My name is Judy Waugh. The MASTERPIECE trilogy is written for three seasons of historical drama about people on the First Fleet… like Downton Abbey, for convicts!
I’m currently available for conversations about the film rights.
I’m currently working on books two and three, after ten years’ obsessive and enjoyable research through 18th century trials at the Old Bailey, and the twelve journals from the First Fleet.
Tom Barrett created the historic Charlotte Medal, marking the landing of the First Fleet at Botany Bay in 1788.
The Charlotte Medal is a beautiful work of art - a masterpiece - so why is Tom the first man hanged?
SYNOPSIS
This true saga starts in London, where a band of rogues and villains face exile to America. A desperate plan is hatched, to mutiny at sea…
THE CHARACTERS
All the named characters are real people. Most have nicknames mapped to their proper names. Some, like JEALOUS and GRUBB, are perfect just as they are.
ALL TRUE
Who does what, where, and when, is based on what was written at the time. Only the ‘why’ is conjecture. The love tokens are real.
There are universal themes of love, lust and betrayal, and the power of the mob. Above all is the fundamental urge for survival, for those facing exile in an unknown land on the other side of the world.
