafalgar.

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nglish novelist Julian Stockwin is celebrated for authenticity in his Thomas Kydd sea adventures, which sweep across the oceans of the world during the time of Nelson. Whether describing late eighteenth century Malta or the shingle beaches along the English Channel, Stockwin knows of what he writes because he has been there, walked the cobbled streets, paced along the shorelines, and lifted a glass or two in the ancient haunts of sailors from a bygone era. Stockwin reaches a milestone in the Kydd series with the October publication of Invasion, the tenth title featuring Thomas Kydd and his particular friend Nicholas Renzi. The author recently discussed the impact of his research travels on the Kydd novels with Quarterdeck in this interview: Location research is very important to you as a writer. Where did you go for Invasion?

Location research has taken Kathy and me all around the world, from Canada to Julian Stockwin with a lugger in Deal on England’s Channel the Caribbean, but this book drew us coast during his research trip prior to writing Invasion. much closer to home. Our travels for Invasion focused on Kent, the garden county in the southeastern corner of England. Its boundaries are the River Thames to the north and the North Sea to the east, and the Straits of Dover and the English Channel to the south. France is just 21 miles across the Strait, clearly visible on a 6

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JULIAN STOCKWIN clear day. As the target beaches for the invasion, it was the area of the biggest strategic importance for Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. The town of Deal was an important port in Kydd’s day, although it has no harbour, just a steep shingle beach. Its proximity to the notorious Goodwin Sands (which claimed thousands of ships and has been called the “Shippe Swallerer” since ancient days) made it a haven of shelter. Much of Old Deal remains; around Middle Street a whole community of smugglers lived in interconnecting passages and alleys, and as well as their little cottages there are splendid Georgian residences in the more fashionable parts. The Three Kings hotel (now the Royal) was used by naval officers as shore headquarters. Kathy and I had a very pleasant meal there. It is on record that Admiral Nelson himself used to dine there. The King’s Naval Yard in Deal was a bustling complex in Kydd’s time. Sadly no relics have survived other than the signal tower but we were able to pace out the area that once had eight capstans and slipways, sawpits, a smith shop, boat building house and a sail loft. There was also a separate victualling yard that baked ships biscuits by the thousands and brewed small beer. As is our usual practice on location research we rented a small cottage in Deal as a base. From there we covered the other sites men-

tioned in the book – Walmer Castle, Dover Castle, etc. These fortifications date back centuries and some of their rooms are open to the pubic today. Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger had a base at Walmer Castle, and through the kind permission of English Heritage I was given extensive access to both Walmer and Dover castles (where Robert Fulton, the maverick American inventor who features in the book, worked on his submarine inventions), and was able to see many areas not generally accessible.

design. What was the reason for this change from the covers done by Geoff Hunt? Larry Rostant has done a great job on this. He’s a CGI [computer generated image] whiz and I was quite amazed at what he achieved. This is not to take away anything from Geoff Hunt’s wonderful images, but books are now facing a more challenging retail market than ever before in an age of video games, etc. My publishers decided to take the covers in a new direction after researching the market and concluding that the books would appeal to a wider readership if they updated the jackets to reflect modern taste. Historical fiction is extremely popular at the moment, and they felt that alongside some of the other authors in the genre, the old cover style was beginning to look a little dated. Their focus throughout the design process has been been to update the style for modern readers, while maintaining the spirit of the previous books’ covers in keeping with the expectations of my existing fans. While it is impossible to create a new cover that will make absolutely everyone happy, the new one has proved very popular.

“... I was given extensive access to both Walmer Castle and Dover Castle ... and was able to see many areas not generally accessible ...” You describe Invasion as the second book in a trilogy within the series. Can you explain the thinking behind this? My ninth book, Treachery, published in America as The Privateer’s Revenge, was the first of three books focusing on the growing impact of the threat of French invasion and the lead-up to the great Battle of Trafalgar. Each book ramps up the stakes, culminating in the Battle of Trafalgar in the third book, Victory (out next year), one of the grandest battle spectacles in history. Invasion has a stunning new cover

You take great pains to base your books on the historical record. What challenges — and advantages — does this bring? The challenges are that history is

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not tidy and organized into nice plot-friendly chunks. You have to sift through a great deal of material to find the nuggets. And you can’t change the historical record and have something happen before its time. However I find the disadvantages are more than outweighed by the advantages. The historical record is such a wonderful source of material to stimulate a writer’s imagination. Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. You come across such larger-than-life characters in the period I write about that readers could be forgiven for thinking I have made them all up. Take for example one character from the historical record in Invasion, Robert Fulton. I suppose his inventions were the first weapons of mass destruction of the defenseless. A Maryland farm boy, he came to England by invitation and for a time lived as a portrait painter in Devon, near where I now live. He reached the status of having his work hung at the Royal Academy, no mean feat, but then inexplicably went across to Revolutionary France and within a year was working on his incredible submersibles! He actually met Bonaparte face to face, and demonstrated a working submarine. Then he came back to England and, well, you’ll have to read the book. You’re now author of ten published Kydd books (and a Maritime Miscellany). If you could go back in time, is there anything you’d change in the series? I was fairly clear where I wanted the series to go from the beginning. It would start with a young man pressganged into the Royal Navy and 8

JULIAN STOCKWIN Thomas Kydd Sea Adventures

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9 - The Privateer’s Revenge/Treachery TRADE PAPERBACK | 318 PAGES | $16.00 HARDCOVER | 318 PAGES | $12.00 (while supplies last) UK HARDCOVER | 318 PAGES | $39.95 (while supplies last)*

10 - Invasion HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $24.00 UK HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $49.95*

* Special collector’s edition with bookmark and postcard.

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JULIAN STOCKWIN then chart his life story and incredible journey from the lower deck to eventually making admiral. Looking back I don’t think I would change much, perhaps a few details here and there, but overall I am pretty pleased with my first ten Kydd books. I guess my computer background has been helpful in that I have flow-charted the specifics of each book, trying as much as possible to see ahead to consequences in future books of details in earlier ones. Over the years you’ve met many people in the course of your research and at author appearances. Can you tell us about some of them?

subject of several magazine articles. Bob’s work is impressive in itself, but only later did I find out that he is daily fighting the effects of a severe road traffic accident – but he never complains. Then there is Joseph Muscat, a quiet scholarly gentleman in Malta, who took us under his wing when we were there and shared his great knowledge of the craft of the Mediterranean. When I visited Malta he took me around the Maritime Museum there, housed in what was the Old Naval Bakery of the Royal Navy. Last year Joseph

first venture into non-fiction, isn’t it? Yes, my first non-fiction work. It was great fun to do, and I’ve been very pleased by the response so far. The Marine Society chose it as their Book of the Month for July, and I’ve had some very kind emails from readers, including a destroyer captain. What role do your e-mail newsletter, The Bosun’s Chronicle, and your website play for your readers? When I gave up the day job, so to speak, and took the plunge to become a sea writer I wanted to have a website that didn’t just list the books I’d written, but was a real celebration of the sea and all those who share my passion for Nature’s Realm. Over the years it has developed into quite a substantial-sized site, with well over 100 pages. It is very gratifying that some visitors spend hours on the site exploring the various facets. The Bosun’s Chronicle is complementary to the website. There are now 4000 subscribers and it is a way for readers to get a monthly “Stockwin fix” until the next book comes out. I have purposely kept the newsletter in plain text so there is no danger of spreading viruses or malware to people. We run contests on both the website and in the newsletter and these are always popular. They are

“I guess my computer background has been helpful in that I have flowcharted the specifics of each book, trying ... to see ahead ...”

Very hard to pick just a few; I have been privileged to get to know many fascinating people in the course of working on the books. but I will limit it to three. Kathy and I first met Canadian Bob Squarebriggs when we went to Halifax in connection with research for Tenacious. Bob heard we were to visit the city and emailed asking if he could meet up with us and have me sign his collection of Kydd books. Bob also said he wanted to present a small gift to me, which turned out to be a superb halfmodel of the crack frigate Artemis in which Kydd sees the world in my second book. Over the years Bob has become a friend and also gone on to make a wonderful model of the cutter Seaflower, which was the

brought out his magnum opus, Sails Around Malta. And finally, I would like to mention the late Ron Butters. Not many people would have heard of him, but he was one of nature’s gentlemen. In The Admiral’s Daughter much of the story is set in the tiny fishing village of Polperro in Cornwall, and Ron really brought alive the rich fishing traditions of the area for me. Of course there are scores of names I have omitted. I probably need another interview to cover these. How has Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany been received? It’s your

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JULIAN STOCKWIN not just for my books, but interesting sea titles from such publishers as Conway Maritime, who produce superb volumes.

Kathy has worked with you since the very early days. Describe a typi cal day for the two of you. We’re pretty early risers, so we are at our respective desks well before 9:00 AM. We each have a separate study, connected via an intercom. Kathy sees her main function as keeping the outside world at bay, while I concentrate on writing. But in reality her role is much broader than that, she is a true literary partner to me, and I value her editorial judgment immensely. I work up until lunchtime, and then take a 40 minute nap after the meal. Mornings I find I am at my most creative in the writing sense, so afternoons are generally reserved for research and answering emails from readers. If I am confronted with a plot problem I will have a quick chat to Kathy about it, and usually this throws up a solution, or we pull on our walking shoes and go for a “pace” in Longtimbers, the nearby reserve. That has not failed me yet. I find walking is very conducive to getting the creative juices flowing. Our working day ends around 8:00 PM (a little earlier for Kathy who will have prepared delicious vittles in the galley), when we sit down to dinner, and a nice glass of wine – if I have made my writing quota that day. Kydd’s next adventure after Invasion is Victory. How far into the future have you planned Kydd’s adventures 10

Ditty Bag of Wonders

Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany By Julian Stockwin Julian Stockwin shares his love and knowledge of the sea in this entertaining collection of maritime stories and little-known trivia. Featuring nautical facts and feats, and focusing on the glory days of tall ships, Stockwin explores marine myths and unearths the truths behind the legends, such as whether Lord Nelson’s body was really pickled in rum to transport it back to England after his death at Trafalgar. Included are references to superstitions at sea, the history of animals aboard ship, and diverting anecdotes (how did the inventor of the umbrella help recruit for the Royal Navy?). Interspersed throughout are salty sayings showing the modern words and phrases that originate from the mariners of old – “cut of his jib,” “high and dry,” “the coast is clear,” “first rate” and “slush fund.” Accompanied by nostalgic black and white line drawings, Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany is guaranteed to appeal to the sailing enthusiast, but will amuse and inform even the staunchest landlubber. UK HARDCOVER | 224 PAGES | $29.95

in the Royal Navy? My initial plan for the Kydd series was eleven books, a monumental number it seemed to me in the early days! However, as I have delved further into this fascinating period, I’ve seen that I severely underestimated that number. It now looks like Kydd and Renzi will go on for another dozen or so books. Of course, after Victory and the Battle of Trafalgar, there will be no more large-scale battles, but there are plenty of other challenges for Kydd as Britain develops her trade empire and sea

supremacy to safeguard this. Kydd’s next stop after Victory will be South Africa, but I don’t want to give away the plot just yet. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? As always, my thanks for their support and emails. I feel quite humbled that so many people have derived such pleasure from my books. Visit Julian Stockwin online at www.julianstockwin.com.

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RICHARD WOODMAN

Maritime Historian NOVELIST “... I have always regarded the interpretation of historical events as a matter of some importance ...”

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ichard Woodman’s earliest writing success was as a novelist, chronicling the career of Nathaniel Drinkwater in the Royal Navy during the same period as Horatio Nelson. In between his naval service, Drinkwater also worked for the Corporation of Trinity House, an organization in which Woodman was once employed and presently serves as an Elder Brother. Trinity House, which sees to the safety of shipping and the well-being of seafarers for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and Gibraltar, was granted a Charter by Henry VIII in 1514. In recent years, Woodman has distinguished himself by writing about maritime history. His latest work is a detailed narrative of the British Merchant Navy’s storied past. The author shares his thoughts on the transition from writing fiction to writing history in this interview with Quarterdeck:

In an earlier interview, you said that your original intention was to write history, beginning with the American Revolution. This project was sidetracked and eventually resulted in your first Nathaniel Drinkwater novel, An Eye of the Fleet . What is there about writing maritime his Captain Richard Woodman, in his t ory that draws your interest, as opposed to writing Elder Brother, Trinity House, uniform. more fiction? Well, that is a very good question, but while novel writing is regarded – particularly on this side of the Atlantic – as the QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com

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RICHARD WOODMAN more creative and therefore more artistically worthy activity, I have always regarded the interpretation of historical events as a matter of some importance. History is not bunk, as Henry Ford said, and if our politicians were better versed in it they would not be so incompetent in their statecraft. My own inclination leads me to maritime history as a subject for discourse, though my interest leads me elsewhere – hence my first original attempt to craft a history of the American Revolution. It was the maritime history of my own country that enabled a small island on the outskirts of a dynamic and intellectually active Europe that enabled a good proportion of the world to end up under the governance of powerpolitics in London, and it is a much undervalued and neglected area of academic study today, though there are signs of renewed interest.

Empire until some years later). I then wind the clock back in Volume Two and focus on the merchant service during the Seven Years War, the American Revolution, and the wars of the French Revolution and the empire of Napoleon, from 1763 to 1815. This is a major break-point in British history since not only did our success in war confer upon us enormous political power, but the Industrial Revolution gave us economic leverage. This in turn could be harnessed by our merchant fleet, in which an increasing number of the newfangled steam-vessels were serving. This volume is therefore

who made this possible the lion’s share of titular recognition by calling the third book Masters Under God, quoting an old insurance clause. The fourth volume, covering 1885-1920, includes the First World War and the period in which British shipping dominated world trade, but was under increasing pressure from others, chiefly the USA, Germany, Italy, France and Japan. The title of this volume is borrowed from the old sailors’ phrase – in turn pinched from you Yanks – More Days, More Dollars. This book ends with the beginnings of the long, inter-World War slump, and is followed by the fifth volume, which charts the appalling consequences of the Depression, the Second World War, a brief post-war golden age, and then a sharp decline. I terminate things in 2005, which for us was a significant date, being the bicentenary of Trafalgar. The last volume is called Fiddler’s Green, which I lifted from an old fisherman’s lament.

“My own inclination leads me to maritime history as a subject for discourse, though my interest leads me elsewhere ...”

Two volumes of your recent writing – a history of the British Merchant Navy – have been published. How many volumes are planned? I have recently embarked on the beginning of the fifth and final volume. The first volume, Neptune’s Trident, starts around 1500 with the English waking up to national aggrandizement at the expense of Spain and it then runs to 1807 with the abolition of the slave trade in British ships (though slavery itself was not outlawed throughout the 12

entitled – with some justification – Britannia’s Realm. The third volume, extending from 1816 to 1884, traces the development of the steamer, a process that took much longer than is generally understood and runs parallel with the continuing development of sailing vessels far beyond the romantic tea clippers. Since the British merchant marine seized back the initiative from the competing U.S. merchant fleet during the nineteenth century (largely due to your Civil War), this added to our ability to become the world’s major carrier, and to extend our influence and investment far beyond the imperial pale. I have therefore given the men

Writing about the British Merchant Navy must be a daunting task, even with your years at sea in its service. How did you decide to begin? Where has your research taken you? It certainly was a daunting task. Unlike naval history, which is naturally episodic, commerce goes on all the time, and therefore presents the historian with an organizational nightmare. To add to this there were so many trades in which British

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RICHARD WOODMAN shipping was involved, and so many companies that participated that one simply cannot do justice to all of them, and some partial selection and method has to be teased out of a mass of material. I decided to write the books because I was one of the last generation of sea-officers to recall the British Merchant Navy – which is what it became commonly known as after its service in the First World War – in its heyday. It was almost an obligation I felt fate had laid upon me, which must sound rather conceited, but I found profoundly humbling. Not long before he died, my father – hearing of my intention – reminded me of Edward Gibbon sitting in the ruins of the Coliseum and resolving to write his monumental Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. I had no similar ephiphanic moment, but I do recall driving along the Atlantic coast of Cornwall one day and thinking that I must get on with it. The beginning was comparatively easy. I simply began collecting facts and entering them on a data-base in chronological order. What I was seeking was a key, and this came when I realized that the traditional naval historians had, in fact, blurred the early history of the Royal Navy with the merchant service that predated it and from which it arose during the reign of Henry VIII – hence my starting date of 1500 (Henry succeeding his father in 1509). It then occurred to me that if

I sought out a story of men, ships, incidents and action, rather in the style of naval history, maybe a method would emerge – and that is what happened, preventing (I hope!) the text degenerating into an account of trade and commerce and clever chaps in counting houses. To some extent your question is slightly inaccurate since I ceased to serve at sea in merchant ships many years ago when I entered the public service of Trinity House. They say the exile observes his native land more objectively from a distance, so perhaps this too was fortuitous,

over four hundred years ago? Medical science only ‘discovered’ the fact when you Americans were blasting your way through the isthmus of Panama in 1913 or so. Or that another advised the Royal Navy about a cure for scurvy in the early eighteenth century, only to be informed that he was mistaken in his recommendation of fresh fruit? What projects beyond the Merchant Navy history lie on the horizon? In 2014, Trinity House will have possessed a charter of incorporation for 500 years, and I have been commissioned to write the corporation’s history. I imagine that will keep me busy for a while

“In 2014, Trinity House will have possessed a charter ... for 500 years ... I have have been commissioned to write the corporation’s history.” since I remained closely in touch with what was going on without actually being, so to speak, so close that I could not see the workings of events on the whole thing. So, to answer the final part of your question, the quest for facts and events led me into some fascinating areas and demonstrated that my intuition was accurate. Briefly – and this is what has largely sustained me throughout a long and arduous task – the links and connections made by British shipping are legion, and the most satisfying for me are the obscure. For example, did you know that a British merchant captain recognized the mosquito was responsible for transmitting disease

How involved are you with Trinity House activities

these days? I remain a member of the corporation’s ruling body, or court, and on its corporate board, which runs its affairs and its charities. I have nothing to do with the day-to-day running of what we still call the Lighthouse Service, though that rather nineteenth century image is very far from what a modern navigational aids service actually gets up to. However, I do act in a technical capacity on assisting in decisions relative to navigation and safety in home waters. This takes me to sea from time to time so, although I am a state pensioner, I remain in touch with my roots.

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Your body of work in maritime fiction is fairly broad, from Drinkwater’s Royal Navy to the mer chant service in Under Sail and Waterfront to the clipper era in Wager , and the modern era in Dead Man Talking. Is there a particular novel or series of your books of which you are fond? I am sometimes a bit surprised at my output, particularly as I was regarded as idle at school. My problem then was that I was not interested in what I was being taught – a fault of most boys and one yet to be recognized by the educational authorities who scratch their heads as to why girls do so much better in formal education. Anyway, if I was asked to point to the books I am most proud of it would have to be my three convoy studies of the Second World War (Arctic Convoys, Malta Convoys and The Real Cruel Sea), and this five volume series on the British Merchant Navy, which I hope I live to complete. What is your opinion on 14

RICHARD WOODMAN the state of nautical fiction Nathaniel Drinkwater Novels as the twenty-first century closes in on the end of its first decade?

There is a devoted readership out there, but it is very small and focused. Unless one is an O’Brian and can break the barriers, it is rather disappointing

By Richard Woodman

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for an author who wants to write good stories about the sea. The sea and the sea-life is not understood by many people – indeed the majority of people are completely ignorant of its influence on their daily lives. I notice new authors in the various subgenres, and I wish them luck. They are going to need it, unless readers and people like

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RICHARD WOODMAN you are able to shake the cage-bars. One of the problems is that men tend not to read novels, and without male readers the writer of sea-fiction will have few takers. I apologise to the ladies who read my books and are kind enough to write to me, but they are insufficiently numerous to keep the wolf from the door. Sorry, we don’t do sunny-side-up on this side of the pond, so if this sounds like an Englishman whinging, it isn’t meant to. You did ask the question. With Nathaniel Drinkwater still in print and a popular series from the Age of Sail, would you consider writing fiction again? Well, I killed Nathaniel off quite deliberately, but I dabble in a few ideas from time to time, and I probably have one or two novels still in me. Whether I shall actually write them is another matter. At the end of the day it boils down to economics and lifeexpectancy! Do you continue to sail your boat, Andromeda ? Are any long passages planned? Yes, I do still sail, but I have no lengthy voyages planned. If you write full-

time there isn’t a lot of time to go out and play, but I take a day or two out and enjoy my local waters. I occasionally join a friend who has a rather lovely ketch. I think he asks me, because I keep his log rather well. I certainly enjoy his company, and he keeps me well fed and watered.

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Banished to France, English archer Nicholas Hook becomes a mercenary, barely surviving a horrible massacre. With no options left, Hook returns to England, where his capture means certain death. Instead he is commanded by King Henry V to join the superb army Henry leads in his quest to claim the French crown. But after the English campaign suffers devastating losses, Hook and his fellow archers are their king’s last resort in a desperate fight. Ahead lies the battle of Agincourt, where undermanned and overwhelmed English forces face a superior French army determined to keep their crown out of Henry’s hands.

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REVIEW

The Gathering Storm By Peter Smalley

A

fter suffering an unimaginable personal tragedy, James Hayter turns away from his career as a naval officer as he is about to assume command of the sloop-of-war Eglantine. With his future in doubt, he has a change of heart, turning to his friend, Captain William Rennie, to seek a lieutenant’s berth aboard HMS Expedient, a request Rennie denies. Stunned by the finality of his parting from Rennie, Hayter fears his prospects in the Royal Navy are at an end. And then Mr Brough Mappin, an agent for the British Secret Service Fund, steps out of the shadows with an offer that could lead to reinstatement on the Royal Naval List: an undercover mission in Revolutionary France. In the fifth Rennie-Hayter novel, Peter Smalley has deftly created a swiftly paced adventure that

draws the two protagonists and the crew of Expedient together in circumstances that may well spell doom for all concerned. Smalley’s past life as a screenwriter is evident, with his spare use of words to set scenes, and a touch of period dialogue to create a sense of historical authenticity. Frequenting the dusty recesses of maritime archives, digging through ships’ logs and contemporary accounts of life in late eighteenthcentury England, the author has created a brilliant and realistic narrative that will please armchair admirals, as well as those who simply enjoy an engaging yarn. GDJ UK HARDCOVER | 370 PAGES | $38.95

BY GEORGE! CONTINUED

FROM PAGE

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Mom and Dad, and catch the latest Roy Rogers or Gene Autry film at the Delft Theater. Every now and then, Gramps would lead me by the hand around the corner to the Shamrock saloon, where we would belly up to the bar. My usual was a Coca-Cola in a glass, while Gramps polished off a boilermaker. “Now don’t tell Grandma,” he would warn, as we headed for the movies. Over a year ago, the Shamrock was converted to a fancy eating establishment, but I was able to step up to the bar one last time to drink a boilermaker in Gramps’ honor. In addition to the comics, movies and juvenile biographies about America’s historic figures (John Paul Jones, Davy Crockett, Andrew Jackson, etc.), I was hooked on reading fiction and history. Lake Superior and her beaches were the stage where I played out my youthful fantasies. One day I might be Tarzan, swinging from the low branches of the trees in a vacant lot. Another day I would be the captain of my own vessel, as 18

the Idleour cruised past the outer breakwater light in Marquette’s lower harbor. There were days when I would strain my eyes to see a convoy of U.S. Navy ships approaching from over the horizon, hoping against hope that they would really appear. It never happened, but the ore boats did steam into view and ultimately moor against the two behemoth docks to collect loads of iron ore. Although we reside 450 miles south of Marquette in Michigan’s lower peninsula, the siren song of the “sweetwater sea” calls summer after summer. Marquette has changed with the times, but the fundamental structure remains alongside Hiawatha’s Gitche Gumee. As I grow older, memories of my Superior summers are cherished, along with recollections of the people like my grandparents and parents who have been lifelong inspirations.

George Jepson

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