Q&A with Julian Stockwin

From my Q&A with Julian Stockwin, author of To the Eastern Seas:

What's in a name?

My central character is Thomas Paine Kydd. I thought long and hard about this, wrote down hundreds of possible names from the period, even wandered through numbers of graveyards looking at tombstones. In fact I was nearly arrested at one time for loitering over-long in a graveyard in Guildford in Surrey. I knew I wanted something manly, of the time, but also with a modern ring. Princess Diana’s mother’s name was Frances Shand Kydd. ‘Kydd’ somehow rang a bell and when I checked I confirmed it would certainly have been found in Georgian times. The ´Paine´ comes from Kydd´s parents' admiration for the early teachings of the radical Thomas Paine.

I wanted to have someone not at all connected with the sea, taken against his will into His Majesty’s Royal Navy but who grows to love the life and find a natural ability as a seaman. I chose to have him as a wig-maker somewhat on a whim but also as this was an occupation facing many challenges with changes in society at that time and through this I could also reflect the Georgian age...[read on]

Visit Julian Stockwin's website.

Writers Read: Julian Stockwin.

My Book, The Movie: To the Eastern Seas.

Q&A with Julian Stockwin.

--Marshal Zeringue