David Adamson Harper's Blog, page 2

New photo

For those who have asked I can confirm that the new photo was taken last week (June 3, 2014). An up to date image was required by the Author Marketing group. The marketing campaign for HOW TEDDY TOOK PANAMA will commence (in the USA) on July 1, 2014. It will be running full blast when the 100th Anniversary of the Canal opening is celebrated on August 15, 2014.

The pitch for How Teddy Took Panama

HOW TEDDY TOOK PANAMA by David Adamson Harper

      (an historical novel of 90,000 words)

Theodore Roosevelt's greatest achievement as President was the Panama Canal. Historians have never discovered how Teddy managed to bring about the conditions that allowed the USA to obtain a very favorable treaty in 1903. It granted the USA not only the right to build the canal, but also to create the Canal Zone, a US colony in Panama.

HOW TEDDY TOOK PANAMA tells the explosive story behind the history. How he did it. How his secret service agent Jack Quinn helped the rebels in Panama gain independence from Colombia. How an obscure Frenchman, Philippe Bunau-Varilla, came to represent Panama and give the USA everything Teddy wanted in the treaty. How insider knowledge financially benefited a select
few Americans.

Jack Quinn, who had served with Teddy and the Rough Riders in Cuba, is sent to Panama to help bring about their rebellion. Once there he falls in love with a beautiful Panamanian woman. He fights a duel against the man who poses a threat to the rebels, a brutal Colombian colonel, who is also the
husband of the woman Jack now loves.

MY QUALIFICATIONS: I worked in Panama when the new treaties were negotiated in 1975/6 and assisted the State Department by speaking in favor of them to both skeptical American audiences and a hostile Canal Zone population. After the treaties were ratified I was appointed US Consular Agent in Colon, Panama, when the Canal Zone reverted to Panama in 1979.

When researching the original 1903 treaty for my speaking engagements, I learned how US support helped Panama achieve independence, thus laying the groundwork for the 1903 treaty. History hinted that Teddy was more involved than was known and I knew there was a story waiting to be told.

Now a writer, retired from a career in the maritime industry, HOW TEDDY TOOK PANAMA is my second novel. It is an historical romance based on this momentous time in American history. Its sparse writing style could translate easily into a motion picture in the manner of Spielberg's "Lincoln", but with a love story and more action.

PUBLICITY: In 2014, the Panama Canal's one hundredth anniversary will receive worldwide publicity; a year or so later the opening of the third set of locks will revive more interest. There are legions of Teddy Roosevelt fans out there and this is the first novel ever written that features him.

David Adamson Harper
Email: dharper@seanet.com

Another opinion all the way from the Bailiwick of Guernsey

I finished your book KWANGCHOW last night – well 03.15 in the morning to be exact. It really was an excellent read.

I do not agree with the chap who felt Freddy was too perfect. I agree with you that one prefers one's heroes to be exceptional rather than average.

I hope he ended up a happy chap in Brisbane!

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Editors note - The Bailiwick of Guernsey is part of the Channel Islands - British possessions off the north coast of France. Many of the Brits who live there do so for tax reasons, although I'm sure Clifford and Judith live there because of the natural beauty of the island!

My new book How Teddy Took Panama is finished

HOW TEDDY TOOK PANAMA is finished but the polishing will continue until I find an agent willing to take it on. Writing a book is the easy part trying to find a publisher, or an agent, is excruciatingly hard.

Who really knows what will sell? There are great authors out there who never get recognized. Chad Harbach spent ten years trying to get an agent for his "The Art of Fielding" and in the end only got one because an author friend of his insisted that his own agent read it. It was so good that they auctioned it to the highest bidder and on publication it immediately went on the NY Times top ten list and had rave reviews. I found it a fascinating read.

So what's wrong with agents that they didn't see it? The problem is that agents are inundated with book queries and most don't have the time to spend reading more than the query letter as they are also serving their existing clients. If it doesn't strike them as something they can sell to a publisher then they wont bother with it. 

So like thousands of others I'm sending out my query letter and hoping. I know I'm not the next Ernest Hemingway or even Bernard Cornwell (one of my favorite historical novelists - the Sharpe series, et al.). But I know I have a good story and one day...

New picture in photo gallery

Some people have asked me where the photo of me that appears on the back cover of my book KWANGCHOW came from. It is a picture taken at a ship party, on the KWANGTUNG, in Kobe, Japan in 1959. I am in the middle and Sparks, who featured in the book is to the left of me. On the extreme left is George Latham, Third Engineer.

George was my model for the character of Jim Lathrop, 3/E, who also appears heavily in the book. I have to thank him for sending me the photo, from over 50 years ago, and also for immediately remembering me when I called him in Australia in 2011. I had found him through the Swire Mariners Association who still keep the good old days alight through the wonders of the world wide web.

KWANGCHOW - Another voice heard from

One of the gratifying things about writing KWANGCHOW - Freddy Everard on the China Seas, is that it has brought me in touch with many people from those days 1959-61. Some I never knew and others were in fact old friends and colleagues long lost in the mists of time.

One such person is Geoff George. We sailed together for about a year on the HUPEH, he as chief officer and me as second officer. He heard of the book and wanted a hard copy that I finally managed to get to him late last year. The period I wrote about is actually earlier than my time with him on the HUPEH but some of the bits in KWANGCHOW were written from memories of or time together.

Like most of us he left the sea and had another career, his was with the Australian Government. So it was with some trepidation that I waited for his views on the book. After all he was there and he knew me well. What if he thought it was rubbish? Today I received his reply - he had been gone for some time in Asia.  Here is what he wrote to me (about the book).

"I enjoyed KWANGCHOW greatly. It certainly brought the old days to life in all its gory details. You have an easy writing style, which meant I finished the book rather more quickly than I usually do. My only slight reservation is about the main character, who is just a bit too perfect for me. I prefer somewhat more flawed heroes. That aside, I can see you have what it takes to be a writer. Thanks again for giving me the opportunity of re-living my life with China nav all those years ago. Good luck with the Roosevelt/Panama Canal work."

I did intend the main character to be likable, in line with advice gained from writing seminars and conferences I have attended. And after all Freddy is my alter ego. But of course Geoff knew me well and knew that I was never "too perfect" and I certainly can't argue with that.

But all in all another happy reader so my day was made. Thanks Geoff.

HMS Worcester Naval College Reunion in Portsmouth

We recently returned from attending the 2012 Reunion of Old Worcesters to celebrate the founding of our Naval College 150 years ago. It was a wonderful event attended by 600 OW's and guests that lasted three days. The final event was a grand banquet at the Portsmouth Guildhall where HRH The Princess Royal (Princess Anne) was our guest of honour. She gave a very complimentary speech and mentioned her surprise to learn of some of the far flung places we had come from. Australia had the most in numbers and she said "there is also someone from South America." Her geography (or that of her staff) was a little off as the only one who came close to South America was me and as you all know Mexico is in North America.

Because of HRH's security no photographs were allowed (except the official photographer) but my friend, Terry Milne, took one of Susan, his wife and me after HRH had departed - see it in the photo gallery section.

I was glad she finally left so I could loosen my collar and bow tie as it was killing me. It appears that I have put on a little weight since I last wore my tux and dress shirt. Susan, who received many compliments on her striking red dress, and I decided that this would be the last time those clothes would be worn and we left them at the Royal Maritime Club for the housekeeper when we checked out the following day.

I also took the opportunity to sell more copies of my book KWANGCHOW. Some of the OW's (and wives) present had already read it (they got it via Kindle even as far away as Australia) and I was again happy to receive many kind words from them. One Australian lady kept asking me "Did you really do all those things?" but I avoided a direct answer as I detected that she really only wanted to talk about the sex parts.

It was wonderful seeing many of my OW shipmates, most of whom I hadn't laid eyes on for 55 years. 

New book - the amazing Philippe Bunau-Varilla

As I write my new book - working title "How Teddy Took Panama" - I have to do additional research to check facts and make sure I get all the historical content correct. It is a novel and I have invented the main character - Jack Quinn - a US Secret Service Agent - but all the other main characters are straight from the history books. I have four different historical accounts of the basic story that I am weaving my novel around and I also rely on the internet for other corroboration. 

However even though I have known the true history for many years the exploits of the Frenchman Philippe Bunau-Varilla continue to amaze me. He must rank as one of history's greatest con men. He alone was the cause of the Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty, one that even US Secretary of State John Hay admitted was grossly unfair and gave the USA more than it ever wanted or expected. Yet such were the times and the dangers of potential retaliation from Colombia weighed heavily on the minds of the rebels in Panama.

Such was the hutzpah of this Frenchman, who hadn't visited Panama in 18 years, that he designed and had sewn up a flag for the new nation as well as giving them a draft Constitution. The Panamanians thought he represented the USA and the USA thought he represented the Panamanians. His motivation was only the opportunity to sell the old French Canal Company stock (which was worthless if the USA did not take up the canal) he and others owned and the glory of France and himself. A truly amazing figure and one my fictitious hero has difficulty controlling.

I hope to have the book finished and ready for publication by the end of the year.

Check photo gallery for an image of this infamous Frenchman.

Kwangchow or Kwangtung - what's in a name?

A lot of people ask me what does Kwangchow mean? Well in the case of my book by that name it is the name of the ship our hero Freddy sailed on.

In the old Chinese romanized spelling Kwangchow referred to the City of Canton. Kwangtung was the way the Province of Canton (as opposed to the city) was spelled. In the current Pinyin spelling Kwangchow is spelled Guangzhou.

Romanizing a language like Chinese is always fraught with error but as pointed out in the book the actual Chinese characters have never changed but only the way they are written for Gweilo's (read the book and you'll understand).

I have attached a picture of the motor vessel Kwangtung in the gallery section. This was the ship I actually sailed on.