Telling the Truth in Fiction

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J AN N EED LE Turn to page 6 A Publication of McBooks Press - March 2006 T e l l i n g t h e T r u t h i n F i c t i o n S CUTTLEBUTT ALEXANDER FULLERTON English author Alexander Fullerton completes his Rosie Ewing, wartime secret agent, novels with the launch in July of Staying Alive . When Rosie read Fullerton's four novels based on her adventures in German-occupied France, she wrote to him suggesting that he might like to hear the story of her first mission. The result is a unique and compelling story.

DEWEYLAMBDIN The Gun Ketch by Dewey Lambdin, an Alan Lewrie Naval Adventure, will be released in a new trade paperback edition by McBooks Press in September. ALEXANDER KENT The Complete Midshipman Bolitho by Alexander Kent will be launched in November by McBooks Press. The omnibus edition will include three novels: Richard Bolitho, Midship- man , Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger , and Band of Brothers .

This will be the first compilation of all three Midshipman Bolitho titles. J an Needle has been smitten with ships and the sea since he was a lad growing up in Portsmouth, ... more. less.

seat of the Royal Navy for cen- turies, but, as he explains in this month 9s inter- view, his novels take a different tack than others in the genre. A s a b o y g r o w i n g u p i n E n g l a n d , w h a t d r e w y o u t o s h i p s a n d t h e s e a ? W e r e t h e r e s p e c i f i c i n s t a n c e s w h i c h e n h a n c e d y o u r i n t e r e s t i n t h i n g s n a v a l ? I grew up in Portsmouth, and had my first sail as soon as the war was over. My father 9s oldest friend lived on a thirty-foot cutter up a secret creek on the Isle of Wight through- out the hostilities. He was a retired London river police- man, so was allowed, although he had to take the mast down and immobilise his engine, naturally. So even before I could walk I had spent long hours in a smoke-filled cuddy, immersed in stories of the sea, and amazing music. My father played the mandoline, Pop Meadows (the friend) played the concertina, and I started on the triangle when I was old enough, and graduated to the ukelele! I now play mandoline, concertina, ukelele, fife, tin whistle and button accordian. Don 9t bother with the triangle, though. W h a t m o t i v a t e d y o u t o w r i t e y o u r f i r s t S e a O f f i c e r W i l l i a m B e n t l e y n o v e l , A F i n e B o y f o r K i l l i n g ? W h a t h a d y o u w r i t t e n u p t o t h a t p o i n t i n y o u r l i f e ? I was pretty much a failure at school, but started as a local journalist aged seventeen when they kicked me out. It soon seemed to me that I was being paid to tell lies (and call it truth), but I had a strong feeling that I 9d like to try to tell the truth, even if I had to call it fiction. Not only cynical, but extremely arrogant, from a very early age! I started with short stories, then plays, and discovered the form I love best 3 novels 3 when I Jan Needle Welcome Aboard ... Greetings to all McBooks Press customers, and especially warm welcome to former cus- tomers of Tall Ships Books. Quarterdeck is a monthly publication, fea- turing interviews with authors and others in the book trade, as well as marine artists, with a focus on nautical and historical fiction. George Jepson, former owner of Tall Ships Books, will continue to edit Quarterdeck . McBooks has acquired Tall Ships Books 9 entire inventory, including signed first edi- tions, and we are expanding our offerings of nautical and historical fiction, as well as naval and military history. Please visit us online www.mcbooks.com or call us toll-free for a copy of our catalog at 1-888-266-5711. Alexander Skutt Publisher 2 March 2006 McBooks Press, Inc. ID Booth Building 520 North Meadow Street Ithaca NY, 14850 Toll-Free Order Line: 1-888-BOOKS11 (1-888-266-5711) Tel: (607) 272-2114 Fax: (607) 273-6068 E-mail: mcbooks@mcbooks.com Web Site: www.mcbooks.com Our telephone lines are normally open Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Alex Skutt, Publisher alex@mcbooks.com Jameson Romeo-Hall, Production Coordinator jameson@mcbooks.com Panda Musgrove, Art Director panda@mcbooks.com Jackie Swift, Editorial Director jackie@mcbooks.com Robin Cisne,Marketing Assistant robin@mcbooks.com Quarterdeck is published monthly by McBooks Press, Inc. George Jepson, Editor 1-319-465-3142 gdj@n-connect.net Prices are subject to change without notice. A l e x N autical fiction has been a staple for readers, going back to the first novels of Captain Frederick Marryat, and his lesser-known contemporaries, in the early eighteenth century. Twentieth-century armchair sailors went to sea with C. S. Forester 9s Horatio Hornblower, Alexander Kent 9s Richard Bolitho, Dewey Lambdin 9s Alan Lewrie and James L. Nelson 9s Isaac Bidlecomb, among others. And readers around the world continue to go down to the sea in ships from the comfort of a favored, overstuffed armchair, in front of a cozy fire, with a glass of port or cup of tea at hand. But had it not been for a book lover some years ago in Ithaca, New York, the likes of Marryat, Kent, Dudley Pope, David Donachie, and Michael Scott might have slipped into obscurity in America. Alexander Skutt, who started with his own independent shop in upstate New York, had formed a small publishing company he called McBooks Press. When Amy and I assumed the helm of Tall Ships Books, one of our first contacts was Alex Skutt, who first appeared on our horizon when he launched new American editions of the Richard Bolitho adventures by Alexander Kent. Under his leadership, McBooks Press was soon offering handsome new editions of the once popular, but out-of- print in the US, titles by Marryat, Donachie, Lambdin, Alexander Fullerton, V. A. Stuart and Philip McCutcheon, as well as other classics. Without Alex 9s vision and willingness to risk resources, nautical fiction might well have faded into obscurity, treasures to found on the dusty shelves of rare and used book shops. Last year, Alex took another bold step with the acquisi- tion of English novelist Julian Stockwin 9s Thomas Kydd naval adventures. But for this man, Stockwin fans would have had to seek British imports. So, for all of us who slip away to sea in books, a special thanks to Alex. In the months to come, we look forward to bringing McBooks readers news from the world of nautical and historical fiction through Quarterdeck . G e o r g e J e p s o n B Y G EORGE ! McBooks Bargain Catalog Our Spring 2006 Catalog features a selection of bargain-priced books and special reduced prices for complete sets of nautical fiction titles. Contact us for a copy of the catalog. 1-888-266-5711 3 U n d e r t a k e r 9 s W i n d By Jan Needle J an Needle 9s fourth Sea Officer William Bentley naval adventure finds the young lieutenant in the Bahamas. With the Biter sunk beneath the Caribbean waves, along with Captain cSlack Dickie d Kaye 9s corrupted dream of riches, Will Bentley is forced inexorably deeper into the brutal and rapacious world of Jamaican politics. Although he brilliantly cuts out a mysterious French brig from a secret bay, his hopes of recovering his lost hon- our with a triumphant return to Port Royal are blighted by the news that Deb Tomelty, his beloved cSpithead Nymph, d has been held responsible for the death of a leading planter 3 and that he must help to hunt her to her death. Into this maelstrom of greed and violence, also hungry for wealth and influence, sails his uncle, Daniel Swift, charged by Captain Kaye 9s noble father to worm his way into the sugar island 9s fabled wealth. Slack Dickie, however, has fall- en hopelessly 3 and tragically 3 in B OO K SHELF F ICTION P UBLISHING S CHEDULE 2006 US (United States) UK (United Kingdom) PB (Paperback) TPB (Trade Paperback) HC (Hardcover) April No Quarter (USHC) by Broos Campbell An Approaching Enemy (USHC) by Jay Worrall Sails on the Horizon (USPB) by Jay Worrall Tenacious (UKPB) by Julian Stockwin Treason 9s River (UKHC) by Edwin Thomas May Port Royal (UKHC) by Peter Smalley HMS Expedient (UKPB) by Peter Smalley The Lucifer Cypher (USTPB) by James E. Fender The Emperor 9s Coloured Coat (USTPB) by John Biggins June The Gatecrashers (USTPB) by Alexander Fullerton September Tenacious (UUSHC) by Julian Stockwin Quarterdeck (USTPB) by Julian Stockwin The Gun Ketch (USTPB) by Dewey Lambdin love. Helped and heartened by friends such as Sam Holt and the eccentric drunkard Jack Gunning, hindered and endangered by ruth- less enemies, old and new, Will tracks Deb into the western bad- lands. He finds that she is now protected by a fearsome Maroon commander called Marlowe 3 and threatened by the Navy, island mili- tias, and a band of renegades led by the infamous Scots brothers from off the Biter , the Lamonts. $19.95 - 300Pages US Trade Paperback Available in late March Also available in the series ... 1 - AFine Boy for Killing $17.95 - 320 Pages US Trade Paperback 2 - The Wicked Trade $16.95 - 384 Pages US Trade Paperback 3 - The Spithead Nymph $14.95 - 288 Pages US Trade Paperback All three softcover volumes: AFine Boy For Killing The Wicked Trade The Spithead Nymph Total List Price $47.85 Our Special Set Price$33.95 4 J AN N EED LE From page 1 was about thirty. William Bentley grew in my mind as a sort of counter to the tradition of heroic naval fiction. I loved Hornblower, et al, but my fam- ily was closely connected with the navy and the army (defi- nitely from the lower ranks), and there were aspects of the fictions that I just could not come to terms with. I believed the cheroism d, but not the innate cnobility d, the sense that the British Navy existed to ccivilise d the world. I knew sailors, I knew officers. Another of my father 9s friends, Curly Jenkins, died in the first great naval tragedy of the war, at Scapa Flow, sacrificed (my father insisted) to the criminal incompetence of the men in charge. D i d y o u r e a d m a r i t i m e f i c t i o n a n d h i s t o r y a s a l a d g r o w i n g u p i n E n g l a n d ? W a s t h e r e a p a r t i c u - l a r a u t h o r o r b o o k t h a t c a u g h t y o u r i n t e r e s t ? Fiction I loved. Stevenson, Ransome, de Selincourt, Hornblower, Midshipman Easy , I was voracious. I didn 9t start seriously studying history until I went to university at the age of twenty five, but I spent my early years on and in boats, and crawling all over the Victory and the Foudroyant (now renamed Trincomalee , but then afloat in Portsmouth Harbour). I was sort of marinaded in nau- tical history. H o w d i d y o u s e l e c t W i l l i a m B e n t l e y a s y o u r p r o t a g o n i s t ? I s h e b a s e d o n a s p e c i f i c p e r s o n o r p e r - s o n s f r o m h i s t o r y ? Sadly, I think his inspiration was the infamous Hugh Pigott, captain of the Hermione . As a counter to the young, blond, well brought-up English heroes of the genre, I wanted to create a young, blond, well brought- up English savage. Unlike Pigott, who did not survive long enough to change, Bentley was on the road to redemption by the end of A Fine Boy for Killing . In trying to under- stand him, I grew to love him. H o w d o y o u n a m e y o u r c h a r a c - t e r s i n t h e B e n t l e y n o v e l s ? I have a rare 1737 telephone directory. I pick them from that. (Editor: cOh, really! d) D o y o u w o r k o u t y o u r p l o t s i n a d v a n c e , b e f o r e b e g i n n i n g e a c h n o v e l ? Yes and no. I write an outline, then the characters (or new characters I 9ve never even dreamed of) change it all as they go along. It 9s the bit of novel writing I love best. H o w i m p o r t a n t i s h i s t o r i c a l c r e d - i b i l i t y i n c r e a t i n g e n g a g i n g f i c - t i o n f o r r e a d e r s ? This is a difficult one. Much of what we perceive as histori- cal accuracy is clearly an amal- gam of conjecture, personal opinion, prejudice and the wildest guesswork. Many of the most wonderful 18th and 19th century accounts of actual skir- mishes and expeditions (bor- rowed from quite heavily by O 9Brian, to name just one) were designed to bring accla- mation, even adulation, to the officer-cum-narrator. Nelson engineered himself a very good cpress d, Bligh 9s account of the Bounty mutiny is a classic of self-delusion and self-justifica- tion, and Roosevelt, while leader of the free world, was March 1942 ... British submarines based on Malta are sinking so many of Field-Marshal Rommel's supplies that Berlin has ordered, 'Smash that flotilla, at all costs...' So now this small, distinguished 'band of soldiers', already fiercely embattled and suffering heavy losses as the price of their success, are to become the prime target on the Axis hit-list. Paul Everard, in HM Submarine Ultra , is in the thick of the action - in what was, in fact, the most intensive submarine campaign ever fought. And simultaneously his half-brother Jack, commanding a special unit under the auspices of Mountbatten's Combined Operations, is about to sail from Falmouth for a virtually suicidal raid on an as-yet unnamed enemy port. In point of fact if Jack Everard does not return from this raid it could solve some problems, since he has become deeply involved with a girl to whom his father, Captain Sir Nicholas Everard, is unofficially engaged. $14.95 - 288 PagesUS Trade Paperback Edition E VERARD W O RLD W AR II S AGA 4 - A S h a r e o f H o n o u r Autumn 1942 ... Captain Sir Nicholas Everard has a convoy to escort, a big, slow convoy with just one destroyer, two corvettes and a few trawlers to protect it. U-boat pack commander Max Looff can hardly believe his luck. His nerve is going and he knows it: but now he has a chance in a million to annihilate an entire convoy and win the Fuhrer's highest approbation. It was like trailing a lump of raw meat across shark-infested waters - that was the idea. For while Looff's U-boats devour Nick's convoy, the 'Torch' invasion forces slip safely through the Gibraltar Strait. But then the sacrificial convoy is joined by a limping passenger ship that might have Kate on board - his own newly- wedded wife in a doomed convoy, U-boat bait. $15.95 - 384 PagesUS Trade Paperback Edition Also Available ... 1 - Storm Force to Narvik $13.95 US Trade Paperback Edition 2 - Last Lift from Crete $13.95 US Trade Paperback Edition 3 - All the Drowning Seas $14.95 US Trade Paperback Edition 5 - T h e T o r c h B e a r e r s By Alexander Fullerton By Alexander Fullerton Turn to page 8 5 N a p o l e o n Q u a r t e t . . . By Max Gallo On 15 May 1779, the second son of a prominent but impecu- nious Corsican family arrives at the gates of a royal military school at Brienne in the east of France. Not yet 10 years old, he barely speaks French. A fierce patriot, even at such a young age, French for him is the language of the oppressor - in 1769 France robbed Corsica of the independ- ence it had won from Genoa - and his schoolmates waste no time making fun of him, his accent, his Italian-sounding name, Napoleone Buonaparte. Within 20 years this solitary child has become Napoleon Bonaparte, on the verge of being appointed First Consul of France. As Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Italy, he has defeated Austria and been hailed as the liberator of peo- ples. Throughout Europe, Napoleon is celebrated as the man of destiny, the Romantic hero. $12.95 - 410PagesUK Trade Paperback N EW H IST O RI C AL F I C TI O N 2 - N a p o l e o n : T h e S u n o f A u s t e r l i t z November, 1799. Thirty-year-old Napoleon is about to lead France into a new century as First Consul. In five years, he will be crowned Emperor of France and Josephine his Empress. Napoleon: The Sun of Austerlitz takes us from the first day after Napoleon 9s successful coup, through to the thrilling heights of his empire. From the new constitution and France 9s fragile peace with its neighbors, to Napoleon 9s determination to bring Britain to its knees, we follow five years in the Little Corporal 9s life, ending with his victory at Austerlitz. This is historical fiction of the very highest calibre, a compelling and pas- sionate story, wonderfully detailed and utterly captivating. A European publish- ing phenomenon, Gallo offers another spellbinding account of one of the most fascinating men in history. $12.95 - 320PagesUK Trade Paperback It is 1806 and Napoleon is master of an empire covering half of Europe. Triumphs at Austerlitz, Jena, and Wagram bring half of Europe under Napoleon 9s command. He subdues monarchs, con- quers women, and defies the Pope him- self. Napoleon: The Emperor of Kings recreates the most thrilling five years of Napoleon 9s reign, but as his empire grows, cracks begin to show. Coalitions continue to form against him, Europe is not pacified, England remains opposed, and huge numbers of men are lost in battle. In this dazzling mix of history and creativity, Max Gallo brilliantly recreates the Little Corporal's reign, ending with his 500,000 strong army's march into Russia in 1812. Shifting between the battlefield and the bedroom, we follow every step of Napoleon's relentless pursuit of power. $12.95 - 421PagesUK Trade Paperback 3 - N a p o l e o n : T h e E m p e r o r o f K i n g s 4 - N a p o l e o n : T h e I m m o r t a l o f S t H e l e n a In 1812, Napoleon enters Russia at the head of the largest army the world has seen. Backed by half a million soldiers, and with all of continental Europe under his command, he hopes to bring Czar Alexander I to his knees. But nothing goes according to plan. Raging fire destroys Moscow. Ice and snow engulf the Grand Army. For the first time, the Eagle bows its head. The powerful betray him, his Old Guard weep at Fontainebleau. Does the return from the isle of Elba herald a new 'song of departure'? The final act is nigh. The sun of Austerlitz will not rise over the muddy plain of Waterloo. Chained by the English to his rock of St. Helena, the Emperor can still con- quer time and oblivion and forge his immortal memory for all time. $12.95 - 405PagesUK Trade Paperback 1 - N a p o l e o n : T h e S o n g o f D e p a r t u r e Visit McBooks Press online at www.mcbooks.com or call us toll-free at 1-888-266-5711 6 T HE R OY AL M ARINES S AGA Special prices on these fiction sets on until March 31, 2006 ... By Douglas Reeman Follow the proud tradition of the sea- faring Blackwood family, and the serv- ice they devote their lives to: the British Royal Marines. Douglas Reeman presents a vivid saga spanning 150 years in the life of a great family. Five trade paperback volumes: 1- Badge of Glory 2 - The First to Land 3 - The Horizon 4- Dust ion the Sea 5- Knife Edge Total List Price $80.75 Our Special Set Price $54.95 T HE N ELSO N & E MM A T RIL OGY By David Donachie Chronicling the bril- liant career of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson, Britain 9s greatest naval hero, at sea and ashore, and the rise of his leg- endary lover, Lady Emma Hamilton. Equals in daring and ambition, their rela- tionship rocked the foundations of Europe. Three trade paperback vol- umes: 1- On a Making Tide 2 - Tested by Fate 3 - Breaking the Line Total List Price $52.85 Our Special Set Price $36.95 T HE R I CHARD D EL AN C Y N OVELS T HE P RIV A TEER S M AN M YSTERIES By C. Northcote Parkinson By David Donachie Smart, action-filled ship- board mysteries, as Captain Harry Ludlow is forced out of the Royal Navy and joins with his brother James to become a privateer. Sailing together, the brothers find intrigue and violent death on the high seas. Six trade paperback vol- umes: 1- The Devil 9s Own Luck 2 - The Dying Trade 3 - A Hanging Matter 4 - An Element of Chance 5 - The Scent of Betrayal 6 - A Game of Bones Total List Price $101.70 Our Special Set Price $70.95 C. Northcote Parkinson offers spirited action, ingenious tactical maneu- vers, political intrigue, fiery skirmishes, and droll, sophisticated style. Parkinson 9s tales appeal to true connoisseurs of the Age of Sail. Six trade paperback vol- umes: 1- The Guernseyman 2 - Devil to Pay 3 - The Fireship 4- Touch and Go 5- So Near, So Far 6- Dead Reckoning Total List Price $86.70 Our Special Set Price $60.95 McBooks Press - Four Easy Ways to Order & Online: www.mcbooks.com Mail: McBooks Press, ID Booth Building, 520 North Meadow Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 Toll-Free Telephone: 888-266-5711 Fax: 607-273-6068 Name: ________________________________________________ Daytime Phone____________________________ Address: ________________________________________________ Evening Phone____________________________ ________________________________________________ Fax _____________________________________ ________________________________________________ E-mail___________________________________ QUANTITY AUTHOR TITLE PRICE Subtotal Shipping charges, if any, are listed below. Shipping (see below) New York State residents add sales tax to both books & shipping. Sales Tax Total Shipping is FREE on orders over $75.00, or $5.00 on orders under $75.00. Foreign shipping by Global Priority Mail: 1-3 paperbacks in North America $7.50, otherwise $9.50. PAYMENT INFORMATION Check or Money Order Enclosed: made payable to McBooks Press. Charge my: MasterCard Visa Discover American Express Account Number ________________________________Expiration Date_____/_____ Signature_____________________________________________ 8 J AN N EED LE From page 4 never pictured in a wheelchair. The vast majority of people are happy to go along with all this, though. History, as it is nor- mally told, becomes real, believable, and above all, com- fortable. But credibility, to my mind, is a completely different thing. While it 9s easy to see what peo- ple want out of their historical fiction, and why genre is such a power in the market place, I 9ve always been nagged by doubts. Big sailing ships were complex, powerful, dangerous machines. Trusses were the biggest item of medical equipment. Far, far more men were killed and injured accidentally, or died of disease, than ever fell in battle. Shovell was not the only one to run his ships onto the rocks. Liquor was the lubricant, and liquor is a most untrustworthy ally. W h e n y o u a r e w o r k i n g o n a B e n t l e y n o v e l , d o y o u f i n d y o u r - s e l f f a l l i n g i n t o t h e p a s t ? Constantly 3 but my construc- tion of the past. I try to feel, and then portray, imagined people that I know, in situa- tions that I can reconstruct from knowledge and imagina- tion. W h e r e d o y o u p r e f e r t o w r i t e ? On one of my boats. I use ball- point and pad. W h a t c a n y o u t e l l u s a b o u t U n d e r t a k e r 9 s W i n d ? While trying desperately to sal- vage Richard Kaye 9s lost for- tune, Bentley and his friends become more and more embroiled in colonial politics, which basically requires them to sink deeper and deeper into the toils of slavery and racial brutality. They are cut off from the West Indies Squadron, and forced to side with people whom they would probably more naturally despise, which leads to bloody confrontation with the Maroon communities of escaped slaves, ending in a war fought by sea and land. Bentley 9s problems are compounded by the arrival of his uncle, Daniel Swift, Kaye 9s by falling in love with the hardest of hard cases. W h a t d o e s t h e f u t u r e h o l d f o r t h e W i l l i a m B e n t l e y n o v e l s ? There is growing unrest in the Thirteen Colonies. There are unresolved prob- lems from all their pasts. Their relationship with the Royal Navy becomes increasingly fragile. And still, in terms of prize money, they are earning almost nothing. My feeling is 3 if I were them 3 there might be some appalling cataclysm not too far beyond the horizon. And Deb and Bentley still need each other. That, surely, is impossible? I s t h e r e a n y t h i n g e l s e y o u w o u l d l i k e t o s h a r e w i t h o u r r e a d e r s ? In case anyone 9s in any doubt, I 9m well aware that as cgenre fiction d my sea books leave a lot to be desired! But while that might be bad for my bank balance, I hope there is some method in my mad- ness. I think what I 9m propos- ing overall is an alternative view of the growth of the Western empire at sea, and a less rosy vision of the poor dev- ils 3 men and women 3 who became bound up in it. I think for Will Bentley, by the end of this latest book, America 3 and freedom 3 are beckoning. I think it can be very exciting, but I 9m pretty sure he won 9t end up as an cAdmiral of the Blue d. Stay with him if you can though, please 3 he needs you! McBooks Press, Inc. ID Booth Building 520 North Meadow Street Ithaca NY, 14850

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