Neil Oxford asked John Drake:

I've just read all the Fletcher books and thoroughly enjoyed them! I particularly like books about the Napoleonic wars period but any books about wooden ships will do for me! I really appreciate the detailed descriptions of workings of the various parts of a ship which other authors often skip over. I know some of them were given by your hero, did he really exist or is he merely a convenient device? ;-) Bravo..

John Drake Hallo Neil,
Thanks for your very kind words about the Fletcher books. Your comments are very much appreciated. As regards Jacob Fletcher, you are not the only person who has asked if he is real. But your question is so direct and specific that it deserves a proper answer. So forgive me if I give the answer at length.

So ... Fletcher is not real in the sense that Nelson, Drake, and Guy Gibson were real. But he is very much real in the sense that James Bond, Batman, and Long John Silver are real. By that I mean that Fletcher (and the rest of them) are alive in the imaginations of countless people (yourself very much included!) who read about them, imagine them, join in their adventures, and cheer for them when they win.

So in that sense Fletcher is real, and he stands beside me as I write and sometimes I can almost see him. At least in imagination. Writers are like that.

As for the technical detail in the Fletcher books, that comes from research. My working method is to spend 3-4 months on historical research before I start a book, and believe me that stuffs my head with all the technical detail I need. But thanks again, Neil, for referring to this detail with a kind word.

A final thought. I mentioned Long John Silver - one of the all time great characters of fiction. And you mentioned wooden ships. Well, if you like wooden ship adventures, you might like to try my 4-book series about Long John, starting with 'Flint and Silver'. Have a look on Amazon. They're all there.

All very best, John Drake.

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