Medina Bookshop in Cowes will host a talk by 2 of the very best contemporary writers of ‘Age of Sail’ fiction later this month (21st April). The event will be a chance to hear a discussion between two authors who, though working in the same field, have very different approaches. The most established of the 2 authors is J.D. Davies, born in Llanelli on the coast of south-west Wales, a treacherous coast notorious for shipwrecks, the sea has always exerted a strong pull on his life and a fascination with warships and naval history can probably be dated to a family holiday in Portsmouth. He found that very little had been published about the seventeenth century navy since the 1920s, and that most of the books that did exist seemed to side unthinkingly with Samuel Pepys, accepting uncritically his opinions and evidence about the issues of the time. He has written factual books about the period and has now started a series of naval fiction also set in the time of Charles II and the Anglo-Dutch Wars. His latest book ‘Tyranny’s Bloody Standard’ was published in October. The youngest of the 2 is Katie Daysh, an author from the Isle of Wight who loves to explore unheard voices in fiction. In her main genre, historical fiction, she enjoys placing queer characters at the heart of the narrative. Her stories are often set on the sea and illuminate themes of friendship, loyalty and mental health issues. Her debut novel, the Age of Sail adventure ‘Leeward’ was a Times historical novel of the year 2023, with best-selling author Conn Iggulden describing it as ‘An extraordinary work, absolutely breathtaking … it beggars belief’. The second volume of her trilogy ‘The Devil To Pay’ is published this month The talk will be presented and hosted by Paul Armfield from Medina Bookshop of Cowes on the Isle of Wight, he says:
“When I first read Katie Daysh’s debut I was astounded by just how wonderful the writing was and how masterfully she explored the inner lives of her central characters, whilst evoking a real sense of time and place as well as keeping the pace and excitement of battle. “It struck me that this is a genre that did not die with Patrick O’Brien, indeed it is in very safe hands and being taken in exciting new directions as represented by these two great authors. For anyone interested in the Age Of Sail or in writing in general, there will be plenty of opportunity to put your questions to the authors.”
The event takes place at 19:00 (doors 18:45) on Sunday 21st April, tickets are essential and can be purchased from Medina Bookshop, either from their website or by phone (01983) 300044
