The story behind the story
This is the summer for Jane Austen festivals; this, the 200th anniversary of the publication of Pride and Prejudice. I'd love to attend one of these celebratory functions where I imagine [...]
I became interested in the history of hospital ships and shipboard medicine while researching my historical novels, Barbados Bound and Surgeon’s Mate, that take place during Britain’s rise to naval power [...]
According to historian and author J. David Davies, the concept of a hospital ship was well established in 17th century Britain. During the Anglo-Dutch wars most casualties were taken ashore [...]
What happens when a character in your novel gets entangled with a character in someone else's novel -- or with a group of living history interpretors? I've been following the [...]
During the period of time Britain claims to have ruled the seas, women played a role that has been largely overlooked or dismissed by most historians and novelists (except for [...]
As I prepare to take part in the Ships Ahoy! The joys and challenges of writing Nautical Historical Fiction session at the Historical Novel Conference in London, less than three [...]