Qu arte rd eck

Author
Interviews:
Julian Stockwin
Richard Woodman

September/October 2009
 CONTENTS
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Invasion by Julian Stockwin. Eastern Time.

FEATURES
PUBLISHER
Alexander Skutt
6 Julian Stockwin alex@mcbooks.com
English author Julian Stockwin chats about his new
QUARTERDECK EDITOR
Thomas Kydd sea adventure, Invasion, which is the tenth George Jepson
title in the series. 269-372-4673
gdjepson@gmail.com

11 Richard Woodman EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

English novelist and maritime historian Richard Jackie Swift
jackie@mcbooks.com
Woodman discusses his writing career, including his shift
from fiction to history. CUSTOMER SERVICE DIRECTOR
Robin Cisne
robin@mcbooks.com
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November. It is Donachie history,” will be

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home – to gain their freedom and,
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Invasion (USHC/UKHC)
chronologically teenth title in the
by Julian Stockwin
follows Heart of Alan Lewrie Naval
Oak in the Adventures, is ten-
The Privateer’s Revenge
Richard and tatively scheduled
(USTPB)
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is scheduled for release in the US by follows The Baltic
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BY GEORGE!

Superior Summers
A
utumn has cast its lengthening on the bronze sand and receding. Ore
shadow. Soft September evenings carriers – Great Lakes long ships – would
grow darker, the air has a crisp- pass in and out of our two harbors, white
ness, and the first leaves are falling. Early sails stood out against the brilliant blue
snow, sweeping into southwestern sky, and fish tugs carried their fresh catch-
Michigan, off Lake Michigan, cannot be es to the docks. All of this contributed to
far away. But my Superior summer the age-old rhythm of life near the sea. It
lingers, always in the recesses of my soothed the soul then and it does so
mind, to draw upon during winter’s bleak many decades later.
times. It is the big blue lake called As our recent summer faded, I again
sat by the shore, this time on a rocky
beach, watching as the angry, slate-
gray 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 grandfa-
ther’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 ten-
ories. ders for these boats, along with time at
I was born on the shore of “... the the helm.
shining Big-Sea-Water,” written about In between adventures along the shore
long ago by Henry Wadsworth and weekend voyages on Superior, my
Longfellow in “The Song of Hiawatha.” imagination was sparked by a growing
As a young boy, Superior in its many collection of comic books, which ranged
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
surrounded by the lake. It seemed as evenings, the family would head down-
though water was always in view. town to shop. This was an opportunity
On a breezy summer afternoon, tucked for Gramps and me to slip away from
under the curl of a dune, I would watch
and listen as the waves rolled in, breaking CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

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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

J
ulian Stockwin reaches a milestone in his bound to assist Fulton in testing his ruinous
naval saga featuring Commander Thomas weapons, which may determine the fortunes
Kydd, RN, with the launch of Invasion, of war between France and Britain.
the tenth title in his celebrated series of Stockwin’s faithful attention to historical
sea stories. detail in this fast-paced tale places readers in
After a succession of emotionally trying the moment, as his narrative unfurls. The
episodes in the two most recent novels – The facts behind Robert Fulton’s activities during
Admiral’s Daughter and The Privateer’s Revenge the war are relatively obscure, compared to
(published as Treachery in the United his invention of the commercially successful
Kingdom) – Kydd returns to the quarterdeck steamboat. But this authenticity is what read-
of his beloved brig-sloop Teazer. ers have come to expect from Stockwin.
The year is 1804. In France, The particulars of
Napoleon Bonaparte is believed Kydd’s world, so well
to be mustering forces and vessels drawn in Stockwin’s
to mount a seaborne invasion of words, add texture to
England. Sailing from Guernsey, the fabric of his
Teazer encounters a brig-of-war prose. The crunch of
towing barges laden with shingle underfoot is
Bonaparte’s soldiers along the palpable as Kydd
French coast. The terror of inva- steps ashore at Deal,
sion is real, and Teazer is ordered and observes: “...
to the Downs Squadron to luggers were drawn
defend England’s Channel coast. up before humble
Kydd’s felicity at leading the cottages and huts ...
Teazers against the French is with men working
short-lived, when he is suddenly on them or just sit-
recalled from the fleet and is ting in the sun with
ordered to Dover on a mission a comfortable pipe
cloaked in secrecy to protect and baccy.”
American inventor Robert Invasion is yet
Fulton, who has designed “infernal machines” another master stroke from Stockwin’s pen.
that can turn the tide of battle at sea. Fulton
maintains that his inventions – an undersea US HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $24.00
vessel he calls the submarine, and the torpedo UK HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $49.95
– will provide a significant advantage to the Signed & Numbered
navy that possesses them. UKHC Special First Edition
Despite a firm belief that noble sea battles (with bookmark and postcard ...
(while supplies last)
are fought in the traditional manner – ship-
to-ship and man-to-man – Kydd is duty-

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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.

E
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

Julian Stockwin with a lugger in Deal on England’s Channel me all around the world, from Canada to
coast during his research trip prior to writing Invasion. the Caribbean, but this book drew us
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

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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 impor-
tant 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 com-
munity of smugglers lived in inter-
connecting passages
and alleys, and as
well as their little
cottages there are “... I was given extensive access to
splendid Georgian
residences in the both Walmer Castle and Dover
more fashionable
parts. The Three Castle ... and was able to see many
Kings hotel (now
the Royal) was used areas not generally accessible ...”
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 slip-
ways, 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 loca-
tion research we rented a small cot-
tage in Deal as a base. From there
we covered the other sites men-
JULIAN STOCKWIN
tioned in the book – Walmer Castle,
Dover Castle, etc. These fortifica-
tions 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 per-
mission 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.
You describe Invasion as the second
book in a trilogy within the series.
Can you explain the thinking
behind this?
My ninth book, Treachery, pub-
lished 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
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 gen-
erated 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 chal-
lenging 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 conclud-
ing that the books
would appeal to a
wider readership if
they updated the
jackets to reflect
modern taste.
Historical fiction
is extremely popu-
lar 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 previ-
ous 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.
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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 JULIAN STOCKWIN
not tidy and organized into nice Thomas Kydd Sea Adventures
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 disadvan-
tages are more than outweighed by
the advantages. The historical record
is such a wonderful source of mate-
rial to stimulate a writer’s imagina-
tion. Sometimes truth really is 1 - Kydd
stranger than fiction. You come TRADE PAPERBACK | 272 PAGES | $15.00
across such larger-than-life charac-
ters in the period I write about that 2 - Artemis
readers could be forgiven for think- TRADE PAPERBACK | 336 PAGES | $15.00
ing I have made them all up. Take
3 - Seaflower
for example one character from the
TRADE PAPERBACK | 352 PAGES | $15.00
historical record in Invasion, Robert
Fulton. I suppose his inventions
4 - Mutiny
were the first weapons of mass
TRADE PAPERBACK | 352 PAGES | $14.00
destruction of the defenseless. A
Maryland farm boy, he came to 5 - Quarterdeck
England by invitation and for a time TRADE PAPERBACK | 320 PAGES | $16.00
lived as a portrait painter in Devon, HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $24.00
near where I now live. He reached
the status of having his work hung 6 - Tenacious
at the Royal Academy, no mean feat, TRADE PAPERBACK | 336 PAGES | $14.00
but then inexplicably went across to HARDCOVER | 336 PAGES | $24.00
Revolutionary France and within a
year was working on his incredible 7 - Command
TRADE PAPERBACK | 320 PAGES | $14.00
submersibles! He actually met
HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $12.00 (while supplies last)
Bonaparte face to face, and demon-
UK HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $19.95 (while supplies last)
strated a working submarine. Then
he came back to England and, well,
8 - The Admiral’s Daughter
you’ll have to read the book.
TRADE PAPERBACK | 324 PAGES | $16.00
HARDCOVER | 324 PAGES | $12.00 (while supplies last)
You’re now author of ten published
Kydd books (and a Maritime 9 - The Privateer’s Revenge/Treachery
Miscellany). If you could go back in TRADE PAPERBACK | 318 PAGES | $16.00
time, is there anything you’d change HARDCOVER | 318 PAGES | $12.00 (while supplies last)
in the series? UK HARDCOVER | 318 PAGES | $39.95 (while supplies last)*

I was fairly clear where I wanted the 10 - Invasion

series to go from the beginning. It HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $24.00
would start with a young man press- UK HARDCOVER | 320 PAGES | $49.95*
ganged into the Royal Navy and * Special collector’s edition with bookmark and postcard.
8 QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com

then chart his life story and incredi-
ble 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 back-
ground has been helpful in that I
have flow-charted the specifics of
each book, trying as much as possi-
ble 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 appear-
ances. Can you tell
“I guess my computer background
us about some of
them?
has been helpful in that I have flow-
charted the specifics of each book,
Very hard to pick
just a few; I have trying ... to see ahead ...”
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 half-
model 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
QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com
JULIAN STOCKWIN
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
brought out his magnum opus, Sails
Around Malta.
And finally, I would like to men-
tion the late Ron Butters. Not many
people would have heard of him,
but he was one of nature’s gentle-
men. 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
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 cap-
tain.
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 cele-
bration of the sea
and all those who
share my passion for Nature’s
Realm. Over the years it has devel-
oped 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 comple-
mentary 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 mal-
ware to people.
We run contests on both the
website and in the newsletter and
these are always popular. They are
9

not just for my books, but interest-
ing 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 reali-
ty her role is much broader than
that, she is a true literary partner to
me, and I value her editorial judg-
ment 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 QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com
JULIAN STOCKWIN
Ditty Bag of Wonders
Stockwin’s Maritime Miscellany
By Julian Stockwin
Julian Stockwin shares his love and
knowledge of the sea in this enter-
taining collection of maritime sto-
ries 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 pick-
led in rum to transport it back to
England after his death at Trafalgar.
Included are references to supersti-
tions at sea, the history of animals
aboard ship, and diverting anec-
dotes (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? supremacy to safeguard this. Kydd’s
next stop after Victory will be South
My initial plan for the Kydd series Africa, but I don’t want to give away
was eleven books, a monumental the plot just yet.
number it seemed to me in the early
days! However, as I have delved fur- Is there anything else you would like
ther into this fascinating period, I’ve to share with our readers?
seen that I severely underestimated
that number. It now looks like Kydd As always, my thanks for their sup-
and Renzi will go on for another port and emails. I feel quite hum-
dozen or so books. Of course, after bled that so many people have
Victory and the Battle of Trafalgar, derived such pleasure from my
there will be no more large-scale books.
battles, but there are plenty of other
challenges for Kydd as Britain devel- Visit Julian Stockwin online at
ops her trade empire and sea www.julianstockwin.com.
RICHARD WOODMAN

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

R
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 inten-

tion 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
Elder Brother, Trinity House, uniform. tory that draws your interest, as opposed to writing
more fiction?

Well, that is a very good question, but while novel writing is

regarded – particularly on this side of the Atlantic – as the
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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 politi-
cians 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
“My own inclination leads me to
world to end up
under the gover-
maritime history as a subject for dis-
nance of power-
politics in London,
course, though my interest leads me
and it is a much
undervalued and
elsewhere ...”
neglected area of
academic study
today, though there are signs of
renewed interest.
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 vol-
ume. 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
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 eco-
nomic 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
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 devel-
opment 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 nine-
teenth 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
who made this possible the lion’s
share of titular recognition by call-
ing 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 fol-
lowed 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 bicente-
nary of Trafalgar. The last volume is
called Fiddler’s Green, which I lifted
from an old fisherman’s lament.
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 natu-
rally 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 I sought out a story of men, ships, over four hundred years ago?
companies that participated that one incidents and action, rather in the Medical science only ‘discovered’ the
simply cannot do justice to all of style of naval history, maybe a fact when you Americans were blast-
them, and some partial selection and method would emerge – and that is ing your way through the isthmus of
method has to be teased out of a what happened, preventing (I hope!) Panama in 1913 or so. Or that
mass of material. the text degenerating into an another advised the Royal Navy
I decided to write the books because account of trade and commerce and about a cure for scurvy in the early
I was one of the last generation of clever chaps in counting houses. eighteenth century, only to be
sea-officers to recall the British To some extent your question is informed that he was mistaken in
Merchant Navy – which is what it slightly inaccurate since I ceased to his recommendation of fresh fruit?
became commonly known as after serve at sea in merchant ships many
its service in the First World War – years ago when I entered the public What projects beyond the Merchant
in its heyday. It was almost an obli- service of Trinity House. They say Navy history lie on the horizon?
gation I felt fate had laid upon me, the exile observes his native land
which must sound rather conceited, more objectively from a distance, so In 2014, Trinity House will have
but I found profoundly humbling. perhaps this too was fortuitous, possessed a charter of incorporation
Not long before he for 500 years, and
died, my father – I have been com-
hearing of my missioned to
intention – remind- “In 2014, Trinity House will have write the corpora-
ed me of Edward tion’s history. I
Gibbon sitting in possessed a charter ... for 500 years imagine that will
the ruins of the keep me busy for
Coliseum and ... I have have been commissioned to a while
resolving to write
his monumental write the corporation’s history.” How involved are
Rise and Fall of the you with Trinity
Roman Empire. I House activities
had no similar ephiphanic moment, since I remained closely in touch these days?
but I do recall driving along the with what was going on without
Atlantic coast of Cornwall one day actually being, so to speak, so close I remain a member of the corpora-
and thinking that I must get on that I could not see the workings of tion’s ruling body, or court, and on
with it. events on the whole thing. its corporate board, which runs its
The beginning was comparatively So, to answer the final part of affairs and its charities. I have noth-
easy. I simply began collecting facts your question, the quest for facts ing to do with the day-to-day run-
and entering them on a data-base in and events led me into some fasci- ning of what we still call the
chronological order. What I was nating areas and demonstrated that Lighthouse Service, though that
seeking was a key, and this came my intuition was accurate. Briefly – rather nineteenth century image is
when I realized that the traditional and this is what has largely sustained very far from what a modern naviga-
naval historians had, in fact, blurred me throughout a long and arduous tional aids service actually gets up
the early history of the Royal Navy task – the links and connections to. However, I do act in a technical
with the merchant service that pre- made by British shipping are legion, capacity on assisting in decisions rel-
dated it and from which it arose and the most satisfying for me are ative to navigation and safety in
during the reign of Henry VIII – the obscure. For example, did you home waters. This takes me to sea
hence my starting date of 1500 know that a British merchant cap- from time to time so, although I am
(Henry succeeding his father in tain recognized the mosquito was a state pensioner, I remain in touch
1509). It then occurred to me that if responsible for transmitting disease with my roots.
QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com 13

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 clip-
per era in Wager , and the
modern era in Dead Man
Talking. Is there a particu-
lar novel or series of your
books of which you are
fond?
I am sometimes a
bit surprised at
my output, par-
ticularly as I was
regarded as idle at
school. My prob-
lem then was that
I was not inter-
ested in what I
was being taught
– a fault of most
boys and one yet
to be recognized
by the education-
al 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 con-
voy 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 QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com
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 reader-
ship out there, but it is
very small and focused.
Unless one is an O’Brian
and can break the barriers,
it is rather disappointing
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
By Richard Woodman
1 - An Eye of the Fleet
TRADE PAPERBACK | 192 PAGES | $16.95
2 - A King’s Cutter
TRADE PAPERBACK | 176 PAGES | $14.95
3 - A Brig of War
TRADE PAPERBACK | 240 PAGES | $14.95
4 - The Bomb Vessel
TRADE PAPERBACK | 384 PAGES | $14.95
5 - The Corvette
TRADE PAPERBACK | 240 PAGES | $14.95
6 - 1805
TRADE PAPERBACK | 224 PAGES | $14.95
7 - Baltic Mission
TRADE PAPERBACK | 224 PAGES | $14.95
8 - In Distant Waters
TRADE PAPERBACK | 256 PAGES | $14.95
9 - A Private Revenge
TRADE PAPERBACK | 256 PAGES | $14.95
10 - Under False Colours
TRADE PAPERBACK | 256 PAGES | $14.95
11 - The Flying Squadron
TRADE PAPERBACK | 256 PAGES | $16.95
12 - Beneath the Aurora
TRADE PAPERBACK | 256 PAGES | $14.95
13 - The Shadow of the Eagle
TRADE PAPERBACK | 272 PAGES | $14.95
14 - Ebb Tide
TRADE PAPERBACK | 240 PAGES | $14.95
 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 apolo-
gise 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 proba-
bly 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 life-
expectancy!
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-
QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com
NEW RELEASES
time there isn’t a lot of The Roman Legion Series
time to go out and play,
but I take a day or two out
and enjoy my local waters.
9 - The Gladiator
I occasionally join a friend By Simon Scarrow
who has a rather lovely While centurions Macro
ketch. I think he asks me, and Cato are returning to
because I keep his log Rome from a harrowing
rather well. I certainly campaign against the
enjoy his company, and he Parthians, their transport
keeps me well fed and ship is almost capsized by a
watered. tidal wave. They barely
make it to the port of
What can you share with
Matala in Crete, where they
us about your recent cruise
are stunned to find a devas-
from the Mediterranean to
tated town. An earthquake
England?
has struck the island,
destroying its cities and
I was lecturing, which is killing thousands. In the
rather enjoyable, particu- chaotic aftermath, large bands of the island’s slaves
lary as the ship had a large begin to revolt and local bandits, taking advantage of
number of old seafarers on the slave rebellion, urge the Cretans to overthrow the
board as passengers. The Roman administration.
most significant and
depressing thing that I can HARDCOVER | 384 PAGES | $39.95
share with you, which Signed by the Author (while supplies last)
your readers may not be
aware of, is the enormous Also available in
numbers of merchant
ships lying idle. This is the
The Roman Legion Series ...
direct effect of the down-
turn in world trade, but it 1 - Under the Eagle | 256 PAGES | $14.95*
is a major problem of
which the economic pun- 2 - The Eagle’s Conquest | 320 PAGES | $14.95*
dits take little notice. The
bankers that reduced us all 3 - When the Eagle Hunts | 288 PAGES | $14.95*
to this state of affairs have
weathered their own bit of 4 - The Eagle and the Wolves | 320 PAGES |
the storm and left the rest $14.95*
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5 - The Eagle’s Prey | 308 PAGES | $14.95*
Right at the bottom of the
pile is the unfortunate sea-
6 - The Eagle’s Prophecy | 310 PAGES | $14.99*
farer. In that respect not
much has changed in five
7 - The Eagle in the Sand | 512 PAGES | $17.95**
hundred years. I learned
that from writing my five-
8 - Centurion | 533 PAGES | $17.95*
volume history!
* Trade Paperback **Mass Market Paperback
15
 RECENT RELEASES
Naval Fiction Historical Fiction

Mutiny on the Bounty Conspiracies of Rome

By John Boyne By Richard Blake
Pickpocket John Jacob Europe’s civilization is
Turnstile is on his way to a crumbling and the Church
lengthy prison stay when he is rising like a phoenix out
is offered a lifeline: the job of the ashes of the Roman
of personal valet to a depart- Empire. Set in AD 609,
ing naval captain. Little does Conspiracies of Rome recalls
he realize that by accepting one of the darkest and least
this devil’s bargain, he will known periods of history.
put his life in perilous dan- Rome is torn apart by war,
ger. The ship is HMS plague and internal power
Bounty, his new captain is struggles between the
William Bligh, and their Emperor, the aristocracy and
destination is Tahiti. the Church. Into this
From the moment the ship morass stumbles the young
leaves port, Turnstile’s life is Briton Aelric, who unwittingly becomes involved in a
turned upside down. plot that will lead to fraud, treason and murder.

TRADE PAPERBACK | 541 PAGES | $17.95 TRADE PAPERBACK | 368 PAGES | $19.95

When Fortune Frowns Azincourt

By William H. White By Bernard Cornwell
The engrossing story of the Banished to France, English
HMS Pandora comes to life archer Nicholas Hook
in this novel about the crew becomes a mercenary, barely
that embarked in 1790 on surviving a horrible mas-
an epic voyage to Tahiti to sacre. With no options left,
find and arrest the men who Hook returns to England,
revolted against the Bounty where his capture means
and Captain William Bligh. certain death. Instead he is
This narrative embodies life commanded by King Henry
aboard a ship in the eigh- V to join the superb army
teenth century. Based on Henry leads in his quest to
original documents, includ- claim the French crown. But
ing the correspondence of after the English campaign
the participants and a study suffers devastating losses, Hook and his fellow archers
of the Pandora’s logbook, this vivid and exciting tale of are their king’s last resort in a desperate fight. Ahead lies
adventure is filled with storms, brave deeds, serene trop- the battle of Agincourt, where undermanned and over-
ical islands, and, ultimately, an horrific shipwreck on the whelmed English forces face a superior French army
Great Barrier Reef. determined to keep their crown out of Henry’s hands.

HARDCOVER | 352 PAGES | $29.95 UK TRADE PAPERBACK | 453 PAGES | $16.95

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 REVIEW
The Gathering Storm
By Peter Smalley
A
fter suffering an unimagin-
able 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 lieu-
tenant’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
BY GEORGE!
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
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 biog-
raphies 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 QUARTERDECK | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009 | 1-888-266-5711 | www.mcbooks.com
draws the two protagonists and the
crew of Expedient together in cir-
cumstances that may well spell
doom for all concerned.
Smalley’s past life as a screen-
writer 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 eighteenth-
century England, the author has cre-
ated 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
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 “sweet-
water 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 grandpar-
ents and parents who have been lifelong inspirations.
George Jepson