Blogging away, blogging away…
And the subject of this blog is…
I’m pretty new to this blogging lark (my very first BigJules post was just two weeks ago) but it’s great fun – and thank you for all the feedback and comments! Being an author can be a pretty lonely existence so it’s great to hear from readers. And while I thoroughly enjoy writing the Tom Kydd series, sometimes it’s nice to put pen to paper (metaphorically) outside the confines of the structure of a novel.
Being a bit of a research geek I decided to look into the history of blogs. The first one was in 1994 but it wasn’t until three years later that the term ‘weblog’ (shortened to ‘blog’ in 1999) was coined. Blogs took off in the early 2000s – and now there’s probably well over 200 million blogs worldwide! Makes one feel a bit humble.
Anyway, as well as the BigJules blog that I’ve just started, during this year I’ve been doing a monthly guest blog about writing historical fiction.
I’ve also guest blogged at English Historical Authors, on Horatio Nelson.
I welcome suggestions for future blogs, either in the form of a question to ‘Ask BigJules’ or a general topic you’d like to see covered.
Good thing Kathy’s a hard taskmaster about the number of ‘Kydd’ words I write each day, or I might just get a bit carried away with blogs…
Oh, and I’m also on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Now, I really must get back to Thomas Kydd – he’s in a bit of a pickle and only I can save him…
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image: Jean Le Tavernier [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons)
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Julian Stockwin 
Pingback: Blogging away, blogging away – more thoughts… | Julian Stockwin
I’m back on board again with Kydd aftet several book absence and must say how much I enjoyed the Admiral’s daughter which featured the areas arond Plymouth and the Rame peninsula where my daughter and family live, so it’s very filiar to me. One question, not speaking a word of French, how is Kydd’s latest ship, Bien Heureuse pronounced please?
Hello, Deni – delighted to hear you enjoyed The Admiral’s Daughter. Coincidentally, we’ve just had some American friends visit who wanted to see the areas mentioned in that book! Bien Heureuse is pronounced Bee-en Er-erse (dropped H)
It’s pronounced ‘be-en ergherzz’.
As a GUZ rating, I love the references to the Plymouth area and hope that The naval hospital at Stonehouse will get a mention as I served there.
Hope to bring in more references to Plymouth in future books, too!
Excellent. During that era, the hospital, which is now, sadly, mainly storage and no longer a hospital, was accessible from the sea by means of the creek behind it. The creek was reclaimed and filled in, but the doorway and steps were still there. Stonehouse was smaller than Haslar, but those who served there enjoyed camaraderie and closeness that often crossed the bounds of officialdom, and there is still a biennial reunion and a Facebook site for the hospital.
Hmmm, August… Julian must have another book out in a month or so. Best check his website to see if the first chapter is up. What’s this, a new website? Worth study. The humidity accelerates the thermometer here in Osaka so these changes will be investigated…
Ahoy, Bill! Good to see you here. Yup, a few changes – new website, regular blog… The next book out is CARIBBEE, in October. Cheers, Julian.
Big Jules
I like the new blog. It lets the loyal readers and the author get their heads into the game collaboratively. I’d be interested in seeing a regular blog feature comparing roles of seamen in the Georgian navy with the same function in today’s navies…that is, does a boatswain (bosun) do the same thing today as one in Kydd’s day? Quartermaster? Marine? etc…
From an old U.S. Marine (1960s era)
Dave Porter
Peachtree City GA
Good idea, Dave. I’ll work on it!
haven’t caught up in the series as yet so have toskip all the blogs with current book information. I appreciated the potable soup discussion and would welcome more british naval history tidbits like that.
Thanks, John. more British naval history tidbits coming up!
Not pickled, as in Nelson, I hope!
Hi Big Jules, is it not time that Thomas Kydd got himself a good Lady. I personally would like to see him get back in with Persiphone again. What are the chances of that happening Big Jules. After all you have young Cathy to cuddle up to. Best Wishes, Mike.
Hi, Mike – thanks for your comment but I don’t want to give the game away… so I guess you’ll just have to keep on reading… Best wishes, Julian