Hello from Hampshire, England

J.D. Oswald · Post by **J.D. Oswald** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 11:52 am

[quote=""MLE""]Hi J.D. Your premise sounds interesting. Do you read mostly 18th-century too?[/quote]
Hello MLE
I like to read all periods and anything with good characters (currently reading Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons) but I find the 18th/early 19th century period very interesting: social change, American independence, the development of the anti-slavery movement, the start of the industrial revolution... It seemed to me that people must have been going through a sort of 'identity crisis'
All the best
J.D.

J.D. Oswald · Post by **J.D. Oswald** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 12:05 pm

[quote=""Justin Swanton""]Hi J.D.

Does the abolition of slavery under the impetus of Wilberforce feature in your novel? I saw the movie Amazing Grace - thought it was very good, but I'm not au fait with the period.

Hope your stay with the HFO is a happy one![/quote]
Hello Justin
Yes, it does - the impact of slavery is one of the novel's themes. The narrative runs in parallel during 1780 and 1807. In 1780, the campaign for the abolition of slavery was just getting going in England, against lots of opposition from plantation owners, and by 1807, Wilberforce's Bill for the abolition of the trade was passed. And between those dates, Parliament passed an Act to improve (not that that was possible) the terrible conditions on slave ships. So a really crucial period of history.
All the best
J.D.

erechwydd · Post by **erechwydd** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 1:31 pm

Welcome to the forum, J.D.!

bevgray · Post by **bevgray** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 2:12 pm

Hi J.D. A hearty welcome to the site.

fljustice · Post by **fljustice** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 3:46 pm

Hi, J. D. and welcome to the forum!

EC2 · Post by **EC2** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 5:19 pm

Hello J.D. Welcome to the forum. I'm going to be attending the HNS Conference too!

Justin Swanton · Post by **Justin Swanton** » Tue May 15th, 2012, 5:21 pm

I've read the sample chapters of Henrietta Street and I must say I'm impressed by the quality of the writing. Have you written much before this novel?

J.D. Oswald · Post by **J.D. Oswald** » Wed May 16th, 2012, 10:30 am

thanks Justin. This is my first novel; I've been working on it slowly over the last 7 years or so. I've now started writing an historical crime novel, set in the aftermath of WW1. As with everything, it just finding the time...!

LoveHistory · Post by **LoveHistory** » Wed May 16th, 2012, 5:48 pm

Welcome to HFO, J.D.

Carla · Post by **Carla** » Wed May 23rd, 2012, 9:29 pm

Hello and welcome!