Q: For such an epic tale, there's very little out there about William Swallow. How did you first encounter him and what was it that made you decide you had to explore his story?
A: How fun is it that Australia has its very own, real-life 'Jack Sparrow', but we haven't heard his story? When William was on trial in London, almost 200 years ago, and told the grand tale of his life, large chunks of what he claimed weren't believed at the time. He told them he sailed to Japan at a time when Japan's borders were closed to the British – they thought he was lying, or was confused. So William Swallow was largely lost to history. It was only very recently, in 2017, amateur historian Nick Russell who lives on Tebajima Island in Japan, made the connection between the local Tokushima story of a repulsed British brig in 1830, and William Swallow's larger-than-life claim at his trial. A few news outlets covered Nick Russell's discovery in 2017, which was when I first read about it. A stolen convict ship was sailed by mutineers from Tasmania to Japan? I instantly had to know more. I had to know everything. What I discovered was a seemingly charismatic, serial escape artist pirate captain, who lived under several false identities. I was enthralled, and almost alarmed that his story hadn't been told before. My imagination was captured. I couldn't not write it!
Q: Swallow is the first book in a trilogy, why did you decide it needed to be told in three parts and how did you decide where to break it up?
A: After digging deeper into his life story, there was perhaps one obvious reason why his story hadn't been told in fiction before. There is so much to cover! Where does a writer start? When William is a teenager, when he first learns to sail? When he is forcibly conscripted into the navy to battle in the Napoleonic Wars? Or is it his first arrest for stealing? Is it his first act of piracy, or his second? Or when he sails to Japan? My background is as a screenwriter and as a writer for television, so structure and plot come very naturally to me. I love planning with palm cards and finding a tight and perfect structure for a story. And after mapping William's entire life, and stewing over what to cut and what to keep, I had to realise his entire life couldn't be told in a single book. But I could break it quite neatly into three distinct parts. His most famous act of piracy is the Cyprus mutiny, so all of book one, Swallow, is the tale of taking the Cyprus. Book 2 will cover his journey to Japan, and Book 3 will cover his infamous trial in London.
Q: What was the research process like?
A: I had a fairly strict guiding principle: 'If we know it happened, it goes in the book!' In my author's note at the back of Swallow, I detail the minor changes I made for fiction, and the reasons why. Otherwise I have been meticulous about dates, places, names and even things people are recorded to have said. Warwick Hirst's research, and his incredible help early in the process, was a game changer. Four years ago, I received a dossier in the mail from Warwick that contained photocopies of all his first-hand documents -- court transcripts, newspaper clippings -- all pertaining to William Swallow. I've been in touch with professionals who 'read 1820's handwriting' in Scotland, who have helped me transcribe court documents. Pair that with Nick Russell's research, and Takashi Tokuno from Japan who translated the Samurai reports of the Cyprus landing in Mugi cove, I pieced together a fuller picture of who William was.
Q: How have you balanced historical facts with your own fictional flairs?
A: With my background as a screenwriter, first and foremost, I do believe a story must entertain. I was willing to make historical amendments if it better served the narrative pacing, tension and character arc. With a true story full of many coincidences and mistakes on the part of the pirates, it was very easy to lean into that for comedy in the tone and dialogue. Likewise, the tragic elements and heartache of being forcibly separated from his family are moments I wanted to frame with their full emotional weight and complexity. But William's story has to mean something. He didn't go through all that for nothing. It wasn't until late in the drafting process that it 'clicked' for me as to what this story was about. I was drawn to the story of a convict who, at every opportunity, found a way to break their chains. The William of these books refuses to be a prisoner in a literal sense, but he also rejects society's rules, rebelling against British class structures and heteronormative expectations. He is also, at times, his own worst enemy, creating cages inside his own mind, lingering on regrets, failures and fears. That is all the things not recorded in the newspaper clippings and court documents. We know what William does, but we must speculate as to why. That is where the 'fiction' comes into it, and turns this from a textbook, into a living, breathing story with a heart.
Q: When it comes to William, he seems to be such a larger-than-life character, was it daunting trying to capture him in fiction?
A: Most certainly yes. To dwell on this question would be devastating to my creative process. I'd cease to be able to write him. William's tone, voice, mannerisms, all snapped together rather hard and fast for me early in the process. Because I never set out to 'invent' a character. I was simply reading about a real person who fascinated me, and with each new piece of information, felt I was better understanding who this person was. I was making 'assumptions' about someone's personality, rather than building one from scratch. I just got lucky that from the facts we know, we can confidently conclude that he was whip-crack smart, brave but foolhardy, seemingly handsome, charismatic, lied compulsively, was willing to throw other people under the bus to save his own skin, all while going to the ends of the Earth to be with the people he loved. His greatest strengths are his flaws, and his flaws are what make him fascinating. While smart, he was not wise, and he hurt a lot of people around him. What compels someone like that? What's going on inside their head? I had to write him to find out.
Q: What was your favourite part of the process of taking William Swallow's story and turning it into a fiction?
A: I am lucky to be surrounded by a wonderful community of writer-friends and early readers who gave me feedback on the early drafts of the manuscript. Swallow has been one of those projects that when someone asks, 'oh, what's it about?', and I start to describe it, their eyes light up. They want to know more. (And trust me, as a writer, that doesn't always happen. You get used to the glazed-over expression!) People seem as genuinely fascinated by William Swallow as I am, and sharing that excitement with others has been encouraging and wonderful. Early readers talk about William as if they know him. They speculate their own reasons for his motives. I've already seen this character take on a life of his own in the minds of others. And that's 100% what I'm in it for. I always wondered if the real William Swallow would have been annoyed to learn he wasn't more well-known for his deeds. I'm just pleased to be a small part of correcting that wrong.