Tag: Research

Historical naval fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna is set in the period of Francis Drake’s youth. There are almost no official records, leaving me to speculate what his apprenticeship might have been like. Using some information about his early life, I sketch what his early experiences and assignments must have been like aboard his marine classroom, teaching him ship handling, trade and piracy. What was this ship like?

The historical fiction novel Sic Parvis Magna introduces us to a very young Francis Drake—long before his pirate raids in the Caribbean, his circumnavigation of the world, Cadiz, the Spanish Armada, and the fame (or perhaps infamy) that those actions brought him. This character sketch is part of the research for the book. While I base it on history, this is not a historical retelling. I attempt to imagine Drake’s early formative experiences to understand what he may think and do, as well as why. I then incorporated this research to carry forward the story, both in the novel Sic Parvis Magna and the rest of the naval historical fiction series Adventures of Francis Drake.